The Midnight Caller legend developed in Internet forums. Over the years, the tales have become more common, and, as the winter solstice appears, you may need some protection from these soul-sucking specters. Get the ghastly scoop after the jump.

Origins of the Legend

The Midnight Callers is a relatively modern urban legend that developed in the early 2000s. At first, it sounds a lot like Black-Eyed Kid encounters with a twist: The legend is tied to the darkest night of the year, the Winter Solstice.

Just by looking at the legend in details, it borrows heavily from other urban legends of creepy night visitors. For sure, it seems to be a take on A Christmas Carol without the happy ending.

As for its origins, it appeared on Creepy Pastas, r/NoSleep stories and 4Chan’s /x/ boards. People share their stories of eerie encounters with knocks, pale or shadowy figures, and tech failures on cold winter nights. Some even say the winter solstice is a thinning of the Veil, just like Halloween.

Anyway, this tales appears to be a retread of those fables about winter-is-bleak-and-tries-to-kill-you trope. Although, I try to have a landline handy when I’m 50 miles from civilization in an isolated cabin. Just sayin’.

The Midnight Caller Legend in Detail

The Midnight Callers are said to appear on the winter solstice, starting just after sunset and continuing until the first light of dawn. But some versions say they come at midnight. Witnesses describe them as pale, gaunt figures with sunken, hollow or black eyes. The entities move unnaturally slow (Think how Jason Voorhees walks and still catches you), and they never stop trying to taunt or capture you.

Behavior

• At exactly midnight (sometimes at sunset or moonrise), the knocking begins, faint at first, but growing louder if ignored.
• The Callers may whisper phrases like “Please help us” or “It’s so cold” in a monotone, somewhat robotic voice.
• If you look outside, you see them standing just beyond your doorstep, motionless, waiting to be invited inside.
• Those who foolishly open the door describe feeling an icy blast of air and seeing multiple figures in the shadows behind the first Caller.

Rules of the Legend

I love it when an urban legend has rules because you can make a plan to survive the baddy. Here are the Callers rules:

Do Not Open the Door: Letting them in just invites tragedy. Some folks believe they are spirits looking for a host to possess. Others say they steal the soul of the person who opens the door.

Jake: Now, I don’t know about that: I didn’t find any death reports for victims.

Ignore Them Completely: Acknowledging their presence—by speaking to them or even making eye contact—can be enough to summon them inside.

Jake: Ummm … OK, I’ll keep the blinds closed and mums the word!

Stay Away from the Windows: Their pale faces might appear pressed against the glass, their hollow eyes staring in. If you see them, they will know you’re there.

Jake: OK, the blinds stay down. I’ll treat them like the buggers from the TV show, From.

Theories About The Midnight Callers

Like a lot of urban legends, there are many opinions to what exactly these spooky figures are. Here’s the latest on what they could be:

Lost Souls: They are said to be spirits of those who froze to death during harsh winters, forever seeking warmth and shelter they never found.

Jake: OK, I can go believe this part of the legend. I’m curious about how long ago they died, and if they’re tied to the location, or if that even matters.

Seasonal Revenants: Some versions claim the Callers are summoned by the solstice itself, as the longest night creates a bridge between the physical world and the spirit realm.

Jake: Ummmm … I’d say the thinning of the Veil lets critters in from the other side. I don’t buy the bit where the solstice does it.

Parasitic Entities: A creepier interpretation is that they are predatory beings that emerge on the solstice to trick humans into offering them entry, allowing them to feed on their life force or inhabit their bodies.

Jake: This reminds me of Black-Eyed Kids or Mylings. Both creepy AF.

Residual Hauntings: More skeptically, they might be residual echoes of past tragedies—ghosts of a family that once perished on a bitter winter night, forever replaying their doomed search for safety.

Jake: This sounds more like an intelligent haunting or specters. Residual hauntings don’t try to suck your soul out.

Modern Encounters

Since this legend appeared in the early 2000s, I’d call these encounters modern. They had cell phones then, and the encounters happened in big cities, too. Sometimes. Occasionally. Anyway, on with the spooky encounters:

Rural Settings: Many accounts come from people living in isolated areas, where the winter night feels especially cold, dark and insufferable. A family on a remote farm might recount the knocking as growing frantic before fading away near dawn.

Urban Twist: Some newer tales place the Callers in modern cities, knocking on apartment doors in high rises or buzzing intercoms at entryways. These settings add a layer of disbelief until the strange phenomena escalate.

Technology and the Callers: In recent retellings, people report hearing the knocking over their phones during a video call or even seeing blurry figures in their home security cameras.

Jake: Now, this one is the creepiest. It reminds me of the found-footage flick, Unfriended.

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Have you encountered anything like this on a cold, dark, winter night? If so, please tell me about it in the comments below.

This legend has my skepticism running on high alert, but that may be because it’s really similar to Black-Eyed Kids.

Thanks for reading Ghostly Activities. Much appreciated. Take care!

Last Updated on December 15, 2024 by Jacob Rice