Artwork by Aamir Khan
KARACHI: Have you ever heard a story once and thought someone was pulling your leg? Then someone else tells you the exact same story claiming it happened to someone they knew? And the more you hear it, the more you begin to wonder how true it is and how many people experienced the said sequence of events? Well, here are four spooky urban legends that will give you the chills!
Karsaz ki Dulhan
Anyone living in Karachi has heard this popular spooky urban legend. And we aren’t ashamed to admit, we have made plans with our friends to drive by Karsaz in hopes of catching a glimpse of the lady in red, only to chicken out last minute! But really, who is the Karsaz ki dulhan/churail?
The story goes, long ago when Karachi was not as developed and there were more empty plots than buildings, a marriage took place in the area near Karsaz. As weddings do, this one went on quite late, and when it was time for the newly weds to make their way back home, it was well into early morning. Not everyone was high on happiness and the driver wanted nothing more than to sleep and that is exactly what happened. Traveling on the long stretch of road, faster than he should have, he crashed the car. The accident was pretty bad and killed the driver. As her groom lay dying in her arms, the bride tried desperately to flag down a car to help her but alas no one was traveling down the road at that time. Eventually, her husband died, on their wedding night.
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The urban legend has it that the ghost of the bride is on the look for a new husband. Only she isn’t as innocent as she was and isn’t as successful in her attempts. She either enthralls or scares the drivers with her appearance that they eventually end up in an accident!
Killer Clowns
Clowns are meant to be funny, right? Apparently not! In 2016, what was rumored to be a publicity stunt for Stephen King’s movie IT, spiraled out of control. And at the heart of it were killer clowns!
Initially, the creepy clowns would be found loitering empty parking lots at night. They would stay at a distance staring at passersby making them feel uncomfortable. Then the creepy clowns took it a step further chasing people on foot or while they were driving, often armed with some kind of weapon which included machetes and chainsaws. They would show up creeping outside houses staring into the cameras as if taunting the house members to come out.
While some claimed that the videos were all staged, others were not convinced. The authorities got involved and warned citizens from dressing up as clowns and there was even a ban on clown costumes for a while!
Slenderman
This urban legend has been quite popular over the years. Even more so when in 2014, two 12-year-old girls stabbed their friend 19 times with the motive to please Slenderman. So, who is this creepy being?
An abnormally tall man with long arms and a blank white face, the Slenderman is straight out of a nightmare. He is said to stalk his victims for years before attacking them and his mode of attack is not physical. Instead, he mentally tortures his victims using fear and paranoia, over an extended period of time, to drive them into insanity. The worst part is, no one really knows what his motives are or why or how he chooses his victims.
The babysitter and the man upstairs
Ever been roped in into babysitting duties? And you thought that the kids on their sugar rush were your worst nightmare? This urban legend might just change your mind, and not in a good way!
The story goes that a girl is on babysitting duty and after she finally puts the kids to bed, she settles down to watch TV. But then she begins getting strange phone calls. The caller doesn’t say anything, all she can hear is heavy breathing on the other line. She puts it off as her friends playing a prank on her. But the calls get more insistent and when she threatens to not answer the phone, a voice tells her to “Check on the children.”
The babysitter calls the police who trace the call only to find out that they are coming from inside the house! She rushes to save the children only to find them murdered. Some versions of the urban legend say she manages to escape while others claim the murderer gets to her and kills her as well and disappears before the police can catch him.
Needless to say, this is all the more reason not to babysit!
