The 15 creepiest urban legends from around the world

Gabbi ShawOct 31, 2020, 03:54 IST

Bigfoot roams the Pacific Northwest, according to legend.Bettmann/Getty Images

Every culture has its own urban legends, myths, or spooky stories.
Insider rounded up the scariest urban legends from around the world, from Hawaii to Scandinavia to Egypt.
The gjengangers are thought to be murderous ghosts that can touch people and mark them for death, according to Viking legend.
Some believe water babies can be found throughout the US, but most famously in Utah and Idaho.

Every state has its own urban legend. While some stories, like Washington state's Bigfoot, have entered mainstream pop culture, others have stayed local, like the poisoned girl at Centennial Hall in Nebraska.

However, urban legends exist all over the world, and we've scoured the globe to find the eeriest and most pervasive ones, from Nessie living in the depths of Loch Ness to a 13th-century town in India where the residents seemed to have disappeared into thin air.

Keep scrolling to see 15 urban legends from around the world.

The Yeti, or the Abominable Snowman, is said to roam the Himalayas by the Sherpa people.

Alleged Yeti footprints in 1951. Eric Shipton/Royal Geographical Society via Getty Images

The American counterpart to the Yeti is none other than Bigfoot.

An alleged photo of Bigfoot. Bettmann/Getty Images

The Indian village of Kuldhara was seemingly abandoned overnight, and no one knows why, though there are a few eerie theories.

What Kuldhara looks like today. SONAL SACHAN/Shutterstock

In the UAE, citizens are afraid of the jinn (genie) Umm Al Duwais.

Beware of strangers. Fer Gregory/Shutterstock

There are rumors that the Sydney Harbour Bridge doubles as a tomb for three workers buried inside.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is located near the iconic opera house. Getty Images

The first reported chupacabra attack was in Puerto Rico in 1995. Since then, there have been alleged sightings up and down North America.

A rendering of a chupacabra. Alexlky/Shutterstock

The chilling story of Beijing's ghost bus is sure to put some people off public transportation.

Not all bus stops are this spooky. Florida Chuck/Shutterstock

The Loch Ness Monster of Scotland is perhaps the most famous urban legend of all time.

A purported photo of the fabled Loch Ness monster. AP

In Europe, Santa Claus has an evil doppelgänger: Krampus.

A reveler dressed up as Krampus for the Krampus Creatures parade. Sean Gallup/ Getty

You don't want to come across the night marchers of Hawaii.

Steer clear of the marchers. Dave Etheridge-Barnes/Getty Images

When Greece's Bleeding Stone was destroyed, a curse apparently fell upon the city of Thessaloniki.

A street view of where the Hippodrome used to lie. Google Maps

Pinky Pinky made girls in South Africa afraid to go to the bathroom.

Bathroom stalls. SvedOliver/Shutterstock

Egyptian parents know that the way to get their kids to behave is to threaten them with Abu Regl Masloukha.

Listen to your parents. ChiccoDodiFC/Shutterstock

The Scandinavian gjenganger is sort of like a ghost-zombie hybrid that haunts the living.

Zombies or gjengangers? LedyX/Shutterstock

According to legend, water babies can be found throughout the US, but most famously in Utah and Idaho.

Utah Lake. Johnny Adolphson/Shutterstock

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