Say Candyman 3 times and he'll appear and kill you. Odds are you've laughed at this urban legend, but did you know it's based on a real murder that happened in Illinois in 1987 when a killer came through a mirror?

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The Infographics Show shared a fun retelling of urban legends that turned out to be real. One in particular has a local connection. It's the story of Candyman. As the legend goes, he was a slave who fell in love with a woman who was the daughter of his slave owner. After learning of her pregnancy, her father kills the slave who becomes a ghost who will appear when someone calls his name 3 times. The legend is based on a real killer.

The Candyman story was brought back to life recently when a woman found a hole behind her mirror as shared by The Daily Mail. It was reminiscent of the 1987 murder of Ruthie May McCoy who lived in Chicago. She made desperate calls to emergency operators about intruders who came through her bathroom mirror. When police finally investigated the call, they found Ruthie's dead body and no forced entry through the front, but a hole behind a wall mirror. That was the crime that inspired the 1992 movie Candyman which built upon the real Illinois horrific murder.

Does it mean a murderer will appear behind you if you call out to Candyman 3 times in a mirror? I highly doubt it, but the legend is based upon a real Illinois story. Something interesting to include if/when you retell the Candyman story.

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