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Bloody Mary, sometimes referred to as "Hell Mary", is a spirit in English folklore and an urban myth. This legend is one that has fascinated most young people for generations, though the exact origins of the legend or its associated customs are unknown, it was likely inspired by real-life English Queen Mary I of England, who was nicknamed "Bloody Mary", due to the hundreds of people she had burned at the stake during her rule from 1553 until her death in 1558. She was also inspired by the legendary fiend Candyman from the Candyman horror movie franchise.
Biography
According to legend, Bloody Mary is the ghost of an unhappy woman who either committed suicide due to having her baby stolen or was accused of murdering her children. Depending on the variation used, this turned her spirit mad with grief or anger and she would haunt the world via the use of mirrors (in an almost identical fashion to the Candyman).
Known in life as Mary Worth it is traditionally said that "Bloody Mary" will appear if a brave (or foolish) soul chants her name three or more times next to a mirror in complete darkness at midnight. According to the variations of the legend above one is also said to be able to make the ghost appear via stating "Bloody Mary, I killed your baby" or "I believe in Mary Worth".
Of course, anyone who is foolish enough to provoke Bloody Mary is said to pay the price, unlike many ghosts (who merely scare humans) Bloody Mary is said to be capable of physical harm and will either kill her victims via disfigurement, decapitation or by scratching their eyes out. If she is in a "merciful" mood Bloody Mary is said to simply turn her victim insane or (in rarer tales) she may take a fancy to someone and drag them into the mirror (presumably to the Other Side, like the ghosts in Poltergeist did).
Although the tales of Bloody Mary are dismissed as a modern fairytale of sorts by most people it is still a popular "game" among certain groups of people and may even be a rite of passage to some, a means of confronting one's fears or a way to play a mean prank on someone.
Other Media
DC Series
- Main article: Bloody Mary (DC)
The Wolf Among Us
- Main article: Bloody Mary (The Wolf Among Us)
Halloween Horror Nights
- Main article: Bloody Mary (Halloween Horror Nights)
Grim Tales 5
Bloody Mary is the main antagonist of GrimTales 5 and is portrayed as an evil witch who cursed an entire school full of children into being trapped within a demonic Mirror World while shadow demons took their place in the living world and caused murderous mayhem on her behalf.
Bloody Mary took sadistic delight in the suffering of both her child victims and the adults her shadow demons killed, like many beldams she did not kill her child victims as she did the adults but liked to subject them to psychological torture.
Infamous
Bloody Mary is a vampire and the main antagonist of inFAMOUS 2 DLC, Festival of Blood.
When Mary was once a human, she became ill and was about to die. Just then, a vampire named Marco found her too beautiful to die and turned her into a vampire. Since then, the two went on a rampaging spree of killing and converting people into vampires.
Father Ignatius, the priest who is in Mary's deathbed, kills Marco, believing that she would turn human again. However, it didn't work and Mary swears revenge on him. She is killed by being burned to death by a pyre.
Years later, she is resurrected when her followers capture Cole MacGrath and use his blood for her corpse.
Twisted Metal
- Main article: Bloody Mary (Twisted Metal)
Marvel Comics
- Main article: Typhoid Mary
Gallery
Trivia
- Bloody Mary is a popular character in fiction and has appeared in varied TV shows such as The X-Files, Ghost Whisperer, and Supernatural.
- She also appeared as the icon for Halloween Horror Nights: Reflections of Fear at Universal Orlando Resort in 2008.
- There also do exist parodies of the urban legend, such as Ybgir from the Cartoon Network series Regular Show and Scary Teri in Teen Titans Go.
- A vampire queen in InFamous: Festival of Blood, who happens to be the main antagonist of the game, shares her moniker with Bloody Mary.