List of Creepypastas(en.wikipedia.org)
en.wikipedia.org
List of Creepypastas
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_creepypastas
128 comments
You mean "predecessor" (twice), "prequel" has a different meaning. It's (roughly) when the medium B is created after medium A, but is set earlier in time.
Interesting, that definition of "prequel" creates a strange conceptual symmetry with the word "sequel".
Both "prequel of A" and "sequel of A" imply "published later than A but set in the same universe", with "pre" and "se(q)" referring to the timelines, we can factor out "quel" to mean just that. I guess "Back to the future III" would be neither a sequel not a prequel, but definitely a quel.
Both "prequel of A" and "sequel of A" imply "published later than A but set in the same universe", with "pre" and "se(q)" referring to the timelines, we can factor out "quel" to mean just that. I guess "Back to the future III" would be neither a sequel not a prequel, but definitely a quel.
Thanks for sharing, I liked this one.
Here's my favorite video game related creepypasta, also about a mod: https://creepypasta.fandom.com/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Black
Here's my favorite video game related creepypasta, also about a mod: https://creepypasta.fandom.com/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Black
> Things were a bit rough around the edges back then, and strange things happened:
TBF the game engine was pretty rough (as most Bethesda games are), it has a pretty creepy vibe in the first place (dwemer spider bots <3) and some banger bugs e.g. sometimes you’d hit a house entrance just the wrong way and fall under the world.
TBF the game engine was pretty rough (as most Bethesda games are), it has a pretty creepy vibe in the first place (dwemer spider bots <3) and some banger bugs e.g. sometimes you’d hit a house entrance just the wrong way and fall under the world.
Pretty much every (PC/console) Bethesda game since Morrowind has been a derivative of the Morrowind code. It'd be a little unfair to say it's the same game engine, since they've clearly added lots of wizzbang features with each big title that must be huge diffs in the code, but I do find it charming in a weird way how the overlap shines through every so often.
Morrowind in DOSBox? Now that's the real creepy-pasta right here.
[deleted]
And here I thought hundreds of cheese wheels rolling down a staircase was strange.
Ohhh man this just reminded me of my favorite horror story... You probably know it.
It's a web comic. I don't think I can say anything more but those that know already know. It's a pretty long comic but man does it move quickly.
EDIT: I found it. Click and read at your own risk: https://www.webtoons.com/en/thriller/chiller/bongcheon-dong-...
Just changed that link too. This one works and it's just perfectly scary.
It's a web comic. I don't think I can say anything more but those that know already know. It's a pretty long comic but man does it move quickly.
EDIT: I found it. Click and read at your own risk: https://www.webtoons.com/en/thriller/chiller/bongcheon-dong-...
Just changed that link too. This one works and it's just perfectly scary.
Piling on with my personal favorite horror story/comic: "The Enigma Of Amigara Fault" - https://www.wattpad.com/471498454-the-enigma-of-amigara-faul... + https://junjiitomanga.fandom.com/wiki/The_Enigma_of_Amigara_...
> Following an earthquake in an unnamed prefecture of Japan, a fault is discovered on Amigara Mountain, very close to the epicenter of the quake. On the slopes of the mountain, two hikers meet; a man named Owaki and a woman named Yoshida. The former assumes that they are both here to see the fault, which has captured the attention of the global press. Following the sound of voices to the fault, the two of them marvel at the strange sight before them: countless human-shaped holes in a rock face exposed by the earthquake.
I'm not sure why I'm so fascinated and horrified by that comic, but it really seems to pull some strings in my brain.
> Following an earthquake in an unnamed prefecture of Japan, a fault is discovered on Amigara Mountain, very close to the epicenter of the quake. On the slopes of the mountain, two hikers meet; a man named Owaki and a woman named Yoshida. The former assumes that they are both here to see the fault, which has captured the attention of the global press. Following the sound of voices to the fault, the two of them marvel at the strange sight before them: countless human-shaped holes in a rock face exposed by the earthquake.
I'm not sure why I'm so fascinated and horrified by that comic, but it really seems to pull some strings in my brain.
Same. I get the same weird feeling when I dig a long straight 1 block wide by 2 block high tunnel through unknown underground spaces in Minecraft.
Junji Ito is awesome, in both senses of the word.
I love "Junji Ito's Cat Diary". It is a collection of slice-of-life stories about his cat, but drawn in his usual style. The cutest things, told in the most horrifying way.
I love "Junji Ito's Cat Diary". It is a collection of slice-of-life stories about his cat, but drawn in his usual style. The cutest things, told in the most horrifying way.
I love how "normal" and wholesome Junji Ito the guy, not the mangaka, is.
Junji Ito reviewing some Internet popular horror: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNXitORBeB0
I have all of his works, but somehow I forgot about Cat Diary. Here we go spending more money...
Junji Ito reviewing some Internet popular horror: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNXitORBeB0
I have all of his works, but somehow I forgot about Cat Diary. Here we go spending more money...
I'm just going to go ahead and warn people that webtoons can have sound and animation, and this story features a jump scare fairly early on.
Thanks for the warning; I was about to ask this. I can handle scary novels or comics no problem but jumpscares... I'll think about it.
It won't work in cases where the stories require images or interaction but for text-based stories I use
curl <pasta url> | html2text | less
Just to be sure ;)
curl <pasta url> | html2text | less
Just to be sure ;)
I knew what it was before I even clicked the link. Webcomics are underrated.
Elan?
I don't know Elan! I'm disappointed, the link I edited into my parent comment doesn't fully replicate the original.
EDIT: I updated the link to one that I found that works. I love and hate that comic.
EDIT: I updated the link to one that I found that works. I love and hate that comic.
https://elan.school/tag/comic/
Be warned it's NSFL.
Be warned it's NSFL.
Wow. That was a 5 hr rabbit hole I was not expecting to fall down.
BEN Drowned, smile.jpg, The Russian Sleep Experiment.. Some of these were so well done and haunting. What a macabre thing to get all nostalgic about!
For further reading - this site has been up for over a decade and is fairly comprehensive: https://creepypasta.fandom.com/wiki/Creepypasta_Wiki
A personal favorite: https://creepypasta.fandom.com/wiki/The_Memetic_Symbol
For further reading - this site has been up for over a decade and is fairly comprehensive: https://creepypasta.fandom.com/wiki/Creepypasta_Wiki
A personal favorite: https://creepypasta.fandom.com/wiki/The_Memetic_Symbol
The name of your personal favourite reminded me of the secretive Antimemetics Division of the SCP foundation: https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/antimemetics-division-hub
You've clicked this link a thousand times, yet you'd swear you've never heard of it.
You've clicked this link a thousand times, yet you'd swear you've never heard of it.
I feel like Roko's Basilisk belongs on any creepypasta list.
I haven’t read all of these by those that I have I never found that scary. Most horror isn’t that scary, especially anything supernatural. There’s enough real evil in the world to send shivers down my spine. A ghost is positively tame in comparison to the things actual people have done.
Ghosts don’t scare me, people do.
Ghosts don’t scare me, people do.
"why read dystopian fiction when you can just pay attention?"
Yeah, same. As soon as the story involves anything supernatural, I'm not scared anymore, since it can't happen anyway.
Does not mean there cannot be a good story involving supernatural things (far from it, magic can be fantastic--pun not intended--in stories), just that any semblance of "this could happen to me" or "this could be a real story" is gone.
Does not mean there cannot be a good story involving supernatural things (far from it, magic can be fantastic--pun not intended--in stories), just that any semblance of "this could happen to me" or "this could be a real story" is gone.
Weird. I'm the opposite. Reality-based horror makes me sad, creates a sense of revulsion or just does nothing. But anything that threatens my sense of reality and I start to get goosebumps.
> since it can't happen anyway
Yes but that's the point. Imagine experiencing something that you know isn't possible. And the more solid your grip on rationality, the harder it would hit you. The harder it would be to accept what your senses were telling you.
> since it can't happen anyway
Yes but that's the point. Imagine experiencing something that you know isn't possible. And the more solid your grip on rationality, the harder it would hit you. The harder it would be to accept what your senses were telling you.
I don't know. If "suddenly there are ghosts", then either there's a completely natural explanation for why they aren't actually ghosts but just some sort of smoke-show, at which point it's not supernatural but you're back to "realistic violence"...
... or everything you thought about the world is wrong, including physics. Sure, that would make for a good story, and there are stories like that, but that's not what supernatural stories are usually about. The protagonists in those don't usually break down in an existential crisis consuming the rest of the narrative, they accept the supernatural and "deal with the problem at hand". The story is still about the ghost.
... or everything you thought about the world is wrong, including physics. Sure, that would make for a good story, and there are stories like that, but that's not what supernatural stories are usually about. The protagonists in those don't usually break down in an existential crisis consuming the rest of the narrative, they accept the supernatural and "deal with the problem at hand". The story is still about the ghost.
Read Blindsight by Peter Watts. It's a horror story where the monster revealed is a thesis about future human evolution, and it's actually scary.
For me, the scariest stories are the ones where you don't actually know if anything supernatural is happening. The Haunting of Hill House, for example.
If you want real horror, I can't recommend this short story enough.
https://qntm.org/mmacevedo
https://qntm.org/mmacevedo
Wow! Thanks for sharing that. I've read some of qntm's works before (There Is No Antimemetics Division) but that short story was truly terrifying.
The descriptions of how to most effectively lie to the image in order to make it more cooperative is truly chilling.
The descriptions of how to most effectively lie to the image in order to make it more cooperative is truly chilling.
> Most horror isn’t that scary, especially anything supernatural.
I believe it all depends on whether one was raised with religion.
The original creeypasta is, of course, the New Testament (and I suppose we can be more specific: Mark 16, as the very original). There is nothing creepier than the Resurrection, thus the need for the internal instruction, "do not be alarmed." Any decent production of Godspell or Jesus Christ Superstar will exploit this creepiness in their respective Resurrection scenes.
Go on, tell me you would not totally freak out if you saw a dead body come back to life.
I believe it all depends on whether one was raised with religion.
The original creeypasta is, of course, the New Testament (and I suppose we can be more specific: Mark 16, as the very original). There is nothing creepier than the Resurrection, thus the need for the internal instruction, "do not be alarmed." Any decent production of Godspell or Jesus Christ Superstar will exploit this creepiness in their respective Resurrection scenes.
Go on, tell me you would not totally freak out if you saw a dead body come back to life.
Well, Jesus revived a person before himself, and just asked him to wake up.
The real and first mass terror story is The Great Flood.
The real and first mass terror story is The Great Flood.
It might have more to do with imagination, suggestibility, or whatever makes people get immersed in fiction.
> Go on, tell me you would not totally freak out if you saw a dead body come back to life.
Sure, if I actually saw it. But I don’t think that I ever will, nor is there any evidence anyone else ever has. So not really something I’m scared about.
Sure, if I actually saw it. But I don’t think that I ever will, nor is there any evidence anyone else ever has. So not really something I’m scared about.
> nor is there any evidence
Not counting all those that were not entirely dead, just in some kind of state with reduced breathing and lowered heart rate, where others thought they were dead, but they ultimately revived... testimony, in fact, is a kind of evidence, and very often in a legal court and elsewhere, it is the only kind of evidence that is considered. Indeed, "gospel" itself derives from an Angelo-Saxon word meaning "good telling" or good testimony. Further, testimony is essential in science and cannot be reduced to other sources of justification. Testimony is a essential element of the scientific method, though we usually call it observation.
But I think we must count those that were in fact medically and clinically dead (not breathing with no heartbeat, no life signs), yet were subsequently revived by warming, CPR, defibrillator[1], or through the spontaneous return of normal cardiac rhythm[2], as truly having died and been brought back to life, because, indeed, that is what has occurred countless times.
Your assertion that there is not any evidence of reincarnation is not only unsupportable, it is clearly false on its face, regardless of whether anyone has ever been reincarnated or not. If it is one's belief that it is the case no one has ever been brought back from the dead, one must ignore a mountain of witness testimony and scientific evidence to the contrary.
The very fact that life itself exists in any form is undeniable evidence that, at least once, life was induced from lifelessness, but I suppose that could not be reincarnation, but instead, incarnation (from the Latin incarnare: to make flesh).
[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-50681489
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazarus_syndrome
Not counting all those that were not entirely dead, just in some kind of state with reduced breathing and lowered heart rate, where others thought they were dead, but they ultimately revived... testimony, in fact, is a kind of evidence, and very often in a legal court and elsewhere, it is the only kind of evidence that is considered. Indeed, "gospel" itself derives from an Angelo-Saxon word meaning "good telling" or good testimony. Further, testimony is essential in science and cannot be reduced to other sources of justification. Testimony is a essential element of the scientific method, though we usually call it observation.
But I think we must count those that were in fact medically and clinically dead (not breathing with no heartbeat, no life signs), yet were subsequently revived by warming, CPR, defibrillator[1], or through the spontaneous return of normal cardiac rhythm[2], as truly having died and been brought back to life, because, indeed, that is what has occurred countless times.
Your assertion that there is not any evidence of reincarnation is not only unsupportable, it is clearly false on its face, regardless of whether anyone has ever been reincarnated or not. If it is one's belief that it is the case no one has ever been brought back from the dead, one must ignore a mountain of witness testimony and scientific evidence to the contrary.
The very fact that life itself exists in any form is undeniable evidence that, at least once, life was induced from lifelessness, but I suppose that could not be reincarnation, but instead, incarnation (from the Latin incarnare: to make flesh).
[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-50681489
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazarus_syndrome
> Go on, tell me you would not totally freak out if you saw a dead body come back to life.
Well I guess this is a case of imprecise language. When you wrote “dead body” I was not imagining someone was believed to only have just died and being actively treated or resuscitated through modern medical treatments.
And of course, there is still debate in the medical world regarding what death actually is and when someone has “died” for the very reasons you stated.
So when I read “dead body” I’m picturing someone who’s beyond the realm of possible resuscitation. Of course, what’s that means exactly has changed as medical techniques advance, and our understanding of what death is will change with it. And I’m sure it will continue to change. It also poses the interesting question of what exactly would a useful definition of “death” be?
That said, I’m sure that window was much smaller 2,000 years ago when death was much more easily defined.
Well I guess this is a case of imprecise language. When you wrote “dead body” I was not imagining someone was believed to only have just died and being actively treated or resuscitated through modern medical treatments.
And of course, there is still debate in the medical world regarding what death actually is and when someone has “died” for the very reasons you stated.
So when I read “dead body” I’m picturing someone who’s beyond the realm of possible resuscitation. Of course, what’s that means exactly has changed as medical techniques advance, and our understanding of what death is will change with it. And I’m sure it will continue to change. It also poses the interesting question of what exactly would a useful definition of “death” be?
That said, I’m sure that window was much smaller 2,000 years ago when death was much more easily defined.
> So when I read “dead body” I’m picturing someone who’s beyond the realm of possible resuscitation.
I think you are possibly attributing a much stronger definition to "dead," that is incorrect. Dead merely means lifeless, no longer alive, or deceased. It does not mean, "beyond the possibility of resuscitation," at least not in any definition I have seen. Many have in fact died and been resuscitated. Whether this is legitimately resurrection, being raised from the dead, is where I have probably been playing fast and loose, because I don't believe a body is required for resurrection, but a body is always required for resuscitation.
I think you are possibly attributing a much stronger definition to "dead," that is incorrect. Dead merely means lifeless, no longer alive, or deceased. It does not mean, "beyond the possibility of resuscitation," at least not in any definition I have seen. Many have in fact died and been resuscitated. Whether this is legitimately resurrection, being raised from the dead, is where I have probably been playing fast and loose, because I don't believe a body is required for resurrection, but a body is always required for resuscitation.
> I believe it all depends on whether one was raised with religion.
Not at all, in my experience.
Not at all, in my experience.
That's why Stephen King is so highly regarded.
He has a short story about a kid's first day at college, he goes up to his room with a sniper rifle and starts shooting people.
He has a short story about a kid's first day at college, he goes up to his room with a sniper rifle and starts shooting people.
But Stephen King is not highly regarded, and in fact he's somewhat bitter about it. I don't have a quote at the ready but he wants to be taken seriously and the elites of literature do not take him seriously. He achieves popularity by writing page turners at an 8th grade reading level because there's a large population who can read them
None of his works have been considered for anything like a Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, Man Booker Prize, PEN award or Nobel Prize for Literature. He has gotten some "lifetime achievement" recognitions, but that's more to use his celebrity to get attention for the organizations that gave them than vice versa.
the late Harold Bloom (died recently) is a notable literary scholar, here's what he had to say https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEPDLFSUPe0
(listening to Harold Bloom on many other serious topics is quite a treat, this for example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2HpDhTIIxs )
None of his works have been considered for anything like a Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, Man Booker Prize, PEN award or Nobel Prize for Literature. He has gotten some "lifetime achievement" recognitions, but that's more to use his celebrity to get attention for the organizations that gave them than vice versa.
the late Harold Bloom (died recently) is a notable literary scholar, here's what he had to say https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEPDLFSUPe0
(listening to Harold Bloom on many other serious topics is quite a treat, this for example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2HpDhTIIxs )
I think Orson Scott Card summed it up pretty well.
> Let me assure you that King's work most definitely is literature, because it was written to be published and is read with admiration. What Snyder really means is that it is not the literature preferred by the academic-literary elite.
Your post drips of some odd dislike for Stephen King. I can't speak to that, but just like many of us don't understand paying millions for a white canvas with 3 lines on it, we also don't understand calling someone who is as obviously talented as Stephen King a hack, or spending the time trying to denigrate him (his awards are purely political, but the awards he hasn't gotten somehow aren't?).
Either way I'm out. I think I'll go read The Long Walk again.
> Let me assure you that King's work most definitely is literature, because it was written to be published and is read with admiration. What Snyder really means is that it is not the literature preferred by the academic-literary elite.
Your post drips of some odd dislike for Stephen King. I can't speak to that, but just like many of us don't understand paying millions for a white canvas with 3 lines on it, we also don't understand calling someone who is as obviously talented as Stephen King a hack, or spending the time trying to denigrate him (his awards are purely political, but the awards he hasn't gotten somehow aren't?).
Either way I'm out. I think I'll go read The Long Walk again.
I think it's unfortunate that there is all this mutual venom between the literary and genre fiction worlds. It's about as unnecessary as the cultural animosity between the hard sciences and the humanities.
Anti-intellectualism makes some people miss out on what makes literature so compelling, and elitism prevents others from seeing the ideas about life that genre fiction can impart.
That's why I love authors who attempt to blend both, such as Kim Stanley Robinson or Ursula K. Le Guin.
Anti-intellectualism makes some people miss out on what makes literature so compelling, and elitism prevents others from seeing the ideas about life that genre fiction can impart.
That's why I love authors who attempt to blend both, such as Kim Stanley Robinson or Ursula K. Le Guin.
I feel the same way about people who won't read Orson Scott Card because of his religious views (for example).
There's just a lot they're missing out on.
There's just a lot they're missing out on.
I can see both sides of this argument. One the one hand, I try to separate the artist from the art. A lot of terrible people have made a lot of great art over the centuries.
On the other hand, if someone is actively trying to harm my friends and family, I’m sure as hell not going to support them by giving them money.
On the other hand, if someone is actively trying to harm my friends and family, I’m sure as hell not going to support them by giving them money.
>What Snyder really means is that it is not the literature preferred by the academic-literary elite
yes, just like the academic elite in computer science don't have high regard for BASIC or FORTRAN IV and many here don't have high regard for C. We shouldn't listen to them? We should cling to our FORTRAN pride and seethe with resentment at those who know more than we do?
there is substance at the foundation of elitism
yes, just like the academic elite in computer science don't have high regard for BASIC or FORTRAN IV and many here don't have high regard for C. We shouldn't listen to them? We should cling to our FORTRAN pride and seethe with resentment at those who know more than we do?
there is substance at the foundation of elitism
This is 100% true.
Stephen King's writing is extremely popular, but definitely not "highly regarded." His novels are widely considered to be low quality pop fiction by literary critics.
This isn't meant dis, selling massive amounts of books makes more money then pleasing literary critics.
Stephen King's writing is extremely popular, but definitely not "highly regarded." His novels are widely considered to be low quality pop fiction by literary critics.
This isn't meant dis, selling massive amounts of books makes more money then pleasing literary critics.
I've been reading the original 1897 Dracula via Dracula Daily, where each chapter is emailed to you on the day of the year that the events happen in the book. I think the format helps, but it's pretty scary.
"Most <fiction> isn't <emotional> ... There's enough real <character> in the world to <induce some kind of emotion>."
Not just people, nature is pretty scary too. For example, Kurzgesagt made videos about the Lyssa virus (rabies) and the brain-eating amoeba, two among many.
Or outdoor survival stories with bad endings. Those are top-notch in the horrifying department.
Surprisingly "then who was phone?" is not on the list
It was dog all along: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/yes-this-is-dog
I‘ve always been a big fan of creepypastas —- they can be really well done and scary in novel ways. To some extent, I believed some of them to be real when I was a kid.
If creepypastas were “invented” today, would they have made as big of a cultural splash? Or would they get lost in a sea of other content, or be debunked and discarded too quickly?
Edit: I re-read the list and noticed some more recent creations on there, like The Backrooms. Maybe it’s less about believability and more about being a good story, which the Internet is still great at facilitating. So I guess my question is, did anyone else believe some of the earlier creepypastas, and was believability important to the popularity back then?
If creepypastas were “invented” today, would they have made as big of a cultural splash? Or would they get lost in a sea of other content, or be debunked and discarded too quickly?
Edit: I re-read the list and noticed some more recent creations on there, like The Backrooms. Maybe it’s less about believability and more about being a good story, which the Internet is still great at facilitating. So I guess my question is, did anyone else believe some of the earlier creepypastas, and was believability important to the popularity back then?
While it wasn't a creepypasta, The Blair Witch Project tried really hard to convince movie-goers that it was found footage and wasn't a scripted movie. I think it was certainly a product of its time and a similar effort today wouldn't be nearly as successful.
Here's one crossover: the Blair Witch Project was marketed as an Alternate Reality Game, as were many of the later low budget found-footage horrors. It turns out that the top-of-the-list creepypasta "Slender man", in the form of the "Marble Hornets" youtube series, was mistaken for an ARG by the members of Unfiction.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_reality_game
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_reality_game
Not to mention it was a one trick pony. I remember it was great when I saw it with friends in the theater. We rented it later on to see the extra scenes and couldn't get through half of it because of how boring it was.
The worst thing about The Blair Witch Project was its viral marketing campaign.
Because as someone that has first seen it just a couple years ago, it's my #1 favourite horror movie bar none. A true masterpiece of the underrated found footage genre.
Few horror movies can truly get under your skin you without ever showing the "monster", so they rely on cheap jumpscares and CGI.
If you've never seen it and want to be unnerved from start to finish, go watch it.
Because as someone that has first seen it just a couple years ago, it's my #1 favourite horror movie bar none. A true masterpiece of the underrated found footage genre.
Few horror movies can truly get under your skin you without ever showing the "monster", so they rely on cheap jumpscares and CGI.
If you've never seen it and want to be unnerved from start to finish, go watch it.
I don't know. I worked in the projection booth of a movie theater when that came out. I don't think anybody actually believed it was found footage.
But it was still pretty creepy shutting down for the night after it played.
But it was still pretty creepy shutting down for the night after it played.
[deleted]
Like the 1980 movie Cannibal Holocaust https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannibal_Holocaust
Personally I've been felt a lot more scared by creepypastas (or still images/photos of creepy places, entities or w/e) than horror movies for instance. Especially when it comes to images - some have such unnerving vibe to them that I find it fascinating (smile.jpg anyone?).
I was always skeptical (aka treated it as fantasy) of supernatural things these stories are about, but I think the mere fact of getting engaged into reading them and using your imagination (suspending the disbelief) was enough.
I was always skeptical (aka treated it as fantasy) of supernatural things these stories are about, but I think the mere fact of getting engaged into reading them and using your imagination (suspending the disbelief) was enough.
Most horror movies are meh, but one... Lights Out (2013) was a horror film that genuinely terrified me. It's only a few minutes long, but it's more frightening than the jumpscare-laden slasher movies of the era ever could be. It's phenomenally subtle in its setup, showing how the slightest thing "off" in the dark can portend unimaginable horror. Check it out: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lykiTPUbtgs
David Sandberg has the HD version uploaded to his channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUQhNGEu2KA
In that same vein, I really like the Alan Tutorial channel on youtube. Starts off as slightly off comedy, and subtly builds to horror.
I hadn't seen smile.jpg before, but after googling, you are right, it is truly a haunting image. I wonder what makes it so creepy? what subconscious fear instinct makes that image so much more haunting than a normal picture of a dog?
If you hadn't already seen it, check out Vsauce's "Why Are Things Creepy" on youtube.
Be advised that the thumbnail of the video is creepy though.
Be advised that the thumbnail of the video is creepy though.
Ha - how about "Bloody Mary"? I was 8 and that story scared the shit out of me. I love reading creepypastas, and when I was younger, I never knew if they were real or not. It was part of learning how to trust information. They always had enough of a disturbance in the story that made me feel odd.
I JUST saw The Backrooms (the one where she puts the tape measure down the portal) and... holy shit. This is the same level of odd feeling. I can only imagine what sort of VR stuff is out there... That Black Mirror episode has me wondering if I'll actually do something like that.
I think it's also the same sort of thing as the innocuous conspiracy theories I've seen like "Did you know that Spongebob characters are based on the seven deadly sins?" Could be true, you'll never be able to fully verify it unless you know the person who made the content, and ... sounds good and seems to hold up. Why would you want to dispel the theory even if it is untrue? It's kinda fun.
I JUST saw The Backrooms (the one where she puts the tape measure down the portal) and... holy shit. This is the same level of odd feeling. I can only imagine what sort of VR stuff is out there... That Black Mirror episode has me wondering if I'll actually do something like that.
I think it's also the same sort of thing as the innocuous conspiracy theories I've seen like "Did you know that Spongebob characters are based on the seven deadly sins?" Could be true, you'll never be able to fully verify it unless you know the person who made the content, and ... sounds good and seems to hold up. Why would you want to dispel the theory even if it is untrue? It's kinda fun.
> The Backrooms
Reminded me of a micro meme towards the end of the previous previous decade: The Mandrill Maze. It surfaced during an inbetween stage in my life and was an unpleasant obsession for a while. Featured in many dreams.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=sMc4Lcxmmso
The footage itself is older still.
I don't think any inhabitants are necessary for settings like this.
Reminded me of a micro meme towards the end of the previous previous decade: The Mandrill Maze. It surfaced during an inbetween stage in my life and was an unpleasant obsession for a while. Featured in many dreams.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=sMc4Lcxmmso
The footage itself is older still.
I don't think any inhabitants are necessary for settings like this.
Not exactly creepypasta, but I do believe the SCP Foundation would make a cultural splash if it were invented today: https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-series
It might be my bubble, but it feels like SCPs are quite known in the internet culture. I've seen surprisingly many references on HN alone, for example.
Hah! My 10 year old knows every single one of those things, their rating, and the complete history of the scp foundation. It’s a pretty complex story.
I don't think believability as in fooling you into thinking the events were real are as important as verisimilitude, the feeling that it could happen.
An example: In the late 90s, back in the days of pervasive browser pop-ups, there was a Japanese creepypasta-equivalent called "The Red Room", about a browser pop-up that read "Do you like the red room?" Ignoring or closing the pop-up was said to seal your doom. The most popular form of this story took the form of a Flash animation which depicted a boy who saw the popup appear on his computer.
As a finale, after showing the boy meeting his grisly fate, the Flash site caused the popup to appear on your computer.
Not really believable when you think about it. But scary, because it gets you into a headspace of the fictional universe and then breaks the fourth wall, giving you a fleeting feeling that the Red Room curse is real.
I think if creepypasta didn't exist we would have to invent it. It's part of a horror tradition that encompasses Poe and Lovecraft, and even before. Creepypasta comes from the same place as primordial ghost stories told around a campfire, just with updated media and sensibilities.
An example: In the late 90s, back in the days of pervasive browser pop-ups, there was a Japanese creepypasta-equivalent called "The Red Room", about a browser pop-up that read "Do you like the red room?" Ignoring or closing the pop-up was said to seal your doom. The most popular form of this story took the form of a Flash animation which depicted a boy who saw the popup appear on his computer.
As a finale, after showing the boy meeting his grisly fate, the Flash site caused the popup to appear on your computer.
Not really believable when you think about it. But scary, because it gets you into a headspace of the fictional universe and then breaks the fourth wall, giving you a fleeting feeling that the Red Room curse is real.
I think if creepypasta didn't exist we would have to invent it. It's part of a horror tradition that encompasses Poe and Lovecraft, and even before. Creepypasta comes from the same place as primordial ghost stories told around a campfire, just with updated media and sensibilities.
"red room" seems to be a recurring term in creepy stories. I can only specifically recall this and those dark-web stories you hear on clickbait youtube channels, but I feel I've heard it in other creepy/negatively-emoted settings too
H.G. Wells wrote of a red room as well in a "creepypasta" of his own: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Room_(short_story)
Creepypastas are just myth and legend, which humanity will always have. Amusingly, the sci-fi pen-and-paper RPG setting GURPS Transhuman Space had an entire supplement (published in 2004) with a large section of urban legends of the future, some of which might have already come to pass.
http://www.sjgames.com/transhuman/toxicmemes/
~~~
An example:
Patterns in the Static
Have fun. ;-) – The only explanation added to the Patterns document
At precisely 01:18:00 hours on November 23rd, 2093, an anonymous poster to the CyberMysticism memenet uploaded a file with a size of 2,800,051,338 bytes titled “Patterns in the Static.”The file was heavily encrypted, and as none of the memenet regulars had a quantum computer with which it could be decoded, few paid this file any attention . . . at first. After some time, however, rumors began to spread about people who managed to decrypt it, and what they found. No member admitted to having read the unencrypted file himself, but there were numerous reports from a “friend of a friend” who gained the key from a “mysterious source” and was able to read it. Accounts varied wildly about its contents – top-secret CIA files, designs for a machine to extract energy from the vacuum, communications with aliens, or magic spells that bind and command infomorphs as the shamans of the past were said to command spirits. Soon, variants of the file started to turn up,both encrypted and unencrypted. Most of these were rap-idly identified as forgeries.
The general public became aware of the “Patterns in the Static” file in 2099, when Peter Budenhaus’ critically acclaimed slinky of the same name was released. Since then, several wealthy individuals have announced plans to buy time on a quantum computer to decrypt the file, and they hope to announce the results soon.
[... the rest of the urban legend, where Budenhaus reveals that he had created the hoax, and then someone else in the network accuses that claim of being a hoax]
~~~
Okay, perhaps that's less of a creepypasta than a prediction of Qanon and similar internet conspiracy subcultures. (The entry after "Patterns in the Static" is "Rigged Elections.") But they're all forms of modern occultism, after all.
http://www.sjgames.com/transhuman/toxicmemes/
~~~
An example:
Patterns in the Static
Have fun. ;-) – The only explanation added to the Patterns document
At precisely 01:18:00 hours on November 23rd, 2093, an anonymous poster to the CyberMysticism memenet uploaded a file with a size of 2,800,051,338 bytes titled “Patterns in the Static.”The file was heavily encrypted, and as none of the memenet regulars had a quantum computer with which it could be decoded, few paid this file any attention . . . at first. After some time, however, rumors began to spread about people who managed to decrypt it, and what they found. No member admitted to having read the unencrypted file himself, but there were numerous reports from a “friend of a friend” who gained the key from a “mysterious source” and was able to read it. Accounts varied wildly about its contents – top-secret CIA files, designs for a machine to extract energy from the vacuum, communications with aliens, or magic spells that bind and command infomorphs as the shamans of the past were said to command spirits. Soon, variants of the file started to turn up,both encrypted and unencrypted. Most of these were rap-idly identified as forgeries.
The general public became aware of the “Patterns in the Static” file in 2099, when Peter Budenhaus’ critically acclaimed slinky of the same name was released. Since then, several wealthy individuals have announced plans to buy time on a quantum computer to decrypt the file, and they hope to announce the results soon.
[... the rest of the urban legend, where Budenhaus reveals that he had created the hoax, and then someone else in the network accuses that claim of being a hoax]
~~~
Okay, perhaps that's less of a creepypasta than a prediction of Qanon and similar internet conspiracy subcultures. (The entry after "Patterns in the Static" is "Rigged Elections.") But they're all forms of modern occultism, after all.
My favourite is probably 1999. [Spoiler warning], I grew up in Canada at a time when the high profile case of Michael Dunahee's disappearance caused parents to act much more protectively of their children, effectively the death of socially healthy, independent outside play for many kids. This happened in the same city where "Michelle Remembers" allegedly took place. It feels oddly cathartic to me, to hear this story of an actual satanic kidnapper, in Canada, at this time. Maybe because I wish to believe that the stifling protection that our parents tried to offer was justified. I dunno. People are weird about parents.
What pisses me off, is someone else tried to write a "sequel" to where Mr. Bear actually carries out the kidnapping of Michael, or a similar real world case. Exploiting a real kidnapping to try to create an ARG out of a real disappearance is sick. Some people complained about the RPG Y2K's plot recreating the case of Elisa Lam shot for shot, but going all "this actually happened ooOOoo my spooky story could be reeeeeeal" is another order of magnitude. At best it'll gum up real tip lines and private investigations with posts by LARPers and kids.
The name reminds me of my 1st grade teacher, saying the year name emphatically every day, "Nineteen Ninety Nine" as she'd write it on the white board. And now here we are, "Twenty Twenty Two!"... I think it will be 1013 years before the year name is that fun to say again.
What pisses me off, is someone else tried to write a "sequel" to where Mr. Bear actually carries out the kidnapping of Michael, or a similar real world case. Exploiting a real kidnapping to try to create an ARG out of a real disappearance is sick. Some people complained about the RPG Y2K's plot recreating the case of Elisa Lam shot for shot, but going all "this actually happened ooOOoo my spooky story could be reeeeeeal" is another order of magnitude. At best it'll gum up real tip lines and private investigations with posts by LARPers and kids.
The name reminds me of my 1st grade teacher, saying the year name emphatically every day, "Nineteen Ninety Nine" as she'd write it on the white board. And now here we are, "Twenty Twenty Two!"... I think it will be 1013 years before the year name is that fun to say again.
You think that's sick?
In nearby Esquimalt I used to hear kids say 'FIRST YOU GONNA GET VIRKED... THEN YOU GONNA GET DUNAHEED'
In nearby Esquimalt I used to hear kids say 'FIRST YOU GONNA GET VIRKED... THEN YOU GONNA GET DUNAHEED'
Yes, it's sick, and so is that phrase.
My personal favorite, which did not make the list, is Anansi’s Goatman. The storytelling is solid, and it’s got the right amount of mystery to it along with the nostalgia of being a carefree teenager in a weird situation. I re-read it every few years when I think of it.
https://creepypasta.fandom.com/wiki/Anansi%27s_Goatman_Story
https://creepypasta.fandom.com/wiki/Anansi%27s_Goatman_Story
One that really scared me when I was 10: The licked hand"
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Licked_Hand
Absolutely enjoyed Ted The Caver back in the day. Someone even took some photos to get it look more realistic. Surprised to see someone even filmed (indie) movie about it, but judging by 5/10 rating, probably far from good one.
Those "photographs" sound like a worthy job for DALL-E or Stable Diffusion.
Petscop is a favorite of mine. The “haunted video game” genre is usually pretty low effort, but Petscop felt like watching something like Twin Peaks. Genuinely surprising and interesting, with creative in game mechanics.
An interesting trend that's been picking up more and more in recent years is the Artificial Reality Game (ARG). It feels a lot like the natural evolution of the creepypasta.
For example, a recent one that I've been watching videos about is called 10 Tapes.
It follows the story of a young guy who moves into a new apartment and begins to discover odd notes and messages around that seem tailor-made for him. What makes it so compelling though is the format. It all takes place on Tiktok, and the notes and tapes that he finds all have puzzles for him to solve. Because of the interactive nature of the medium, he crowdsources solutions for the puzzles which lead him down a rabbit hole of more tapes and puzzles to solve.
It's very reminiscent of a creepypasta, but the interactions with the audience make it more intimate and really draws you into the narrative. Whole communities popped up trying to find any tidbits of info in the videos he would post. There are other examples of ARG's that remind me of creepypastas, but I'd highly recommend checking out this [0] overview that discusses and analyses 10 Tapes if only to appreciate the level of effort that people are putting into art like this.
[0] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24XGxSdZmyI
For example, a recent one that I've been watching videos about is called 10 Tapes.
It follows the story of a young guy who moves into a new apartment and begins to discover odd notes and messages around that seem tailor-made for him. What makes it so compelling though is the format. It all takes place on Tiktok, and the notes and tapes that he finds all have puzzles for him to solve. Because of the interactive nature of the medium, he crowdsources solutions for the puzzles which lead him down a rabbit hole of more tapes and puzzles to solve.
It's very reminiscent of a creepypasta, but the interactions with the audience make it more intimate and really draws you into the narrative. Whole communities popped up trying to find any tidbits of info in the videos he would post. There are other examples of ARG's that remind me of creepypastas, but I'd highly recommend checking out this [0] overview that discusses and analyses 10 Tapes if only to appreciate the level of effort that people are putting into art like this.
[0] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24XGxSdZmyI
I worked on a pokemon red rom hack for a few weeks based on a lavender town syndrome creepypasta. I was able to inject a new pokemon at a scripted point but things got pretty weird, especially around battle logic. I quickly ran into trouble with inadvertently overwriting used memory. There really wasn't a lot of unused bits on that gameboy cart or the gameboy's resources. There's no safety net to prevent you (or even inform you) of something you shouldn't be doing.
This was in Z80 assembly and based off of the (very awesome) pokered project.
https://github.com/pret/pokered
I also went as far as making a cart. I lifted black cases from black carts and used both a flashcart from tindie and a donor cart with an EEPROM mod (for the more authentic feel). I found someone online who made nice looking pokemon black stickers and they sent me some. The idea was to make these weird items and drop them in the world. Alas, I'm not the hacker I aspire to be. Much like the inspiring work: it's just a good story.
https://imgur.com/a/cNbsgcV
This was in Z80 assembly and based off of the (very awesome) pokered project.
https://github.com/pret/pokered
I also went as far as making a cart. I lifted black cases from black carts and used both a flashcart from tindie and a donor cart with an EEPROM mod (for the more authentic feel). I found someone online who made nice looking pokemon black stickers and they sent me some. The idea was to make these weird items and drop them in the world. Alas, I'm not the hacker I aspire to be. Much like the inspiring work: it's just a good story.
https://imgur.com/a/cNbsgcV
I remember that story and I remember hearing someone actually produced a cart of it. Nice work!
No doubt my favorite creepypasta is the Interface series:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9MOTHER9HORSE9EYES9
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9MOTHER9HORSE9EYES9
I liked when it was appearing randomly in reddit threads but ultimately the story kinda fizzled out. Creepypasta type fiction tends to do that, big concept, scope expansion, then a rushed ending. Actually it's kind of a hallmark of SF/F in general...
Build tension and then... man door hand hook car door
My favorite internet horror stories were always by an anonymous poster named Josef K: I recently found their blog. My favorite story: https://thejosefkstories.com/2008/10/27/quiet/
My friends and I would listen to The r/NoSleep Podcast during sleepovers, it was a great resource for Reddit generated creepypastas. https://www.thenosleeppodcast.com/
How does this not have the Anansi Goatman? That is by far the best story.
https://creepypasta.fandom.com/wiki/Anansi's_Goatman_Story
https://creepypasta.fandom.com/wiki/Anansi's_Goatman_Story
You guys probably know about it, but here goes anyway ...
Anyone interested in Creepypastas might also enjoy SCP (no, not "secure copy", bu "Secure. Contain. Protect). They write up fictional anomolies. Two favourites of mine: a creature that will break your neck if you close your eyes in his presence, and a train system with rather peculiar properties. https://the-scp.foundation/
There was also another set of stories, something like "Keepers of Objects". I can't find any link, though, so I've forgotten what its proper name is.
Anyone interested in Creepypastas might also enjoy SCP (no, not "secure copy", bu "Secure. Contain. Protect). They write up fictional anomolies. Two favourites of mine: a creature that will break your neck if you close your eyes in his presence, and a train system with rather peculiar properties. https://the-scp.foundation/
There was also another set of stories, something like "Keepers of Objects". I can't find any link, though, so I've forgotten what its proper name is.
Do you have the titles/numbers for those two favourites you mentioned?
SCP-173 "The Sculpture" is the one about the neck-snapper. The pic that accompanies it does add to the atmosphere of the story.
The official site seems to be: https://the-scp.foundation/object/scp-173
It's very short though. I read a much longer version where they gave the inner monologue of the creature. I can't find it, though. I'm not sure what the deal is.
SCP-052 Time-Travelling Train https://the-scp.foundation/object/scp-052 seems more complete.
The official site seems to be: https://the-scp.foundation/object/scp-173
It's very short though. I read a much longer version where they gave the inner monologue of the creature. I can't find it, though. I'm not sure what the deal is.
SCP-052 Time-Travelling Train https://the-scp.foundation/object/scp-052 seems more complete.
Might want to add https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momo_Challenge_hoax to that one as well.
We've all been down the Ted's Caving Page rabbit hole.
The list includes Local 58 TV[1], a YouTube channel which does an incredible job of reproducing the style of old VHS video and local TV stations while also being deeply unsettling. I highly recommend it if you're into that sort of thing.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/c/LOCAL58TV/videos
[1] https://www.youtube.com/c/LOCAL58TV/videos
Great series! And a great and short introduction to a whole subgenre of YouTube horror to boot.
My favorite from the short series is "CONTINGENCY" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c66w6fVqOI
My favorite from the short series is "CONTINGENCY" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c66w6fVqOI
I'm not sure it qualifies as a "story" but here is one of the scariest copypasta I know, just explaining how you can die of rabies: https://www.reddit.com/r/copypasta/comments/7qwtd5/rabies_is...
Not sure if the style is up your aisle but Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey (by Chuck Palahniuk) deals with this subject in a way that a younger version of me was both horrified and fascinated by, and sometimes I think I'm the only one who liked the story.
A small recommendation, if you like unnerving atmospheric horror like Silent Hill and the cancelled PT sequel:
My house walk-through: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWXnt2Z2D1E
(Sorry, I just realised this is not creepypasta. I'll leave it up because it's still pretty good.)
My house walk-through: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWXnt2Z2D1E
(Sorry, I just realised this is not creepypasta. I'll leave it up because it's still pretty good.)
Peter Watts (of Blindsight fame) wrote a short story called "The Things" (https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/watts_01_10/). It's written from the perspective of the monster in The Thing.
A sibling to this sort of spooky content is Crappypasta - poorly written attempts at Creepypasta.
https://pasta-archives.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Crappypasta
https://pasta-archives.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Crappypasta
Just here to plug one of my favorite horror podcasts:
https://pseudopod.org/
No affiliation.
https://pseudopod.org/
No affiliation.
4 of them lie in 4chan. I found that interesting. It's probably an undercount: 4 of them are NOTED as lying in 4chan.
I;m waiting for some meta creepypastas that will tricks some folks believing it's a fact.
nice, there are thousands more, I prefer them in the machine-generated-audiobook version
>Order by Name
>Order by Date
>Order by Cringe
>Order by Date
>Order by Cringe
Bethesda Softworks is most famous for video games like Skyrim and Fallout 4, which are known for their vibrant modding communities. But the idea of shipping a level editor alongside an open-world game started with Skyrim's prequel's prequel: Morrowind.
Things were a bit rough around the edges back then, and strange things happened:
http://inuscreepystuff.blogspot.com/2010/09/jvk1166zesp.html...