Bettis would "collect" and torture animals (hence the "dog boy" moniker), before turning his sociopathic focus to his elderly parents, allegedly imprisoning them in their own home and potentially even murdering his father. Gerald Bettis, the only son of the Bettis family of 65 Mulberry, was always a problem child. Where it came from: This is actually the rare urban legend where the story behind the story ends up being even creepier than the folklore. Walk quickly, as he has been known to chase people down his street, biting at their heels - kind of like a dog, actually. But if you find yourself at 65 Mulberry Street, in the middle of the minuscule Arkansas town of Quitman, you won't laugh if you see the hulking outline of a 300-pound half man, half beast - complete with glowing animal eyes - glaring out of the windows. Why it's creepy: The name sounds kind of goofy, or actually even kind of like Goofy. Navajo medicine men are trained to learn both good and evil aspects of their power, and Skinwalkers are those who have turned to the Dark Side. Basically, they are men who've transformed into malevolent, murderous creatures that have no qualms using their spiritual powers to kill. While it's fairly hard to gather specific details - as speaking of potentially sinister legends is seriously taboo in Navajo culture - it is understood that what non-Navajos refer to as "skinwalkers" are witch doctors who have become an evil reflection of everything the Navajo nation values. Where it came from: The Skinwalkers, like so many ancient American urban legends, have roots in Native American folklore. There's even a defined and well-documented portion of the state known as Skinwalker Ranch where you are most likely to see one of the creatures. This legend is so ingrained in Arizona culture that, when a Navajo woman was found brutally murdered in Flagstaff, the accused killer's defense in court was that the attack could have only been perpetrated by a Skinwalker. Relax - it's only trying to rip the flesh off your bones. Why it's creepy: It's easy to feel uneasy while driving through the desolate desert roads of Arizona, especially at night, and particularly so when you hear a short burst of taps on your window while cruising at 60 mph and turn to see the shapeshifting, mutilated, half-human creature responsible for the high-speed interruption. Regardless, the area continues to claim people, and underneath that massive blanket of snow and rock likely lies one of the largest and best-preserved mass graves in the world. Others believe the area exists amid an electromagnetically influenced “ vile vortex.” Still others think it’s a Darwinian result of explorers taking on nature. Where it came from: The area has been associated with evil spirits, and Tlingit lore for centuries attributed trickster demons for luring people to an icy death.
Are they being consumed by mythological beings like the beastly Keelut or the ghoulish kidnapper Qalupalik, lost on extreme hikes, or simply vanishing into a dark vortex? Nobody knows, though it's not for lack of trying: When the government lost House Majority Leader Hale Boggs’ Cessna to the Triangle in 1972, a massive search turned up tons of conspiracy theories, but no bodies. More than 20,000 people have gone missing without a trace in the area during the past half-century alone. Why it's creepy: Encompassing an area ranging from near Juneau in the southeast to the northern Barrow region to the western metropolis of Anchorage, Alaska's answer to the Bermuda Triangle is comprised some of the most barren wilderness in the US - and it apparently craves souls. After public outcry, it was replaced with more modern equipment, making it slightly less creepy to look at, and also probably resulting in some happier ghosts.
In 2007, the city tried to raze the park to make more room for graves and removed the slides and swings overnight. Where it came from: The playground itself wasn't opened until 1985, so you can imagine how much pent-up energy the tiny spirits had after 163 years without a slide. Creepier still, some say the spirits include victims of a rash of child murders that happened in the '60s, when bodies were rumored to have been found in the area that now houses the playground. The living have observed orbs of light going down the slide, seen swings moving on their own, and even heard giggling. Legend has it, though, that the spirits of children who've been buried in the cemetery since the first grave was dug there in 1822 come out to play at night. The playground was presumably designed to entertain kids while their parents visited the graves of loved ones. Why it's creepy: This eerie playground adjacent to Maple Hill, Huntsville's oldest cemetery, doesn't just have an eerie nickname for fun.