Creepypasta Wiki:Creepy Clichés

The following is a list of what are generally considered to be overused clichés. That doesn't mean to avoid them at all costs; in fact, some of these are overused because they are highly usable. But if the story you're planning on writing incorporates many of these, that should be a warning sign, as they tend to bring the reader out of the story, and will more than likely interfere with their suspension of disbelief.

And remember: this is a list of actual cliches, not complaints or opinons (no matter how valid they may be.) If you have a complaint that isn't about cliches and more about things that generally tick you off in pastas, try making a blog post about it instead.

General Clichés

 * The true nature of reality being beyond man's ability to know.
 * Anything starting with the phrase "I know you're not going to believe this".
 * Also "I used to be a skeptic, but..."
 * Scary shit in mirrors.
 * Generic places that are scary ("I live in a town somewhere and this happened to me" as opposed to "I live just outside of Boston, here's what happened").
 * The numbers 13 and 666.
 * Creepy shit smiling at you. AlixeTiir 00:56, July 27, 2011 (UTC)
 * Random, pointless violence (people disemboweling others or being disemboweled, people fucking up someone's eyes, etc.). Not only is it cliché, it's annoying; it's an obvious cheap gimmick to add some crazy disturbing aspect to your story. Neito 04:15, July 27, 2011 (UTC)
 * A time traveller killed/tried to kill [Insert Famous Person Here]. Usually the famous person is a president, such as in The President and Leon Czolgosz.
 * Falsely beliving something is over, and then creepy shit happening again anyway.
 * Using the word "suddenly" in a lame attempt to link in some completely random happening, usually violent. "Suddenly a skeleton popped out of the closet and ripped my eyeballs out. I was staggering around screaming when suddenly he disappeared again. Suddenly, I was alone. I was suddenly afraid." Gah. Stop. It. Edhla 05:46, September 12, 2011 (UTC)
 * Using "This actually happened to me" or "This isn't a creepypasta, it really happened!" in an attempt to turn up suspense only kills it. Especially "You have to believe me" or "You won't believe this" is added on. Suspension of disbelief is broken when directly addressed. --King Starscream 18:19, September 27, 2011 (UTC)
 * Making the first word/letter of every paragraph spell out something, usually something along the lines of "DON'T LOOK BEHIND YOU!". This usually makes the reader laugh from such a silly attempt to scare, especially if they're sitting with a wall behind them. --aradials18:56, October 30th, 2011 (GMT)
 * On the same note, ending the pasta with "YOU'RE NEXT!!!!" What are you, twelve?! Furbearingbrick 21:46, December 18, 2011 (UTC)
 * When someone burns a note/cardridge/tape/cd/something else only to find it laying on their desk. Unclever Name 18:14, November 6, 2011 (UTC)Unclever Name
 * Adding in a message written in binary. Saying it was in binary, and what it translates to is enough - ones and zeroes are not creepy. --King Starscream 23:13, November 10, 2011 (UTC)
 * Starting a story with "Don't read this or you'll be cursed" or similar will just make people not read it. --King Starscream 20:47, November 14, 2011 (UTC)
 * HELPME. Nuff said.
 * Slenderman. CreationofUnease 07:52, December 24, 2011 (UTC)
 * Zalgo text. It's just not scary anymore, plus it's hard to read and incredibly annoying. Furbearingbrick 20:28, December 26, 2011 (UTC)
 * File extensions. "Supersuicide.avi", you are a "candyass.exe". Use them with caution. Wadster97 23:56, July 26, 2011 (UTC)
 * The word "Demonic" is a dead word. 19:38, January 4, 2012 (UTC)
 * Using hyper-realistic eyes or empty sockets or bleeding eyes, it's used too much The King Of Waffles 03:19, January 15, 2012 (UTC) (I used that in my pasta and got PotM, haha. I didn't know it was a cliche back then. Mr. Pengy 20:27, January 31, 2012 (UTC))
 * Mentioning Hell, or claiming something to be from or connected to Hell. Referenced and done passably in such pastas as suicidemouse.avi, but fucking awful in shit like Life.exe.

General Video Game Clichés

 * Haunted cartridge (Copying the original story BEN).
 * Classic childhood game with super-violent content added.
 * The cartridge/label shows obvious signs of tampering. Furbearingbrick 21:58, August 16, 2011 (UTC)
 * Obviously technically impossible stuff, such as games that delete themselves in such a way that you can't recover them, or games with "perfect" copy protection. (Such as Killswitch, which is both.) This includes older games having graphics/sound/visual effects beyond the system's technical limitations.
 * "Hidden" content in popular games (such as Pokémon, that have been gone over with a fine toothed comb a thousand times).
 * Takeoffs on meme/fad characters (Herobrine, etc.)
 * The game knows my name (even though I never put it in anywhere/the game has no ability for me to change my characters/save files name). An example is Kingdom Hearts: The Other Mix. However this was pulled off rather successfully in The Lion King Sega Game Creepypasta.
 * Song generally regarded as "creepy" plays on repeat or backwards (HI, LAVENDER TOWN THEME!). MothmanVQX 00:43, July 27, 2011 (UTC)
 * Of note is the fact that most video game background music is on repeat ANYWAY.


 * Not being able to turn off/unplug the game console/TV. Assassin's_Creed has a good (bad) example of this one toward the late middle. Rather than doing this in order to explain why you didn't just turn off the game when it started getting creepy, simple human curiosity is a much more sane explanation.
 * On the same note, being unable to turn the volume off/down. Furbearingbrick 21:58, August 16, 2011 (UTC)
 * Buying the game from someone at a yard sale; the seller usually having a story behind the game (i.e. "the kid who used to own this game was a very disturbed but brilliant hacker.("BEN")
 * The person who sold you the game is no longer there.
 * Trying to relive some childhood nostalgia. (i.e. Easter Egg-Snow on Mt. Silver, Pokemon Lost Silver, Super Mario 64, Jessica)
 * This mod was PMed to me personally/found it on a skeezy looking site/found on a random disc and ZOMG IT'S SUPAH CREEPY GUIZ. Jvk1166z.esp, for example. Neito 20:30, July 27, 2011 (UTC)
 * The game's talking to me, telling me to go away, turn back or something of that sort. MARIO, even though it's a real hack, is exactly this. Neito 20:33, July 27, 2011 (UTC)
 * Characters begging you (or appearing to beg you) not to go to certain places or do certain things, like Elliot in the NiGHTS Into Dreams pasta.
 * Roblox. That's all there is to say. Dronian 23:32, July 27, 2011 (UTC)
 * Minecraft is getting like this now.
 * Unless you have the sheer skill to pull off a creepy story about Minecraft, without (hopefully) referencing Herobrine, then your pasta may be quite tasty. But if you're planning something Herobrine related, or in the sense that characters have no pupils... save your time and I wouldn't do it. However, some people absolutely love Minecraft and people's takes on it on here. Also, don't make up some stupid backstory if you decide to write about Herobrine. --Retro Man 404 22:56, December 24, 2011 (UTC)
 * Describing a game in such a way as to make it creepy (Play, My Perfect World, Shattered) Neito 05:03, July 28, 2011 (UTC)
 * Random .EXE files appearing on your computer or being sent to you by an 'anonymous sender'. User:Retro Man 404 17:00, October 15, 2011 (GMT +0)
 * When the player refuses to shut down the console/TURNBACK and has real dead/mutilated bodies appear all over the screen. Or it just happens randomly because the ghost is ****ing evil.
 * Downloading obviously suspicious ROMs or Hacks because "you desperately need to play."
 * Opening a ZIP or RAR that has a text file reading "HELP ME" or "I WARNED YOU", but then running the EXE anyway.
 * Games that mess with your computer background or desktop icons. Also applies to pastas about video files.
 * Thinking that certain things were just some "minor glitches" MoMo6 14:52, December 28, 2011 (UTC)
 * Destroying the cartridge/disc/game card in disgust as an explanation for why you can't provide proof of the game's existence; that's just lazy writing. Also applies to DVDs and VHS tapes in Lost Episode pastas. Furbearingbrick 23:07, January 19, 2012 (UTC)
 * The person who was selling the game (yard, eBay, whatever) was begging for people to buy it, with low price too. Just too many of those. Crossfire2 15:04, February 7, 2012 (UTC)
 * Also, the ebay account/yardsale/old creepy game store mysteriously disappears if the narrator tries to check back in.TomorrowTomorrow

Pokemon Cliches

 * Pokemon with abandonment issues.
 * Pokemon dying instead of fainting when you defeat them in battle.
 * Anything to do with Lavender Town, but especially "Lavender Town Syndrome ."
 * Unowns leaving creepy messages to the player (ie: Lost Silver, Nightmare In Kanto)
 * Vengeful/jealous Pokemon from a previous generation or save file. Furbearingbrick 19:54, January 31, 2012 (UTC)
 * Distorted/demonic-sounding Pokemon cries. Furbearingbrick 03:35, February 1, 2012 (UTC)

Lost Episode Clichés

 * Got it on a website that doesn't exist anymore and nobody else in the universe has a copy.
 * Like with video game pastas, obtaining the episode from a garage or yard sale. Furbearingbrick 22:00, August 16, 2011 (UTC)
 * I was an intern - SHUT THE FUCK UP. How many times have I heard that? Originally from Squidward's Suicide, but used in others like Pearl.avi. Wadster97 23:56, July 26, 2011 (UTC)
 * With this one try and make it something else since normally interns dont get to see that stuff or do stuff that is actually possible. I know I shouldnt give examples but do something like: I was one of the editors and with this series (like some others) I send off my clip to some other people and they check it over and sometimes do some changes.991woot119 08:47, December 7, 2011 (UTC)
 * A spike in the suicide rate of the target audience after it was aired (also applies to video games). MothmanVQX 00:43, July 27, 2011 (UTC)
 * Content that could obviously never get past the FCC or any channels Standards and Practices board ending up being broadcast.
 * Using "Goodbye" (INSERT CHARACTER HERE) as the title of the episode. Dronian 13:22, August 6, 2011 (UTC)
 * Almost every fucking one of these pastas is "The death and/or suicide of (insert character here)". YeMonkeycxr
 * Posting the story and/or video up on a website, only for it to get deleted in minutes. Legendarygunner1987
 * The quality of the picture or video is very bad. Nick Glade 19:42, September 15, 2011 (UTC)
 * Never have it only being in a small area where not many people view it. It would be aired there last.991woot119 08:47, December 7, 2011 (UTC)
 * Characters crying, screaming, and/or bleeding in a "hyper realistic" manner.
 * Most of the episode being distorted, and the viewer can only see killing or aformentioned "hyper-realsitic" imagery. Furbearingbrick 17:03, December 26, 2011
 * With older shows, showing or mentioning a culturally-signifigant event or item that hadn't yet happened when the episode was made, like 9/11 or an iPad showing up in a show made in 1983. Popularized by Happy Happy, but originally used in a Seinfield pasta (the actual name of it escapes me at the moment.) Furbearingbrick 13:21, January 11, 2012 (UTC)
 * Not sure if this fits here, but any theory about a series in which weird things happen on a regular basis (the Pokemon anime, Flapjack, Chowder, Adventure Time, etc.) which states the protagonist is actually dead or in a coma, and the entire show is a figment of thier imaginations. Also applies to video games. Furbearingbrick 20:00, January 31, 2012 (UTC)
 * Scenes and shit "cutting to black". How many times have I heard that? Also applies to videogame pastas. &quot;A child&#39;s rhyme stuck in my head, it said that life is but a dream...&quot; 21:03, February 7, 2012 (UTC)
 * Zalgofied cartoon characters. Jabronis 21:47, February 8, 2012 (UTC)
 * One character killing all other characters, usually a protagonist. Jabronis 21:47, February 8, 2012 (UTC)
 * Actor(s) or Directors being arrested, killed, or sent to a mental asylum after the episode airs. MangoMonkey