Ghost,demons, And Other Paranormal activity

Black eyed children

Black-eyed children (or black-eyed kids) are an urban legend of supposedparanormal creatures that resemble children between the ages of 6 and 16, with pale skin and black eyes, who are reportedly seen hitchhiking orpanhandling, or are encountered on doorsteps of residential homes. Tales of black-eyed children have appeared in pop culture since the late 1990s.

The supposed origins of the legend are 1998 postings written by Texas reporter Brian Bethel on a "ghost-related mailing list" relating alleged encounters with "black eyed kids" in Abilene, Texas andPortland, Oregon. Called classic examples of creepypasta, Bethel's stories gained such popularity that he published a FAQ"just to keep up with demand for more info about the new urban legend."[1][5] In 2012, Brian Bethel told his story on the reality television series Monsters and Mysteries in America. He wrote a follow up article for the Abilene Reporter News, describing his experience.[6]

In 2012, the horror film Black Eyed Kidswas produced with Kickstarter funding, its director commenting that the black eyed children were "an urban legend that's been floating around on the Internet for years now, I always thought it was fascinating".[7] A 2013 episode ofMSN's Weekly Strange that featured reports of black eyed children is thought to have helped spread the legend on the internet.[1]

During one week in September 2014, the British tabloid Daily Star ran three sensationalistic front-page stories about alleged sightings of black-eyed children, connected to the sale of a supposedly haunted pub in Staffordshire. The paper claimed a "shock rise in sightings around the world".[8] Alleged sightings are taken seriously by ghost hunters, some of whom believe black eyed children to beextraterrestrials, vampires, or ghosts.[9]

According to science writer Sharon A. Hill, the legend of "black eyed kids resembles typical spooky folklore stories in the same realm as phantom black dogs, apparitions, and mysterious monsters. They aren't supernatural, there may never even have been an actual encounter. That does not stop people from continuing to see and fear them and pass on the latest tale of terror.