Bloody Mary was such a creepy sleepover game that I still remember playing it at sleepover parties with besties when I was a teenager!
If you’re looking for spooky sleepover activities for a no-prep party game, add the Bloody Mary challenge to your ideas!
What Is The Bloody Mary Challenge?
The History Of The Bloody Mary Game
In case you’ve never hear of it, Bloody Mary is one of those urban legends with some folklore behind it, but no one really seems to know who “Mary” really is.
Some say it has to do with Queen Mary of England and others say it was a child named Mary who had an unfortunate accident.
No matter who she was, the lore says that Bloody Mary is supposed to be a scary spirit.
Along with her history, people also report different outcomes. Some say she appears to you in a mirror covered in blood, but others say she has a distorted, terrifying face in the mirror.
Goal of the Game
To get Mary to appear to you in a mirror!
According to the legend, if you say Bloody Mary three times in a mirror in a dark room, after the final chant the ghost of Bloody Mary “appears” in the mirror.
Game Instructions for Playing Bloody Mary
Game Supplies
To play Bloody Mary, you’ll need a:
- Mirror
- Flashlight or candle
- Dark room
Setting Up The Bloody Mary Challenge
In a small bathroom with a mirror, turn off the lights.
Light a candle or place a flashlight face down. You want a little light, but not a lot.
PRO PARTY TIP: A flickering candle really makes it spooky! Some say the candle will flicker right before you see Bloody Mary. *wink*
Playing Bloody Mary
1. Tell the Bloody Mary story. (see below)
2. Take turns going into the bathroom alone. Face the mirror and look into the mirror while slowly and quietly chanting, Bloody Mary! Bloody Mary! Bloody Mary!
3. After you say the final Bloody Mary, keep looking in the mirror to see if Bloody Mary appears.
4. If she does, scream and run out. (I’m just kidding about that last part. Kind of…)
Take turns doing the Bloody Mary challenge until everyone who wants to play has gone.
The Bloody Mary Story
Before you start the game, tell a story about Bloody Mary.
I totally made up this story, so don’t take it as history for the game.
You can add to this game story to make is scarier or tell a completely different story, if you want.
The goal is to set a spooky mood before the first person goes to search for Bloody Mary in the mirror.
Here’s my story:
They say Bloody Mary wasn’t always a ghost.
A long time ago, she was just a girl who lived in a small house at the edge of town. People thought she was strange because at night they would see her in the window next to a candle and looking into a mirror.
For hours and hours on end, little Mary would look into that mirror by candlelight.
One night, the neighbors heard screaming from her house.
When they broke the door down, they found the room empty… except for the mirror. It was cracked down the center, and written across it were the words:
Don’t look at me.
After that, people began seeing her face in mirrors all over town. Pale. Covered in blood. Watching.
They say if you stand in the dark and call her name, you’re not summoning her, you’re letting her know where to find you.
And once she sees your face… she’ll want to take it.
A few months ago, we found little Mary’s mirror at an estate sale and the people told us the story. We repaired the mirror and it now hangs in our bathroom.
Are you brave enough to find Bloody Mary tonight?
Can You Really See Bloody Mary?
Chances are, you’re not going to really see “Bloody Mary.”
When people see something in the mirror, it’s usually because of the flickering candle and your brain recognizing or creating random patterns.
This is called pareidolia, or our human brain’s tendency to create things we understand. It could also be the Troxler Effect, or when you stare at one spot for a while things around it start to fade or disappear. Your brain stops noticing unchanging details, so your face in a mirror can look distorted or creepy in low light.
If you do see Bloody Mary, come back and let me know!
