User:WritingAboutCreepypastas/Jeff the Killer
History
In August 2008,[1] a user going by "killerjeff" posted the image which would become synonymous with the creepypasta. In the original post, killerjeff described the character he created, Jeff, as a "Bloody Mary game". To see Jeff, one must go into a closet, chant "He's in here with me," and then say Jeff's name. In the comments section, killerjeff switches to first-person when talking about Jeff, although he adopts a flippant attitude. He explains Jeff's appearance as the result of a bleach-related accident while cleaning his bathtub.[2]
The character of Jeff the Killer would be developed more seriously — and disturbingly — in fan-written media, which have attributed to him supernatural abilities, emotional struggles, and the catchphrase, "Go to sleep", which Jeff says before murdering his victims. The best-known story was posted to the Creepypasta Wiki in 2011. The text depicts Jeff as a 13-year-old who moves to a new town with his family. He and his brother, Liu — also created by killerjeff — are picked on by bullies who douse Jeff in bleach and alcohol and set him on fire. Driven insane, Jeff rejoices in his new appearance, burns off his eyelids so that he can always see his "beautiful" face, and cuts his mouth into a "smile", before killing his family.[3] killerjeff is one of the few creepypasta creators who actively claim authority over their characters. He has refused to accept certain fan stories and, in 2017, disparaged catchphrases such as "Go to sleep" and "It's a joy" as "fanfiction".[4]
Image
Like SCP-173 and Izumi Kato's sculpture "Untitled 2004", Jeff the Killer has become synonymous with the initial image even though it was originated elsewhere.[5] The image first appeared on a Japanese website in 2005 before showing up in a fake 2007 broadcast on YouTube.[2]
Portrayals
References
- ^ Taylor 2020, p. 999.
- ^ a b Taylor 2020, p. 986.
- ^ Taylor 2020, pp. 986–987.
- ^ Taylor 2020, pp. 995.
- ^ Taylor 2020, p. 996.
Bibliography
- Taylor, Tosha R. (2020). "Horror Memes and Digital Culture". In Bloom, Clive (ed.). The Palgrave Handbook of Contemporary Gothic. Springer. ISBN 978-3-030-33135-1.