Creepypasta came out as a genre of storytelling established around easily copied content which is then shared online and over and over collectively adapted or extended, sometimes namelessly, to create a shared mythology around a specific idea or creepypasta characters.
The theory of creepypasta has changed over time. In the very beginnings of the internet, the term was used to indicate a type of horror story namelessly on a place like 4Chan, which was then circulated on other forums and websites to scare, and entertain readers.
Popular Creepypasta Characters
Popular Creepypasta Characters
Below is a detailed overview of some of the most widely acknowledged and famous examples of Creepypasta characters, who or what they are expected to be, and where they came from. More complete details on the evolution and background of these particular creepypasta characters can be found at creepypasta.com.
Slenderman
Unquestionably one of the creepypasta characters that has entered most easily and universally into the mainstream imagination, Slenderman has been documented in numerous mass culture television shows and books and even had his big movie. It’s amazing because he was made on a message board without much planning.
Slenderman is often shown as a tall person in a suit, but his face is featureless and completely white, like a styrofoam mannequin head. Sometimes he’s represented with tentacles coming out from behind his suit or sleeves.
Jeff the Killer
Jeff the Killer is almost as popular as Slenderman, though not as widely featured in mainstream media. His fame grew mainly from being used in screamer videos, where he ends with his catchphrase “Go to Sleep” before attacking.
In looks, Jeff is a pale person without a nose, with an unnaturally wide, crazy grin and staring eyes without eyelids. He’s known for creeping into people’s bedrooms at night, saying his catchphrase, and then fatally stabbing them.
Ben Drowned
Ben Drowned is a highly popular Creepypasta character known for its impact on the entire genre. The character’s appearance is based on a creepy statue of Link from the Legend of Zelda games, featuring either empty eye sockets or bleeding eyes. This motif of taking existing characters and making them creepy by removing or altering their eyes is widespread. Examples include Sonic.exe, where Sonic has bleeding eyes and various versions of Simpsons or Spongebob characters similarly transformed into eerie figures.
The Rake
The Rake is a creepy creature from cryptid lore in Creepypasta. It’s said to haunt forests and has been accidentally caught on camera several times, notably on a motion capture camera meant for nocturnal animals. The most famous image of The Rake shows a pale, hairless creature moving in a hunched position. It looks humanoid with large, glowing eyes and a wide, gaping mouth.
The story of The Rake began with a suggestion on a message board to create a new monster. It first appeared on the personal blog of writer Brian Somerville in 2006. While the creature’s description seems linked to an image known as the ‘Berwick monster’ — which was mistakenly thought to be a real cryptid sighting but was actually a game still used for publicity — the timeline shows the story came before the image was associated with it.
Conclusion
Creepypasta is a genre that’s constantly changing and growing. It includes many characters, each with their own stories. What’s unique about creepypasta is that anyone can add to it or change it. This happens digitally, which means we can see how these characters evolve.
In the past, when stories were told orally, it took a lot of work to keep track of changes. With digital records, we can study these changes as they happen. This gives us new insights into why some parts of these stories stick around while others fade away.
Creepypasta is a new genre, but it has a lot of potential. It helps us understand how myths are created today and gives us clues about how myths were made and changed in the past.
Read More:
Movie123: Why Is It Free? Should You Watch Movies On It Or Not?
Why you shouldn’t be looking for Demon Slayer Season 5 Release Date? Because…
Recap: Season 4 Demon Slayer, cast, episodes, and more
