Buzz
The online world thrives on spine-chilling tales of supernatural video games and urban myths tied to disturbing video clips. However, the terror in these stories often feels distant, as they typically revolve around someone encountering eerie media without any immediate threat. The narratives in this collection, however, focus on humans becoming prey, where their safe havens transform into confining traps.
10. ‘Just £3 A Month Can Save A Child’s Life’
An activist gets a message from a man who claims to admire her efforts in fundraising for the underprivileged during a party. He sends her pamphlets echoing her frequent statement that a mere £3 in monthly donations can save a life. The man is so dedicated to the cause that he has sold all his possessions to contribute. However, his commitment takes a dark turn as he begins harming those who discard the pamphlets instead of donating, viewing them as heartless individuals who allow suffering in the developing world.
Yet, his rage is not directed at these victims but at the activist who inspired him. After breaking into her home, he discovers her ownership of lavish entertainment systems and luxuries, which infuriates him given her advocacy for saving lives. Her perceived hypocrisy drives him to send her severed fingers in the mail as a warning. She must abandon her double standards and commit to genuine donations . . . or face the full force of his wrath.
This tale was crafted by Kevin “Skarjo” Thomas, the same author behind the initial entry on Mytour’s compilation of believable Internet horror stories.
9. ‘Funnymouth’
While casually moderating a chat room, Charles Watts encounters a baffling and nonsensical user named “funnymouth,” who suddenly appears, makes unsettling remarks about enjoying licking blood from within a person, and then vanishes. Intrigued, Watts follows the user to a private chat room, attempting to engage further—a decision he soon regrets.
After a confusing exchange where funnymouth utters phrases like “i see ur handsome face” and “i always dont and then i get silly,” Watts quickly exits. However, the ordeal doesn’t end there. Over the next 24 hours, funnymouth bombards Watts with relentless emails, hacks his website, and replaces it with a chilling image of a disfigured face. The user’s influence begins to warp Watts’s mind and body, culminating in a horrifying transformation: his jawbone disintegrates within his flesh. Upon seeing his reflection, Watts bizarrely admires his new “handsome” appearance.
Author Christopher “Slimebeast” Wolf revealed that the character of funnymouth was partially inspired by a real user he encountered on an obscure forum. This individual posted screenplays with dreams of them becoming blockbuster hits.
8. ‘The Thing That Stalks The Fields’
This tale revolves around a farmer from an unnamed time period. One day, he observes that the hay bales on his farm have been rearranged. Assuming it’s the work of mischievous pranksters, he restores them to their original positions. When it happens again, he repeats the task. However, after the third occurrence, he refrains from moving them back—something has slaughtered his horses, leaving their heads missing.
That night, he witnesses a creature emerging from the nearby woods. It moves on four legs, stands over 3 meters (10 ft) tall, has a gaunt frame, and skin resembling granite in color and texture. The creature uses the hay bales as markers, effectively claiming the farmer as its pet. Should the farmer attempt to leave the hay bale perimeter, he will face dire consequences. Days later, a stranger in a car approaches the farm. The creature attacks, dragging the driver out and crushing his chest. The farmer’s chances of escaping before the creature seeks a new pet grow slimmer.
7. ‘A Knock On The Window’
On a dark, damp night, a man struggles to sleep despite his exhaustion and blank mind. Suddenly, he hears the sound of a fist tapping on glass. He reassures himself there’s no cause for alarm—what intruder would knock on a window instead of breaking it? He avoids looking, but the knocking persists. Pretending to sleep doesn’t help. The man realizes this is no ordinary prankster. As long as he remains inside and the knocker stays outside, he feels safe. Then, a hand slaps the window and slides down. When he finally looks, he’s paralyzed with fear: a pale figure with beady eyes has been knocking on his window—from inside his bedroom.
6. ‘The Crawlspace’
While studying abroad, a student secures a budget-friendly apartment in Rome’s Campo de’ Fiori. She and her friends find it fully equipped, featuring laundry machines and a freestanding bathtub in one of the two bathrooms. They enjoy two peaceful months there. However, in the third month, one of them stumbles upon a hidden crawlspace. One night, the student hears strange shuffling noises emanating from the crawlspace. Her friends dismiss it as a harmless animal that might have wandered in.
She remains unconvinced.
A few days later, armed with a camera, she opens the crawlspace door and snaps a photo, capturing a humanoid face with bared teeth lurking in the shadows. Despite this, she fails to persuade her roommates to vacate the apartment. Weeks after returning to America, she receives alarming news from her program director: all her friends have vanished.
One of the story’s most compelling elements is the photograph (thumbnail of the entry video). The grainy, pixelated image lends it a sense of authenticity. Just enough of the intruder is visible to confirm its inhuman nature, while leaving ample room for the imagination to fill in the terrifying details.
5. ‘Psychosis’
John, a computer programmer, isolates himself in his apartment for an extended coding marathon. Deprived of human interaction, he grows paranoid about storing information on his computer and turns to journaling. He starts interpreting random communications with terrifying implications. A wrong number becomes proof of data collection, and the absence of traffic noise during a call from his girlfriend Amy fuels his suspicions.
A bizarre spam email reading “seen with your own eyes don’t trust them they” pushes him further into delusion. John becomes convinced that an entity is hunting for information about him, having already taken control of the world and manipulating humans to deceive him. He cuts off contact with Amy and others. When medical professionals, fearing he’s a danger to himself, attempt to break into his apartment, he interprets the email’s message in the worst possible way and grabs a pen . . .
Now a patient in a psychiatric ward, John scribbles a nearly illegible final message due to his blindness. He remains resolute, believing he is humanity’s last defense against the entity. Even when the entity, disguised as Amy, visits him and claims to love him, he refuses to yield. His doctor reads his note, dismissing it as delusional, reasoning that a sane person would have surrendered long ago.
Inspired by his own experiences of solitary programming marathons, Matt Dymerski’s tale stands as one of the most beloved and highly-rated creepypasta stories ever written.
4. ‘Mr. Widemouth’
Most creepypasta creatures are at least as large as a teenager, but Mr. Widemouth, created by an anonymous author, is equally terrifying despite his small stature—described by a child as resembling a Furby. One day, he appears to a sick five-year-old boy and seemingly befriends him. Initially, he reads the child’s books and offers companionship. Over time, however, he begins proposing new and unsettling games.
For instance, he suggests playing “pretend trampoline,” where children who believe strongly enough can jump out of windows and bounce back up, light as a feather. The boy narrowly decides against participating. Mr. Widemouth introduces other dangerous games, like juggling knives. He also mentions a path behind the child’s home leading to a place he wants to take him someday. Gradually, the boy’s fondness for Mr. Widemouth fades. When his family moves, the boy doesn’t inform Mr. Widemouth, leaving him behind as the creature waves from the window, clutching a knife.
Years later, as an adult, the protagonist returns to his childhood home, hoping it was all the imagination of a sick child. Yet, curiosity drives him to explore the path Mr. Widemouth had mentioned. It leads him to a local cemetery filled with tombstones of children.
3. Penpal: ‘Balloons’
Dathan Auerbach’s tale is not only one of the most renowned creepypasta stories ever written but has also been expanded into an Amazon bestseller. It was even in discussions for a film adaptation with Academy Award–winning producer Rich Middlemas. Penpal comprises six interconnected stories, with “Balloons” standing out as the best standalone entry.
A kindergarten student participates in a unique class project where students write self-introductory letters, include photos of themselves, and attach them to balloons along with a dollar for stamps. The boy’s balloon reaches someone who sends him an unusually high number of Polaroids featuring blurry, seemingly harmless images. Later, he receives a letter containing a strikingly clear Polaroid of him and his friend playing the previous day. Upon revisiting the photos, he realizes he appears in every single one. Alarmed, his mother contacts the police . . . especially since the last letter lacks a postmark.
2. ‘Bedtime’
Author Michael Whitehouse presents another chilling tale of a supernatural entity fixated on a child, though this one doesn’t rely on the manipulative tactics of Mr. Widemouth.
One night, a child sleeps in his cramped bedroom, habitually choosing the top bunk of his bunk bed despite his brother having moved to his own room. He hears a wheezing sound and movement from the bed below. Night after night, the presence grows more tangible, but his parents dismiss his claims of a supernatural threat. Over time, the child accepts the entity’s existence, which eventually takes the form of a cold, arm-like extension from the wall, reaching into his bunk and seizing him. The family soon moves into the child’s room for safety and relocates from the house 11 days later.
Creepypasta.com ranks this story as the highest-rated and the 10th most popular on their platform.
1. ‘I Couldn’t Resist You’
The narrative begins with a man expressing to someone special how she has transformed his life. It’s not just her beauty that captivates him; her radiant happiness has deeply affected him, pulling him out of a suicidal depression he endured before their encounter at the supermarket. He was moved when she allowed him to cut ahead in the checkout line. Convinced of their connection, he waited in his car, followed her home, and mustered the courage to approach her.
He entered her house, finding the back door unlocked due to her trusting nature. After admiring her sleeping form and soft hair, he woke her. She struck him with a lamp and fled but tripped on the stairs. He caught up, knocked her unconscious, and now, isolated with no one aware of their location, he insists she obey him and stop crying.
