So Supernatural – LEGEND: Bloody Mary

Podcast: So Supernatural
Hosts: Yvette Gentile, Rachael Pecorero, Ashley Flowers
Episode Date: October 17, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of So Supernatural dives deep into the chilling legend and cultural phenomenon of "Bloody Mary"—the ghostly figure conjured by children in dark bathrooms during sleepovers. The hosts examine where the legend originates, the various historical women potentially linked to it, how the ritual is performed, the psychology and symbolism behind it, and why this myth endures, especially among teenage girls. Throughout, they trace Bloody Mary’s connections to violence, women’s history, and rites of passage.

Key Discussion Points

1. Personal Memories & The Ritual’s Basics

• Nostalgia & Fear:

  • The hosts reminisce about the sleepover experiences surrounding "Bloody Mary," highlighting its enduring popularity and its power to both terrify and bond young friends ([05:17]-[06:22]).
  • Yvette Gentile: “There was always that one friend ... that says, ‘Come on, let’s do it! Let’s play Bloody Mary.’ Which definitely caused me some anxiety when I was younger. But looking back now, I realize I loved the thrill of being scared.” [05:54]

• How to Play:

  • Go into a dark room with a mirror, often a bathroom.
  • State "Bloody Mary" aloud several times (the exact number varies).
  • Sometimes, you’re to add, "I have your baby."
  • A woman’s ghost appears—details of her appearance and demeanor differ ([06:22]-[08:27]).

2. The Bloody Mary Lore—Who Was She?

A. Elizabeth Bathory

• Hungarian noblewoman (late 1500s–early 1600s); rumored sadism, blood rituals, torture.
  • Modern historians dispute the truth of the atrocity claims, suggesting they may have been political slander by the King of Hungary ([09:36]-[12:21]).
  • Yvette Gentile: “Elizabeth was totally innocent ... But the king destroyed her reputation anyway, and in a pretty sexist way, if you think about it.” [11:08]
• Arrested, accused of 600 murders, died imprisoned in 1614.

B. Mary Worth

• Stories inconsistent: sometimes a Puritan-era witch killing children, sometimes a Civil War-era villain re-enslaving people ([13:03]-[16:27]).
  • Allegedly burned at the stake for witchcraft, though this was rare in American history.
  • No real historical record of Mary Worth’s existence or these crimes.

C. Mary Tudor I (“Bloody Mary,” Queen of England)

• Real Historical Figure, Strongest Connection
  • First woman to rule England in her own right (reigned 1553–1558) ([20:27]-[24:47]).
  • Sought to restore Catholicism, ordered the burning of 300 Protestants including pregnant women and their infants.
  • Rachael Pecorero: “The more people hear about her reign of terror, the more they hate her. Instead of scaring people into converting to Catholicism, Mary makes herself public enemy number one. People give her the nickname of Bloody Mary.” [26:02]
  • Suffered two phantom pregnancies; obsessed with producing an heir and rumored (perhaps apocryphally) to have smashed every mirror in the palace out of rage and grief.
  • Potential links to the legend: The rituals’ maternal themes and the final “I have your baby” line, as well as the association with mirrors and blood ([31:57]).

3. Bloody Mary as Urban Legend

• Descriptions of Mary’s appearance, actions, and possible fates for those who summon her are inconsistent.
• Possible that the myth’s origins are less about a single real person, and more about evolving fears and social dynamics ([09:19]-[17:23], [16:27]).

4. Paranormal Encounters & Psychological Phenomena

A. Modern “True” Encounters

• Rachael recounts the story of “Carmen,” who allegedly experienced frightening phenomena after playing Bloody Mary alone (footsteps, physical restraint, and a mysterious dent in the wall) ([34:25]-[39:33]).
  • Rachael Pecorero: “…while Carmen is still in bed, terrified out of her mind, she feels a hand grabbing her. The hand takes her arm and presses it against the wall. And Carmen can’t shake it off or run away, because in that moment, her entire body is paralyzed.” [38:41]

B. Scientific Studies

• Italian psychologist Giovanni Caputo (c.2009) ran studies with subjects staring into mirrors in the dark—many reported seeing monsters or old women’s faces ([39:33]-[43:15]).

  • Results support the idea that Bloody Mary is a psychological illusion powered by the brain’s tendency to "fill in the gaps" under low light and stress.

• Yvette Gentile: “…if your subconscious brain doesn’t realize it’s your face, it might trick you into thinking you’re seeing someone else. Add a little dose of fear ... and the face may become something really frightening, like a monster or even Bloody Mary.” [42:10]

5. Cultural and Psychological Interpretations

A. Metaphor for Womanhood & Transformation

• The legend’s deep popularity among teenage girls is explored as metaphor for puberty and the transition to adulthood.

  • Rachael Pecorero: “But what’s fascinating to me is how that legend has evolved, because today, she almost represents something more primal, like our instinctive fear of transformation.” [45:46]

• Yvette Gentile: “She appears in the mirror because that’s where girls are constantly taught to look and judge themselves... She’s covered in blood to represent their menstrual cycle. And sometimes she shows up with the baby to represent the potential and fear of motherhood. A lot of people look at this game as a rite of passage.” [46:35]

B. Folkloric Roots

• The ritual possibly descends from 1700s mirror magics—a spell in which young women hoped to see their future husbands’ faces reflected, or a skull if doomed to die before marrying ([44:18]-[45:46]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ashley Flowers, on nostalgia and fear:
  “Your heart starts pounding in your ears, and you try to make a few excuses ... But the rest of your friends egg you on. Come on. You’re not afraid, are you? Your parents are already asleep. You can’t chicken out and wake them up. You have no choice but to surrender and pray to God that nothing happens.” [03:01]

• On the game’s historical ambiguity:
  “No one entirely agrees on how the Bloody Mary game works or what the lore behind it really is. There’s a lot of inconsistency from one account to the next, and there’s just as much variation when it comes to who she was.” – Yvette Gentile [09:19]

• On Mary I’s dark legacy:
  “People give her the nickname of Bloody Mary. ... Maybe the blood on her clothes is the blood of all of the innocent people she had executed. And the mirror connection makes total sense too, because she supposedly destroyed a ton of mirrors shortly before her death. And now, ironically, she’s doomed to spend her afterlife inside of them.” – Rachael Pecorero [31:57]

• On psychological phenomena:
  “Even though they’re not actually summoning the spirit, 24 of those test subjects come out of the bathroom, and they say they saw a monster appear in the mirror. … So if your subconscious brain doesn’t realize it’s your face, it might trick you into thinking you’re seeing someone else.” – Yvette Gentile [41:38]

• Rachael’s challenge to listeners:
  “If there are any survivors of Bloody Mary assaults out there, it would be hard to explain that away as an optical illusion, right? And btw, if you have been attacked by Bloody Mary or had what you think is a very real encounter with her, please, please, please, please reach out to us on social media.” [43:15]

Timestamps for Significant Segments

• [02:25] – Sleepover nostalgia & setup for Bloody Mary ritual
• [05:17] – Hosts’ personal experiences and anxieties around the game
• [06:22] – How to perform Bloody Mary; variant rules
• [08:00] – Descriptions of what allegedly appears
• [09:36] – Deep dive: Elizabeth Bathory
• [13:03] – The (possibly mythical) Mary Worth
• [17:23]/[20:08] – Transition to Mary I / Queen of England
• [26:02] – Mary I’s cruel reign and origins of “Bloody Mary” nickname
• [31:57] – Interpreting the Bloody Mary/Queen Mary connection
• [34:25] – “Carmen”’s story: a modern paranormal Bloody Mary encounter
• [39:33] – Psychological experiments and mirror illusions
• [44:18] – Folkloric roots: 18th-century mirror magic
• [45:46] – Cultural and psychological interpretations: puberty, power, fear

Conclusion

This episode situates Bloody Mary as a legend that spans centuries, evolving from potential real-life horrors and tragedies into a psychological phenomenon and potent symbol for feminine transition and fear. Beyond the shivers and the fun, the legend serves as a metaphor for girlhood, transformation, and societal anxieties about female power.

Contact:

• Instagram: @sosupernaturalpod
• Website: sosupernaturalpodcast.com

Next episode airs Friday!