If you don’t spend very much time on web forums, the title of this article may sound like absolute nonsense to you. The word “creepypasta” comes from the older internet slang term “copypasta,” which was used to refer to blocks of text that circulated by being copied and pasted (on internet forums and other similar venues) as a form of internet humor or in-joke. One form of this is posting the script of The Bee Movie in an unrelated comment section–I once received this several dozen times when someone emailed all of the graduate students at my university but forgot to BCC the list.
Creepypasta is, as the name suggests, creepy. It is often presented as factual and, in contemporary iterations, includes images and audio. It’s folklore for the internet age. Many of these tales originated on the r/NoSleep subreddit and other similarly anonymous corners of the internet where authorship is not easy to determine.
You may have heard of Slenderman, the fictional entity at the center of a notorious attempted murder several years ago. I think my first encounter with actual creepypasta was through Abandoned by Disney, which has been republished as Dandyland to avoid the copyright wrath of The Mouse.
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Creepypasta has also lately been coming to a screen near you. The recent film The Backrooms originated as a creepypasta about liminal spaces and the things that lurk within them.
Here are a few takes on creepypasta that have become books. This is not the most diverse list of recommendations for creepypasta books, so I have included some stories that have the same vibes as classic creepypasta, if not the same pedigree. Some stories, like The Russian Sleep Experiment and Lavender Town Syndrome, can be tricky to find after many years, but the Creepypasta Wiki is a good place to start for the classics.
Penpal by Dathan Auerbach
An r/NoSleep original, this is a story about a man reflecting on childhood memories that start as simply odd but become more sinister. The reader ‘remembers’ along with the narrator what happened to him, why his mother and friends seemed distant, and how it can all be traced back to a single event in his early childhood. The story is told non-sequentially and the dread is palpable until the very last page.
We Used to Live Here by Marus Kliewer
Eve and her partner, Rachel, flip houses, and they’ve gotten an excellent deal on their latest project. When a family claiming to have once lived in the house shows up at their door, Eve lets them in to have a look around. The family’s daughter disappears into the basement and sets up a series of events that have both Eve and the reader questioning everything they’d thought was real.
Stolen Tongues by Felix Blackwell
An engagement celebration in a romantic cabin does not go as planned when Felix discovers a dark figure looking in their windows at night. It only gets worse when he realizes that his fiancée, Faye, is whispering back. The weather worsens, the air is filled with the cries of animals and the screams of children, and it doesn’t seem as though Pale Peak is likely to let them go.
How to Survive Camping: The Man With No Shadow by Bonnie Quinn
Kate is the manager of a campground that has killed several generations of her family. Her rules are simple and are there for a reason: to prevent visitors from a “horrific and most agonizing demise.” In the first book in this series, she faces one of the most dangerous inhabitants of the campground as the land shifts and the rules change.
Tales from the Gas Station by Jack Townsend
Jack has seen his share of otherworldly visitors–and shoplifting raccoons–as the night shift clerk at a 24-hour gas station out on the edge of town. When the body of a local politician is found in the trunk of a car, Jack finds himself involved in a supernatural conspiracy. Will he ever make it to another morning shift, or will he too be a victim of the ancient force infiltrating the dreams of his companions?
A Lonely Broadcast by Kel Byron
Evelyn McKinnon is not aware that the radio station she works at is not just meant for entertainment–it’s a watchtower. When the fog rolls in, the monsters come out and 104.6 FM may be the only hope. Also? Evelyn is being stalked by a bird with human eyes.
Risen by Tonia Ransom
Also originally a story on r/NoSleep, Alexandra was an ER doctor before she was murdered. Now, she is trapped in her body and must outsmart Katenas, the supernatural being who is controlling her before it’s too late
The Third Parent by Elias Witherow
An entity called Tommy Taffy infiltrates a family, forcing them to do his bidding. Who is this entity, really? And will he ever leave them alone?
There is a movie adaptation of this story, in post-production as of writing. Crispin Glover will star as Tommy Taffy.
Borrasca by C.K. Walker
Sam’s family has moved to a quiet town and things seem peaceful. That is, until he learns of a place in the woods called Borrasca. Years later, he is haunted by monsters and screaming. Now, he is determined to learn the truth about what happened to him there.
Slender Man by Anonymous
When a girl disappears from an exclusive private school, Matt Barker begins to dream of trees and a black sky… and something approaching. Determined to get to the truth of one of the most famous urban legends of our time, he scours journals, news stories, and other sources to identify this entity.
The Interface Series by Mother Horse Eyes
The Interface Series began as a set of interrelated narratives posted at random in response to Reddit users’ comments. It begins as a mystery presented as a conspiracy theory, and it grows to encompass multiple other genres.
More Books for Fans of Creepypasta
Jawbone by Mónica Ojeda, translated by Sarah Booker
Fernanda and Anneliese were inseparable until they became separated by a terrible secret. Anneliese created increasingly dangerous rituals for a god of her own invention. Her friends chose to follow the rhinestoned deity. This was not originally a creepypasta but it is inspired by and features references to online horror.
Mister Magic by Kiersten White
In the genre of “half-remembered childhood TV shows” and “lost media” that is common in creepypastas, Mister Magic was a children’s show that has been lost to time. No tapes remain. There is only an online ‘Circle of Friends’ which talks about the things they learned from Mister Magic, whose face was never shown. When the show’s castmates reunite, they begin to remember things that perhaps they were never meant to.
I may be running out of time. I think they’re getting closer. I hope this list helps you find what you’re looking for.
I hope you’re able to sleep again.
Add even more great creepy reads to your TBR with these horror books based on Asian urban legends, horror inspired by mythology and folklore, and a deep dive into where and how “The Girl with the Green Ribbon” inspires other scary stories.
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