The Ratman of Southend



The Ratman of Southend is an English urban legend originating in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. The story of the Ratman tells of an old homeless man, who while seeking shelter from the cold in an underpass, was set upon by a group of youths and beaten to near-death. The cold and blood loss finished his life. As he died, the numerous vermin who inhabit the area gathered, and were found to have devoured his face. After this, a ghostly figure was spotted in the underpass, with people hearing ratlike squealing, and scraping, as if large claws were moving across the walls.

In popular culture
A short film about the Ratman of Southend, directed by Michael Holiday, was entered in 2019 during the annual Horror-on-Sea film festival in Southend.

In 2020, Afterlight Comics published Folktales of the Cryptids Vol. 2. An anthology revolving around different folkloric creatures, in which the Ratman is included.