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The Creepiest Urban Legend from Each of the 50 States Part 6

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Hello readers, and welcome back to our travelogue where we dive into the creepiest urban legend from each of the 50 states. Last week, we hit the halfway point, but there are still so many more spine-tingling tales to go! So settle, in as we take in five more, and as always, we encourage you to share your own favorite urban legends from your state in the comments below as we get to them!

Montana: The Hitchhiker of Black Forest Lake

Urban Legend Black Forest Lake

Kevin Dooley/Flickr

Hitchhikers play a role in more than one urban legend. Most often, it’s the tale of a young woman who appears in distress who either vanishes when the driver stops or who asks to be taken home only to give directions to a cemetery. Better yet, there are the tales of a driver who picks up a hitchhiker, carries them to a house where they vanish upon arrival. When the driver goes to the door, they find out that the hitchhiker was actually the spirit of a family member who died in a car accident years before.

In Cascade County, Montana, however, there’s a different sort of hitchhiker tale that takes place near Black Forest Lake on Highway 87.

It seems that more than one person traveling driving this stretch of road has reported an eerie sighting that ends in a terrifying conclusion each time. It all begins when the motorists spot a man who appears to be Native American dressed in denim on the side of the road.  The highway here is long and flat so many times the driver will spot the man long before they reach him.

Here’s where this tale gets spooky. When nearing the hitchhiker, the man will suddenly disappear from the side of the road only to suddenly roll over the hood of the car, up the windshield, and over the roof. When the terrified driver stops to check on the man, he has, of course, vanished, and there is not one scratch or dent on the car despite the very real sounds of impact that the driver hears during the encounter.

Locals say that this is the spirit of a man who was hit by a car and killed on the highway, but no records indicate that happening.

Nebraska: The Portal School aka Hatchet House

Photo via Designinglife

This story is not technically an urban legend per se, but it does have many of the tropes tied to it that we see in other examples and well, it’s just a really creepy story…

It seems that back in the early 1900s there was a small one-room school in Portal, Nebraska in Sarpy County. The town itself is now nothing more than a ghost town, which only lends weight to the events that reportedly occurred one fateful day in the school.

For an unnamed reason, the school’s teacher–previously thought to be a kind and generous woman–snapped one day. In a fit of rage, she blocked the exits to the small building, grabbed a hatchet, and murdered every student in her care. In some versions of the story, they say the woman eventually decapitated the children and placed their heads on the desks in the room.

But the teacher was not finished. She next removed each of the students’ hearts from their chests after which, perhaps when her rage had subsided, she was overcome with regret. She took the hearts and walked to a nearby bridge where she tossed them one by one into the waters below.

The school was later moved, but it is said that if you walk across the bridge, now called Heartbeat Bridge, you will hear the sounds of the students’ heartbeats below and sometimes, you might even see the spirit of the schoolteacher, captured in grief over what she did.

Nevada: Robb Canyon Murders

Back in the 1970s four bodies were allegedly recovered from Robb Canyon near Reno, Nevada. Heavily mutilated, the three men and one woman were never identified, nor were their killers found.

At a glance, that seems like a straight-forward story except that no official reports about the murders exist. No police reports, newspaper articles, nothing exists that says these murders actually happened, but that doesn’t stop some of the locals from swearing it is fact.

Furthermore, since the 1970s Robb Canyon has been the site of numerous forms of paranormal activity including phantom screams, glowing orbs of light, cold spots, and full-bodied apparitions.

New Hampshire: The Wood Devils

It was really time for another cryptid in these articles and New Hampshire showed up to save the day with their famed Wood Devils.

Estimated at over 7 feet tall, the wood devils have been spotted in the forests near the Canadian border for well over a century. The creatures are described much like Bigfoot or Sasquatch, but unlike their cryptid compatriots, they are much sleeker, thinner, with grayish fur that allows them to camouflage themselves among the trees.

Most people say they’re so good at hiding that you’d nearly be standing right next to one before you even realized it.

They are also described as being incredibly fast, able to run into the trees with an inhuman speed that is terrifying.

Sightings of the creature began as early as the beginnings of the 20th century but have been formally reported as recently as 2004 when a man saw the creature while out hunting with his grandfather.

New Jersey: Shades of Death Road

Urban Legend Shades of Death Road

You thought I was going to write about the Jersey Devil, didn’t you? While that terrifying cryptid may be the most famous urban legend of New Jersey, there are others that, to me, are far creepier, and Shades of Death Road is one of them.

First of all, who names a road “Shades of Death?” Aren’t you just asking for trouble?

Well, according to Weird NJ, there are a lot of stories about how this stretch of road got its name. For instance, in one version of the story, the area of land was once “settled” by a group of unruly squatters who regularly fought among themselves and no few were murdered in the midst of these altercations. Then there are those who say that it was originally called the Shades thanks to the large trees in the area, but after numerous people–reportedly so many that the local morgues/mortuaries laid the bodies in the streets due to lack of room–died in a recurring malaria plague, the name was changed to Shades of Death.

Whatever the case, the road has earned a reputation as an eerie, haunted place that plagues those who traverse it. The land on either side of the road is said to be home to numerous spirits, a “fairy cave,” and more than one person has reported seeing phantoms along the sides of the road.

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New Poster Reveal For Nicolas Cage’s Survival Creature Feature ‘Arcadian’ [Trailer]

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Nicolas Cage Arcadian

In the latest cinematic venture featuring Nicolas Cage, Arcadian emerges as a compelling creature feature, teeming with suspense, horror, and emotional depth. RLJE Films has recently released a series of new images and a captivating poster, offering audiences a glimpse into the eerie and thrilling world of “Arcadian”. Scheduled to hit theaters on April 12, 2024, the film will later be available on Shudder and AMC+, ensuring a wide audience can experience its gripping narrative.

Arcadian Movie Trailer

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has given this film an “R” rating for its “bloody images,” hinting at the visceral and intense experience awaiting viewers. The film draws inspiration from acclaimed horror benchmarks like “A Quiet Place,” weaving a post-apocalyptic tale of a father and his two sons navigating a desolate world. Following a catastrophic event that depopulates the planet, the family faces the dual challenge of surviving their dystopian environment and eluding mysterious nocturnal creatures.

Joining Nicolas Cage in this harrowing journey are Jaeden Martell, known for his role in “IT” (2017), Maxwell Jenkins from “Lost in Space,” and Sadie Soverall, featured in “Fate: The Winx Saga.” Directed by Ben Brewer (“The Trust”) and penned by Mike Nilon (“Braven”), “Arcadian” promises a unique blend of poignant storytelling and electrifying survival horror.

Maxwell Jenkins, Nicolas Cage, and Jaeden Martell 

Critics have already begun to praise “Arcadian” for its imaginative monster designs and exhilarating action sequences, with one review from Bloody Disgusting highlighting the film’s balance between emotional coming-of-age elements and heart-pounding horror. Despite sharing thematic elements with similar genre films, “Arcadian” sets itself apart through its creative approach and action-driven plot, promising a cinematic experience filled with mystery, suspense, and relentless thrills.

Arcadian Official Movie Poster

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‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3’ Is a Go with Enhanced Budget and New Characters

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Winnie the Pooh 3

Wow, they’re churning things out fast! The upcoming sequel “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3” is officially moving forward, promising an expanded narrative with a larger budget and the introduction of beloved characters from A.A. Milne’s original tales. As confirmed by Variety, the third installment in the horror franchise will welcome Rabbit, the heffalumps, and the woozles into its dark and twisted narrative.

This sequel is a part of an ambitious cinematic universe that reimagines children’s stories as horror tales. Alongside “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” and its first sequel, the universe includes films such as “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare”, “Bambi: The Reckoning,” and “Pinocchio Unstrung”. These movies are set to converge in the crossover event “Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble,” slated for a 2025 release.

Winnie the Pooh Poohniverse

The creation of these films was made possible when A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book “Winnie-the-Pooh” entered the public domain last year, allowing filmmakers to explore these cherished characters in unprecedented ways. Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey Chambers, of Jagged Edge Productions, have led the charge in this innovative endeavor.

The inclusion of Rabbit, heffalumps, and woozles in the upcoming sequel introduces a new layer to the franchise. In Milne’s original stories, heffalumps are imagined creatures resembling elephants, while woozles are known for their weasel-like characteristics and a penchant for stealing honey. Their roles in the narrative remain to be seen, but their addition promises to enrich the horror universe with deeper connections to the source material.

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How to Watch ‘Late Night with the Devil’ from Home: Dates and Platforms

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Late Night With The Devil

For fans eager to dive into one of this year’s most talked-about horror films from the comfort of their own home, “Late Night with the Devil” will be available for streaming exclusively on Shudder starting April 19, 2024. This announcement has been highly anticipated following the film’s successful theatrical release by IFC Films, which saw it earning rave reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend for the distributor.

“Late Night with the Devil” emerges as a standout horror film, captivating audiences and critics alike, with Stephen King himself offering high praise for the 1977-set film. Starring David Dastmalchian, the movie unfolds on Halloween night during a live late-night talk show broadcast that disastrously unleashes evil across the nation. This found footage-style film not only delivers scares but also authentically captures the aesthetic of the 1970s, drawing viewers into its nightmarish scenario.

David Dastmalchian in Late Night with the Devil

The film’s initial box office success, opening to $2.8 million in 1,034 theaters, underscores its wide appeal and marks the highest opening weekend for an IFC Films release. Critically acclaimed, “Late Night with the Devil” boasts a 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 135 reviews, with the consensus praising it for rejuvenating the possession horror genre and showcasing David Dastmalchian’s exceptional performance.

Rotten Tomatoes score as of 3/28/2024

Simon Rother of iHorror.com encapsulates the film’s allure, emphasizing its immersive quality that transports viewers back to the 1970s, making them feel as if they are part of the eerie “Night Owls” Halloween broadcast. Rother lauds the film for its meticulously crafted script and the emotional and shocking journey it takes viewers on, stating, “This whole experience will have viewers of the Cairnes brothers’ film glued to their screen… The script, from beginning to end, is neatly sewn together with an ending that’ll have jaws on the floor.” You can read the full review here.

Rother further encourages audiences to watch the film, highlighting its multifaceted appeal: “Whenever it is made available to you, you must attempt to view the Cairnes Brothers’ latest project as it will make you laugh, it will creep you out, it will amaze you, and it might even strike an emotional cord.”

Set to stream on Shudder on April 19, 2024, “Late Night with the Devil” offers a compelling blend of horror, history, and heart. This film is not just a must-watch for horror aficionados but for anyone looking to be thoroughly entertained and moved by a cinematic experience that redefines the boundaries of its genre.

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