Urban Legends and Myths

Bloody Mary

Telling ghost stories, and playing scaring games has always been a part of the American childhood. One popular American game is the Bloody Mary Game. So who is Bloody Mary, and how did the game originate? Check out this article to learn more about the Bloody Mary Game.

Who is Bloody Mary?

There are many legends of who Bloody Mary really is. Some people believe that she is a woman who was savagely murdered. Others say she is a young girl, who was stood up on her wedding day, or that her fiance was murdered. In early myths, Bloody Mary is believed to have been the Queen of England, who suffered many pregnancy complications, and was also known as particularly ruthless. In some legends Bloody Mary, is known as just a trickster with no real violent intention. A number of horror movies have been created that depict Bloody Mary as a ruthless murderer set on killing young child who make the mistake of saying her name three times into a mirror.

What are the Origins of the Game?

The first Bloody Mary Game was played in the United States during the early 20th century. This game involved walking down the stairs backwards holding a mirror in your hand. The game was double-sided in that two very different things could occur. When walking down the stairs backwards, either the face of the girl's future husband would appear, or they would see the face of the grim reaper. The chance at seeing either, sparked a national interest in the game, and it was a common pastime for young girls to play. Of course walking backwards down the stairs especially when scared was never a well thought out idea, and this game sometimes resorted in injuries.

The Story(s)

Also known as "Mary Worth," "I Believe in Mary Worth," "Mary Worthington," "Mary Jane," "I Believe in Mary Whales," "Mary White," "Hell Mary," etc.

Story #1

Some of my friends, five of us, cramped ourselves into a small bathroom in my friend Cathryn's House. We ended up saying Bloody Mary (more like chanting it) about 20 times or so for anything to appear. When we did finally see something it started out as a green glow then the darkened portrait of a face became more visible, by that time half of us were screaming so we knocked each other down trying to get out of the bathroom and then I flipped on the light. It was a welcome relief.

Story #2

Some girls Kat didn't know invited her over for a sleepover. That night they played Truth or Dare. When it was Kat's turn she picked dare. One of the girls said, "I dare you to do Bloody Mary." Kat accepted. They gave Kat a lit candle and pushed her into the bathroom. Kat spun around three times and said, "Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary."

When nothing happened, she walked to the door. Before she could reach it, her only light blew out. She banged on the door, begging the girls to open it, but they just laughed. She backed up against the door. The sink and the bath started to run. It poured out thick blood. It soon was overflowing onto the floor. Kat screamed a blood-curdling scream as Bloody Mary rose from the water then crawled out. When she reached Kat she slit her throat and dragged her back to the bath. The next morning, the girls cheeked on her. When they saw her, their screams could be heard for miles.

Story #3

When I was about 9 years old, I went to a friend's for a birthday/slumber party. There were about 10 other girls there. About midnight, we decided to play Mary Worth. Some of us had never heard of this so one of the girls told the story.

Mary Worth lived a long time ago. She was a very beautiful young girl. One day she had a terrible accident that left her face so disfigured that nobody would look at her. She had not been allowed to see her own reflection after this accident for fear that she would lose her mind. Before this, she had spent long hours admiring her beauty in her bedroom mirror.