10 Classic Cursed Youtube Videos Still Stressing Out The Internet [Watch]
Mary Beth McAndrews
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YouTube is a treasure trove of content. You can teach yourself how to crochet or how to fix a sink. Make-up artists can teach you how to get that perfect contour. Video game streamers play through horror games so you don’t have to. But with all of this helpful and entertaining content, there are plenty of videos that are creepy and downright disturbing. As a teen of 00s. many of these videos absolutely wrecked my still-developing brain.
So grab those headphones, turn off the lights, and prepare to get scared.
Rubber Johnny
This is the video that haunted me to the point that I could never finish watching it. I was so convinced this was real and the titular Johnny was going to get me. However, Rubber Johnny was a creation of Chris Cunningham for a short film and music video for Aphex Twin. The night vision and repeated use of eyeshine make this feel like a hellish found footage movie.
Video dating tape
Dating videotapes have been parodied across YouTube and TV (here’s looking at your Tim and Eric). But this video takes parody to another terrifying level where you aren’t actually sure what’s real and what’s fiction. The seemingly innocuous men in Hawaiian shirts quickly become threatening as they scream at trapped women offscreen. On top of that, unnerving clips from children’s cartoons are spliced in. It’s the epitome of deeply unsettling content that tests the boundaries of reality.
The Max Headroom Incident
This one is just downright horrifying because it actually happened. In 1987, two broadcast signals in Chicago, IL were hijacked by an individual dressed like Max Headroom. For 30 seconds, this person spoke in gibberish, talking about news media, Coke, and ended the broadcast by getting spanked by a flyswatter. Absolutely bizarre. And the kicker is that the culprit was never found. Sure, it’s rather innocuous in the grand scheme of things, but just imagine watching TV and having that face pop up on your TV. No thanks!
The Mysterious Stranger
Children’s cartoons from the 1980s were not always that kid-friendly. Take this clip from the 1985 movie The Adventures of Mark Twain. Satan, rendered in uncanny claymation and a distorted voice, is constantly shapeshifting on his tiny island floating in nothingness. This stranger then decides to teach a group of kids a lesson about humanity and death. Nothing like letting Satan explain mortality in a children’s movie.
Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared
Now this is a classic horrifying YouTube video that I still quote to this day. Many of the videos on this list resemble found footage horror, pieces of amateur-shot video hastily uploaded to prove the existence of something supernatural. Then, there’s Don’t Hug Me, I’m Scared, a beautifully done video complete with puppets that gets absolutely revolting. Remember kids, green is not a creative color.
Salad Fingers
Salad Fingers is another classic YouTube creation that shows off just how scary animation can be. David Firth, a British animator with a penchant for the disturbing, created the series. His Salad Fingers series follows the titular creature as he navigates a desolate landscape and finds joy in rusty spoons. He’s both endearing and terrifying. But the world around him is even more threatening, becoming more dangerous by the minute.
Body of a Pig
Look, I know that a lot of the so-called paranormal videos uploaded to YouTube are fakes created to get views. And Body of a Pig is no different. Despite this fact, it’s still downright freaky as we hear a disembodied voice whisper “I have the boy of a pig” then oink. This is why we don’t go looking for ghosts in abandoned locations at 3 AM!
I Feel Fantastic
I Feel Fantastic is weird enough on its own, but the context is even creepier. So here you have an android dressed in women’s clothing, singing “I Feel Fantastic” in a strange autotuned voice with weird synth in the background. The android, named Tara, was the creation of Jon Bergeron. It’s the typical strange fodder of the early internet. But then the rumors started to circulate that Bergeron was a serial killer and Tara was dressed in his victim’s clothes. While it was never confirmed, it was never denied either… No matter what, Tara and her songs are haunting.
Lost Man Catacombs
If you loved As Above, So Below then you’ll enjoy this supposedly real footage of a man getting lost in the Paris Catacombs. He may also be running from something chasing him through the tight corridors. This video, used in an ABC Family Special, is claustrophobic and unsettling as you wait for something horrible to appear around one of these tight corners. The man in the footage was never found.
Possible Fallen Angel in Catalonia
This video plays out like the beginning of a found footage movie I’d love to see. It takes place in Spain where two men supposedly find giant feathers, then a man with massive wounds on his back. They assert he’s a fallen angel and a scary one at that. While the video was debunked (I’ll admit my young brain wanted it to be real), its vibe is incredibly impressive and well-executed.
This Is A Special Time
I despise this video for how uncomfortable it makes me. It’s very obviously an ad, and while I hate it, Little Baby’s Ice Cream did sure grab everyone’s attention. The video features a person, made of ice cream, eating themselves all while staring directly into the camera. It’s haunting and I want it removed from the internet.
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