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She wakes up several times during the night to dripping water. She assumes that she left the bathroom faucet on and goes back to sleep, after being reassured that her dog is still there when he licks her hand.
In the morning she goes into the bathroom and finds her dog dead, hanging in the shower. The dog's dripping blood was the sound that had woken her up repeatedly in the night. There's a note written in blood on the bathroom mirror: Humans can lick too. She sees the killer in the mirror before he kills her.
Also known as "Humans Can Lick Too" or "People Can Lick Too."* I've listed the different variations of this legend below.
This legend is used in the Supernatural episode "Family Remains" (S4E11).
*There is a "college" version of this legend known as "The Roommate's Death" or "Aren't You Glad You Didn't Turn on the Lights"
Variations on the Legend of the "Licked Hand"
The protagonist is
- an old lady
- a young girl (sometimes the hostess of a slumber party)
- a babysitter
The killer is
- an escaped murderer
- a unknown killer
- a killer who has escaped from a mental institution
- a serial killer
Why the window is open
- can't close it
- wants fresh air
Location and mutilation of the dead dog
- Bathroom; hanging upside down in the shower with its intestines hanging out
- Bathroom curtain rod; skinned, blood dripping
- Shower head
- Kitchen
Killer's message and its location
- Humans can lick too; bathroom mirror or shower wall
- Humans can lick too, my beautiful; note by bed
- People can lick too; bathroom or kitchen wall
- Manics like hands; mirror
Examples of the "Licked Hand" in modern media
Movies
- Campfire Tales (1991)
- Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000)
- Urban Legends: Bloody Mary (2005)
TV Shows
- Supernatural, "Family Remains"
- A Scare at Bedtime, "Bedsit"
Books
- Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
- John Dies at the End by David Wong
What was the name of this in the Scary Stories book?
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