Characteristics

• A modern folklore story believed to be true by the people circulating it
• Often based on a true event but distored or exxagerated to such an extent that it barely resembles the original event
• Sometimes known as Friend-of-a-friend (FOAF) stories

Specific Urban Legends

Bloody Mary
Bloody Mary is the name of a children's game in which the spirit of a ghost is said to appear in a mirror when her name is said. There are many different variations, including the exact wording that must be said, the number of times it is said and exactly who will appear. In the show, the legend was based on Mary Worthington. Mary was a 19 year old girl who lived by herself in Indiana. On the night of March 29th, someone broke into her apartment, murdered her and cut out her eyes. Mary tried to spell out the name of her killer on a mirror. When her killer got away without being punished, she somehow managed to haunt the mirror, killing those who had murderous secrets. Dean and Sam manage to lure her into her mirror, despite the fact that both of them are being hurt by her (their eyes are bleeding), and they smash the mirror. This freed her, but when she saw her own reflection in another mirror, her killing curse was reflected back on her and she destroyed herself.
As seen in episode 1x05 - Bloody Mary

Hookman
In the legend, a young couple parked in a car hear a news broadcast on the radio about an escaped madman who has a hook for a hand. They hear some strange noises outside the car and panic, driving off. When they finally park the car, they find a bloody hook embedded in the car door. In the show, this legend was combined with the equally popular "Boyfriends Death" legend. Lori Sorensen and her boyfriend were parked in his car when he heard a noise. He got out to investigate, but never came back. When Lori got out to look for him, she found his body hanging upside down from a tree. The spirit that killed him was Jacob Karns, who had his hand replaced with a silver hook.
As seen in episode 1x07 - Hook Man