Creepypastas
(Circa 1990-Present, Ages 17 and Up)
8/3/18
WARNING: THESE STORIES CONTAIN MATERIAL THAT MAY BE DISTURBING TO SOME AUDIENCES. LISTENER/RESEARCHER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
It was a dark and chilly night, many years ago. There I was in my workshop, wandering through that online domain one inevitably gets to after jumping from Youtube horror video to Youtube horror video until the wee hours of the morning. Long after 3:00 AM, I found the strangest video yet. The thumbnail looked pretty cool, but the title seemed to cheapen it. “What on earth,” I asked myself, “does Sonic the Hedgehog have to do with noodles?” Maybe someone had made up one of those DIY food recipes with a story theme. You know, like Dr. Suess’ Green Eggs and Ham, or Bruce Bogtrotter’s chocolate cake, inspired by Roald Dahl’s Matilda. Now officially curious, I clicked the video. At first, I just skimmed through it without listening to see what I was in for. I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but I was a bit disappointed to see it was just clips from a bunch of different Sonic games, nothing I haven’t seen before. Still not understanding what kind of video this was, but being too tired to watch it fully just then, I decided to skim again, this time listening to a segment here and there to try and at least get a basic idea. I was . . . slightly less confused, but still confused in the end. And so, I looked up other videos with similar titles—after a good night’s sleep, of course. When I finally understood, I felt somewhat glad that I didn’t watch that first video from start to finish in the middle of the night. After which I thought to myself: “The internet is a weird, weird place.” Not that I didn’t already know that, but this certainly helped to further solidify that conviction.
A creepypasta is a horror story that has originated on, and been continually copy-pasted around, the internet, usually in the form of an image or a block of text. These stories may stem either from an existing event or piece of pop culture or from a wholly original idea, the common thread being its gory, shocking, or otherwise disturbing content. The word itself evolved from the internet slang term, “copypasta” (copy-paste-a). The true origins of the creepypasta are unknown, making an exact study of its history difficult. This is mainly due to many early creepypastas being written and posted anonymously. One claim among many is that the first creepypastas emerged with the advent of reposted chain email texts on internet forums. In any case, these early stories were like urban legends in that they were fairly realistic and believable. But over time, creepypastas have become increasingly supernatural in nature. Moreover, most creepypasta creators today prefer to give out their names in order to garner recognition as legitimate writers; as a result, copying and pasting these writings has become rare as many in the creepypasta community now see this as intellectual theft.
Arguably the most famous creepypasta character of all is the Slender Man, created in 2009 by Eric Knudsen of the Something Awful forum. This thin, unnaturally tall humanoid creature wears a black business suit and possesses a featureless face and tentacle-like arms. It usually targets children and young adults, causing numerous afflictions, such as paranoia, delusions, and nightmares. While the Slender Man has proven popular enough to inspire video games, films, and fan fiction, it also, unfortunately, led to the horrific 2014 incident in which two 12-year-olds attempted to murder a classmate as a sacrifice to the monster.
Thoughts and prayers to the victim and all those involved.
Creepypasta website and forum administrators and community members have since expressed condolences and overwhelming support to the victim and her family, even helping to raise money for medical costs. They have further reiterated that while they do specialize in making and sharing scary stories, they do not condone real threats or acts of violence; theirs is a literary community whose purpose is to encourage the growth and inspiration of aspiring authors, dark and gruesome though their subject matter is.
As the creepypasta has evolved, so have readers’ tastes with regards to theme, style, and quality. From crazed murderers like “Jeff the Killer”, to demonic creatures like “Smile Dog”, to haunted objects like the Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask game cartridge in “Ben Drowned”, virtually every trick and trope in the horror genre’s repertoire has been utilized in a creepypasta’s creation. Older, shorter ones tended to fall into one of three categories:
- Anecdote – in which the narrator recites a frightening event from his/her own past. I.e., “Ted the Caver”; “Candle Cove”; “Abandoned by Disney”.
- Ritual – in which the audience is given instructions that, if followed, will cause something scary to happen. I.e., “Bloody Mary”.
- “Lost Episode” – in which the narrator tells of an unaired episode of a famous and generally light-hearted T.V. show that involves distorted audio and video and/or characters behaving strangely, often to the point of graphic violence or death to themselves or others. I.e., “Squidward’s Suicide” (Spongebob Squarepants); “Dead Bart” (The Simpsons); “Suicidemouse.avi” (Disney).
Today’s creepypastas are much more elaborate in conception and presentation. Easily some of the most fascinating, for instance, are those that stem from fan theories of well-known franchises. There are way too many to list here, let alone describe in detail, but some prominent examples include “Squall is Dead Theory” (Final Fantasy VIII), “The Numbers Station” (Fallout 3), “Giygas = Fetus Theory” (Earthbound), “Garfield Hallucination Theory” (Garfield), “Post-Depression Theory” (Scooby Doo, Where Are You!), and “Ash is in a Coma” (Pokémon [anime]), just to name a few.
But, of course, like any piece of literature, some creepypastas are better written than others. Even basic mistakes or inadequacies in word choice, world-building, and character development are all it takes to ruin the experience. One example I know of is the story, “The Theatre of Puppets”, inspired by the song “The Puppet Master” by Danish Heavy Metal band, King Diamond. The idea and setup are very promising—I love me a good gothic story—but the less than professional writing makes it fall pretty flat. To give you an idea, here is an excerpt from the story:
“The Puppet Master and his wife entered. I couldn't speak, as I was shocked. Emergencia put the lantern on a shelf, and The Puppet Master went to an altar, with ancient books and human skulls on it, lit few black candles which lighted up the room a bit. I saw a strange symbol on the wall. The Master started chanting magical words from ancient tongues. I felt some kind of Magic inside me . . . I got afraid and, in panic, kicked one of the shelves with the jars, one of them fell down and broke . . . in light liquid was red, it was blood!
The Puppet Master turned to me and said: "How dare you disturb my work!?" and in that moment a demons head, red as blood appeared on the wall. I felt a sting in my eyes, they were given eternal life, because of the disturbance in the ritual. The Puppet Master continued chanting and I could feel . . . feel my soul leaving my body and felt tingle in my skin. The tingle grew in pain and I felt magic in me. In the next moment I lost my consciousness.”
All that being said: in my experience, I find that the best way to get the most out of a creepypasta, rather than reading it oneself, is to listen to someone tell it, especially in the form of videos. Not movies with plots and acting, but simply recordings of a single person telling the story with the aid of background music, a few images, and maybe a sudden sound effect or two for good measure. There are numerous video-makers out there that specialize in creepypasta retellings, but my favorite is the Youtuber, CreepsMcPasta. Regardless of a given story’s quality, his measured and proficient voice mixed with top-notch editing skills and image choices make the experience all the more deliciously frightening. Take his video retelling of “The Girl in the Photograph”. (WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.) As he narrates, an image of a pretty girl holding up two fingers in a peace sign is all that comprises the visuals . . . until the final line. The accommodating image change is so quick and abrupt that I jumped during my first viewing, my adrenaline rushing long after the video had ended:
“One school day, a boy named Tom was sitting in class, doing math. It was six more minutes until school let out. As he was doing his homework, something caught his eye.
His desk was next to the window, and he turned and looked to the grass outside. It looked like a picture. When school was over, he ran to the spot where he saw it. He ran fast so that no one else could grab it. He picked it up and smiled. It had a picture of the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She had a dress with tights on and red shoes, and her hand was formed into a peace sign.
She was so beautiful he wanted to meet her, so he ran all over the school and asked everyone if they knew her or have ever seen her before. But everyone he asked said ‘No.’ He was devastated.
When he was home, he asked his older sister if she knew the girl, but unfortunately she also said ‘No.’ It was very late, so Tom walked up the stairs, placed the picture on his bedside table and went to sleep.
In the middle of the night, Tom was awakened by a tap on his window. It was like a nail tapping. He got scared. After the tapping, he heard a giggle. He saw a shadow near his window, so he got out of his bed, walked toward his window, opened it up and followed the giggling. By the time he reached it, it was gone.
The next day, again he asked his neighbors if they knew her. Everybody said, ‘Sorry, no.’ When his mother came home he even asked her if she knew her. She said ‘No.’ He went to his room, placed the picture on his desk and fell asleep.
Once again, he was awakened by a tapping. He took the picture and followed the giggling. He walked across the road, when he was suddenly hit by a car. He died instantly, picture in hand. The driver got out of the car and tried to help him, but it was too late. He saw the picture and picked it up.
He saw a cute girl holding up three fingers.” (Original author unknown; retold by CreepsMcPasta, YouTube video uploaded January 7, 2013)
Horror stories have been told both for as long has humanity has known fear, and as long as storytelling has existed, through voice, in print, and on screen. But it is only the creepypasta that has its place solely online. What makes the creepypasta an especially unique form of narrative expression, let alone horror fiction, is that it wouldn’t be what it is, or even be at all, without the internet, a powerful technological system and an abstract worldwide entity rather than a classified artistic medium like books and T.V. It’s also opened up a whole new avenue through which writers can scare their audiences, and through which new audiences can get their scares. And with the right words in the proper context, what’s told by the glow of a computer screen can be just as atmospheric and spine-tingling as anything told by the glow of a campfire.
CREDITS:
All images, audio, and links belong to their respective owners; no copyright infringement is intended.
MAIN THEME:
“The Call” – Briand Morrison and Roxann Berglund
It was a dark and chilly night, many years ago. There I was in my workshop, wandering through that online domain one inevitably gets to after jumping from Youtube horror video to Youtube horror video until the wee hours of the morning. Long after 3:00 AM, I found the strangest video yet. The thumbnail looked pretty cool, but the title seemed to cheapen it. “What on earth,” I asked myself, “does Sonic the Hedgehog have to do with noodles?” Maybe someone had made up one of those DIY food recipes with a story theme. You know, like Dr. Suess’ Green Eggs and Ham, or Bruce Bogtrotter’s chocolate cake, inspired by Roald Dahl’s Matilda. Now officially curious, I clicked the video. At first, I just skimmed through it without listening to see what I was in for. I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but I was a bit disappointed to see it was just clips from a bunch of different Sonic games, nothing I haven’t seen before. Still not understanding what kind of video this was, but being too tired to watch it fully just then, I decided to skim again, this time listening to a segment here and there to try and at least get a basic idea. I was . . . slightly less confused, but still confused in the end. And so, I looked up other videos with similar titles—after a good night’s sleep, of course. When I finally understood, I felt somewhat glad that I didn’t watch that first video from start to finish in the middle of the night. After which I thought to myself: “The internet is a weird, weird place.” Not that I didn’t already know that, but this certainly helped to further solidify that conviction.
A creepypasta is a horror story that has originated on, and been continually copy-pasted around, the internet, usually in the form of an image or a block of text. These stories may stem either from an existing event or piece of pop culture or from a wholly original idea, the common thread being its gory, shocking, or otherwise disturbing content. The word itself evolved from the internet slang term, “copypasta” (copy-paste-a). The true origins of the creepypasta are unknown, making an exact study of its history difficult. This is mainly due to many early creepypastas being written and posted anonymously. One claim among many is that the first creepypastas emerged with the advent of reposted chain email texts on internet forums. In any case, these early stories were like urban legends in that they were fairly realistic and believable. But over time, creepypastas have become increasingly supernatural in nature. Moreover, most creepypasta creators today prefer to give out their names in order to garner recognition as legitimate writers; as a result, copying and pasting these writings has become rare as many in the creepypasta community now see this as intellectual theft.
Arguably the most famous creepypasta character of all is the Slender Man, created in 2009 by Eric Knudsen of the Something Awful forum. This thin, unnaturally tall humanoid creature wears a black business suit and possesses a featureless face and tentacle-like arms. It usually targets children and young adults, causing numerous afflictions, such as paranoia, delusions, and nightmares. While the Slender Man has proven popular enough to inspire video games, films, and fan fiction, it also, unfortunately, led to the horrific 2014 incident in which two 12-year-olds attempted to murder a classmate as a sacrifice to the monster.
Thoughts and prayers to the victim and all those involved.
Creepypasta website and forum administrators and community members have since expressed condolences and overwhelming support to the victim and her family, even helping to raise money for medical costs. They have further reiterated that while they do specialize in making and sharing scary stories, they do not condone real threats or acts of violence; theirs is a literary community whose purpose is to encourage the growth and inspiration of aspiring authors, dark and gruesome though their subject matter is.
As the creepypasta has evolved, so have readers’ tastes with regards to theme, style, and quality. From crazed murderers like “Jeff the Killer”, to demonic creatures like “Smile Dog”, to haunted objects like the Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask game cartridge in “Ben Drowned”, virtually every trick and trope in the horror genre’s repertoire has been utilized in a creepypasta’s creation. Older, shorter ones tended to fall into one of three categories:
- Anecdote – in which the narrator recites a frightening event from his/her own past. I.e., “Ted the Caver”; “Candle Cove”; “Abandoned by Disney”.
- Ritual – in which the audience is given instructions that, if followed, will cause something scary to happen. I.e., “Bloody Mary”.
- “Lost Episode” – in which the narrator tells of an unaired episode of a famous and generally light-hearted T.V. show that involves distorted audio and video and/or characters behaving strangely, often to the point of graphic violence or death to themselves or others. I.e., “Squidward’s Suicide” (Spongebob Squarepants); “Dead Bart” (The Simpsons); “Suicidemouse.avi” (Disney).
Today’s creepypastas are much more elaborate in conception and presentation. Easily some of the most fascinating, for instance, are those that stem from fan theories of well-known franchises. There are way too many to list here, let alone describe in detail, but some prominent examples include “Squall is Dead Theory” (Final Fantasy VIII), “The Numbers Station” (Fallout 3), “Giygas = Fetus Theory” (Earthbound), “Garfield Hallucination Theory” (Garfield), “Post-Depression Theory” (Scooby Doo, Where Are You!), and “Ash is in a Coma” (Pokémon [anime]), just to name a few.
But, of course, like any piece of literature, some creepypastas are better written than others. Even basic mistakes or inadequacies in word choice, world-building, and character development are all it takes to ruin the experience. One example I know of is the story, “The Theatre of Puppets”, inspired by the song “The Puppet Master” by Danish Heavy Metal band, King Diamond. The idea and setup are very promising—I love me a good gothic story—but the less than professional writing makes it fall pretty flat. To give you an idea, here is an excerpt from the story:
“The Puppet Master and his wife entered. I couldn't speak, as I was shocked. Emergencia put the lantern on a shelf, and The Puppet Master went to an altar, with ancient books and human skulls on it, lit few black candles which lighted up the room a bit. I saw a strange symbol on the wall. The Master started chanting magical words from ancient tongues. I felt some kind of Magic inside me . . . I got afraid and, in panic, kicked one of the shelves with the jars, one of them fell down and broke . . . in light liquid was red, it was blood!
The Puppet Master turned to me and said: "How dare you disturb my work!?" and in that moment a demons head, red as blood appeared on the wall. I felt a sting in my eyes, they were given eternal life, because of the disturbance in the ritual. The Puppet Master continued chanting and I could feel . . . feel my soul leaving my body and felt tingle in my skin. The tingle grew in pain and I felt magic in me. In the next moment I lost my consciousness.”
All that being said: in my experience, I find that the best way to get the most out of a creepypasta, rather than reading it oneself, is to listen to someone tell it, especially in the form of videos. Not movies with plots and acting, but simply recordings of a single person telling the story with the aid of background music, a few images, and maybe a sudden sound effect or two for good measure. There are numerous video-makers out there that specialize in creepypasta retellings, but my favorite is the Youtuber, CreepsMcPasta. Regardless of a given story’s quality, his measured and proficient voice mixed with top-notch editing skills and image choices make the experience all the more deliciously frightening. Take his video retelling of “The Girl in the Photograph”. (WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.) As he narrates, an image of a pretty girl holding up two fingers in a peace sign is all that comprises the visuals . . . until the final line. The accommodating image change is so quick and abrupt that I jumped during my first viewing, my adrenaline rushing long after the video had ended:
“One school day, a boy named Tom was sitting in class, doing math. It was six more minutes until school let out. As he was doing his homework, something caught his eye.
His desk was next to the window, and he turned and looked to the grass outside. It looked like a picture. When school was over, he ran to the spot where he saw it. He ran fast so that no one else could grab it. He picked it up and smiled. It had a picture of the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She had a dress with tights on and red shoes, and her hand was formed into a peace sign.
She was so beautiful he wanted to meet her, so he ran all over the school and asked everyone if they knew her or have ever seen her before. But everyone he asked said ‘No.’ He was devastated.
When he was home, he asked his older sister if she knew the girl, but unfortunately she also said ‘No.’ It was very late, so Tom walked up the stairs, placed the picture on his bedside table and went to sleep.
In the middle of the night, Tom was awakened by a tap on his window. It was like a nail tapping. He got scared. After the tapping, he heard a giggle. He saw a shadow near his window, so he got out of his bed, walked toward his window, opened it up and followed the giggling. By the time he reached it, it was gone.
The next day, again he asked his neighbors if they knew her. Everybody said, ‘Sorry, no.’ When his mother came home he even asked her if she knew her. She said ‘No.’ He went to his room, placed the picture on his desk and fell asleep.
Once again, he was awakened by a tapping. He took the picture and followed the giggling. He walked across the road, when he was suddenly hit by a car. He died instantly, picture in hand. The driver got out of the car and tried to help him, but it was too late. He saw the picture and picked it up.
He saw a cute girl holding up three fingers.” (Original author unknown; retold by CreepsMcPasta, YouTube video uploaded January 7, 2013)
Horror stories have been told both for as long has humanity has known fear, and as long as storytelling has existed, through voice, in print, and on screen. But it is only the creepypasta that has its place solely online. What makes the creepypasta an especially unique form of narrative expression, let alone horror fiction, is that it wouldn’t be what it is, or even be at all, without the internet, a powerful technological system and an abstract worldwide entity rather than a classified artistic medium like books and T.V. It’s also opened up a whole new avenue through which writers can scare their audiences, and through which new audiences can get their scares. And with the right words in the proper context, what’s told by the glow of a computer screen can be just as atmospheric and spine-tingling as anything told by the glow of a campfire.
CREDITS:
All images, audio, and links belong to their respective owners; no copyright infringement is intended.
MAIN THEME:
“The Call” – Briand Morrison and Roxann Berglund
EPISODE SONGS:
“Haunted House” - Briand Morrison
“Haunted House” - Briand Morrison
“Sanguine Road” - The Curellis
“Vorago” - The Curellis
Download the full 15-minute episode here!
Creepypastas on Wikipedia
Creepypasta.com
Creepypasta.org
Creepypastas on Fandom
Creepypastas on Tv Tropes
Creepypasta books on Goodreads
Buy Creepypasta books on Amazon
Watchmojo's Top 10 Scariest Creepypastas
Watchmojo's Top 10 TV Creepypastas
Watchmojo's Top 10 Video Game Urban Legends
^^ Back to T.V. Shows, Web Series, and Other Narrative Programs
Creepypastas on Wikipedia
Creepypasta.com
Creepypasta.org
Creepypastas on Fandom
Creepypastas on Tv Tropes
Creepypasta books on Goodreads
Buy Creepypasta books on Amazon
Watchmojo's Top 10 Scariest Creepypastas
Watchmojo's Top 10 TV Creepypastas
Watchmojo's Top 10 Video Game Urban Legends
^^ Back to T.V. Shows, Web Series, and Other Narrative Programs