Tag: creepy

You are a non-player character in someone else’s life

There is a certain sort of mundane horror of not knowing what images you appeared in.. and who the people are in the pictures that you have collected..

I have a bit of a ridiculous musing. I’m sure people have talked about this before, but it’s very interesting when you think about it.

Last night, just to pass some time on a fall evening, I went to a local theme park all decorated for Halloween. I snapped a couple of photos. One in particular got me thinking.

It was the Ferris wheel at the park.

When my son was younger, we would go there annually, and each year he would be dressed up in a different Halloween costume. Over the years, we accumulated a nice little collection of photographs of him in different Halloween outfits, all standing in front of that same Ferris wheel.

Here is one of my favorites!

So last night, being there alone, I snapped another photo.

Of course, I got a bit nostalgic and reminiscent about those years, how quickly time passes, and how things change.

But then I noticed something.

There were other people in my picture.

Other people dressed up for Halloween, some with elaborate facial makeup, others just families passing by, enjoying their own evening. And at that one particular moment, when I snapped that photo, those people became part of my phone’s photo collection.

I don’t know who they are. I will most likely never meet them or see them again for the rest of my life.

But I have their image.

And then I thought about something else. There were plenty of other people taking pictures and videos last night. So there’s a pretty good chance that somewhere, on somebody else’s phone, there’s a picture of me.

It’s strange when you think about it.

You really have no control over how many photographs of yourself exist.

You probably think you know most of the pictures you’ve ever been in. The ones you’ve taken yourself, the ones friends have shared with you, the family photographs, the school pictures, the weddings, the vacations.

But there are countless other photographs of you out there.

Maybe they’re stored on somebody’s phone. Maybe they’re sitting on an old thumb drive or computer, or they’re printed photographs tucked away in a scrapbook or a dusty photo album in someone’s attic. Somebody who may not even be alive anymore.

And there you are.

Standing in the background at a restaurant in 1997. Walking past a family posing for a picture at an amusement park in 2005. Sitting at a table behind a couple celebrating their anniversary. Maybe you’re just a blurry face in the crowd at a concert somebody attended 20 years ago.

For your entire life, in public places, you’ve been a background non-player character in somebody else’s story.

And the funny thing is, you’ve probably done the same thing to countless other people.

Think about all the pictures sitting on your phone right now. The vacations, the birthday parties, the weddings, the random photographs you snapped because something caught your eye.

How often have you actually looked at the people in the background?

Those people have entire lives. They have families, jobs, problems, celebrations, tragedies, memories, and stories of their own. Some of them may no longer be alive. Others may have been having the greatest day of their lives at the exact moment you took that picture.

Somebody else might have been having the worst.

And you’ll never know.

It’s almost a little haunting when you think about it. Somewhere out there, in a photograph you’ve never seen, you’re permanently frozen in a moment that meant absolutely nothing to you but perhaps meant everything to somebody else.

Maybe you were smiling. Maybe you were having a bad day. Maybe you were just walking by, completely unaware that someone had pressed a button and preserved that particular second of your existence forever.

So the next time you have a chance, take a peek at some of your old photographs. Look beyond the people you know. Look at those background players, whether they’re at a park, a restaurant, a wedding, or just walking down the street.

Look at their faces and ponder their stories.

Because all the photos you have of yourself tell a story of you, but little did you know, someone else’s story was playing out in your background.

Maybe Sabrina Wallace is right after all

So I’m sure someone out there is going to tell me to watch Sabrina Wallace, and yes, I know who Sabrina Wallace is. But hear me out for a moment.


A couple of days ago, my big white pit terrier jumped up on me in the morning and woke me up on a Saturday. Pit terriers have a tendency to be in your face with absolutely no concern for your personal space. Anyway, I was giving her a good dose of love and petting her head, especially behind her ears where she seems to like it.


And I had this very specific thought: I wonder if she actually likes this, or if she just lets me do it because she likes the attention? Am I actually annoying her by petting her ears?


It was a very specific thought at a very specific moment.


Within seconds she jumped down, and I thought, well, it’s Saturday morning, so let’s doom scroll a little. I opened TikTok.


The very first video — and I mean the VERY FIRST VIDEO — was a pit terrier that looked somewhat like mine, with a guy explaining how pit terriers like having their ears petted and how you should do it to help calm them down.

I even did a screenshot because of my shock..


Now, I never vocalized any of this. I didn’t search anything. And I don’t remember ever specifically wondering about petting her ears before that exact moment.


So there are two ways to look at this.


On one hand, it could obviously be coincidence combined with an algorithm that already knows way too much about me. My phone probably knows I have a pit terrier because I’ve searched for them before, watched dog videos, taken pictures, whatever. And if that exact video had appeared on some random Tuesday while I was sitting alone on the couch, I probably would have scrolled right past it without giving it a second thought.

The only reason it meant anything to me was because I had literally just been sitting there petting my dog’s ears and wondering whether she liked it.

Or…


Someone will say Sabrina Wallace is right, we have some bizarre connection going on, wavelengths are bouncing around in our brains, our devices are picking up more than we understand, and TikTok just read my damn mind.


I’m not saying that’s what happened.


I’m saying it was weird.

And I think almost all of us have a story like this. Probably more than one.


This is just the most recent one for me.

The newest Cat in the Hat trend is not something Dr Seuss would have approved of

Is the Cat in the Hat Really the New Viral School Scare?


Apparently, a new viral trend has arrived just in time for the beginning of the school year — or, at least, we are being told that one has arrived.
Across the country, local news reports have begun appearing about disturbing videos featuring the Cat in the Hat. Yes, the Dr. Seuss character.


In these videos, a much more sinister version of the Cat is being depicted outside or near schools, where threatening messages are being delivered and questions are being asked about who his “next victim” might be. The videos are reportedly being created with artificial intelligence, presumably by students or other social media users, and are then being shared online.
And with that, a “viral trend” has been declared.
But is it actually viral?


That may be the more interesting part of this story.


Similar reports are being aired by local television stations around the country, with remarkably similar warnings being given. As more coverage is produced, more parents and students are being introduced to something they may never have encountered otherwise.


It raises an interesting question: Is a viral trend being reported, or is a viral trend being created by the reporting of it?


We’ve been here before.
The Momo Challenge was once treated as a major threat to children. Warnings were issued, school officials became involved, assemblies were held, and parents were terrified. Eventually, serious questions were raised about whether the supposed challenge had ever existed on anything close to the scale being suggested.
Then there were the creepy clown sightings of 2016, when reports were repeated so frequently that additional sightings, pranks and copycats were inevitably encouraged.


Now, in 2026, something new has been added to the equation: AI.


A familiar children’s character can be transformed into something frightening in seconds. A particular school can be mentioned. A threatening scenario can be manufactured. The finished product can then be dropped onto social media and presented as though something much larger is happening.


Maybe the evil Cat in the Hat really is the newest fad sweeping through schools.
But perhaps something else is being demonstrated.


A few videos can be created. Those videos can be noticed by local media. A “nationwide trend” can be announced. Millions of parents and students can then be told about it  including countless kids who had never heard of it before.
And by tomorrow, some of those kids may decide to make their own.


At that point, was the viral trend discovered by the media .. or was it helped into existence by the coverage?


The school year has barely begun, and already the Cat in the Hat has apparently been given his turn as the newest internet boogeyman.

The Antarctic ‘ghost ship’

Someone check for Chester Copperpot..

There is video and photos of a ‘ghost ship’ sailing near Antarctica flying around on social media..

With AI and fakery abundant online, it is a moment to take a grain or even full shaker of salt when you look at it..

But interesting, no?

Even more interesting.. it’s probably quite literally a REAL SHIP that is sailing the cold and ferocious waters near the continent..

It looks slightly like the famed ship that sailed at the end of the GOONIES…

https://twitter.com/MattWallace888/status/2027938917128024383

It was taken by people inside windows of a cruise ship..

Chester Copperpot may be on board..

JCPenney’s was selling clowns before they were scary

Oh who are we kidding they were scary back then too

If it was 1971 and you really liked clowns, chances are you could have filled every room in your house with these amazingly frightening lamps straight from the JCPenney catalog.


Don’t be too scared .. it’s just a little taste of John Wayne Gacy in every room… or Pennywise the Dancing Clown… or even that infamous clown from Poltergeist,  though that one hadn’t yet terrorized anyone because this was 1971.


Maybe clowns were more simple and less sinister back then. Maybe all the clown-related events that have unfolded in the decades since have slowly morphed our collective clown repertoire into something darker. Because when I look at this picture, I don’t just see playful décor. I get a little heebie-jeebie feeling. There’s something about that blank, wide-eyed stare   that hints at carnage rather than comfort.


I can’t help but wonder how many kids had one of these glowing in the corner of their bedroom. And I wonder if any are still around today.. tucked away in the back of an antique shop, or sitting quietly on some auction block.


Not that we’d buy one.


But we’d definitely like to see it… preferably displayed in someone else’s house.

SOON: A political horror movie we never saw coming?

In a world where everything is shocking, nothing is shocking.. at least not for very long.


Donald Trump posted an image to his Truth Social account early this morning, apparently reposted from another account. The image is grainy, black and white, and shows Trump standing on top of the White House. Above him is a single word:
“Soon.”


Donald J. Trump – Truth Social
06:44 AM EST | 01.11.26


Naturally, commentary was immediate. Seeing something like this, it’s impossible not to speculate. What is “soon”? What’s coming? Is it symbolic? Is it a tease? A threat? A joke? Or nothing at all? More ICE raids ? Well yes that’s happening ..


Honestly, the image looks less like a political post and more like a horror movie cover. In fact, I saw it spreading across several horror-focused websites, where it was shared almost respectfully for the genuinely unsettling aura it gives off. Stark lighting. High contrast. A lone figure looming over an iconic building. If you slapped a studio logo on it, no one would question the genre.


What makes it even stranger is the idea of a president or former president leaning into imagery designed to unsettle or intimidate. Whether intentional or not, it flirts with fear as a form of messaging. And that’s the unsettling part. Not just the image itself, but how normalized this kind of thing has become.


But then again, this is the world we live in now—where politics, spectacle, and horror aesthetics blur together until it’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins.

When a Song’s Meaning Changes: The Case of Take My Hand and the Gabby Petito Documentary

Old songs.. new meanings..


It’s always strange when pop culture does an unexpected shift—when something you once appreciated suddenly takes on a new, unsettling context. You can still love it, but there’s a discomfort now, a queasiness that lingers when you engage with it.

That’s exactly what’s happening with Take My Hand by Matt Berry, a song that has recently gained newfound attention for its inclusion in the Netflix documentary about Gabby Petito. The case of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie is unsettling, and the details surrounding her murder and Laundrie’s subsequent suicide continue to fascinate and disturb people. But one particular aspect of the documentary has caught many off guard—the song that plays in its final scene.


Take My Hand isn’t a new song. It has existed for years since 2009.. it was simply a well-loved track with a loyal following. If you look at the comments on YouTube videos featuring the song, you’ll see people praising it as far back as a decade ago. Many have even called it a “national treasure.” It was a song that people simply enjoyed—one that evoked feelings of peace, nostalgia, or even joy.



But its use in the Gabby Petito documentary has altered its meaning for many listeners. The song was reportedly on Gabby’s playlist around late August 2021, shortly before her disappearance and murder. There is debate over whether she added it herself or if Brian Laundrie did, which adds an eerie layer to its inclusion in the documentary. And now, rather than just being a song associated with road trips, nature, and life’s simple pleasures, it’s forever linked to one of the most widely discussed true crime cases of recent years.

What makes Take My Hand even more unsettling in this context is that, in many ways, it encapsulates what Gabby Petito’s life appeared to be. She was building a brand as a travel vlogger, someone who wanted to appreciate nature, embrace adventure, and find happiness in the moment. Whether that was her reality or simply an image projected online is another conversation, but the song now feels like a haunting reflection of what she was striving for.

Hearing it in the documentary, knowing what happened to her, makes the experience even more painful. The song is beautiful, almost uplifting in its melody—but when paired with the tragic circumstances, it takes on a new, sorrowful weight.

xxx

For longtime fans of the song, this change is unsettling. A song that once felt comforting or nostalgic now carries the weight of a murder-suicide and the lingering mysteries of the case. It has resurfaced on YouTube and playlists because of its association with the documentary, but now, listening to it feels different.



A few years ago, if you had it on your playlist, no one would have thought twice about it. Now, someone might hear it and immediately associate it with Gabby Petito’s tragic story. You may even find yourself having to explain why it’s still on your playlist. Some might view that as ghoulish, while others may understand that music often transcends the context it’s placed in.

There’s no right or wrong here. Personally, I still love the song and plan to keep it on my playlist. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t more uneasy when it comes on. When I heard it in the documentary, it hurt more than I expected. And now, when it pops up in my music rotation, I sometimes have to skip it—not because I don’t love it, but because I might not be ready for the emotions that come with it.

This is the strange, sometimes unsettling power of pop culture. A song, a movie, a piece of art—something that once held one meaning can suddenly take on another. And whether we embrace that shift or struggle with it, we can’t deny that it changes the way we experience it forever.

https://www.tiktok.com/@kenziiikathleen/video/7475160459726081326?q=gabby%20final%20scene&t=1740624896616

The lies are products tells us: Strange note gets some national attention

The weird note is spreading. So is the mystery ..

The world is beginning to pay a little more attention to the weird note that is being passed around through Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania grocery store products.. News organizations and politicians have begun to pay attention despite the note gaining “notoriety” for several years.

HORROR REPORT is lucky enough to be centered in ground zero of where the note has been spreading.
And speaking of ground zero, Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis also gave attention to the story during his national broadcast on January 11 2024.. All of the sudden, everyone wants to know.. what is with this note.

Scare Theater also is featuring the note..

Meanwhile.. the note is spreading..

In the last few days, we were contacted by a reader who reported that that strange and unsettling note being found in grocery store products is showing up yet again just in time for New Years Eve shopping!

This time a reader reports that it fell from a package of Little Debbie’s cream filled oatmeal cookies!

The product was purchased at the Dollar General in Barnesville PA.

For those who have found the note, it is bizarre and slightly unsettling. Those we spoke to who saw the note fall from their grocery store packages have reported feeling uneasy .. almost alarmed.. They try reading the note, attempt to understand the decipher.. and take to the internet to see what else people are saying.

In this case of the Barnesville oatmeal cookies, the reader went a step further telling us,

I’ve read it several times. I decided to goole lense it and I selected the listen function which google read it to me and it’s so different hearing it then actually reading it yourself and it’s creepy

Interestingly, this is the second time in three years the same person found the same note from a Dollar Store product in Barnesville!

We asked her if the product itself appeared to be tampered with–many have reported seeing openings in the box where notes could be slipped in. However, not this time.

This time it was inside the box. There is no possible way someone slipped it in there in the store. It was neatly folded in between the last 4 cookies in the box. There was also no evidence that it was tampered with either. Since this is the 2nd one I found, it kinda has me a little concerned, confused, and curious.

The confusion and concern is understandable!

But it also seems that it is not just this person. Our website had a seemingly strange increase in traffic over the previous week with many past stories about the “lies are products tell us” as the main searched item. We can only surmise that the item is being found in many more products given the renewed interest..

Since that time we were contacted on multiple by people finding the item in their grocery packages in the safety of their own home. Safety that suddenly feels oddly compromised when the note slips out of the box being opened.

Or in the case of the Little Debbie cookies–between them!

There is also a report from WBRE about the same note being found in a package by someone in Sugarloaf.. From that report,

“I opened up the box … I poured it out in my bowl and out came this paper that was all folded up just like this,” said Joe Miller of Sugarloaf Township.

Miller said he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He told WBRE/WYOU that he bought the box of Lucky Charm’s Smores cereal at a Luzerne County grocery store on Sunday, and opened it on Monday night.

“Oh, I was devastated. I mean I didn’t even want to eat the cereal, although, I still have the box here,” Miller explained. “Probably not going to eat it. I don’t know what’s inside the cereal or if this note laced with anything.”

WBRE went on to report that it is being noticed finally by some lawmakers.. Congressmen Dan Meuser (R-PA) and Matt Cartwright (D-PA) told WBRE/WYOU that they’ve been in contact with federal agencies, including the FBI and Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

x x x

We consider packaged food to be safe. Never mind the ingredients, but we assume the boxes are sanitary. We conclude they are inspected.. someone JUST HAS to be making sure nothing gets contaminated or tampered with..

So when that little note drops out, the safety of our kitchen becomes a little questionable. A little dicey. We get consumed with an untoward feeling.. It almost feels like a crime that has no suspect.. and you became the unintended victim.

If you have found this note we would love hearing about it — if you know anything about it, we would equally like to know.. If you are working within a manufacturing environment and can figure out how this occurs, equally we would love to hear.

The lies are products tell us.. the mystery continues. AT this point it is safe to assume it is not being slipped into the boxes at grocery stores. The plot thickens when it’s couched WITHIN the box of oatmeal cookies.