Fifty More Horror Clichés That Should Be Left to Spoil

#22: Creepypastas Are Not Horror

For those who have been off of the internet for a while and have no idea what the heck a creepypasta is, allow me to educate you quickly. A creepypasta is an original short story, usually formatted in the style of those scary campfire stories you heard while eating marshmallows over an open fire. They are spooky tales of the supernatural or of partially insane individuals who really fell off the deep end. You can find these types of stories all over the Internet, especially on popular horror-related websites. What makes these stories special though is that its casts of characters can be translated over into multiple stories written by multiple authors without the worry of copywriting issues. They are to me a horror art form that are truly a unique part of the genre.

With the horror element in these creepypasta well established, it baffles me that not everyone considers these stories a true part of the horror genre and a modern evolution to the storytelling style. Apparently, there are a select few individuals who see the art form as a separate entity of its own, and far from containing the polish of a typical horror story. If they do not believe this, then they see it as complete garbage and lower than fan fiction. While a lot of people love creepypastas and would easily accept it as a part of the horror genre, others refuse to accept it on the ideology that it is merely Internet based. It is a mixed bag of reception that is quite chaotic to say the least.

For those who believe creepypastas are not a part of the horror genre, think about what makes any part of popular culture qualify for it. In order for something to be considered horror, it has to create some type of suspense with the audience. The story in question must not be created merely for depicting gory visuals, but rather an extreme form of metaphoric art trying to translate a message subtly to its audience. There have to be elements of fear sprinkled into the narrative, whether it be physically or mentally. As the story ticks closer and closer to its climax, the audience must feel some type of growing tension or adrenaline flowing through their veins. Finally, the narrative like all other fictional genres must follow a typical plot structure, qualifying it as a story in the first place.

Now, let us go over the story of Slenderman, an Internet-created monster that many consider a creepypasta icon. Right away, any creepypasta depicting the monster immediately checks off the requirement for suspense, as its main goal in the narrative is to chase innocent children or young teens in the shadows. He additionally is a metaphoric symbol of the dangers young children face in the real world, being depicted almost always with a blank canvas-like face and flat black suit. Fear is created in any creepypasta including Slenderman through the suspense of the narrator or any supporting characters trying to escape their inevitable deaths through the creature. As Slenderman comes closer and closer to the young characters, there is a growing sense of dread for their well being. And finally, yes, all Slenderman related stories do follow some type of plot structure through the typical formulaic structure of a short story or novella. Through analyzing any Slenderman story, you can clearly see that it checks off for all the requirements needed to make it a true horror story. Thus, creepypastas are indeed a part of the horror genre.

I think the main problem in people truly not accepting creepypastas as a part of the horror genre is how these stories are evidence of changing times. Instead of being typical stories wrapped up in a hard cover book, they are reserved only for the Internet, where they reign supreme. Those who reject the switch from a physical book to an article on the Internet would most easily see creepypastas as new generation garbage as much as someone might hate HD on TV. They are not embracing the old with the new, an issue that with every generation is apparent in some portion of the population. In the case of creepypastas, the situation is made worse by the fact we are smack in the middle of the highly advanced Technological Age, a time in history where the Internet has slowly been forced into many people's lives. People are being forced to change too quickly in this time, making evolutions in this time such as creepypastas unfortunate targets to those who are not ready to change.

In order to finally live in an age where creepypastas are just as accepted as regular horror fiction, people are going to need to come to accept it as a positive product of changing times. This task is far from easy, but once the transition to the Internet is smoothed out with the rest of the population in ten to twenty years, issues like the one surrounding creepypastas will be easier to come to compromise towards or even agree entirely on. If a naysayer is willing to accept change, then we can be one step closer to seeing creepypastas as a natural part of the horror genre. It will take a while for more people to think this way, but through others coming to slowly accept changing times, the wait should not be long.