Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid: The Book of Scary Urban Legends [Paperback]

Jan Harold Brunvand (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2004

An anthology of the most chilling urban legends of all time collected by the maestro himself.

Urban legends are those strange, but seemingly credible tales that always happen to a friend of a friend. For the first time, Professor Jan Harold Brunvand, "who has achieved almost legendary status" (Choice), has collected the creepiest, most terrifying urban legends, many that have spooked you since your childhood and others that you believe really did occur—even if it was one town over to some poor hapless coed who left a party early only to be followed by a man who just got loose from a mental hospital. From the classic hook-man story told around many a campfire to "Saved by a Cell Phone," these spine-tingling urban legends will give you goose bumps, even when you know they can't be true. Still, you'll continue to check the backseat of your car at gas stations and look under your bed at night before praying for sleep.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Rum flavored by a dead man in the cask; black widow spiders nesting in beehive hairdos; women’s intestines broiled by tanning booths; teenage couples menaced by men with hooks for hands: if these are the sorts of tales that thrill and chill you, this an anthology worth picking up. Folklorist Brunvand (The Vanishing Hitchhiker) assembles a creepy cornucopia of urban legends, organizing them by theme ("Chills Up Your Spine," "Accidents") and considering them in a surprisingly sedate manner. The result is a blend of "primary text" urban legends (transcribed from field interviews, collected from e-mails or reprinted from local newspapers) and more reflective introductions that consider the motifs and variations of each urban legend. Some tales are old chestnuts, familiar to anyone who’s been to a camp or a slumber party in the past 50 years, but others indicate more contemporary fears: stories of vacationers waking in unfamiliar hotel rooms, groggy and minus a kidney, or rumors of sexual predators who purposefully spread HIV to their unsuspecting partners. Brunvand traces most of these legends to their roots and debunks some of the more widespread ones, but he never lets his skepticism dampen his enthusiasm for the stories themselves.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–Brunvand is known to many as the godfather of the American urban legend. In this collection, he has compiled the scariest, grisliest ones–some that are unfamiliar but many that have been heard at sleepovers and depicted in horror movies over the past several years. Since many of them will be known to urban-legend lovers, the book's real strength is in the subtle changes within different versions of a legend. The runaway madman with the hook for a hand, the ghost of the dead girl, the slasher under the car or in the backseat all make appearances here, but in slightly different circumstances. Sometimes the distances are great, but the differences are few. For example, the "Hairy-Armed Hitchhiker" appears in two versions, one from England and one from Los Angeles. Brunvand also integrates how much the Internet, particularly e-mail, has changed the dissemination of urban legends. He gives credit to urban-legend debunking site www.snopes.com, and the final chapter concerns the widespread hysterical e-mails that purport to come from experts but actually originate from the usual dubious sources. All in all, this is a good addition where such titles are popular.–Jamie Watson, Harford County Public Library, MD
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (October 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393326136
• ISBN-13: 978-0393326130
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #289,012 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great read for Halloween or anytime, October 17, 2004

By 

Sean Michael Farren - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid: The Book of Scary Urban Legends (Paperback)

I remember hearing the "Aren't you glad you didn't turn on the lights" story while attending a Midwestern university and it was sufficiently believeable to spook me for a long time until I read that it was an urban legend. Professor Brunvand's book details various legends from those that will send chills up your spine to others that will just tickle your funny bone. A highly recommended read for all!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT!, May 2, 2010

By 

Zap "zap26" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid: The Book of Scary Urban Legends (Paperback)

I read The Vanishing Hitchhiker a few months ago and decided to pick up this book for updated UL and found this book to be just a good as the first.

I am a sociology major and The Vanishing Hitchhiker has been mentioned in a few of my classes therefore I had a desire to read the book. It is very textbook oriented in that, it gives many explanations to the UL. This book followed the same outline in format. Brunvand provides an explanation of why and how the UL for arisen followed by examples of the UL. Even though it is textbook oriented, if you have an interest in UL you should find this book entertaining even though it provides scholarly explanations to where the UL originated and how all UL originate.

Many people receive on a weekly basis a "true" event to watch out for, say for example, flashing your lights at the car that is driving without their headlights on, this is circulating as a gang orientation ritual, what Brunvand sheds light on is these stories are untraceable to the source which is one indicator that it is a UL. He also provides the reference of [...] to verify to the recipient of the email to check out the story they received as true.

Some people rated this book at too academic, considering the other is a professor of folklore, how else would he write but academically. I am looking forward to picking up another Brunvand book to read in the next few weeks that is how much I have enjoyed his writing style. If you are looking for a book only full of stories and not the academic perspective, my suggestion is Brunvand's Encyclopedia of Urban Legends, it leaves out the academic aspect.

4.0 out of 5 stars I LIKE IT!, June 5, 2011

By 

MILLIE - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid: The Book of Scary Urban Legends (Paperback)

I LOVE THESE BOOKS! THE URBAN LEGENDS GET ME SO GOOD. THESE ARE STORIES THAT I'VE NEVER HEARD, UNLIKE MOCT URBAN LEGENDS BOOKS. I DEEPLY SUGGEST THIS BOOK.