JAPAN'S BLOODY MARY

Japan’s Bloody Mary
Speaking of toilet horror, Japan also has its own Bloody Mary urban legend. Toire no Hanako-san, or Hanako of the toilet, is a spirit summoned much like her Western counterparts. If the brave (or stupid) enter a restroom on the third floor, knock on the third stall three times and ask, “Hanako, soko ni imasu ka,” (“Hanako, are you there?”), you may get a reply.

The door will slowly creak open to reveal little Hanako in a red skirt. Her hair is done up in a traditional-styled bun. Then she grabs her victim and drags them into the toilet, never to be seen again.

In other versions, Hanako will ask children if they need a friend. Regardless of their answer, Hanako will drag the children under the stall and to their doom. Never trust a Japanese ghost, kids.

Like Aka Manto, Hanako’s origins are unclear, although folklorist Matthew Myers says her story is as recent as the 1950s. Most accounts say she is the ghost of a child who hid in her school’s bathroom and died in a bombing raid during World War II.

It’s likely just another case of school bathrooms being a lot creepier than they have any right to be.