The Curious Disappearance of Creepypasta

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Creepypasta: the Internet’s take on spooky campfire stories, spawning unforgettable works such as Ben Drowned, Candle Cove, Jeff the Killer, and the Slender Man.
But unlike campfire stories which remain timeless, Creepypasta seemed to have a pretty short lifespan, reaching its peak in the early 2010s and then sort of just slowly fading away, and becoming a shadow of what it once was. “Oh, Creepypasta. I remember that.”
But how did this happen? With the seemingly endless possibilities that the internet provides, you would think that a horror-based community like Creepypasta would be flourishing, especially for longer than just a few years. But you just don’t really hear these stories anymore.
There were several factors which contributed to the downfall of Creepypasta, including the over-saturation of similar stories, bad writing, some violence within the community, and even the very aging of the internet itself. It could even be argued that this has not just affected the Creepypasta community, but online horror storytelling altogether.
So now, we take a look at what has since been left behind.
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[@nationsquid]

Thanks to *Storyblocks* for sponsoring this video! Download *unlimited* stock media at *one set price* with Storyblocks: storyblocks.com/NationSquid

[@chibitsubaki271]

Although many people hated the sponsored but.. not for me anyway

[@A_OBC]

I can see how it'd be good to have.

[@Lyrik20]

This is cool nation. But what about memz? I hope you do a video of memz and how it was made using c or python

[@SonicLover2343]

I've seen the jeff the killer costume irl-

[@maxgorden499]

@14:05 about, bottom left quadrant of portrait blinks

[@ERRORDownBad]

I kinda find it funny that the most relevant creepypastas today are Jeff the Killer and Sonic.exe, which are creepypastas known for being notoriously bad

[@Kitkatcaitlin]

It’s always funny to reread the story if Jeff the killer and realise how bad it is. Bro got into a fight with some kids and then decided to become a murderer? Sure

[@HomuraAkemiHQ]

And the author of Sonic.exe is a scumbag.

[@Toxoplasmosis69]

Don't take the stories as canon. Jeff the Killer is just a kickass character with lots of potential if fallen into the hands of good artists and writers. The story is bad, the character itself? Awesome.

[@dtxspeaks268]

​@@Toxoplasmosis69honestly don't even make "Jeff" a serial k1ll3r. Just make it a paranormal being or something non-human.

[@Karanthaneos]

​@@Toxoplasmosis69what do you mean? The stories ARE the canon. Jeff was just a a scary image that happened to be attached to a shitty story. The character itself is an edgelord's dream

[@hxcny]

honestly, i was always obsessed with creepypasta as a child with unrestricted internet access... so sad i didnt even notice it vanishing from the internet

[@ghost_horses.]

ah, as a fellow someone who had unrestricted internet access as a kid, those times give me good memories of hiding my drawings of jeff the killer and whatnot from my parents in fear they’d send me to a psychward for those pieces of nightmare fuel. sad those times might not haunt the next generation.

[@monster3339]

man. same. i hadnt noticed itd faded away until this video :(

[@idk_robloxplayerz5997]

same i had a crush on ben drowned female AU

[@detecta]

same man

[@cocoan-s-e-a]

same

[@slasherpool]

Analog horror has effectively replaced Creepypasta. But a small part of me wishes Creepypastas would make a come back.

[@-snowiethebunny-]

Oh, do not fret dear friend, it is slowly making a comeback!

[@scratcher11]

don't worry, they can be COMBINED!

[@heckaboo]

Analog Horror (VHS) is on a slow decline now (oversaturation is one of the reasons), but Digital Horror (2000s internet) is gaining some traction.

[@ERRORDownBad]

​@@heckabooDigital Horror goes extremely hard

[@lillysparrow]

i think creepypastas usually try too hard to be scary, and then ppl think they're all corny

[@LloydTheZephyrian]

I think the Rake was more terrifying when its intentions were left ambiguous and it didn't actively harm anyone physically. The moment people had him just butcher people was when he started falling off.

[@tehberral]

Completely agree. I feel that was the case with Slenderman too. Kinda why I like Marble Hornet's "Operator" monster (we never actually see it harm anyone itself) but don't really like any of the other adaptations. Ambiguity is so much better a lot of the time.

[@ofcrgry]

bro is named after a broom lol

[@LloydTheZephyrian]

@@ofcrgry Pretty sure it was named after a rake. A broom is a different thing.

[@ofcrgry]

@@LloydTheZephyrian broom with teeth

[@justarandomsovietofficerwi2023]

Same goes for the Backrooms. An ethereal feeling of isolation in a never-ending hall is already terrifying by itself. Then someone decided adding monsters was a good idea.

[@Underqualified_Gunman]

The SCP project has probably absorbed a lot quite a few people interested in creepy pasta type works.

[@billyhatcher643]

also the scp project left wikifandom because theyre sick of the bullshit ads that are on wiki fandom to begin with and they moved to their own site and i can see alot of them are doing it

[@HomuraAkemiHQ]

@@billyhatcher643 I don't think SCP was ever on Fandom/Wikia. They were originally on EditThis, but after that become a paid service, they switched to Wikidot.

[@renharris6504]

That and nosleep. But no sleep’s own rules kinda led to a drop in quality there due to limitations, and now everything has to be multi-parts and have obnoxious titles.

[@tinaperry8632]

And general internet horror stories which could be considered creepypasta.

[@FelipeJaquez]

Too bad SCPs went from being brief but mysterious creepypastas to 90 page meta novels about the fate of the universe that somehow become overcomplicated and boring at the same time. "Brevity is the soul of wit" and all that.

[@Chrischi3TutorialLPs]

The really interesting part? Not all creepypasta was made up. There was one early creepypasta about a user named SlaveMaster, who would supposedly invite you to their property, and once you were there, murder you. Yeah, turns out the name "SlaveMaster" belonged to a John Edward Robinson, a serial killer whose MO was exactly that.

[@amaruqlonewolf3350]

Yeah. That sort of stuff really scares the socks off of me. I'm quite tired of buying a new pair every week.

[@HomuraAkemiHQ]

I read about the SlaveMaster case a while back! He had frequented chatrooms and early virtual worlds (like Active Worlds) and met several of his victims online. He was also allegedly a member of the Gorean subculture as well.

[@enentity]

ooh, SlaveMaster. i think NationSquid had already made a video about this topic. if i remember correctly, it's in "5 Unsolved Mysteries From the Early Days of the Internet."

[@xduwu4257]

is there any more examples of real creepypasta? because I still feel like 99% of it is fake but I have no basis for that. maybe daisy's destruction - although that was more of an urban legend not a creepypasta.

[@thefoolaidman]

As someone who was always scared to death of creepy pastas for quite a while, especially Jeff The Killer, I think it's quite ironic that I ended up joining the Jeff The Killer Original Image Search.

[@ofdolce]

literally. growing up i couldn’t even look at his face because it was such a jumpscare and now i’m desensitized lol

[@Light_Dies_07]

@@ofdolce i got jumpscared by the thumbail to this video lmao 😭

[@choco116]

I feel the exact same about Ben Drowned. That story made me unable to play my favorite Zelda Game for a while, but now I just find the story fascinating and like learning more about it. I am by no means someone who enjoys horror, but Ben Drowned is one of those thing that's stuck around with me since Majora's Mask is my favorite Zelda game.

[@bunnybird9342]

I really hope the original image gets found some day

[@solidgent7870]

Smile dog still creeps me the hell out. Not the demon version weirdly but the original husky version. That image led me to never look at huskies the same way again. All from an unsettlingly edited photo. That's how you do horror.

[@aRandomGemini]

Jeez yes, I forgot how absolutely terrified that makes me

[@Magnustopheles]

Yeah, the demon version always looked goofy to me even as a kid, but the one that looked *almost* normal was a very scary thing.

[@JoBot__]

I didn't know there were two different versions.

[@soyjoyy]

Deep-fried one looks like an actual demonic entity. Husky one is just a dog with grandma's dentures

[@Kitkatcaitlin]

I like how now people are still searching for the origin of the jeff the killer image. Its so fascinating how no one knows where it came from

[@Chrischi3TutorialLPs]

Well, people have a rough idea, but anyone has yet to pinpoint the exact image.

[@Kitkatcaitlin]

@@Chrischi3TutorialLPs that’s what I’m saying lol

[@knightmare47]

whats the rough idea then? I knew the image but I'd never heard the creepypasta, I just knew it looked terrifying too 10y old me

[@mryoshi1221]

@@knightmare47 people think it has japanese origins

[@tsuneTheSlime]

i heard it was from a girl who whas overweight, and people edited her photo to look like this to mock her, and then she ended herself ever since i heard that rumor i could never like the story of jeff the killer :/

[@OtakuUnitedStudio]

This was an excellent dissection of the history.of creepypasta, but I do have one minor correction: trollpastas are intentionally bad, while genuinely bad ones are crappypastas. That's why two separate wikis spun off from the original. I was actually active on the Creepypasta Wiki back during the schism.

[@nationsquid]

Thanks! Yes, trollpastas are meant to be bad, which is why I made the reference to the "Who was Phone" story. They were poking fun at an early symptom of what would start the community's decline. Crappypasta on the other hand was a collection of rejected creepypasta stories (TOTALLY didn't have one of my stories published there or anything) I hope that clears some things up! Thanks for watching! :)

[@ofcrgry]

@@nationsquid guys, i clicked on this video on 666 times and then nationsquid starting talking in a demonic voice and he said "i am going to kill blood satan you!!!" and he came out of my screen and ate my soul and he had hyperrealistic eyes spread this around to 30 friends or i will cry

[@jonathanmoore7096]

Really love the subtle touch at 14:06 where the poster blinks.

[@kaidenz317]

I went back and slowed it down to make sure I saw that. Just another aspect of horror, the desire to see something happen

[@s_ludge]

I use to be pretty terrified by the Lavender Town creepypastas, it made me pretty upset hearing about the Cubone and its mother. Read a lot of these on my flip phone. Nowadays I tend to browse the nosleep subreddit now for my occasional horror reading.

[@Chrischi3TutorialLPs]

I had this phase where i was absolutely terrified of Tales Doll at one point. Like, one night i literally pulled an all nighter because i thought he was out to get me that night and i wouldn't let him.

[@ofcrgry]

browsing nosleep to fall asleep is going full circle

[@gedeonnunes5626]

Wait, was there more than one?

[@Chrischi3TutorialLPs]

@@gedeonnunes5626 I mean, duh. It was one of the most popular. Obviously people would write new ones based on the existing story.

[@s_ludge]

@@gedeonnunes5626 Yeah iirc the og Lavender Town was either about Cubone and its mother or the kids who would hear the Lavender Town music would "harm" themselves. Can't recall exactly but the first mightve been based off the ??? ghost boss you fight before reaching the top of the Tower. I believe the latter was based on the Electric Soldier Porygon anime episode, where Pikachu electrocuted everyone and there was the red and blue flashes that caused seizures in Japan. More stemmed from those 2.

[@Pierogo]

Funny how we all collectively slowly got bored of creepypastas roughly at the same time, and thus barely anyone even noticed they disappeared - thinking they were still "out there", just never bothering to actually check.

[@feathdev]

“Ben Drowned, Candle Cove, Jeff the Killer, and that weird story where Squidward had, like, laser eyes.” That last one is the best.

[@bippaasama]

Probably an unpopular opinion but I loved those creepypasta narration channels in the early 2010s.

[@Kydino]

They were surprisingly comfy despite the dark subject. Stuff that you could fall asleep to.

[@apolloandwarrior_3229]

I remeber this one guy who actually tested a lot of those creepypasta rituals. His reading of 11 miles is my favorite

[@SimplyDeeSims]

Me too! ❤

[@ofcrgry]

borgar king foot lettuce

[@Magnustopheles]

I watched a lot of mrcreepypasta during the peak of the genre

[@mofftarkin6010]

I didn’t even notice Creepypasta fell off. Most of the people who I’m subscribed to who read creepypasta are still doing it. Some do other stuff.

[@dtxspeaks268]

Then you really haven't been paying attention to the greater Internet Horror Community, because in 2015 Dark Web stories, Lost Media, Analog, ARGs, creepy youtube channel analyses and True Crime all took over and nobody outside of the Creepypasta Community was paying attention to Creepypastas

[@Simply.everything.skywalker]

I remember Creepypastas in 6th grade

[@blast3034]

Anyone else notice the red thing blink at 14:06?

[@michaelramsey82]

I did! It blinks again a few seconds later.

[@Rouxenator]

Yup, nice edit.

[@MegaOverclocked]

I think the main issues with Creepypastas is simply that people lost creativity. It's not an issue exclusive with Creepypastas pretty much all creative media is starving for true inspiration and individuality. After the 100th retelling of the same ol pasta that got stale the moment it was new, it was time for people to move on. Now it seems analogue horror and the like are taking its place. But I think we're already seening the same issue in that genre with a lack of creativity and mediocre story telling.

[@ofcrgry]

exactly its creepypasta not copypasta

[@jax5191]

I remember the obsession with creepypasta during my middle school years. People even cosplayed it during halloween in class it was that popular.I was into writing at the time and i heard about it so i even made my own pastas, i was into that stuff for years. i had countless notebooks of writing. ik its silly but you just had to be there to get the hype at the time. Id stay up hours past midnight,traumatizing myself sometimes but the stories just tied you in,you got curious and excited. It was fun to scare yourself. Suicide mouse and Russian experiment terrified me the most. I also used to be obsessed with Ben Drowned bc i was really in to Zelda at the time and it also creeped out my sisters lmao. Love the Creepypasta era,something ill never forget.

[@amandapanda5087]

I was there too. Reading creepypastas was my favorite pastime in middle school, I remember my favorites were the Ritual Pastas and the Russian Sleep Experiment. I swear those stories were what started my love of horror, since I now listen to horror story podcasts on a regular basis and love horror-related stuff.

[@hypnosismicrophone]

Some context on the Jeff the Killer image: the origin is from a Japanese discussion forum/image board from the 2002/2004s. The image was most likely created through the same trend as Ahenobarbus Henocied, "make me cute". An image of a girl was posted to the forum, and users took turns photoshopping the hell out of it to create an abomination named "white powder." There was a different image before the famous Jeff image we all knew, which has larger eyes and a more realistic looking mouth. The creator of the current popular image was actually contacted via Twitter. He said the original picture was a screenshot of a girl from a video who got really close to the camera, adding that the video is old and buried in the deepest corners of the internet that its impossible to find. SO yea we know the story of where it came from but we don't know who's in the image. BTW love your reaction at 13:59. The funniest thing is that the writer of this story claimed that the Jeff the killer picture was his own and that he made it using a white mask and stuff. It's so obvious the image doesn't look like real life materials.

[@four-en-tee]

Creepypasta has never really gone away, stuff like the Backrooms are examples of this. We just have a lot more online horror genres now (analog horror, digital horror, ARGs) in addition to creepypasta.

[@dtxspeaks268]

Backrooms is Analog/ARG type horror, not Creepypasta.

[@crypticcorvid]

It's a lot similar to how dubstep was huge and then gradually fizzled out, with modern music basically absorbing it or twisting it into newer strains. Think of breakcore, glitchcore, or how rap music has evolved and/or incorporated dubstep elements. :) It's really cool to see it happen with horror too!

[@lordlammi1562]

Nothing scarier than an empty office room with fluorescent lighting

[@ArtfulCosumDust]

​@@dtxspeaks268Not exactly. It started on 4chan. By definition it's creepypasta

[@amezzeray2]

It's fascinating how the internet has trends that go in and out of fashion, just like music and movies. I wouldn't be surprised if creepypasta's made a sort of "retro" comeback at some point This whole video has been 1 massive nostalgia trip for me... even the stuff about chain letters, reading horror stories and being convinced they're real, the videos, slenderman... I kinda miss those days of the internet being new and most of us being naive :D edit: officially not re-reading Jeff the Killer so as to preserve my memories :D

[@chipputer]

Regardless of what you *think* Ted the Caver is regarded as the first, "creepypasta," for a reason. The concept of creepypasta never really went away, either, it's just taken on new forms. The issue with the story format is that people decided to start writing novels instead of vaguely creepy or scary, easily digestible short stories that were easy to share. I mean, look at r/nosleep, for example. It's full of people trying their absolute best to flex the concepts they learned in their creative writing class, earlier that day, and the stories suffer, horribly, for it. Meanwhile, you look at the original posting of SCP-173, and its original context (as in, none), and you realize why so many people latched onto it, creating the foundation for what became the SCP Foundation, today.

[@Grungytown]

This feels like a throwback to the old videos, kinda nostalgic, not gonna lie. Keep it up NationSquid!

[@Jacqueline_Oat]

I think everything began to finally die once movies began to come out and the stabbing. Thats the line that got everyone to leave because we didnt want to be tied to events like that. But i miss the old days with mmds puppet string videos, readings and drawings and ocs. I think it might make a small squeak before its final few flutter away from the fandom. A lot of us still like these old stories and stuff but arent in the fandom anymore but dont see it coming back unfortunately.

[@EcoReck]

Marble Hornets was my big step into the creepypasta world back while I was in high school, I was really invested in it and swear I thought Slenderman was real! Unfortunately after i graduated, I never actually had time to finish the series (while it was still uploading videos). Its been over 12 years, maybe one day I should get to finishing it haha

[@ana_bausa]

I was also obsessed with Marble Hornets in my teen years, I watched the entire thing a couple times but I always want to come back to watch it again. I feel it was made with such detail and yet without any lore explanations, it makes you feel invested in it.

[@xaviey14]

I think Iceberg videos are another evolution of creepypasta, with the caveat that there tends to be more truth in them. To me, the deepest layers of some icebergs evoke a similar feeling of “is this real..?”

[@michaels5741]

the blinks around 14:00 GENIUS

[@baleighhoenshell3304]

thanks nationsquid, you just unlocked the ancient memory of when i dressed up as jeff the killer for halloween in sixth grade 😕

[@yookazi]

Dude the fucking painting blinking made me rewind. That was a nice move

[@michaelramsey82]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who noticed it.

[@FH4Player6397]

I can't wait to watch my first new NationSquid video! :D

[@swordfishxd-]

You're First!!! There is no prize.

[@HOURHAK]

congratulations_youve_won.mp3

[@Emilylovespreppyroblox]

4th!!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@ofcrgry]

guys, i clicked on this video on 666 times and then nationsquid starting talking in a demonic voice and he said "i am going to kill blood satan you!!!" and he came out of my screen and ate my soul and he had hyperrealistic eyes spread this around to 30 friends or i will cry

[@saber_the_sad]

​@@ofcrgry😂 what?

[@TheBenSanders]

Ben Drowned and Squidward's Suicide... what a couple of classics!

[@Phobos_Anomaly]

I am 35 and my internet experience goes back far before the creepypasta craze. For us, those of us who experienced life before creepypasta, the emergence of it was truly something to behold, and initially, they were very unsettling. As a child growing up loving The X-Files, I always wanted to believe that these stories *could* be true. But, as a Scientific Skeptic, I've learned the value and power of critical thinking. Either way, the phenomenon gripped those of us who watched it emerge, and it was fun, exciting, creepy and engaging! I miss those years.

[@Snow-Willow]

Hello fellow internet old head. We're about the same age and yeah I also remember the rise of the creepy pastas. It helped that I was still somewhat in my goth phase at the time, I was the prime audience. 😅

[@Phobos_Anomaly]

​@@Snow-WillowGreetings fellow old person! Lol.

[@Phobos_Anomaly]

​@@Snow-WillowSurely you remember how the X-Files really primed us for this stuff that eventually emerged in the late 00's. God I miss that show.

[@Snow-Willow]

@@Phobos_Anomaly Oh yeah, especially the early seasons. Around season 4 or 5 when Mulder goes on the run I feel like it lost some charm, but those first few seasons of low key creep factor were awesome.

[@senatorarmstrong1233]

honestly the only reason creepypastas haven't fully disappeared from memory is that there are so many narrators making videos and still having a passion for the stories. Oh and the nostalgia of some of the stories like jeff the killer won't let the stories die anytime soon.

[@inkwell547]

Thanks for almost gimme a heart-attack with this thumbnail lol

[@Epic_C]

"Angelfire" - oh man when I saw that word and logo, that brought back old times of internet past on making a website when I was a kid.

[@Rand0mHero713]

Loved creepypastas. Used to binge them all the time at work (sometimes I'd be the only one in my work building so just made it extra creepy lol) i still go back and listen to some of my favorites and still follow creepypasta readers on here but havent kept up. They did kind of tire on me and I've moved onto podcasts about wrestling, history, true crime. But Creepypasta's will always have a special home in my heart

[@anonimmihai]

14:05 The picture in the background blinked.

[@alexanderwahlgren413]

This video is like a perfect combination of your old subject topics and your new one. I miss the creepy days but man, your videos right now are just top notch. Your editing is on point, the little Beatles references every episode is a delight along with other recurring easter eggs that just make me crack up every time. That blink from the painting in the background while you read from Jeff the Killer? Brilliant

[@Andromeda42]

The painting blink wasn't just me? Good. But I agree, this guy makes amazing content.

[@Snow-Willow]

Oh man, so much nostalgia in this video. I got super into Creepypastas and particularly loved the ARG type pastas like The Marble Hornets. The SCP Foundation seems to be sort of the last active Bastion of these types of stories. I always figured they died out partially because of age of the internet and the platforms they were on, but also because Creepypastas actually took a bit of work to sift through and find the truly good ones. They saw a boom I think because of the handful of them that went viral (Slenderman, Jeff the killer, ect) and pulled people into those platforms, but those people didn't have the chops to navigate the platforms and continue reading and keeping the stories alive.

[@HOURHAK]

yknow whats crazy? is that the og image for jeff the killer is lost media, we have only found a really early version, but that's it, the original unedited image, has been lost to the sands of time.

[@efinah2305]

Good God I felt so nostalgic. I was so OBSESSED with Creepypastas. I would watch EVERYTHING that had to do with Creepypasta. Watch AMVs that had to do with those characters and listen to Nightcores that had to do with the characters of Creepypasta. This developed my love for writing stories on my own.

[@sardine8937]

wow always love watching creepypastas videos cant wait to see it

[@sadmeat8937]

Ahhh his painting be blinking. ITS ALIVE!!!

[@gradient_mn8580]

Many people grew up absolutely loving creepypastas. Theres just so many to choose from! Many interesting but also nostalgic ones. I still read them to this day

[@elenaalina7425]

Speaking of creepy stuff, has anyone else noticed that the woman in the photo blinks at 14:05?

[@gibon1431]

Ah, 2010, when I was just a 7-year-old kid. Those were the days when creepypastas were all the rage, and let me tell you, the one that really got me was that Squidward's Sui%ide story. I mean, I actually thought it was legit spooky stuff until I stumbled upon it on some creepypasta wiki during one of my curiosity-fueled internet adventures. Those times, man, they were something else, weren't they?

[@raceris7309]

I got involved into creepypastas when they started to decline, around 2013-2015, but maaaaan, did they scare me. Sonic.exe, Boothworld Industries and Bunnyman probably being the most notable ones. It is sad to see this amazing peace of history and my childhood fade into obscurity, but maybe it's for the best.

[@dtxspeaks268]

Reminence about the good Creepypastas like Slenderman, Russian Sleep Experiment, Candle Cove, No End House, Ben Drowned, Smile Dog and Harbinger Experiment, and purge out the trash ones like Jeff the Killer, Squidward's Suicide, Sonic.exe, Rugrats Theory, Pixar Theory, Tail's Doll, and Clockwork.

[@champagnemamii6]

I swear i love watching these types of videos especially from this channel like his voice is so soft and perfect for a narrator 🤗

[@aydenine]

14:02 The damn painting blinked

[@metalface8515]

Ben Drowned is a classic. Also, "then who was phone!?"

[@magiccardmaster9921]

I have always been a creppypasta fan for many years, and i enjoy all of it . That is good, from real stories to creppypastas to liminal horror i just enjoy it for the nostalgic and simple but good factor

[@ImARealWerewolf]

Not gonna lie, I miss creepypastas. Especially with how it used to be. It was such a big part of my life, despite thinking they were real, and I made a good amount of friends through it. It'll always have a special place in my heart. Slenderman was my big fav lol. I also remember the chainmails. My sister had one talking about Bloody Mary from a friend and it scared her so bad that our parents talked to the parents of that friend. I also saw so many on socials back then. Sometimes still see them from time to time.

[@Tyler34660]

SomeOrdinaryGamers, aka Mutahar, will always be the goat of Creepypasta readings.

[@SethirophBayonet666]

My thoughts exactly my dude!

[@ZachryMedearis]

14:09 the poster eyes blinking caught me off guard

[@shortking-vp9vv]

I love how everyone who has read Jeff the Killer loses it at the line “Honey, get the gun” On another note, I remember reading a different version of Jeff the Killer, one that was actually kind of eerie. But I was also 16 at the time. So who knows if it was actually scary

[@hyperion6187]

As a 14 year old kid in high school, I was a mod on the creepypasta wiki, an aspiring creepypasta narrator and writer. This is so nostalgic for me, what a funny time to be alive. I remember sitting on the computer in my computer class in high school on the creepypasta wiki instead of doing work. Miss those times sometime :')

[@YorHa_Unit_9S]

I swear to god I saw that blink at 14:10, absolutely messed with my head there for a second.

[@Dragonangel426]

I didn't think it so much disappeared as it changed forms...Analog Horror much?

[@gatsbysgarage8389]

I still remember hearing, and then a couple years later sharing, the Russian sleep experiment on late night bus rides home from an after school camp in middle school. Those were the days

[@Yami-Felz]

14:05 did anyone else notice the painting in the background blink?

[@HapxDev]

uhm..

[@sleedim3858]

Great content, as always! I enjoyed it I really like how you made the picture behind you blink, it surely added more creepiness to the video

[@chezefromamerica]

i’m so happy you made mention of the SPC community, the “Shark Punching Center”. btw top tier video as always. you’re level of explanation and humour is always some of the highest quality on youtube.

[@theelephantintheroom69]

What I remember being so alluring about creepypastas was that they were these secrets in a dark corner of the internet. You needed to hear it from a friend and share it with others through word of mouth. Now'a'days that's all but gone and nothing is as secretive and mysterious or hidden

[@rad4924]

I used to write creepypastas back in the day. I was terrible but I feel like the website helped me become a better writer later in life.

[@TheSmart-CasualGamer]

Did it disappear? I'm writing my university dissertation on Web Original Horror Fiction, and what made Creepypasta what it is is still around in stories like The Backrooms and the SCP foundation. One of the main elements that separates Web Original Horror Fiction from all other horror is the fact that audience participation is basically a requirement. Well, that hasn't changed. Whether they be crap drawings of The Rake and Herobrine summoning tutorials in 2012, or Backrooms Films with "It's just a burning memory" played over it and Mystery Flesh Pit National Park fanart in 2022, that primary distinguishing element hasn't gone anywhere. Oh, and this video is going in the dissertation. Bloody brilliant.

[@c0smictac0]

I'm so excited for this! I love creepypastas, and your channel! 💞

[@michaelramsey82]

Anyone else notice that the painting on the wall blinks at 14:05 and at least one other time during the video?

[@user-qu7uw8jv9s]

yeah thats scared shit out of me

[@nanapoohsmom4927]

I remember when COVID hit and i had nothing to do, I got really obsessed with creepypastas. Sometimes I still read some of my favorites from time to time

[@olfoureyes6834]

14:05 made me think that I'm starting to hallucinate or something... Had to rewind at least two times 😂

[@lambish]

i love your channel so much! literally nobody makes videos on internet history like you do. sending love 🤍

[@swarple]

I was not a child with unsupervised Internet access, and as a result I found out about creepypastas when I was a teenager. Never got into them as a whole, but I I had recently gotten less supervised Internet access when Slender: The Eight Pages came out. And I do still love Slenderman. Just his history as a sort of collaborative urban legend is cool to me. I kinda hope that one day he can make a bit of a comeback, though I doubt he’ll ever be as popular as he was before.

[@Charara999]

Correct me if I'm wrong, I remember reading somewhere that Slenderman actually has roots in some scottish or german myth around the 1800s or something.

[@swarple]

@@Charara999 I assume you’re talking about “der Grossman,” but nah. Victor Surge just made him up for the Photoshop contest on SomethingAwful. It was the Internet that added details like that for worldbuilding’s sake. There’s even like a 200-page document floating out there somewhere that people put together recording the supposed existence of Slenderman throughout human history, because nerds on the Internet like to do that kind of thing, lol. It’s amazing how the little details they came up with add a slight sense of credibility to the legend, though.

[@Charara999]

@@swarple Ah, I see. Thanks for the explanation.

[@Pixelcraftian]

Had to go back when I noticed _"Wait a minute did that poster just BLINK"_

[@coldbiscut_]

Me too lol

[@tmsh_]

Obligatory "Great video as usual!" comment aside, I just want to mention how greatly NationSquid decided to incorporate his personality into these videos without making them less professional or informative. Perfect balance, keep it up!

[@digitalchapel]

to add on to the question of where did kids that like spooky stories migrate to: Five Nights at Freddy's fandom, absolutely. that first game was basically a playable creepypasta all on its own, it's no wonder that it's primarily a fandom for kids now.

[@yousefslimani99]

Yo thanks for doing these amazing videos about creepypasta stuff, I really like you videos

[@aldairt4899]

I’m glad to have been part of this niche community, I remember telling my friends about it I didn’t realize that they were so clueless about it at the time. Great times ❤️❤️

[@OiranDaki]

This is such an amazing video, you never disappoint us. Thank you NationSquid! You're awesome

[@bfdifan2019_downwithmawxp]

1:22 you forgot about that one BFDI episode where Flower “kills everyone”

[@classic6288]

glad to see you still going at it! keep up the good work!!!

[@speedwagoncito]

I wasn't a kid anymore in the 2010s, but still I enjoyed reading some scary stories and creepypastas every now and then. What I think kind of "ruined" them for me was how repetitive some of the stories were, like all the "lost Episode" ones. Regardless of the show, the supposed Lost Episode would always have almost the exact same premises and things, hyper-realistic eyes included. And it was kinda the same with the "creepy stories" behind kids' shows. I remember reading the Rugrats one and being kinda like "yeah, that could be true", but then it became kinda popular and suddenly every other kids show had a sinister real backstory too apparently. Nowadays I still listen to scary stories and creepypastas in channels that read them, as they usually put variety in their selection of stories and focus on "less common" tropes most of the time.

[@scratcher11]

good job with this one @nationsquid ! my fear of creepypasta is nothing but a memory to me from 2011

[@carvo7715]

Love your content bro. One of my favorite channels I’ve come across recently.

[@karolalovespandas]

14:04 the woman on the poster blinked, I like easter eggs like this

[@PaulRudd1941]

I still remember almost 7 years ago when i turned 18 and listened to "I hired a hitman on myself" Still love that one and "Im a cop, and I keep getting called to the same house"

[@JK-gm6kk]

Holy crap, at like 10 years old, my friends older brother had me convinced the blaire witch project was real, when it came out. It stuck in my mind for a very long time. I was absolutely terrified

[@Lemuzaurio_streams]

Nice detail on the blinking eyes.

[@notvikzo]

shoutout to the blink at 14:06 lmaoo great video!!

[@chickennoodlesoup2794]

Loved this early Halloween vid!

[@v8mpvfx]

14:04 i swear the left side bottom part of the painting blinked, slowmo or just look carefully

[@iremlin]

Yeah!! I also noticed that

[@macintosh531]

14:05 did anyone else notice the red picture of the face in the background blink?

[@Swanaenae]

YESSSS I was literally about to type this lol

[@paleore3539]

Wait, am I the only one who noticed that the woman on the red background painting blinked a couple times from minute 14:04 on?

[@DruNature]

omg the blinking eyes!! at 14:06 and 14:10

[@TKGaming7282]

Did anyone notice that one of the faces on his wall blinked at 14:06?

[@birtarb07]

I feel there is a missing page to this story here as creepypasta stories have been living and thriving on r/nosleep for a good amount of time now

[@fightingtable]

14:06 anyone notice how the painting with the red background blinks and then continues blinking???

[@Misuune]

The joys of childhood, being afraid of forests thanks to Slender Man and afraid of playing singleplayer Minecraft because Herobrine will cut all leaves on the trees.

[@taylorwoolston8856]

Man, I remember watching/listening to creepypasta's on KZbin a lot back in the day, usually narrated by SomeOrdinaryGamers. Aside from the obvious ones, the one I remember the most is one about Godzilla on the NES. I don't remember if it's any good, but it's stuck with me all this time.

[@choco116]

I am by no means someone who likes horror, but I remember the "Ben Drowned" creepypasta scaring me so much as a kid, that I couldn't bring myself to play Majora's Mask for a while, and it's my favorite Zelda Game of all time. Now, I find Ben fascinating, and I find myself watching videos about it and just keep coming back for some reason. It's like my mindset for it took a complete 180 at some point. I think part of it is because of the footage the original creator, Jadusable, was able to make back in 2010, is just impressive for when it was made.