How to Play Bloody Mary

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Co-authored by Dylan McElliott and Kyle Hall

Last Updated: August 28, 2025 Approved

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Playing the Game

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Having a Bloody Mary Themed Night

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Video

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Q&A

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Things You'll Need

Bloody Mary is a classic scary game where players try to summon the ghost of Bloody Mary in a bathroom mirror. All you need to call Bloody Mary is a lit candle and a bathroom you can go into by yourself. To get the most out of the game, invite your friends over so you can play together and tell each other what you see in the mirror. Don’t forget to turn off all the lights!

Bloody Mary Game Rules

Go into your bathroom, shut the door, and light a candle. Then, turn off the bathroom lights. Look at yourself in the mirror and say “Bloody Mary” 3 times slowly.^{[1]
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Dylan McElliott
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Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Playing the Game

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1
Decide who’s going to call Bloody Mary first. If no one volunteers, play a quick game to decide who it will be. Flip a coin or play rock, paper, scissors. Whoever loses goes into the bathroom first.
2
Go into the bathroom when it’s your turn and turn off the lights. Close the door behind you so it’s completely dark. Make sure no one followed you in. You have to be alone when you call Bloody Mary.
- Place a candle on the sink in front of the mirror and light it.^{[2]
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- Don't have a bathroom you can play in? Try summoning Bloody Mary in another dark room with a mirror.
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3
Look into the mirror and say “Bloody Mary” 3 times. Keep your eyes open when you’re saying it. Make sure you speak slowly and clearly so Bloody Mary can hear you. Then wait for her to appear in the mirror.^{[3]
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Dylan McElliott
YouTuber and Paranormal Activity Expert

Expert Interview}
- No one knows for sure, but some people say Bloody Mary looks like a scary old witch.
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Spin around in a circle 3 times if Bloody Mary doesn’t appear. Spinning might make her show up. After you spin around 3 times, stop and look in the mirror to see if she’s appeared.^{[4]
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Expert Source

Dylan McElliott
YouTuber and Paranormal Activity Expert

Expert Interview} If she's still not there, try spinning in the other direction.^{[5]
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Blow out the candle and leave the bathroom. Tell your friends about what you saw in the mirror. Send the next person in to call Bloody Mary!^{[6]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Having a Bloody Mary Themed Night

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1
Invite your friends over to play Bloody Mary. Have a sleepover so everyone can spend the night and you can play the game when it’s dark. Make snacks and decorate with scary decorations to set the mood.
- Make cookies that look like mirrors. You and your friends can draw what you think Bloody Mary looks like on the cookies using frosting.
- Hang up a black plastic table cloth on the wall and write "Bloody Mary" on it with red paint.
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Read about the history of Bloody Mary. Search online for “history of Bloody Mary game” or check out a book about the game from your local library. Read the history out loud to your friends before you play the game. No one knows for sure, but some people think that Bloody Mary is the ghost of the infamous Queen Mary I.^{[7]
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Watch Bloody-Mary themed movies. Look online for documentaries about Bloody Mary or rent movies that are inspired by the legend. Watch the movies with the lights out to help get everyone scared before you play the game.
- Watch "The Twisted Tale of Bloody Mary" to learn about Queen Mary I.
- Watch the scary movie "Candy Man." It was inspired by the Bloody Mary game.^{[8]
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Plan a light-hearted activity for after you play Bloody Mary. Pick out a silly board game you can play or choose a comedy movie you can all watch. You and your friends might be scared after playing, and a light-hearted activity will help calm everyone down.

Community Q&A

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Question

How old do I need to be to play this game?

Community Answer

People usually start to play when they are about 13, but you can play if you are younger if you are brave.

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Question

I'm really scared because on a website it says that I am now cursed and that I have to send the urban legend to 15 or more people to be free from Bloody Mary. What shall I do?

Community Answer

This is known as a "chain letter" or a website variation of it. It is fake, it is a deliberate attempt of some mean person to scare readers. Show your mom/dad/guardian the site and have them explain things to you. Do not do what the site says, it is a scam and it is deliberately trying to scare you.

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Question

How can you stop Bloody Mary from getting out of the bathroom?

Community Answer

Turn on the light, shut the door and breathe calmly so that you can all calm down. Go calmly to the living room and put on a fun DVD or go to bed and talk about happy things. After that, you'll all feel a lot better and remember that it was and is just a game.

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