Most of us can relate stories we heard in our formative years of the horrors of the unknown, indeed, many may still claim to "know somebody that happened to", have "read that somewhere", or to "know somebody who knows somebody that happened too". However, when challenged to give specific details (names, places, year etc) they often draw a blank.
There follows a small collection of the most long lasting and often retold, usually with slight variations according to country and time period.
There's Someone in the Back Seat!
The most common telling of this story claims that a young, innocent female (generally on the cusp of womanhood) stops to refuel her car at a small, well hidden petrol station. Upon going to pay, the male attendant manages to persuade her to step into an office- usually by arguing that the bill hasn't been paid or, more recently, there is a problem with a credit card. Once there, the attendant reveals that a man is concealed in the back seat of the young female's car and the police are on their way. The hidden man usually turns out to be a wanted serial killer or escaped murderer.
Modern variations on this story include the claim that the hidden men are gang initiates who have to either kidnap and rape a woman or claim a body part.
The Call is Coming From Insde the House!
Probably the best known tale, this story starts innocently enough with a young female being left to baby sit in a secluded location. After the children are asleep, and the young female has settled down to watch TV, the 'phone rings. Some variations have the caller laughing hysterically, others have him making violent threats and others have him telling the babysitter her name, where she is, what she is wearing etc.
The babysitter reports the calls to the operator who traces them. After several more disturbing calls, the operator rings back to warn the babysitter that the calls are coming from somewhere inside the house.
Depending on the version, the young female is saved just in time, or is murdered in a horribly gory fashion.
Aren't You Glad You Didn't Turn on the Light?
This story is relatively new but still seems to hold strong on university campuses the world over. Again, it centres round young females, with one either studying late at the library or attending party while the other stays in (sometimes ill, sometimes with a boyfriend). Upon returning to the shared room, the absent friend does not want to disturb or interrupt and so does not turn on the light before going to bed.
In the morning, the female awakens to find her room mate dead with the message "aren't you glad you didn't turn on the light?" written on the wall either in lipstick or blood.
This story tends to vary only in the slightest details, the absent friend returns for a moment to get more books or checks on her friend and assumes she's sleeping.
Conclusion
These stories and others like them tend to play on a deeply ingrained fear or moral code of society (young women shouldn't be driving late at night on their own, mothers should avoid leaving their children, the transition from child to adult when away from home for the first time) but have very little grounding in fact. It's true that there are crimes with elements of these tales but these seem to be very few and far between. However, with the advent of the interent, these stories have found a new home and will no doubt continue to scare and disturb us for years to come.
Sources:
The Big Book of Urban Legends- New York, Paradox Press
