Scary Urban Legends from Japan
Will the slit-mouthed woman pay you a visit tonight, too?
Japanese urban legends and Internet lore are among the “best in class” on the Web and newer variants are popping up all the time. But if we were to pick the craziest ones, these would have to be them:
Hanako-san is a take on the trope of the creepy ghost girl.
There are probably dozens of variations of this story, but the Hanako-san tale takes off quite familiarly from the older Bloody Mary story, where you can call to the spirit and you will either 1) die a horrible death in the hands of the supernatural presence or 2) you will simply see the apparition.
The common take on Hanako-san was that she was killed during an air raid in Japan during World War 2. So she was technically killed by America’s intervention during WW2.
It is said that she haunts bathroom stalls (one of the naturally creepy places in schools and other buildings) and if you want her to come, you simply have to knock three times and say “Hanako-san, are you there?”
At this point, the lore starts to branch off. Some say that a three-headed lizard will kill you, or you will hear Hanako-san’s poor, lost soul saying that she’s there. Either way, you’re in a bind, right?
Kuchisake-
She will then ask the victim, which is always a
Any harsh reaction to her face and Kuchisake-
One way to combat this ghost, they say, is to throw at her candy or anything of value so you can run. But then again, you know it’s a crazy urban legend when you can stop a crazed and tormented soul with candy. Nuts!