The only thing that makes me more nervous than a pissed off spirit is the pissed off spirit of a psycho killer.
— Dean Winchester, 1.10 Asylum.
Vengeful spirits form the bulk of the ghost stories in Supernatural. They are result of spirits failing to move on after death. Pretty much all cultures around the world have some sort of explanation of what happens after we die and where our spirit goes. But what happens if a spirit is unable to move on?
Haunted locations are intrinsic to urban legends. The question is, why are these places being haunted in the first place? Why is the spirit still trapped there? A common explanation is that the spirit died in in a particular way (for example a suicide or murder) and were never able to get peace and come to terms with their death. As a result, they linger on, slowly being driven mad by their own emotion, often victimising those who can be somehow linked to the way they died. Once the spirits are set free, they are able to finally move on.
The cool thing about Sam and Dean chasing down these spirits is once they catch them, they end the pain that they’re in by releasing them. Often this isn’t a bad person, this is someone who was caught in a set of circumstances…who was murdered maliciously and they just have to find peace.
— Shannon Coppin, makeup artist.
As I mentioned earlier, there are a large number of vengeful spirits in Supernatural. Here are some examples from season 1:
Mary Worthington, 1.05 Bloody Mary
Bloody Mary is one of the most famous urban legends. She is summoned in a variety of different ways, usually in front of a mirror. She will either tell you something about your future or kill you in a fit of torment. Read more about Bloody Mary in my full post about this legend and its place in Supernatural.
Hook Man, 1.07 Hook Man
The legend of the Hook Man is fairly consistent throughout urban myth and is a kind of parental warning against premature sexual activity. A teenage boy takes his girlfriend (who is usually a virgin) out in his car to fool around. There is a radio broadcast about how a murderer with a hook for a hand has recently escaped from a nearby asylum. Hearing scraping sounds outside, the girl becomes anxious. The boy tries to convince her its nothing, but she refuses to continue so he drives her home where she later finds a bloody hook hanging from her door.
There have been some slight variations in the legend over time. In some versions, the boy doesn’t want to take her home and instead looks outside in order to comfort her. The girl, after hearing scratching sounds on the roof, exits the car to find her boyfriend hanging upside down from a tree above the car with his fingernails brushing the roof.
The Hook Man story also tells of him sneaking into dorm rooms to murder a sexually active teenager while their virgin roommate is sound asleep next to them. A message, left in blood on the wall, reads, “Aren’t you glad you didn’t turn on the light?” He would punish those who he saw as immoral.
There are plenty of cases of murders of couples on “Lover’s Lane” such as the Son of Sam murders in 1976/77, and the Texarkana Moonlight Murders in Arkansas, 1946.
In the episode Hook Man, the Winchesters come across a series of murders that share similarities with the Hook Man legend. The daughter of the reverend, Lori, witnessed the death of her boyfriend at the hands of the Hook Man after they make out in a parked car. A preacher, Jacob Karns, killed 13 prostitutes with his hook hand in 1862. He was later arrested and executed for his crimes. This is the twist – the Supernatural Hook Man is the ghost of a man with a hook for a hand, rather than a psycho hook murderer escaped from an asylum. Although his body is found and burned, the spirit does not go away. Learning that Karns’ hook was never destroyed and instead reforged into new objects for the church, Sam and Dean conclude that he must still be attached to some other physical object. They begin melting down all of the silver they can find in the church. It is revealed that Lori’s silver necklace is the object that the Hook Man is tied to, and the spirit disappears once it is melted in the fire.
Cyrus Dorian, 1.13 Route 666
Some of the most famous American urban legends originate from what was once Route 666. In 2003, it was renamed to Route 491. Christians believe that the number 666 is a numerical representation of “the Beast”, resulting in the highway being nicknamed “Devil’s Highway.” Due to the large number of accidents and supposed paranormal occurrences along this stretch of road, many believed that anyone travelling along it would become cursed.
Stories include that of a black sedan, supposedly possessed by Satan, tailgating drivers or speeding past them once the sun sets. Many have told stories about seeing a pack of dogs (”The Hounds of Hell”) with the ability to run as fast as a car. These dogs are linked to numerous deadly car accidents whether they destroy car tires or maul drivers to death on the road. Others tell stories of a huge black truck driving incredibly fast down the road, some being hit (or nearly hit) by it. This is most likely the story that inspired the black truck in the Supernatural episode Route 666. Skinwalkers and shapeshifters are also featured in stories surrounding Route 666, appearing as animals and then jumping out in front of oncoming traffic. There are also various accounts of mysterious disappearances where people are gone without a trace. Some that have disappeared have returned without knowing how long they’ve really been away.
In this episode, Sam and Dean encounter a phantom truck being driven by the ghost of Cyrus Dorian. Cassie Robinson, a girl who Dean had previously dated, is connected to the ghost truck which is somehow linked to a string of racially motivated murders. Her father Martin had been run off the road by the black truck. Cassie’s mother, Audrey, left her boyfriend Cyrus for Martin, and Cyrus became angry and burned down the church where Martin and Audrey were to be married. Cyrus attempts to kill Martin, who fights back and ends up beating Cyrus to death. Martin was never charged with murder and the killing was labelled as self-defense. Cyrus now continues to haunt the roads in his truck, running people off the road. Although Sam and Dean burn Cyrus’ truck and the body that Martin hid inside, but the truck continues to come after them anyway. To banish the spirit, Dean lures the truck to where the old church had burned down. The truck disappears once it crosses onto the holy ground of the church.
Additional references
Irvine, A. (2011). Supernatural: John Winchester’s Journal. New York: Harper Collins.
Knight, N. (2007). Supernatural: The Official Companion Season 1. London: Titan Books.
Supernatural Legends 