US/Europe

Many Kinds of Terror The Western world has many different ghost stories, from old European myths to new American urban legends. In North American forests, the wendigo (a cannibalistic monster born from greed) hunts people. Transylvanian castles have stories of vampires (blood-drinking undead), made famous by “Dracula.” Irish moors have banshees (female spirits whose cries warn of death). Germany’s Black Forest is home to der Grossmann (a tall, faceless figure that hunts children). American cities have tales of hook-handed killers and Bloody Mary (a mirror ghost), while the Jersey Devil roams the Pine Barrens. Old European fairy tales have dark stories of child-eating witches and evil fairies. Native American stories tell of skinwalkers (shape-shifting witches). From ghost hitchhikers to haunted dolls, Western ghost stories show many cultural fears that keep changing, mixing old terrors with new worries.