Page 32 - 20120708 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - July / August 2012

Top 5 Urban Legends in Sci-Fi Top Five Urban Legends In Sci-fi Jordan Farley 3. The Hook Man 1. Bloody Mary The Legend: A young couple drive up The Legend: Say Bloody Mary’s name to lovers’ lane in their car for a bit of hanky three times in the mirror and she will appear to panky. They turn on the radio, but the tunes are murder you on the spot, or curse you for the interrupted for a breaking news report – a man rest of your life. Peer pressure has a lot to has escaped the insane asylum and been spotted answer for. The name refers to Queen Mary I, 5. Killer In The Back Seat with a hook in his hand. The girl panics and asks also known as “Bloody Mary” who suffered a to be taken home. When the pair arrive at their number of miscarriages and false pregnancies The Legend: It begins with a woman destination they discover the hook hanging off during her life. driving on her own at night. Suddenly another the door handle… The fiction: The Supernatural episode vehicle appears behind her and starts flashing its On Screen: Although it doesn’t cover “Bloody Mary” is a straight retelling of this beams and ramming her. When the woman the story exactly (variations on lovers’ lane have urban legend, but with a Ringu twist. Bloody finally makes it away from the apparent maniac been used endlessly) Candyman is the best Mary can not only climb out of any reflective and comes to a stop, she realizes the person in example of a hook hand appearing on film. And surface but has nasty greasy hair, just like the other vehicle was trying to warn her about he puts it to good use, filleting dozens of victims Sadako! She also makes people bleed from the actual maniac on the back seat of her car, but – typically starting with the guts. Candyman their eyes. Nasty. There’s also a (rubbish) 2006 by then it’s too late… himself is an amalgamation of several urban horror film called Bloody Mary; Candyman On Screen: The “character hiding on legends (one of which we’ll touch on later). The plays on a variation of the Bloody Mary the back seat” has been used countless times for hook also appears in I Know What You Did Last legend, with Tony Todd’s hooked horror everything from cheap scares to quick laughs. Summer and of course Captain Hook also has a appearing behind his foolish victims; and in Non-SF horror Urban Legend is the best notorious pointy appendage. South Park it’s possible to summon Biggie example, with the pre-credit sequence a re- Smalls by saying his name three times in the telling of this legend, but it also features in 1998 mirror, but watch out or you’ll get a cap in yo’ Millennium episode “The Pest House” where ass. [] Frank chases a doctor from a mental hospital after one of the patients escapes. UFO Central? Uri Geller Says 'Yes!' celebs.gather.com Uri Geller, the famous Israeli psychic who 2. The Vengeful Spirit bought a remote island in Scotland because of a "connection" to the Egyptian pyramids, now The Legend: Vengeful spirits are a huge says it's really a hotbed of UFO activity on part of Japanese urban legend. There’s the Red Earth. Cape – a spirit that haunts bathrooms; the slit- Geller, who bought the uninhabited 4. Kidney Bathtub mouthed woman who asks her victims “Am I Lamb Island in Scotland's Firth of Forth chain beautiful?” and Teke Teke – a young woman three years ago, is most famous for his The Legend: A man, typically a tourist who fell on a railway line only to be cut in astonishing mental abilities, including bending or businessman, goes for a drink in a hotel bar half… As a rule of thumb, if you die in Japan metal objects, like spoons, with just the power and meets a mysterious, beautiful woman. It’s you’re probably coming back all evil and of his mind. too good to be true, of course, and the man is murderous. The 65-year-old celebrity psychic is on a drugged, waking up in the morning minus a On Screen: Ringu, The Grudge, Dark different mission now. Geller announced he's kidney and in a bathtub of ice. The organ gets Water, Pulse and many more J-Horrors are full hoping that cameras set up to record exotic sold to the highest bidder on the black market. of examples. Ringu is the high point (or The wildlife by the Scottish Seabird Centre on Lamb Grim. Ring for subtitle-phobes). Sadako is a vengeful Island can also be used to catch images of the On Screen: In Crank 2 Chev Chelios spirit who spreads her curse via a videotape. UFO activity other nearby residents say has his heart removed and replaced with a Watch it and seven days later she’ll come happens regularly over its skies. battery that requires constant juice, against his crawling out the TV to scare you to death, quite "Locals have told me they have seen will. It’s not SF, but Park Chan Wook’s brilliant literally. Many believe Sadako is based on an strange objects moving above it. I can't believe Sympathy For Mr Vengeance also features a actual urban legend, but it’s become something it would be an aircraft or a balloon, and they group of organ thieves, while Minority Report of a chicken and egg scenario – the book Ringu have assured me it is not either of those," says captures the sense of waking up in a bathtub of is adapted from is allegedly based on a real Geller. ice in a grotty hotel after amateur surgery urban legend, but who really knows? And of Considering his track record of perfectly. At least that’s what we imagine it’s course Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir has displaying either true psychic ability or a like. Hang on, where did that scar come from? it’s own vengeful spirit to scare you silly. genius for self-promotion, chasing unidentified flying objects may be a brilliant career move. The ‘X’ Zone Radio Show with Rob McConnell "I know some people don't believe in www.xzoneradiotv.com/www.xzonepodcast.com UFOs, but there's many people who don't believe in my mental powers either." []