If you hear the word “horror” and immediately picture a film or novel, you’re likely among the masses. However, the new age of media has brought a myriad of vastly different mediums that have revolutionized the way we tell horror stories. Horror stories can now be told in an almost “live” format, with platforms like X and Reddit allowing for frequent spurts of content rather than a novel or movie which typically detail events retroactively.
This enhanced immersion between the writer and the audience allows for a deeper and more widely varied interaction, opening the gate to a whole new way of engaging with horror stories.
CreepyPasta
You can’t talk about new-age horror media without first recognizing the grandfather of short-form digital horror stories. CreepyPasta is a web-based platform that was created in 2008, however the word itself dates back further. “Creepypasta” is used as a catch-all term for any horror content posted to the internet. Appropriately named, the CreepyPasta website has given a platform for widely-varied horror stories that have developed into novels and feature-length films like “Slender Man.”
While the website may seem a bit outdated now, it laid the groundwork for major new horror platforms such as Reddit and helped produce some of the most iconic horror stories ever told.
X
In October 2018, @gr3gory88 posted on X: “Something weird is happening in the woods outside my house and I don’t know what to do.” It was this ominous message that kicked off a series of posts lasting until Jan. 16, 2019.
The entire account is dedicated to detailing the events that unfold after a young adult inherits, and begins living at, his recently-deceased grandfather’s isolated cabin. The thread of posts includes pictures, videos and constant updates as he discovers ominous messages, hidden rooms and unwelcome visitors.
The account has garnered over a 100 thousand followers, and is an iconic example of how live-posting can be used to tell an immersive horror story.
Reddit is one of the most well-known new mediums for horror. A subreddit dedicated to short, believable horror stories called r/nosleep has over 18 million members. Several series of posts on this subreddit have also become published novels, such as “Stolen Tongues” by Felix Blackwell and “The Spire in the Woods” by Tony Lunedi.
What makes r/nosleep particularly interesting compared to other online horror forums is its golden rule: writers must write stories that are believable, and readers must act like they believe them. Posts such as “I Clean Hoarder Houses for a Living. Today I Saw Something I Don’t Understand” create an immersive, and sometimes uncanny, reading experience — forcing readers to suspend their disbelief and carry the full weight of the narrative.
Podcasts
While true crime or unsolved mysteries are often at the forefront of the horror podcast discussion, there are also many podcasts dedicated to acting as an archive for iconic horror stories. CreepCast, a podcast by Wendigoon and MeatCanyon, has over 80 episodes, all of which delve through the best of CreepyPasta, r/nosleep, X and other new-age horror media platforms.
eBay
While definitely the most random of the selection so far, eBay’s use as a medium for horror storytelling led to one of the most notable horror artifacts to date.
The “Dybbuk box” was claimed to be purchased by Kevin Mannis at an estate sale in 2001. He claimed that it caused a series of violent and unfortunate events, including his mother having a stroke.
Soon after, Mannis listed the Dybbuk box on eBay. In his listing, he detailed all the strange occurrences. It was sold three different times, with each owner alleging unexplainable misfortune and supernatural events.
The story gained popularity so quickly that it inspired the 2012 film “The Possession” which was produced by Sam Raimi.
In an interesting turn of events, in 2021 Mannis revealed that he made up the entire story. In an interview with “Input” he discussed how the original listing was entirely a work of fiction, meant to become an interactive horror story that unfolded in real-time.
While certainly morally debatable, this eBay post has had undeniable influence on the horror community. For years people speculated the truth behind Mannis’s claims, and even after coming forward with the full story, many still assert that they believe the Dybbuk box has supernatural powers.
Regardless of verifiability, the new age of horror has infiltrated nearly every corner of the internet, immersing us in horror stories like we’ve never experienced before. These stories no longer just live on the page, they creep further and further into reality with every new technological advancement.
