Written by Jonathan Wojcik
Favorite Monsters by Trevor Henderson
Halloween II continues! If you're looking for inspiration while you write us a creepypasta or you just feel like being spookified this cold, dark winter, artist Trevor Henderson has been making some real waves with an ongoing series of haunting images typically posted to his tumblr under Slimyswampghost, and we're going to share thirteen of my personal favorites right here!
"Screenshot taken from one of 9 transmissions that intercepted normal scheduling on Chicago's WGN-TV in the summer of 1987. Repeated exposure purportedly lead to symptoms of fatigue, dizziness, and in one case, internal bleeding in a 6 year old child. There has been much discussion as to the source and nature of the broadcasts in the subsequent years, leading to a "cult following" of the show, and even self-proclaimed fans of the three characters shown in the broadcasts, later dubbed "The Three Jesters". Recordings of the broadcasts go for large sums online, and fans persist in watching the tapes to this day, despite the rumoured harmful physical effects."
This was one of the very first in what would become this series, and as simple as it is, I still find it effectively alarming. Creepier images have certainly crept into real children's shows, so the imagery isn't too far fetched, but it really hits that perfect spot for me that really makes a character's face far scarier than it should be the moment you take it out of a wholesome context.
"She was on vacation with her husband and they were scoping out graveyards on the way, as you do, when she saw it. Rising out of the old cemetery, big as an old (macabre) telephone pole. Was this some kind of bizarre art piece the authorities hadn't gotten wise to yet? Even as she stepped out of the car, the megaphones on it's "head" screeched to life. "NINE. EIGHTEEN. ONE. CHILD. SEVENTEEN. REMOVE. VILE.". A buzzing, doubled voice screamed random words at her. At this point, it jerked into motion, striding down the hill towards her."
This is neither the first nor the last appearance by Siren Head, and it should be easy to see why it was an instant fan favorite. We've got all the tall, spindly creepiness of other horror figures, but with the far more interesting twist of inexplicable loudspeakers where its head ought to be...and cryptic, strange dialog shouted from the same. Sometimes it even imitates its victims - or previous victims - as a lure, while the rest of its gnarled body blends in with trees and power lines.
"Everyone had abandoned this place. After what had happened, you know. It left a stain on the place. All this time, it's been alone in here, festering. And now, it's free."
This is a personal favorite of mine for the design alone; the visual of shining eyeballs atop a roughly torso-shaped mass of red veins is far too cool, and it looks to me like it actually casts a more humanoid shadow on the wall behind it, though whatever's going on, it's a great looking spirit to accompany this little snippet of dialog. Both these images and their captions work together to craft stories that leave just enough unanswered to amp up the dread.
"Homebody"
No story comes with this one, and that's fine, because it's one of the most horrifying images I've ever seen. At a quick glance, it looks almost just real enough, and you're left wondering what exactly you're looking at. We can assume the arm belongs to the entity we can see in the kitchen, but why is it there? What is the Homebody? Do its pieces just manifest all throughout the house?!
"LOOK
ALL WAYS
BEFORE
CROSSING"
ALL WAYS
BEFORE
CROSSING"
This one is just a bunch of spooky, floating faces that might seem par for the course as far as this series goes, but they're based on a real, actual image published in a newspaper over fifty years ago:
"The old dish at the airbase drew them in"
This one doesn't really evoke a sense of fear or horror in me so much as "wow, those things are COOL!" Whatever they are, they almost evoke a limbless humanoid that flies around face-down, which is pretty unnerving, but not enough to overpower the sense that we're seeing some fascinatingly alien or otherdimensional species of life.
"Rumours started after the body was found that he used to practice black magic, that the tunnels had been the place where he brought people to sacrifice, where he summoned all kinds of weird shit to do his bidding. All horse crap, of course. Still, people see things sometimes."
This one posits a fairly typical "occult magic" scenario, but this HEINOUSLY unsettling, floating baby-like figure breathes some fresh life into the trope. That is definitely something I'd just lump into "all kinds of weird shit," the mind racing to imagine not only what this entity is, but what else haunts these underground halls.
"—-the morning of June 23rd, 2013, the Naviss family is found—-
—-cause of death is determined to be asphyxia—–
—–after coroners found strips of cotton, lodged deep in their throa—–"
—-cause of death is determined to be asphyxia—–
—–after coroners found strips of cotton, lodged deep in their throa—–"
If you didn't think you could ever take a floating bedsheet seriously as a source of terror, I think this image should have already changed your mind, or at least nudged it in a slightly new direction. That is the most ominous bedsheet ghost I have likely ever seen, with or without the implication that it smothers people to death, and is it more or less scary if it's actually NOT a ghost? We certainly have no confirmation on that either way.
"I had that dream again, about the horse on the stairs."
This one is another fan darling, and once again, I agree. The caption is already ominous, but by "horse" we apparently mean this thing we can't see much more of because its head and neck are just that damn long.
"The late hours in this town belong to those other people, the night people. They're very quiet, despite their size, and very different than us. More important than that, they don't like being seen. So we get the day, and they get the night. Don't get caught out after dark. "
This is another one that might be disturbing to some, but the entity and the story have a fantastical atmosphere that calls to mind older fairy folklore and youkai tales, filling me with a sense of wonderment and awe that sort of overwhelms the horror factor...though that's definitely there.
"i have the body of a pig
oink
oink
oink "
oink
oink
oink "
The quote is from an infamous "EVP recording," allegedly the voice of an "actual" ghost, and while I don't believe in actual ghosts, this is definitely one of the most disturbing things you could ever even mistakenly hear after recording the sound of an empty room, and Trevor's illustration is superb...even if this being's problems are really more from the neck up.
"It was only years later that i found out what really happened. It didn't kill him. That WAS him, man."
What? WHAT really happened?! I want to know, but I also don't want to know. Knowing would quite possibly ruin all the fun and excitement!
"Easter hunting"
I feel like this is actually one of the very, very scariest. The basement overflowing with old plastic Easter eggs is disquieting all on its own, but Trevor adds something to the background, dark and indistinct enough that we just barely get the impression of an inhuman figure. You could almost miss that this image was altered at all, which gives it an even more authentic feel.
"all the bodies were missing facial features
i think it's trying to fix itself"
i think it's trying to fix itself"
Jesus.
FOR MORE, VISIT SLIMY SWAMP GHOST!
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