Nightmare-Worthy Nostalgia: the Creepypasta Chronicles
For all those who scoured the dark corners of the internet in middle school
By Jamie L
Cover image by Alex Howard
WARNING: The following article contains flashing animations that may be uncomfortable for some photosensitive viewers. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED
The Russian Sleep Experiment
LVL: 15
CREEPINESS: 70%
HISTORICAL ACCURACY: ???
SLEEP: NO MORE
The Russian Sleep Experiment took place in the Soviet era. It subjected 5 enemies of the state to a military experiment where they were barred from sleeping for 30 consecutive days. Sealed in a chamber with a gas stimulant that kept them awake, the test subjects first behaved and conversed with one another normally. However, the subject of their conversations gradually grew darker and more morbid. On the 9th day, one subject started screaming uncontrollably, to no reaction from the other subjects. He soon tore his vocal cords and was rendered mute. A second subject followed suit shortly, but the others prevented researchers from investigating by blocking the chamber windows with book pages and feces. A few days of chilling silence passed, until the 15th when the researchers turned off the gas and opened the chamber doors. The second subject who started screaming was found dead, and the other four mutilated, having begun cannibalizing themselves.
The subjects refused to leave the chamber and begged the researchers return on the gas, as they believed they would die upon falling asleep. A violent scuffle arose between the researchers and subjects, in which three more subjects were killed.
When a researcher was nearly locked in with the last remaining subject, he fearfully asked him what he was. The subject revealed that they were inherent evils within human minds that was kept at bay through sleep. His haunting last words upon being shot by the researchers were: "So nearly free…"
Slenderman
LVL: 7
CREEPINESS: 50%
NOSTALGIA-FACTOR: 100%
PHYSIQUE: 100%
PERMANENT DISADVANTAGE DUE TO ROBLOX MEMES
Slenderman is an ancient yet timeless being of urban legends, touted as one of the most famous creepypasta beings in history. He is described as a tall man with inhumanely long limbs and a perpetual black suit, but his most notable feature is his face -- or lack thereof. Nothing but a blank white head. He can contract and stretch 4-8 black tentacles that protrude from his back, using them alongside his extendable limbs to catch victims.
The victims are entranced into hypnotised states when his arms stretch towards them, causing them to walk unwittingly into his arms. Slenderman has seemingly been around for centuries and across a wide range of locations. No bodies or evidence has ever been left behind, so it's never clear what happened to his victims – whether they were murdered, absorbed, or kidnapped.
He is said to have an "aura of mystery" due to his unknown objectives and motivations, which seems not to be just baseless slaughter. As he is often found in dark woods and isolated suburban areas near large groups of kids, it is believed he mainly targets young children as his victim, with a penchant for scaring and psychologically tormenting them.
Sirenhead
LVL: 17
CREEPINESS: 80&
COOL-FACTOR: TOTALLY WICKED
PHYSIQUE: 100%
NOT AFFILIATED WITH RADIOHEAD
Sirenhead’s famous figure stands at 12 meters tall, covered in dried, mummified flesh, and with notorious sirens in place of a head. A severely emaciated and humanoid being, it is implied to have existed since the beginning of mankind, having made appearances in cave paintings from millennia ago. However, the first official sighting was by a family on vacation in the Arizona desert in 1966. Sirenhead is described as "the static form of an unfathomable supernatural entity," with the ability to manipulate technology, playing sounds to kill its victims by gruesomely bursting their eyes, eardrums, gums, and sinuses.
Its renowned origins begin with Canadian artist Trevor Henderson in 2018, inspired by other famous creepypasta such as Slenderman.
Jeff the Killer
Jeff the Killer's tale began when 13 year old Jeff moved to a new town with his parents and his brother, Liu. On their first day of school, 3 bullies attack them, causing Jeff to violently beat them in retaliation. Liu takes the blame for it and arrested, leading his brother to fall into a guilt-wracked depression. Later, at a party, the 3 bullies attack Jeff again. This tim, he kills one of them but is covered in bleach and lit on fire. When Jeff later wakes at a hospital, he finds himself permanently disfigured and pale from the burns.
After being sent home, his mother discovers him etching his mouth into a permanent smile using a knife and burning off his eyelids. Afraid, she tells her husband that their son has gone insane and needs to be killed, Jeff stabs the both of them to death as punishment. A recently released Liu is woken and killed by Jeff as well, the last words he heard being "Go to sleep."
Jeff the Killer is one of the most famous creepypastas in online history despite also being called one of the worst, having his own fan base and inspiring the creation of many other works and creepypastas.
LVL: 5
CREEPINESS: 50%
PASTA-NESS: ???
FANFICTION: WE DON'T TALK ABOUT IT
Candle Cove
LVL: 16
CREEPINESS: 70%
REALITY: ???
DEFINITELY NOT APPROVED BY THE MPA
Candle Cove’s unsettling tale was discovered through a thread on the forum site NetNostalgia Forums, where users congregated to discuss the titular children's TV show. Allegedly, the show starred a human girl named Janice Stewart as she embarks on adventures with her stringed marionette pirate friends aboard the ship named the Laughingstock, including the cowardly Pirate Percy and their brave captain Poppy. As they brave the journey to the mysterious Candle Cove, the adventures began to grow more sinister and eerie, as they eventually face the Skin-Taker, a skeleton pirate who wears a gruesome outfit made of children's skin. The forum users recall disturbing episodes, including one that consisted entirely of the puppet companions screaming and flailing in agony as Janice cried in despair.
The users eventually realise that there are zero existing records of the show, and their own memories weren’t reliable either as many had differing recollections of certain episodes. It also came to light that while watching the show as children, the people around them could only ever see static on the TV screens – leading them to the conclusion that the macabre Candle Cove was a show only visible to young, impressionable children.
Herobrine
Herobrine is one of the most famous internet urban legends as a community-made enigma within the classic game Minecraft. The story begins on July 31st, 2010, when a Minecraft Forum user posted a story about a player encountering a mysterious entity with the default player model's appearance but bright, blank white eyes after listening to the 13th music disk. The story eventually gained traction through the forum and fanbase, the ghostly figure gaining the nickname "White Eyes" before officially being dubbed "Herobrine".
Eventually rumored to be the ghost of Minecraft's creator Notch's brother, different interpretations of him usually depicts him as the player’s stalker, a vengeful spirit trying to trap and kill the player to steal their items. It is believed he can also be summoned through building a "Herobrine Shrine" (an arrangement of blocks of netherrack, gold, redstone dust, and more). This creepypasta has gained enough notoriety that he has been acknowledged by the official creators of Minecraft, as well as been referenced in cameos.
LVL: 10
CREEPINESS: 30%
NOSTALGIC-FACTOR: 80%
DON'T MINE AT NIGHT