Sleep paralysis explains the “night hag” visits
Folklore imagines a witch on your chest; neuroscience shows REM atonia bleeding into wakefulness plus stress, trauma, and sleep debt.
8 min read · 2+ locales Read
Horror
Chilling folklore, science, and history that still give goosebumps.
Each entry is sourced, summarized for multilingual audiences, and paired with related facts so you can keep exploring.
Bloody Mary rituals exploit the Troxler effect
Fixate on a dim mirror and the Troxler effect erases facial edges, letting folklore and fear populate the glass with ghosts.
8 min read · 3+ locales Read
Why whistling at night signals spirits in so many cultures
From Hawaii to Oaxaca, night whistling is treated as a ghostly Morse code, keeping coastal villages quiet enough to hear real danger.
8 min read · 3+ locales Read
Mexico City canals stage a La Llorona soundscape each fall
Floating theater barges use surround speakers and water percussion so guests feel the wail circling their trajinera.
7 min read · 3+ locales Read
Indonesia’s Wewe Gombel myth teaches nighttime safety
Parents describe a gentle forest spirit who shelters lost kids, turning a scary legend into a reminder to head home before dusk.
7 min read · 10+ locales Read