11 films and TV series for fans of creepypastas and urban legends

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

To the exit of "Slenderman" Lifehacker collected pictures from which frost on the skin.

Urban legends and scary stories of maniacs, ghosts and haunted houses have been passed on by word of mouth for decades, entertaining and frightening adults and children. With the development of the Internet and digital technologies, they are being replaced by creepypastas - stories and videos from the Internet. On August 16, the release of "Slenderman", based on one of the most popular modern creepypastas about a tall "thin" man in a black suit. We recall what other films and TV series connoisseurs of the genre can watch.

Films

1. Scream

• USA, 1996.
• Horror, slasher.
• Duration: 111 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 2.

A series of murders sweeps across a small town. A maniac in a white mask first calls his victims, forcing them to answer questions about horror films, and in case of a mistake, he kills. Sydney Prescott's mother has already died, and now the maniac is trying to kill her too, but the girl manages to escape. For all the mystery of the criminal, one thing is known: he knows classic horror films very well.

The Scream by Wes Craven, author of A Nightmare on Elm Street, became a real cult and served as the starting point for many sequels, copies, and then the legendary parody Scary Movie. All thanks to the director's ironic approach. He made a traditional horror thriller, but at the same time deconstructed the entire genre in the plot. Heroes constantly refer to classic horror stories and even talk directly about what can happen next and what should not be done in a horror film.

2. Call

• USA, Japan, 2002.
• Horror, thriller, drama.
• Duration: 115 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 1.

The main character Rachel is trying to understand the history of the mysterious videotape. Everyone who looks at it, the phone rings. And after seven days, the victim dies. At the same time, Rachel needs to hurry: her son has already watched the cassette.

Another story that spawned many sequels. The first film in this series is a remake of the Japanese film of the same name. Interestingly, the play on words is very important in the original English name: The Ring means both "Ring" and "Ring". That is why the logo of the film depicts a ring of light, which has a special meaning in the plot. In subsequent films, the history of the American franchise has already developed separately from the Japanese original.

These films are not based on any particular legend or story. But with the advent of home video recorders, dozens of legends about cassettes that could heal, hypnotize and even kill were walking around the world. Ironically, in the third part, called "Calls," the authors are already turning to viral videos on the Web.

3. Candyman

• UK, USA, 1992.
• Horror, drama, detective, thriller.
• Duration: 92 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 6.

In some neighborhoods of Chicago, there is a belief: if you stand in front of a mirror and say the word "Candyman" five times, a mystical villain with a hook instead of a hand will appear. Young researchers decide to sort out the murders that are attributed to a supernatural being. And they understand that, most likely, Candyman is just a means of intimidating people. But still, the monster can appear at any moment instead of being reflected in the mirror.

The film "Candyman" is based on the story "Forbidden" by the author of "HellRaiser" and "Midnight Express" Clive Barker. But over time, the plot itself turned into a real urban legend about ghosts and maniacs who appear if you call them in front of the mirror.

4. Blair Witch: coursework from the other world

• USA, 1999.
• Horror, mock documentary.
• Duration: 86 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 4.

Three film students head out into the woods to record their term paper. They want to tell about a terrible local legend - the Blair Witch. They shoot all their actions on amateur video cameras. However, the heroes gradually realize that scary stories can turn out to be reality.

"The Blair Witch" launched a genre of low-budget horror - it was called "found film." In the film's advertising campaign, it was argued that this story really happened and that real video footage from the devices of the missing students would be shown in cinemas. This approach allowed the film, shot for literally 20 thousand dollars on amateur cameras, to collect hundreds of millions at the box office.

5. Hostel

• USA, 2005.
• Horror.
• Duration: 94 minutes.
• IMDb: 5, 9.

Three students travel to Europe to have fun and find girls. Tourists will learn about a hostel in Slovakia, where supposedly the most forbidden pleasures can be found. But when they get into this place, it turns out that in fact completely different people with much more cruel hobbies come there to have fun. And they themselves are now in the role of test subjects.

The film is based on old stories about certain rooms in hotels in Asia, where a casual guest can fall prey to sadists. Of course, there is no documentary evidence for such stories, but such legends are still circulating. It should also be noted that Quentin Tarantino also had a hand in the production of the film. True only as a producer.

6. Urban legends

• USA, France, 1998.
• Horror, thriller.
• Duration: 99 minutes.
• IMDb: 5, 5.

The campus is shaken by a series of brutal murders, each of which harks back to an urban legend. The main character tries to prove this connection to her friends, but no one believes her. As a result, all her acquaintances begin to die one by one.

The authors of this film tried to collect the maximum number of references to real urban legends. From the killer in the backseat of the car and the voices of the dying in the song Love Rollercoaster, to the myth that mixing Pepsi and Pop Rocks causes the stomach to explode. In addition, many references to classic horror films can be found in the plot and even the names of the heroes.

After the success of the first part of the picture, other directors shot two sequels. But each subsequent part turned out to be weaker than the previous one and deserves the attention of only fans of the genre.

7. The Blair Witch: A New Chapter

• USA, 2016.
• Horror, mock documentary.
• Duration: 89 minutes.
• IMDb: 5, 0.

Another "found cassette". 20 years after the events of the first part, the younger brother of one of the missing heroines decides to find out what happened in the house where, according to legend, the witch lived. The new team is much better technically equipped: GPS navigators, mini cameras on the heads and even a drone. But this will not save them from the mystical horror in the forest.

Bypassing the unsuccessful second part, which turned out to be too "ordinary", many fans returned to watching "The Blair Witch" after many years. Of course, the topic is no longer fresh, and the new film surprised few people. But the approach to filming technique and reverent attitude to the original deserve attention.

8. Slender

• USA, 2015.
• Horror.
• Duration: 92 minutes.
• IMDb: 4, 8.

Members of the film crew, along with employees of the debt agency, discover the house from which the family disappeared. Moreover, all things and even food remained in place. Reporters find several tapes on which they discover evidence of the existence of Slender Man. The trouble is that after viewing they themselves must become victims of the Subtle Man.

The film is based on the Marble Hornets web series. It imitated documentary filming, which "accidentally" gets Slenderman. Some videos were published anonymously. "Slender" has a lot of shortcomings, it was filmed simply and cheaply. But the authors were able to maintain the atmosphere of an almost amateur film that this creepypasta needs so much.

9. Rake

• USA, 2018.
• Horror, thriller.
• Duration: 78 minutes.
• IMDb: 3, 4.

Twenty years ago, a maniac killed Ben and Ashley's parents. And if the brother all these years tried to restrain himself within the framework of normality, then the sister underwent psychiatric treatment for a significant part of her adult life. But when they reunite, they begin to feel that the madness of the past is overtaking them again. Ben and Ashley find it increasingly difficult to separate the truth from the nightmares.

Rake or Rake Man is another favorite hero of internet horror stories and amateur videos. This is a creepy humanoid creature that attacks people. Of course, many argue that all the records are real, and the official data are hushed up by the government. Unfortunately, Rake never got its proper portrayal on the screen. And the full-length film, like most YouTube videos, looks weak and implausible. But fans will be interested in taking another look at Rake on the screens.

Serials

10. Zero channel

• Canada, 2016.
• Horror, anthology.
• Duration: 3 seasons.
• IMDb: 7, 2.

All stories from this series are based on famous creepypastas from the Net. In the first season, the heroes recall a children's TV show that aired on a switched off channel. In the second, they get into a mysterious house, where you need to go through 10 rooms to get a prize. In season three, the two sisters arrive in a city that was once a sinister butchers' quarter. Each story goes far beyond its original version and with each episode draws the viewer into an increasingly eerie world.

Channel Zero is one of the most striking examples of the successful use of creepypasta in a script. The authors of the series take as a basis well-known and beloved stories like "Candle Cove" or "Endless House" and turn them into a full-fledged horror for the whole season.

11. Legends

• USA, 2017.
• Horror, mysticism, drama, anthology.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 6, 9.

The authors of this series analyze various legends and myths about the living dead, "changelings" and other supernatural entities from the point of view of medicine and forensics. Fiction and acting here are interspersed with documentary footage and historical references.

"Legends" is based on the podcast of the same name by Aaron Munke. This author has been collecting various scary stories for a long time and tells about them to listeners, and now to viewers. This is a rare attempt to explain some legends scientifically and plausibly, but to do it not in dry language, but in an interesting and artistic way. So that it gets even worse.