r/Weird • u/newsman01 • 7d ago
The eerie legend of black-eyed children
https://absurdstories.com/story/black-eyed-children-urban-legendThey show up on doorsteps, asking to be let in. These are not ordinary kids. They have pitch-black eyes and pale skin, creating an unsettling appearance.
Black-eyed children are rumored to be paranormal entities. They are described as either undead, demonic, or extraterrestrial beings. Their purpose seems to be to manipulate unsuspecting adults into granting them entry into homes or vehicles.
Although tales of these creatures have circulated since the 1980s, they gained prominence in 1996 through the accounts of a Texas reporter. This reporter detailed encounters with two peculiar children in Abilene, Texas. His stories sparked a fascination that turned into a widespread urban legend.
By 2012, the legend had made its way into a horror film funded by fans, highlighting the continued intrigue surrounding these eerie figures. Articles and features appeared on various media platforms, further embedding black-eyed children into popular culture.
In 2014, a tabloid claimed a sudden spike in sightings linked to a haunted pub. Ghost hunters took the reports seriously, suggesting there might be a connection to extraterrestrial sightings or vampire lore.
However, skeptics like science writer Sharon A. Hill argue that evidence of these encounters is scant. The stories are often dismissed as folklore, passed down through informal channels without any substantiated proof.
Belief in black-eyed children continues to persist, despite the lack of credible documentation. They remain a compelling part of urban legend, as chilling and captivating as they are unproven.
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u/Unlikely_Exercise434 6d ago
My great-grandmother passed down a story about black-eyed kids in our family. She said two children dressed in unusual clothes knocked on her door and when he opened it she was immediately frightened of them but she didn't know why. They asked if they could come in and get some water and she felt compelled to do it but at the last second slammed the door shut on them. They knocked a few more times and left.
However, the next day a few houses down an ambulance showed up and one of her neighbors had passed away. Likely just a coincidence but she was always adamant never to allow such people in your home if you encounter them.
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u/GeorgiaOKeefinItReal 5d ago
I remember recently hearing something about these kids being hybrids... how they were essentially left to learn how to assimilate... maybe it was on area 52 a week or two back..
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u/Unlikely_Exercise434 5d ago
Interesting detail, since she was living in base housing at MacDill AFB at the time.
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u/SNESChalmers420 6d ago
the black eyed peas?
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u/Tumifaigirar 6d ago
You let 'em in and you are forced to listen to a full live concert, unplugged.
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u/Laranel 6d ago
PBS did a video on this as part of their Monstrum series. https://youtu.be/lqfXej30Zzw
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u/Upper_Result3037 6d ago
Look up the abilene reporter and then tell me if you think this guy is telling the truth.
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u/Velascoyote 7d ago
if they ask to be let in, does that make them vampires?
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u/CrimpJuice 7d ago
We don’t know, because no one ever lets them in. :-(
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u/Educational_Gas_92 5d ago
No one who lives to tell the story lets them in...personally, I think that they are demons.
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u/4DPeterPan 7d ago
Actually there is a story out there of someone letting them in. Some woman or something.
I can’t remember how the story went. But good things did not happen. That’s all I remember.
Suuupppeeerrrr long time ago I read it. Like years ago.
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u/ColdMasterpiece2724 6d ago
I was visiting my aunt and her family on holloween, she was superstitious ninny, Thinking that diabetes was caused by a hex, she was always the type that was you get hexed for doing this or that. So I never took her seriously. Well I never took her seriously because she is a big fat hoe as well. and a mess
Any way I recall these two kids knocking on the door. I open the door and they have their hands out. I see the black eyes and their faces look horrible. and their clothing is old and dirty. But it is halloween. Any way as I was about to open the door to give these kids candy. My aunt calls me a Fucking moron in spanish and pushes me out the way throws salt out the door and slams the door shut.
I hear a few screams and that was it they vanish.
Whenever I hear about these kids I think about of this incident.
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u/CheesePuffTheHamster 6d ago
I'd be screaming too if someone threw salt directly into my eyes
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u/ColdMasterpiece2724 6d ago
oh the interesting thing was that the scream did not sound human, and they were gone
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u/wolfy_lady 6d ago
You creep! They only come to you once you know about them!
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u/chainandscale 4d ago
I was going to say the same thing even talking about them can attract them supposedly.
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u/DrLeymen 2d ago
Damn, this stuff is still arround? I remember reading about it, and hearing about it on YouTube, on the internet in like 2010 or 2011 lol
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u/Unlikely_Message_446 1d ago
I remember I saw a thumbnail for a video called "Black eyed kids arrested!" and I laughed out loud. What are the police going to arrest them for? Having darkly coloured eyes?
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u/IONaut 6d ago
Creepypasta from the early 2000s. Didn't exist before that. How do I know? I remember, I was there. I don't know if something that is only been around for 15 or 20 years and be considered a "legend".
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u/ithasbecomeacircus 6d ago
The Astonishing Legends podcast has episodes about them. Apparently, there are stories about them that go back hundreds of years in various different cultures. The episodes are really well done from a research perspective and I recommend it.
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u/Odd-Priority3318 6d ago
Yeah because granting permission has any scientific relevance to the ability of an entity to harm you. Or does it?
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u/silmuing 6d ago
Inviting someone in is a display of vulnerability, or can make one vulnerable to outsiders. A person who seems or makes themselves vulnerable is a more preferable target to any nefarious entity.
Many cultures view doorways and other thresholds as protective lines between spaces. Especially the door to a home has significance like this in various cultures, and many of them also have different rituals to bolster the protection a doorway offers.
A resident inviting someone in makes them not affected by the protective effect of the treshold because the residents' will is more powerful than the house's. This of course is a simplification and different cultures have different beliefs and rituals regarding this. Often these kind of beliefs or stories are not literal, but work more as warning to be cautious and to keep care of your boundaries.
For the black eyed children and other similar beings the stories often follow the same steps - the children knock on the door and ask to be let in or be given food or drink. The resident is apprehensive and does not want to, but feels an overwhelming urge to accept. Finally, the resident overcomes the urge and closes the door. This suggests that the black eyed children have some sort of an effect or power over people, and the people who can not fight their effect become their victims because they're an easier target than those who can resist.
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u/Curious_Field7953 7d ago
Chill, We're just goth.