It’s Scary Story Time: Here are a Few to Get You Started
`With Halloween right around the corner comes haunted houses, horror movies, and ghost stories. Everyone has some sort of experience with ghost stories, whether they be real or not, and Minnesota State University, Mankato students are no different.
“We like to tell ghost stories in a dark room with a flashlight under our faces. It captures what a ghost story is really about,” commented MNSU students Natalie Coleman and Elizabeth Fink.
One of the more classic tales that many people know about is the spirit of Bloody Mary. This urban legend holds many different historical meanings, depending on how you hear about it. For some it allows women to see their future husband and to others it’s a fit of hysteria due to the low lights and looking into a mirror for an extended amount of time.
To experience the horror behind this tale, a person must go to their bathroom at midnight with candles being the only source of light. Once there, chant “Bloody Mary” three times, and she will then appear before the summoner in the mirror. What happens after that, we’ll never know. But this is just the beginning.
Another spooky narrative would be the tale of Lizzie Borden. The origins of this story are based on true events, believe it or not. Borden murdered her father and step-mother with an ax that was initially used to kill the pigeons that had been caught on their property.
The killer was naturally caught by the police and tried for her crimes. She was acquitted, but is long since dead.
The Borden House is still standing and open to the public to this day and was also featured in an episode of Supernatural. This was how students Coleman and Fink first heard about it.
“I asked my mom about it afterwards. I wanted to learn more about it, since it seemed pretty interesting,” said Natalie.
In 2018, a movie titled “Lizzie” starring Chloë Sevigny and Kristin Stewart was created to capture the crimes that were commited. The film is available on Amazon Prime for anyone to watch.
Another spooky story to look at is known as “The Hook”. The story tells of a young couple hearing on the car radio about an escaped killer with a hook hand.
One version of the story is of the couple hearing a strange noise and deciding to leave the car. When they arrive at their destination, the two see the hook hand on the car door handle. There are multiple versions of this frightening legend that will depend on who you ask.
“I like to tell scary stories around a campfire. The surrounding darkness adds to the intensity of whatever story is being told,” said MNSU student Jack Davis when talking about his favorite way to tell these scary stories.
Let’s look to something a little closer to home. There are plenty of unexplained happenings around you if you dare to look.
An example of this is when MSU student Dena Wiljanen was working at a store in Mankato. She spotted a lady in the store and walked over to greet her when the lady suddenly vanished right before her eyes.
After learning about this experience, the manager told her, “We need some sage. ASAP.”
Sometimes it’s better not to mess with the unknown.
Header photo: The lobby of the Preska Residence Hall can be seen decked out in Halloween-themed decorations. (Kjerstin Hall/The Reporter)