Halloween is approaching fast. One can just about taste the trick or treat candy and smell the Pumpkin Spice in the air. And of course, no Halloween is complete without a few scary urban legends. On this list are some lesser known, but still spine-tingling spooky stories to keep in your back pocket for those moonless nights around the campfire… or you know, the TV, for the less adventurous…

SEE ALSO: 10 Mysterious Urban Legends Based on Video Footage

7 El Cadejo

In South America, ancient legends tell of spirit dogs that help humans cross over to the other side after death. Now this may sound heart-warming, however one tale was adapted specifically to highlight the difference between good and evil.

According to this legend there are two types of Cadejo (which are ghosts or spirits that take on the form of a dog): the black Cadejo that represents evil and the white Cadejo that represents, you guessed it, good. It is said that God created the white Cadejo to protect people, while Satan created the black Cadejo to fight against the white one and cause havoc.

The black Cadejo stalks those who are out late at night and up to no good. It hypnotizes its victims with its red glowing eyes and steals their souls. The white Cadejo on the other hand protects all believers and shields babies and small children from the black Cadejo. Luckily you don’t have to rely on only the white Cadejo to protect you from the black one. It is said that the black Cadejo is easily scared off by burning incense.^[1]

6 The Curse of Lake Lanier

Lake Sidney Lanier lies in the northern part of Georgia and stretches out over 26 miles. It is the largest lake in Georgia and dates to 1948. It took 5 years for the lake to reach the desired water level. During this time many structures surrounding the lake were eventually abandoned, as the government relocated families and businesses. These structures included houses, buildings, fields, roads and more. Essentially this means that there are entire ghost towns lying underneath Lake Lanier’s surface, including the towns’ desecrated cemeteries.

As time went by, strange things started happening at the lake. People started noticing a high number of deaths including drownings, boating accidents and cars that crash land into the water. Reports surfaced of boats hitting invisible objects in the lake and capsizing. Swimmers who barely survived drowning, reported being pulled or held underwater. Very soon the lake earned the moniker of being cursed. Furthermore, people also disappear around the lake at an alarming rate. One of the most haunting stories that surround Lake Lanier is the disappearance of Delia Parker Young and her friend Susie Roberts in 1958. The two girls had paid a visit to a gas station near the lake and had allegedly driven off without paying. Across Lanier Bridge were skid marks that seemed to indicate the car they were traveling in had gone off the bridge and into Lake Lanier.

A year and a half of searching for the bodies of the girls proved fruitless. Then a fisherman got the fright of his life when a decomposed body appeared to float up from the depths of the lake, right in front of him. There were two toes missing from the left foot of the body and both hands were gone. Assuming the body was that of Delia Parker Young, it was buried in an unmarked grave. Many years later in 1990, when construction workers dredged Lake Lanier to set up pillars for the expansion of Lanier Bridge, they discovered the car with Susie’s remains still inside. She was eventually buried next to Delia.

Soon after, sightings were being reported of a transparent figure wearing a blue dress and missing its hands, walking the length of the bridge. Considering that Delia Parker Younger wore a blue dress the night she died, people claim it is her ghost looking for her lost hands.^[2]

5 Angelystor

In Llangernyw, a small village in Conwy, North Wales, villagers who visit the medieval church in the area do so to find out whether they would die in the coming months. It is said that an ancient supernatural being called the Angelystor appears in the church and recites the names of the parish members who would die soon. The Angelystor appears only twice a year, on 31 July and 31 October.

According to legend, a tailor named Shôn ap Robert mocked the idea of the ancient being while downing a couple of beers at the local watering hole. His drinking buddies dared him to take a walk up to the church, since he was a complete sceptic. ap Robert wasted no time in making his way to the medieval church, scoffing as he went. But his blood ran cold as he heard a voice from within the church reciting names; the first of which was his own. Terrified, ap Robert screamed that he wasn’t ready to die, but to no avail. He died shortly afterwards.^[3]

4 Selborne Dock

Simon’s Town is home to the South African Navy’s Naval Base and is located on False Bay, east of the Cape Peninsula. The town is the fifth oldest in South Africa and rumored to be among the most haunted. Part of its ghostly reputation began back in 1900 with the building of the Selborne Dock at the harbour to accommodate expanded steam propulsion vessels.

It took 10 years to complete construction on the dock and the intense labour of 3000 workers. Indian craftsmen and Italian masons were amongst the labourers. However, when it came to safety regulations, those who ran the building project were more concerned with finishing on time than ensuring all workers were safe. Consequently, because of the lack of safety measures on site, 33 workers died during the building process. Some of the dead included the Italian masons whose graves are located close to Selborne Dock.

It has been said that when visitors pass by the wall of the dock to visit Boulder’s Beach nearby, hands appear out of the structure, desperately grabbing at whoever is close enough. Giving up in despair, the hands fade back into the stone façade of the dock. Naturally, legend has it that these are the hands of the 33 dead labourers trying their best to pull themselves back into the land of the living.^[4]

3 The Last Bus to Fragrant Hills

China is well known for its creepy urban legends and superstitions. One of these legends tells the story of a young man who got on the last bus heading to Fragrant Hills in Beijing on 14 November 1995. The man had just taken his seat when two men outside tried to flag the bus down. As these men were not waiting at a designated bus stop, the bus driver almost sped right past them. However, the conductor on board told the driver to stop as this would be the last trip to Fragrant Hills for the night.

To the bus passengers’ surprise there were actually three men and they were wearing Qing Dynasty robes. One of the men had long, tangled hair. The other passengers felt a little troubled because the men’s faces were ghostly white, and they did not speak. However, the bus journey was uneventful and eventually all the passengers disembarked apart from the mystery men, the young man and one old lady.

Out of nowhere the old lady started yelling at the young man, claiming that he had stolen her wallet. A terrible argument ensued with the old lady insisting that they both get off the bus and go to the closest police station. The young man was livid as he got off the bus, seeing as how he would not get home and there was no police station in sight to clear up the misunderstanding. Just then, the old lady turned to him and said that the wind from the windows in the bus raised the robes of the mystery men and she saw that they had no feet. That was why she insisted that the young man leave the bus with her.

The following day it became known that the bus, which was numbered 302, had gone missing right after the old lady and young man disembarked. It was found three days later, miles away from Fragrant Hills, inside a reservoir. Inside the bus were the bodies of the driver, the conductor and one unidentified man with long, tangled hair. Another version of the tale states that instead of three ghosts on the bus, it was just one female ghost in a red dress. Yet another version says the gas tank of the bus was filled with blood, or that the bus was never found again.^[5]

2 Andrew’s Walk

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Dr Michael Schneider bought a mansion in Adelaide, Australia. Known as Clifton Manor, the mansion sprawled across 40 acres of land and Schneider and his wife and two daughters were very happy with their new home.

Schneider decided to treat patients at home, but away from his family. He saw the ill and diseased and schizophrenic in a cabin on the far side of his land. Five years had passed when tragedy struck and Schneider lost his wife and daughters to an accident. Schneider couldn’t deal with his grief and went insane.

At some point, nearby residents started reporting that they were hearing screams coming from Clifton Manor. Stories began to fly that in his insanity, Dr Schneider had begun performing surgeries on unsuspecting patients without using anesthesia. It was said that Schneider was offering his dying patients to the devil. For some reason no investigation took place at the property, until Schneider himself died. Only then did police descent upon Clifton Manor, to find the body of the doctor surrounded with the remains of his long-deceased family.

Legend has it that Schneider’s ghost and the restless spirits of his victims still reside at the mansion. Those who are feeling adventurous can visit the site, now known as Andrew’s Walk. Just watch out for vengeful spirits crawling from the tree line as you walk up the lane.^[6]

1 Gjenganger

In Scandinavia, the word ‘Gjenganger’ strikes fear into the heart of many. It is said that some who die in Scandinavia are resurrected and become Gjengangers for the purpose of haunting those who are still alive.

Legend has it that the lost souls who become Gjengangers were ordinary people who were plucked from their lives prematurely by means of murder or accident. Once transformed into a Gjenganger, these spirits make it their afterlife’s mission to disrupt the future of those still living and especially those who contributed to their death.

Gjengangers strike in the darkest hour of night, pinching their victims and then fleeing. Once their victim wakes, he or she will notice an unexplained blue mark on their body. This mark leads to illness and eventually death as the victim’s flesh rots until the disease reaches their heart.

Luckily there is a way to stop a Gjenganger in its tracks. If a person dies by murder or accident, it is advisable to bury them in the appropriate manner with a runic inscription inside the coffin which would prevent any resurrection efforts.^[7]

Those with a strong belief in the paranormal often speak of a thin veil between our world and the dark “realm” of spirits, ghosts, and other unearthly beings. Some claim to possess the ability to lift the veil—especially during certain times of the year or on “special” days—and see into the spectral beyond.

Others insist that they are more sensitive to spirits in specific locations around the world. In fact, some individuals maintain that paranormal entities such as ghosts never cross over to other realms. Instead, they spend their afterlives on Earth with only a select few of the living aware of their presence.

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10 Women At The Crossroads

Should you find yourself in Mexico on traditional feast days, it would serve you well to avoid all crossroads around midnight. It is said that the Aztec Cihuateteo lie in wait at crossroads on these days. They hope to grab their next victim and mercilessly inflict illness, paralysis, or seizures.^[1]

It is believed that the Aztec Cihuateteo are the spirits of women who died during childbirth and that young children are their favorite victims. If a child does not cross their path during feast days, they settle for men they can seduce. Then the Cihuateteo show their true forms—skeleton faces, claws in place of hands, and horned headdresses. They are also naked from the waist up.

As the ancient Aztecs looked upon women who died during labor and birth as fallen warriors, the Aztecs gave these women permission to enter the Heaven of the Sun, where they remained for four years. Once these years had passed, the women made the clouds their home and were turned into Cihuateteo.

9 The Shackled Murderer

Moscow has its own dark side consisting of vindictive spirits, headless spooks, and vengeful specters that appear just before terrible events occur. Once of these restless ghosts can be found on the Gorky Highway.

It is alleged that a murderer was marching along in a penal convoy en route to a Siberian penal colony. He did not survive the trip. As there was no time to bury him, his body was simply left at the side of the road.

Many drivers claimed to have encountered the spirit of the murderer on the side of the road. He has a beard and is dressed like a homeless man. He also walks as though his feet are still shackled.

If a driver stops next to the apparition, he will be asked to “forgive me.” If the motorist does not reply with “God will forgive you” and drive away without looking back, the ghost will drag the motorist into the afterlife.^[2]

8 Creepy Kids In Your Home

In Kempton Park, Gauteng, South Africa, stands the now-derelict shell of what used to be Kempton Park Hospital (later known as Kyalami Hospital). For reasons still unclear, the hospital was completely abandoned and shut down on Boxing Day 1996. All patient files and medical equipment were left inside the hospital where they can still be found today.

Those who love a thrill often visit the spooky building in search of ghosts. Residents of the surrounding neighborhood, however, do not have to step on the hospital grounds to encounter some of its creepy inhabitants.

One family claimed to have experienced poltergeist activity in their home, while others have watched in fear as their curtains opened and closed of their own accord and doors slammed for no earthly reason.^[3]

Yet another family is said to have found small, wet footprints trailing throughout their home. Meanwhile, a married couple in the area claims to have entered their children’s bedrooms only to find unfamiliar youngsters playing with toys and looking up at the adults with blank eyes. The spooky children vanished soon after being discovered.

The high number of creepy-kid hauntings in the area is attributed to a “doctor” who managed to successfully fake being a qualified pediatrician at the hospital before being caught. Unfortunately, several young children and babies died before he was sentenced to 18 years in prison in May 1992.

7 The Wailer That Will Blind You

An old Mongolian legend says that a nomadic traveler died long ago after being overcome by hunger and thirst as he tried to cross the Gobi Desert. His spirit never left the vast arid landscape and still wails loudly, lamenting his fate.

Those who wish to visit or travel through the Gobi Desert are warned to avoid laying eyes upon the deceased traveler, better known as the Gobi Desert Wailer, if they hear his mournful cries. It is said that any living person who looks at the Wailer will start bleeding from the eyes and become blind.

An unnamed victim claimed to have looked at the Wailer, saying that he saw a gaunt spirit with empty eye sockets who wore frayed clothing. Soon after he saw the apparition, blood started streaming from the victim’s eyes and he became blind.^[4]

6 The Goat-Legged Woman

The story of Aisha Kandisha is said to be the Moroccan version of the popular Bloody Mary legend. There are several versions of the tale, but it is widely claimed that Aisha Kandisha appears near water sources. She uses magic to look beautiful so that she can lure men to her before driving them insane or killing them.^[5]

Whereas Bloody Mary can be summoned by whispering her name three times in a dark room, Aisha Kandisha will appear if you pour boiling water down a drain. She also materializes in other forms, such as a freaky-looking mermaid or a topless woman with the legs of a goat.

Before she attacks and possesses unsuspecting men, she turns into an ugly old witch. Men who survive the attack become impotent and severely depressed.

If you gaze into a body of water in Morocco, you might just see Aisha Kandisha staring back at you. Also, if you hear chains rattling along the ground, you’d better get out of there immediately. The sound of chains is believed to announce Aisha’s presence in the vicinity.

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5 The Woman In The Black Sari

In Jammu and Kashmir lies the Jawahar Tunnel (aka the Banihal Tunnel). Before you get to the tunnel, you must travel along the Khooni Nala stretch of road. It is infamous for a high number of accidents resulting in driver and passenger deaths.

There is also the danger of boulders falling onto vehicles from the mountains alongside the road. A steel mesh structure has been erected to protect motorists. But another threat lurks, and there is seemingly no protection against it.^[6]

Some travelers claim to have seen a woman wearing a black sari and carrying a baby. The woman stands on the side of the road, flags down drivers, and asks for a lift. If a driver refuses, he is instantly cursed by the woman and will soon die in a car accident.

4 Dead Sailors Looking For A Place To Stay

Many people consider the isolated Sandwood Bay to be the most beautiful beach in Scotland, if not the whole of Britain. It lies 6.4 kilometers (4 mi) from the nearest parking area and is flanked by massive sand dunes and a freshwater loch. Its coastline is believed to be one of the earliest inhabited areas of Scotland.

Sandwood Bay is also considered by some to be Britain’s most haunted beach. A multitude of ships wrecked off its shores in the absence of a lighthouse, and many sailors’ lives were lost. A lighthouse was eventually constructed at Cape Wrath during the early 19th century.^[7]

Between the beach and Sandwood Loch stand the ruined remains of Sandwood Bay Cottage. A long time ago, when the cottage was still in use, inhabitants would be awakened on stormy nights by the sound of a ghostly sailor knocking on the windows.

An old fisherman claimed to have seen the face of a bearded sailor looking at him through the window after he heard footsteps approaching the little cottage. Some believe that the bearded sailor is the restless spirit of local hermit James McRory Smith who lived in the area for 32 years.

Other guests at the cottage have awakened to the walls shaking as a herd of wild phantom horses stamped their hooves and stormed past the cottage.

3 Specters That Rise From The Mist

The city of Kilkenny in Ireland has been named one of the five most haunted places in Europe. The iconic Foulksrath Castle is reportedly so haunted that ghost hunters from BBC arrived in 1992 to see if they could catch some specters in action.

Other haunted sites include the stone tombs of the Black Abbey, Rothe House, and the Kilkenny Prison. Kilkenny is also believed to be the site of Ireland’s first witch trial.^[8]

The creepiest story, however, tells of a flood that occurred in the area in 1763. Sixteen people lost their lives after falling into the River Nore when a bridge collapsed beneath their feet because of the swollen floodwaters.

In modern times, locals and tourists have reported seeing specters float in the mist covering the River Nore as the Sun rises above it.

2 The Girl From The Gap

Gaps in wardrobe doors, in drawers, and between walls are common in houses, especially older ones. While most simply need fixing up, it is believed that an evil spirit takes up residence in a gap in a Japanese home. The spirit takes the form of a little girl who is always seeking a playmate.^[9]

Once an inhabitant or visitor notices the little girl’s eyes watching from a gap inside the house, the spirit will ask whether the person wants to play hide-and-seek. Whether or not the invitation is accepted, the person will be dragged into another dimension if he or she looks at the girl a second time. That other dimension is believed to be Hell, and the unfortunate person will never be seen again.

1 The Hopping Jungle Spirit

Although Thailand is most popular among tourists for its breathtaking beaches and mesmerizing architecture, the country also has magnificent jungles filled with diverse plant and animal life and jaw-dropping waterfalls. These jungles call out to the adventurous and those who love camping.

If you are lucky enough to visit these wilderness areas, make sure you look out for Phi Kong Koi. This Thai jungle ghost hops around on one leg and shouts, “Koi, Koi, Koi.”

Those who have encountered the ghost report that it is very ugly with a bulging belly. It hunts down campers and other travelers who stay overnight in the jungle. That way, it can suck blood from their toes while they sleep. Crossing your feet or keeping them together is said to provide protection against the Phi Kong Koi.^[10]

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