Bloody Mary mirror ritual in seventh grade and a toothbrush impact
An unnamed caller tells Art Bell that in seventh grade they performed a Bloody Mary mirror ritual alone at night. The caller reports seeing a face with blood on one side and then being hit in the head by something they took to be a toothbrush. The caller also reports that friends said they had been scratched doing the same ritual. The host closes this part of the broadcast with comments about mirrors and inviting something in.
This clip comes from the source recording. AI chose where it starts and ends, so it may start or end a little early or late. The word-for-word transcript is not published. You can hear the source recording on the Internet Archive (file “Ghost to Ghost 1994.mp3”, starting at 31:15). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
The caller, who gives no name or location, asks Art Bell about going into a mirror and saying a word such as “Bloody Mary.” The caller says they have done it before. Asked what happened, the caller says they did it around 12 o'clock when they were in seventh grade. The caller says they turned off all the lights and blocked the door, and that it was late at night and quiet in the house because that was required. The caller then describes turning in a circle, staring into the mirror, saying “Bloody Mary,” closing their eyes, turning around in a circle again, and repeating the name. The caller says they saw a face with blood on one half of its side, and then something hit them in the head. The caller says they think it was a toothbrush and that they saw the toothbrush lying on the ground, though they had not seen it there before. The caller adds that other friends told them they had had scratches from doing the same thing. The caller begins to name a seventh-grade friend, but the host stops the caller from giving the full name. The caller then says the friend is related to Bloody Mary, the Queen of Scots. The host thanks the caller and comments that there is something about mirrors, and about putting oneself in a receptive mood and performing a ritual, that he says may invite something in.
Reported events, in order
- 0:10
The caller raises the idea of going into a mirror and saying a word such as “Bloody Mary.”
- 0:34
The caller says they did it around 12 o'clock when they were in seventh grade.
- 0:49
The caller says they turned off all the lights and blocked the door.
- 0:54
The caller says it was late at night and quiet in the house.
- 1:03
The caller describes turning in a circle, staring into the mirror, saying “Bloody Mary,” closing their eyes, turning again, and repeating the name.
- 1:13
The caller says they saw a face with blood on one half of its side.
- 1:24
The caller says something hit them in the head and that they think it was a toothbrush, which they then saw on the ground.
- 1:32
The caller says other friends told them they had had scratches from doing the same thing.
- 1:38
The caller says a seventh-grade friend is related to Bloody Mary, the Queen of Scots. The host stops the caller from giving the friend's full name.
- 1:58
The host comments that mirrors and ritual may invite something in.
Claims
Each claim is labeled as something the person telling the story noticed (observation), what they made of it (interpretation), something others told them (hearsay), or something the host said (host statement).
- observation· 0:10
The caller says they have gone into a mirror and said a word such as “Bloody Mary.”
- observation· 0:34
The caller says they performed the ritual around 12 o'clock in seventh grade.
- observation· 0:49
The caller says they turned off all the lights and blocked the door.
- observation· 1:03
The caller says they said “Bloody Mary” while staring into the mirror and turning in circles.
- observation· 1:17
The caller says they saw a face with blood on one half of its side.
- observation· 1:24
The caller says something hit them in the head and that they think it was a toothbrush.
- observation· 1:28
The caller says they saw the toothbrush lying on the ground and had not seen it before.
- hearsay· 1:32
The caller says other friends told them they had had scratches from doing the same ritual.
- hearsay· 1:45
The caller says a seventh-grade friend is related to Bloody Mary, the Queen of Scots.
- host statement· 2:11
The host says a mirror ritual may amount to inviting something in.
Scores, with reasons
An AI model gave these scores using a fixed set of scoring rules (scoring-v1). They are editorial judgments and rough guides, not the odds that anything paranormal happened. How scoring works.
A brief but fairly specific firsthand story, with the ritual steps in order. Because the ritual has a known expected outcome, and an ordinary object was easily at hand, the story is weaker as evidence.
Evidence for and against
- The caller gives a sequence: lights off, door blocked, a quiet house late at night, turning, staring, speaking, closing their eyes, repeating.
- The caller gives a sensory detail: a face with blood on one side.
- The caller separates being hit from their identification of the object as a toothbrush.
- No name, location, or exact date is given.
- The story follows a known ritual pattern, which makes expectation a strong alternative explanation.
- The friends' scratches are secondhand and without detail.
- The labels showing who is speaking switch between the host and the caller on lines that appear to be the caller's speech.
- Only seventh grade is given, not a calendar year.
- The room is not clearly identified.
- 0:34
- 0:49
- 1:03
- 1:17
- 1:24
What the model inferred (not said on air): I treat this as a short firsthand report with enough of a sequence to judge, but not enough checkable detail or independence to raise it above a middle score.
The evidence is the caller's own word plus a secondhand claim about friends. No documents, recording, photograph, or second witness on air is present.
Evidence for and against
- The caller gives a firsthand story of the ritual and the face they report.
- The caller mentions physical details such as the toothbrush on the ground.
- No physical evidence is produced or examined.
- No names, places, or dates are given that could be checked.
- The friends the caller mentions do not speak on air.
- The automatic transcript makes some words, and who said them, uncertain.
- The story is brief.
- 1:24
- 1:32
What the model inferred (not said on air): Because only claims and secondhand reports are available, this falls in the lowest range of the evidence score.
The dark mirror ritual, a bloody face, and a physical blow give this part of the broadcast a truly unsettling core, though it is brief and does not build.
Evidence for and against
- The ritual is performed alone at night with the lights off and the door blocked.
- The caller reports a face with blood on one side.
- The caller reports being hit in the head and mentions scratches their friends claimed.
- The story is short and ends with the host's comments.
- There is no lasting threat or escalation.
- The toothbrush detail is ordinary enough to lessen the dread.
- The description of the face is brief and partly split across the labels showing who is speaking.
- It is unclear how long the experience lasted.
- 0:49
- 1:03
- 1:17
- 1:24
- 1:32
What the model inferred (not said on air): The creepiness comes from the mix of a dark mirror ritual, a bloody face, and a reported hit, not from a long or escalating story.
The Bloody Mary mirror ritual is a familiar frame. The toothbrush hit and the claimed relation to Mary, Queen of Scots add some distinctive detail.
Evidence for and against
- The caller adds a toothbrush striking them and seeing it on the ground.
- The caller says a seventh-grade friend is related to Bloody Mary, Queen of Scots.
- The core ritual is a stock mirror-and-name pattern.
- The reported face with blood is a common motif in such ritual stories.
- The host cuts off the caller's claim about the friend's relation before full details are given.
- The automatic transcript is short, and the labels showing who is speaking are uncertain.
- 0:10
- 1:03
- 1:24
- 1:45
What the model inferred (not said on air): I score this as a familiar ritual story with a couple of unusual details, not as a highly original one.
Scoring confidence 0.65 · analysis confidence 0.80 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller's firsthand story; A secondhand claim that other friends had scratches; No photograph, recording, document, or second witness on air. The originality score blends the model's score (32) with how rare the story's details are across the archive. This method is still provisional.
Ordinary explanations to consider
These are possibilities only. None is a finding about what happened.
- Expectation, along with staring into a dark mirror, could make someone see a face. · The caller describes repeating the ritual in a dark, quiet house after turning off the lights.
- A toothbrush may have fallen or been knocked loose and struck the caller. · The caller says they think a toothbrush hit them and that they saw it on the ground afterward.
- The scratches the friends describe may have ordinary causes, or may be reported without detail. · The scratches are mentioned only as something other friends said, with no description of the marks or circumstances.
What stands out
The story combines a mirror ritual with a toothbrush that the caller says hit them and a secondhand claim that a friend is related to Mary, Queen of Scots.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.