When young, I was susceptible to the Bloody Mary horror legend. The version I knew consisted of going into a room (usually a bathroom), cutting off all sources of light other than a single candle which shone on the mirror, and turning in three circles, calling out to "Bloody Mary" each time.
I never had the guts to try it, and have always been, to put it lightly, nervous about going into pitch black rooms that have mirrors. In my freshman year of college, there was a big mirror that faced the room hung on the dorm door, and it terrified me until I forced myself to sit in front of it and stare at the reflection until I was sure nothing would happen--even so, there was always light coming in the window, so it wasn't pitch black.
I still reach in ahead of myself to turn on the light before entering a very dark room with an exposed mirror, and always step out before turning it out again.
A childhood belief about ghosts
