00:00For decades, children across the United States and the United Kingdom have repeated the same ritual.
00:06Stand in front of a mirror, turn off the lights, light a candle, and say her name three times.
00:14Bloody Mary, most treated as a game.
00:17But the origins of the legend are darker than people think.
00:21Some historians link the name to Queen Mary I of England,
00:25known for executing hundreds of Protestants in the 1500s.
00:30Others believe the ritual began in the early 20th century as a supernatural test of courage among young girls.
00:39But what makes the story unsettling are the reports.
00:43Throughout the 1960s and 70s, newspapers documented children claiming they saw a face in the mirror that wasn't theirs.
00:52Some described an old woman.
00:54Others described a disfigured figure standing behind them.
00:58Psychologists say it's a phenomenon called the strange face illusion.
01:03When you stare at your reflection in low light for too long, your brain begins to distort what it sees.
01:10Faces appear to melt.
01:12Eyes darken.
01:14Shadows move.
01:15But here's the part that remains unexplained.
01:18In several reported cases, children ran from bathrooms screaming.
01:22Before finishing the third name, they claimed something was already there.
01:28Waiting.
01:29No verified deaths.
01:31No official police reports confirming harm.
01:34Just decades of identical experiences.
01:37Different cities.
01:39Different generations.
01:41Same ritual.
01:42Same fear.
01:43Maybe it's just a mind playing tricks in the dark.
01:47Or maybe some legends survive because something about them is real.
01:52So tonight, if you find yourself alone in front of a mirror, you might want to keep the lights on.
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