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Lists of bone-chilling lore and weird AF urban legends from your home state and your neighbors. Also some cities ;) .

State Secrets

Michigan

Michigan is an interesting state, one that&#39;s rife with creepy <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/people-describe-the-creepiest-urban-legends/dukeharten?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">local urban legends</a>, as well as stories of strange creatures,&nbsp;tragic apparitions, and haunted landmarks. The state&#39;s unique geographical build and tragic history certainly encourage these creepy Michigan sagas, which show the Mitten State may not be the best tourist destination for the&nbsp;superstitious.&nbsp;

Surrounded by water and home to many rural enclaves, Michigan has a mysterious feel to it at times.&nbsp;This has led to tales of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/cryptozoological-creatures-most-likely-to-exist/switchdoctor" target="_blank">cryptozoological creatures</a> and deranged <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/creepy-stories-of-encounters-with-humanoids/amandasedlakhevener" target="_blank">humanoid&nbsp;beings</a> roaming the deep dark woods and murky waters. Then, there&#39;s history to consider. Michigan&#39;s largest city, Detroit, was once the backbone of American enterprise before falling into despair. Could an impish red entity be to the blame? Those who believe in the Nain Rouge think so. From restless spirits and&nbsp;haunted cemeteries to old hotels and treacherous lagoons, read the scary stories from Michigan found below.

Creepy Stories And Urban Legends From Michigan

General

12 Creepy Stories and Urban Legends from Michigan

Juliet Bennett Rylah

In the middle of the ocean, no one can hear you scream. 

Out to Sea

Vacations

Cruises are supposed to be happy, carefree moments of maritime bliss; what could go wrong on a vacation on the sea? In reality, there&nbsp;has been a shocking number of <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/people-who-disappeared-from-cruise-ships/aaron-edwards?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">cruise ship disappearances</a>, and over 165 people have <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2040248/Why-165-people-gone-missing-cruise-ships-recent-years.html" target="_blank">gone missing</a> since 1995. Cruise ships traverse the vast oceans and often maintain entertainment options into the wee hours of the night, and there&#39;s certainly no shortage of libations flowing for those on board. <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/people-who-fell-off-the-side-of-cruise-ships/katherine-ripley">Some passengers have fallen overboard</a>, while other guests have disappeared via more mysterious means.

Investigations into such disappearances can often be inconclusive, as missing passengers are frequently never found. And while security footage can sometimes provide clues, some videos have produced more questions than they have answered. For that reason, the families of many cruise ship victims have written about their tragic experiences in an attempt to increase awareness about cruise ship safety.&nbsp;

People Who Mysteriously Vanished From Cruise Ships

11 People Who Mysteriously Vanished From Cruise Ships

Lists about the effects of heavy drinking and people who live with addiction to alcohol.

Drinking Problems

Interesting

The average gregarious partier may think nothing of tossing back a few drinks or shots during a night out at the bar. However, dying from alcohol poisoning is easier than it sounds. Alcohol poisoning occurs when a person consumes a large amount of alcohol in a short amount of time. But some alcohol poisoning facts are not commonly known to many people. Your body releases alcohol into your bloodstream well after your last drink - so what will result in a blurry night and a killer hangover for one person could have serious, even fatal consequences for someone else. Many people have lost their lives following one night of binge drinking, and others have suffered permanent brain damage. Knowing what alcohol poisoning is like, how you get it, and how to properly care for a friend who has had too much could save a life.&nbsp;

9 Disturbing Things You Didn't Know About Alcohol Poisoning

Real places in the physical world that you should avoid at all costs, lest you never come back (alive). 

Get Out, Stay Out

Graveyard Shift

Some of the greatest (and campiest) horror flicks took place in schools: Carrie, Suspiria, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Prom Night. But those were all active schools, full of bubbly students and no small amount of mayhem. Abandoned schools are full of creepy classrooms, forgotten textbooks, overturned desks, and probably ghosts. Okay, so maybe you don't <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/celebrities-who-believe-in-ghosts/celebrity-lists?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">believe in ghosts</a>. That's fine, but there's no denying that these forlorn learning institutions are unsettling, even if they're not haunted.These haunted schools give you a chance to not only relive all your worst childhood memories—that teacher who never liked you, the homework you couldn't figure out, the popular kids who made fun of your lack of athletic abilities—but to feel totally isolated from the modern world. Where laughing children once played outdoors and studied their ABCs, now nature has taken over these buildings. A few brave urban explorers have ventured inside to capture what's left before it's gone for good.&nbsp;

12 Creepy Abandoned Schools and Classrooms That Are Probably Haunted

On a blustery and tumultuous night, you may find yourself taking a shortcut through the woods. Down a long dirt road, your car runs over&nbsp;something that punctures your tires. The rain splatters against your windshield as you shiver in your seat. Then you see, off in the distance, a house. It&#39;s just visible through dark tree&nbsp;branches, but if you can make it there, you might find a comfortable and dry place to rest your head for the night&nbsp;or even someone that might help you. At the very least, they might have a phone you could use. What&#39;s the worst&nbsp;that could happen?

Here are a dozen creepy houses, found lost and forsaken in the deep, dark woods. Who used to live in them&nbsp;and where did they go? And who - or what - might you find lurking inside these houses&nbsp;today?

10 Creepy And Terrifying Houses In The Woods

10 Creepy and Terrifying Houses in the Woods

Lists for horror-hounds who get their kicks by having paid professionals scare the bejesus out of them until they literally beg for mercy.

Chills & Thrills

Halloween

These extreme haunted houses are not for the faint of heart. <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/haunters-documentary-extreme-haunted-houses/jacob-shelton" target="_blank">For some, it&#39;s a way of life</a>. You will not wind through mazes and encounter actors in masks who jump out and say &quot;boo&quot; before letting you on your way. No, these monsters will grab you, tie you up, pull a hood over your head, and throw you in a trunk.&nbsp;And that&#39;s only the beginning of the gonzo experience offered by extreme horror attractions. If you can call them attractions. Repulsions might be a better word for it.&nbsp;

Some of these morbid experiences&nbsp;are rooted in psychological terror. They pose&nbsp;intensely personal questions while chipping&nbsp;away at your identity. Others ask you to crawl through tight spaces in the dark, all by yourself, with no clue as to what might be waiting around the corner. One of them is an eight-hour tour so controversial, even other haunted house creators want it shut down. These are the intense Halloween attractions&nbsp;to hit if you want to experience the kind of real terror that sticks with you long after the show is over.

The 11 Most Ridiculously Terrifying Extreme Haunted Houses And Attractions

The 11 Most Ridiculously Terrifying Extreme Haunted Houses

There are <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/absurd-book-titles/nathandavidson" target="_blank">certain books</a> that aren&#39;t exactly listed in great detail on Amazon. These weird and mysterious&nbsp;works often have unknown authors&nbsp;and describe forgotten histories or strange and fantastical worlds. There are some books that are so mysterious that no one has ever been able to read them, written in cryptic codes that have yet to be cracked. Some contain odd pictures depicting fights or the origin of the Earth&nbsp;or flora and fauna we&#39;ve never seen.

While some argue that these works are hoaxes intentionally left behind to befuddle us, others insist that these books hold ancient truths. Read on to find out what&#39;s in the Vatican&#39;s secret archives, and&nbsp;meet a Chicago area janitor who spent years writing and illustrating an epic saga about a child slave rebellion in the secrecy of his own home.

15 Mysterious Books Throughout History No One Can Explain

Lists about what to expect when you're expecting, funny memes, movies to watch, delicious snacks to try, and much more to get you through these 40 magical weeks of pregnancy.

A Bun in the Oven

Lists about the zany little things we believe anyway.

Very Superstitious

Pregnancy

In modern times, a <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-most-craveable-foods-when-you_re-pregnant/stacy-keener">pregnant woman</a> who wishes to know the sex of her baby will simply get an ultrasound and have the doctor tell her. But ultrasounds, of course, haven’t been around for as long as humanity has been reproducing. Historical sex prediction traditions and methods have been around for ages.Droplets of a mother’s milk&nbsp;or rings dangled over her belly were said by some cultures to be the key. Other sex prediction methods are the world&nbsp;require the careful observation of an&nbsp;expectant mother’s behavior or appearance, peering into her eyes (and the circle beneath them) or observing the way she walks. While most of these methods are total bunk, a lot of them retained their power and spread all over the world for a simple reason: statistically, there’s a 50 percent chance that it’ll be right!Plus, most of them—with the exception of peeing into a potentially dangerous chemical—are totally harmless for the mother and child, so why not have a bit of fun? Some of these ways different cultures predict the sex of a baby are strange, some are quirky, and all of them shed a unique light of their respective cultures. So check out these different ways to predict if a baby is a boy or a girl and leave a comment if you've heard of another method.

Weird Ways Cultures Predict If a Baby Will Be a Boy or a Girl

Ghosts

Hearing noises you can&#39;t explain? Perhaps you keep seeing something in the corner of your eye, but it&#39;s gone when you turn to look?&nbsp;You might be wondering, <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/ghost-signs/christopher-shultz?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">is my house haunted</a>?&nbsp;But finding out the answer is only part of the mystery.

There are numerous types of ghosts, entities, and creatures and each one is unique. The key to figuring out if your presence is a friendly Casper,&nbsp;a hostile poltergeist, or a helpful nocturnal creature lies in correctly identifying the type of presence it is, how it found its way to your house, and what it wants. Some entities -&nbsp;like a pisky&nbsp;or a brownie -&nbsp;may actually help you. In that case, you&#39;re going to need to know how to treat them well. Some might not even know you exist, while others may signal an upcoming event. If you have the nasty sort, you may need to banish it from your home entirely;&nbsp;that is&nbsp;if you ever want to get a good night&#39;s sleep again.&nbsp;

A Guide To The Mystical Beings That Might Inhabit Your Home

A Guide to the Ghosts and Spirits Haunting Your Home

Wacky pics, zany products, and totally weird, absolutely true stories that are too kooky to make up.

How Bizarre, How Bizarre

Lists of fascinating print ads, notable advertising campaigns, and tons of TV commercials we'll never forget.

Great Moments in Advertising

Advertising

Imagine you're sitting in the dark watching a <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-x-files-episodes-ranked/desertrat89">scary re-run of The X-Files</a>&nbsp;on TV, when it cuts to commercial. An ad comes on where a group of people are driving down a desolate road when all of a sudden, a demon leaps on the hood of their car, terrifying the both of you!While perhaps not the wisest way to build brand loyalty, some companies have gone for the creeps to get a consumer's attention, and it's certainly a useful way for a PSA to make a lasting impression. And while those scary commercials are intentionally creepy, others frighten the hell out of us without meaning to via unsettling mascots and disturbing toys.From vintage dolls who will have you in proverbial (and literal?) stitches, to horrifying clowns, to a bed-in-breakfast delivery that will have you wondering just how long a bobble-headed king watched an unaware man sleep, these horribly creepy TV commercials are sure to scare the crap out of you.

Creepy, Gory, and Straight-Up WTF TV Commercials

Let's face it: People are gross. The world is gross. Life is gross. Ugh, go wash your hands.

That's Disgusting!

While it might seem taboo to make art or other functional objects out of human body parts, the practice is nothing new. Artists have often found ways to turn bones, skin, teeth, hair, and even their own blood into remarkable works of art, or at the very least, something useful -&nbsp;like a criminal who determined that his memoirs should be bound with his own flesh!

It was also somewhat common for people in the Victorian era to keep a lock of their dead loved one&#39;s hair and incorporate it into a beautiful piece of jewelry, something that is not so far removed from keeping a beloved&#39;s hair in a locket or their ashes in an urn today. And if you&#39;re going to make a self-portrait, what better way to really put yourself into your work than by crafting&nbsp;it out of your own frozen blood, or with hair from every part of your body?

These works of art might be&nbsp;macabre, but some of these made-from-humans-by-humans objects are really quite incredible.

13 Eerie and Beautiful Objects Made from Human Body Parts

Eerie and Beautiful Objects Made from Human Body Parts

TV, movies, comics, and novels are full of scary fictional cannibals. Some have a refined palate, like iconic man-eater Dr. Hannibal Lecter, while others may have only just begun their culinary journey into the consumption of human flesh thanks to an&nbsp;apocalyptic event that's rendered other food sources obsolete.Most cannibals&nbsp;in fiction&nbsp;tend to be fairly extreme, possessed by a bizarre hunger that cannot be satisfied by ordinary means. Lucky for us, they're just characters; don't expect Leatherface to drop by your house anytime soon asking to borrow a pound of flesh. Of course, some of these famous, creepy fictional cannibals are based on real cannibals in history, so don't get too comfy.This list touches upon cannibal characters who enjoy making elaborate meals, and others who prefer chomping right off the bone. Some are families who have been digging on man flesh&nbsp;for decades, others are loners who recently developed a taste for their own kind.&nbsp;

17 Creepy Fictional Cannibals You'll Be Super Happy Aren't Real

Fictional Character

Pregnant women are given a lot of advice from doctors, neighbors, family, and friends. While some of it is practical and rooted in science, such as laying off the alcohol&nbsp;and avoiding harsh chemicals, others are merely <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/historical-beliefs-about-pregnancy/kellen-perry">old wives' tales</a> with no evidence to back them up.Common urban legends about pregnancy often assert that you can tell the gender of your baby if you conduct a certain ritual, or that certain encounters or behaviors during pregnancy will affect the personality of the child. Others are meant to protect the woman and her child from evil spirits that might be drawn to new life with malicious intent.Weird pregnancy legends exist in every culture around the world, and some seem to be oddly universal, crossing oceans and language barriers to persist among families everywhere. And at least one on this list turned out to be true, but not for the reasons people used to think.

Crazy Urban Legends About Pregnancy and Pregnant Women

Eerie true tales of people and places being haunted by g-g-g-ghoooosts!!!

Real Hauntings & Ghost Stories

Some say that while ghosts can upset&nbsp;you, they can&#39;t actually harm you, regardless of what horror films would have us believe. However, there are those who believe in deadly paranormal encounters, from cursed&nbsp;objects that trap their owners in misfortune&nbsp;to mysterious deaths attributed to hauntings. 

A creepy tale from a Thailand village blames the death of 10 men on a ghost who can only be warded away with an item of clothing, while <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/kgb-built-fake-american-town-for-training/mariel-loveland?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">an American town</a> has embraced a legendary beast who appeared numerous times shortly before a horrific disaster. Other encounters with ghosts resulted in death when flippant naysayers ignored&nbsp;ancient warnings, while&nbsp;another&nbsp;ghost managed to contact the living to solve her own murder. 

We&#39;re sure there&#39;s a logical explanation for all of this, but perhaps you&#39;d like&nbsp;to turn off the lights and decide for yourself.&nbsp;

Ghostly Encounters That Resulted In Death

12 Alleged Ghost Encounters That Resulted in Real Death

Lists of fun facts and fascinating photos from production on your favorite films, TV shows, and more.

Behind the Scenes

Horror

When Wes Craven&#39;s The Last House on the Left came out in 1972, the trailer suggested that those who are terrified by its gruesome plot should remind themselves, &quot;It&#39;s only a movie.&quot; And, sure, that might help some - but what if the behind-the-scenes happenings on the film sets of horror movies themselves are just as creepy as the flick? 

Numerous classic horror films are said to have carried a curse with them, manifesting in spooky occurrences on set or terrible misfortunes befalling the cast and crew. Planes were struck by lightning, hotels caught on fire, and actors reported mysterious and unexplained occurrences while filming stories of demonic possession or ghostly hauntings. And on the scariest film sets, <a href="/list/movies-with-real-skeletons-and-dead-bodies/jessica-bedewi" target="_blank">bodies</a> and prop weapons weren&#39;t as fake as one might expect.&nbsp;

The Most Horrific Behind-The-Scenes Stories From Horror Movies

Film

Most Horrific Behind the Scenes Stories from Horror Movies

What's fact? What's just an old wives' tale? Read up on these persistent, sometimes creepy, totally believable urban legends to separate truth from myth.

Myths and Legends

Strange True Stories

When it comes to local lore, it seems like every town has its share of hitchhiking urban legends. There&#39;s either a certain road where folks say you&#39;re apt to encounter scary hitchhikers, or a certain car you should never, ever get into, no matter the weather.&nbsp;Many of these stories are&nbsp;rooted in the supernatural and feature&nbsp;mysterious apparitions or bizarre creatures that lurk in woodsy areas or on desolate stretches of road.

Several tales are variations of &quot;<a href="http://www.snopes.com/horrors/ghosts/vanish.asp" target="_blank">the phantom hitchhiker</a>&quot; or &quot;vanishing hitchhiker,&quot; whereby a driver picks up a wayward individual, only to have them disappear before their very eyes.&nbsp;After reading these creepy hitchhiking stories, we&#39;d like to suggest you be careful about whom you offer a lift, and if you&#39;re traveling alone, maybe go ahead and splurge on a cab.&nbsp;

Creepy Urban Legends About Hitchhikers

10 Creepy Urban Legends about Hitchhikers

Lists about the King of Horror and ranking his greatest works.

The Dark World of Stephen King

Stephen King

Stephen King is a <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/full-list-of-masters-of-horror-episodes/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">master of horror</a> who has authored dozens of novels and stories exploring monsters both human and supernatural. Many of King's ideas are rooted in true stories, either historical in nature, like the assassination of President John F. Kennedy that serves as the foundation for time travel thriller 11/22/63,&nbsp;or embellishments of mundane everyday life. For King, a simple trip to the grocery store in a thunderstorm or a walk over a bridge to pick up his car from the mechanic can be the start of some creepy tale.One of King's greatest works, The Shining, emerged from a dream he had in a snowy hotel in the mountains. A&nbsp;lesser-known piece was inspired by Dennis Rader, one of America's <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/americas-most-famous-serial-killers/tool100?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">most notorious serial killers</a>. To find out who inspired Misery's obsessive Annie Wilkes and which real St. Bernard led to Cujo, read on.&nbsp;

14 True Stories Behind Stephen King's Novels

14 True Stories Behind Stephen King Books

Myths, lore, ghost stories, and urban legends from all around the United States.

American Legends

The <a href="http://www.skinwalkerranch.org/" target="_blank">Skinwalker Ranch</a> is a weird place. Located near Ballard, Utah, it&#39;s long been the source of tales of monsters, space ships, and other bizarre phenomenon. Native Americans in the area believe the ranch is plagued by evil creatures known as Skinwalkers, while others claim to have seen UFOs, crop circles, and unexplainable lights. A family&nbsp;that lived on the ranch for two years in the &#39;90s&nbsp;reported several strange incidents, including&nbsp;animal mutilation and disappearances as well as UFO sightings.&nbsp;

Some Skinwalker conspiracies suggest <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/government-cover-ups/jacob-shelton" target="_blank">the government</a> made contact with extraterrestrials and is covering everything up. Other theories assert that the ranch is home to a portal similar to the Hellmouth, which allows for interdimensional travel.&nbsp;

Stories and Theories About The 'Skinwalker Ranch'

Stories and Theories About "The Skinwalker Ranch" 

Southern Comfort

If you were to ask the average bar patron, &quot;Is Southern Comfort whiskey?&quot; they'd likely say yes. Southern Comfort has long been the whiskey of choice for those who find the other brands a bit too harsh. The fact of the matter, however, is that it isn't a whiskey at all. The sweetness of the elixir was meticulously crafted well over 100 years ago by a bartender named Martin Wilkes Heron specifically to create a spirit that was similar to a whiskey, but more palatable. So how is Southern Comfort made? It's a secret, but some facts about Southern Comfort that this list explores&nbsp;include its long history, people who have loved it, its original name, and the surprising state that drinks the most of it. So, the next time you order a round of Sicilian Kisses for your pals - that's equal parts SoCo and Amaretto with a cherry dropped in the bottom - you can impress them with one of these surprising facts.

17 Things You Didn't Know About Southern Comfort

Look Closer

Weird

There are plenty of animals who have no problem looking like leaves, bark, twigs, or coral when they want some peace from predators. However, there are also animals that camouflage to look like other animals. Some appear to look like predators, tricking those that would disturb them into staying away. Others are predators who lure their prey into coming closer by masquerading as a harmless friend or potential mate. And while some use visual appearance to deceive, others rely on sound and smell for their ruses.&nbsp;

16 Animals Who Disguise Themselves as Other Animals

Animal/Plant

Animals Who Disguise Themselves as Other Animals

You might cringe while watching a violent movie in which characters are stabbed, shot, strangled, or otherwise grievously harmed, but at least you can tell yourself it&#39;s just movie magic, right? But sometimes, a fake weapon can prove to be just as fatal. There have been numerous people slain by fake weapons, including actors ended by prop weapons and even kids who lost their lives trying to pull seemingly harmless pranks, proving that even toys and innocent jokes can sometimes be fatal.

People Really Killed By 'Fake' Weapons

11 People Who Were Killed by "Fake" or Prop Weapons

Creepy, terrifying, and nausea-inducing pics and vids that will skeeve you out and give you nightmares.

Warning: Look Away

There are so many bizarre videos on the internet that &quot;the weird side of YouTube&quot; is a common phrase for the internet-aware. Creepy videos and unexplained footage, however, have perplexed us long before computers and smartphones gave us the ability to record and upload our weird behavior with ease. From TV hacks like the Max Headroom interruption, to the unsettling singing of Tara the robot in I Feel Fantastic, here are some of the creepiest video mysteries, including a disturbing cartoon, a baffling film about soup made with ill-gotten costumes from a Los Angeles vaudeville performance, and a man who keeps a very odd piece of family history in his own backyard.

Creepy Videos With Bizarre And Unexplainable Origins

Creepy Videos with Unexplainable Origins

Stories, pics, trivia, and interesting tidbits about all creatures, great and small.

Enter the Animal Kingdom

While humans generally regard walking on water as some kind of miracle only performed by deities, certain animals and bugs do it all the time. Some animals that can walk on water do it to avoid predators, others to hunt their prey, and some even employ the tactic as part of their mating rituals. One mammal even appears to have learned a gravity-defying trick in captivity, only to teach it to her friends in the wild. Some use speed and surface tension, while others are simply too small to sink.Which animals walk on water as if they think they are Jesus or a magician? Find out below!

Animals You Didn't Know Can Walk on Water

Pop Culture

Beyond the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-horror-youtube-channels/youtuber" target="_blank">most popular horror YouTube channels</a>, these are scarier parts on the site. Found footage is defined as a piece of video that has been lost and later found by someone else. This may happen because the creator lost their camera, died during the recording of the video, or was a bad person whose incriminating footage was discovered by law enforcement. The idea of found footage horror rose to popularity with the 1999 film The Blair Witch Project. While some of these scary YouTube videos are most likely creepy homemade videos by filmmakers looking to capitalize on the success of modern <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/scariest-found-footage-movies/ranker-horror?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">found footage films</a> like Paranormal Activity and The Gallows, the fact that we don't know for sure adds an air of spine-tingling mystery..&nbsp;

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