Claim:   A psychic predicts on a television show that a mass murder will take place on Halloween at a college campus.

Status:   False.

Variations:   Nearly all the details of this story -- which TV show the prediction was made on, who the killer will be, what weapon the killer will wield, which campus he will strike, what building the murders will occur in, and how many students will be killed -- all vary according to where and when the legend is repeated:

•  
• The psychic who makes the prediction was usually said to have been Jeanne Dixon; after her death, the legend simply referred to 'a psychic.'
• The TV shows on which the psychic is said to have made the prediction include ones hosted by Phil Donahue, David Letterman, Johnny Carson, Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams, Geraldo Rivera, or Joan Rivers. (Sometimes the prediction is one made by Nostradamus rather than a modern day psychic.)
• The potential murderer is variously reported to be a crazed student, professor, maintenance worker, escaped convict, maniac from insane asylum, or someone dressed as Little Bo Peep. (Some versions claim that it is now illegal to dress as Little Bo Peep on Halloween in the local college town.)
• The expected number of victims is usually a specific number (9, 10, 12, and 20 are mentioned frequently).
• The murder weapon is always some type of sharp object, such as an axe, hatchet, or knife.
• The campus to be struck is usually one starting with a specific letter, adjacent to some type of related landmark (such as a mental institution or cemetery), near a designated configuration of hills and rivers, or belonging to a specific athletic conference.
• The site on campus where the killings will occur is often one of a particular shape, named after a certain person, or beginning with a specific letter. Older versions of the legend mention less specific buildings such as a freshman dormitory, the largest dorm on campus, a women's dorm, or a sorority house

Origins:   Resurfacing periodically every few years, this classic fright legend has sent many students rushing home for the weekend or barricading themselves inside their rooms. This story's first known appearance was in the Midwest in 1968, perhaps inspired by Richard Speck's murder of nine nurses in a Chicago rooming house a few years earlier. It has seen numerous outbreaks since then, most notably in 1979 (Midwest), 1983 (nationwide), 1986 (Central Pennsylvania), and 1991 (New England).

This legend made a huge comeback in 1998 (perhaps inspired by the release of the movie "Urban Legends" earlier in the year) and spread across several college campuses across the Midwest. The details of this version were:

• The psychic made the prediction on a talk show hosted by Oprah Winfrey or Montel Williams. (The psychic is sometimes claimed to have predicted the Oklahoma City bombing as well.) The show is sometimes claimed to have been one that was taped but not aired.
• The number of victims will be 10, 15, 18, or "12 female students."
• The killer will be dressed as Little Bo Peep or will be wearing a Scream mask.
• The school targeted will be a member of the Big 12 or Big 10 athletic conferences. Some versions also mentioned a "big campus in Florida"; limited the locale to the campus of a Big 10 school starting with 'M' or 'W' (i.e. Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, and Wisconsin), or specified a school whose colors are orange and black. Later entries included a "women's college in southern California"
• Common elements were a school, building, or dormitory shaped like an 'H' (or an '8' or a 'U') and located near some combination of pond/lake/river, railroad tracks, and cemetery.

As Bronner noted in his collection of campus folklore, "The coincidence of the rumors with the darkening fall season, the mistrust of the security of institutional life -- especially for students away from the haven of home -- and the setting of many campuses in isolated arcadias undoubtedly feeds the rumors." He goes on to suggest that as colleges eased the restrictions of dormitory life and took a much less active role in their students' personal lives, students came to see campuses as "more open but less protected" places, sites "potentially open to dangerous strangers."

In 1998, this story was reported as being spread at the following schools:

• Scripps College (Claremont, CA)
• Quinnipiac College (Hamden, CT)
• University of Connecticut
• University of Florida
• Florida State University
• University of Miami (Miami, FL)
• Western Illinois University
• University of Illinois
• University of Indiana
• Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN)
• University of Iowa
• University of Kansas
• University of Michigan
• Michigan State University
• Northern Michigan University
• Hudson High School (Hudson, MI)
• Olivet College (Olivet, MI)
• Albion College (Albion, MI)
• Adrian College (Adrian, MI)
• Siena Heights University (Adrian, MI)
• Tecumseh High School (Tecumseh, MI)
• University of Minnesota
• Minnesota State University
• Ohio State University
• Kent State University (Kent, OH)
• Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, OH)
• University of Oklahoma
• Penn State University
• University of Wisconsin (Madison, WI)
• University of Wisconsin (Whitewater, WI)

Even though this legend has been circulating for decades (with nary a student falling victim to an axe-wielding Bo Peep in the meanwhile), many students in 1998 were still being advised to not go anywhere alone and to watch out for "suspicious" individuals. Although these are always wise precautions, one would hope the need to vacate dormitories in response to a legend has become unnecessary. The abundance of student newspaper articles collected below indicates that perhaps saner heads will soon prevail on campus.

Back

From snopes.com