Bloody Mary has many versions of the story. Depending on where you are from the rules are different. But where did this legend originate from exactly? Who is Bloody Mary? Why would anyone want to chant her name in a mirror?
[BLOODY MARY]
In the original folklore, Bloody Mary was used to reveal a females future. The story encouraged young women to walk up a flight of stairs backward holding a candle and a hand mirror, in a darkened house. As they gazed into the mirror, they were supposed to be able to catch a view of their future husband's face. However there was a chance they saw a skull or even the face of the grim reaper. This meant they would die before they got married.
However over the years it has changed. In most stories today Bloody Mary is an evil spirit. In most of these stories you must be in the bathroom with only a lit candle as light and say "Bloody Mary" 3 times in a mirror. The lore surrounding this ritual states that participants may endure the apparition screaming at them, cursing them, strangling them, stealing their soul, drinking their blood, or scratching their eyes out.
The modern legend of Hanako-san in Japan strongly parallels the Bloody Mary mythology.
[POSSIBLE EXPLANATION]
So why is it that some people see this Bloody Mary and some don't? Could they just be lying about what they saw? Does Bloody Mary pick and choose who she wants to show herself to? Maybe. But there could be another explanation as to why this phenomenon exists.
Studies show that if you stare at a mirror in a dimly light room it can cause some people to hallucinate. Facial features may appear to "melt", distort, disappear, and rotate, while other hallucinatory elements, such as animal or strange faces, may appear. This is called the "strange-face illusion."
It can also be attributed to something called Troxler Effect, which is an optical illusion affecting visual perception.
Below is a gif. Stare at the + in the middle. Do not move your eyes. After a few seconds you might be able to that the purple dots start fading away.
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And with this image below, stare at the + sign again from a close distance. You may notice all the colors start to fade.
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