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>general overview of "screamers"

A screamer, also known as a jumpscare or scary pop-up, is a type of game, video, website, or program that aims to scare and startle viewers by tricking them into focusing on the screen before revealing a sudden and often frightening change. Most screamers use a combination of creepy or unsettling images and loud, sudden noises to create a sense of shock and fear in the viewer. For example, a screamer might appear to be a harmless video or game, but then suddenly flash a disturbing image of a face or creature accompanied by a loud scream to achieve their intended effect. Unlike horror films and professional horror games, screamers are designed to surprise the viewer, and may even include graphic and disturbing images that shock and traumatize the viewer, making them a type of shock site.

Screamers often rely on deception to work. They may use clever editing, false promises, or other tricks to convince viewers that they are watching something harmless or mundane. The most famous example of this is What's Wrong With This Picture?, The Maze by Jeremy Winterrowd and more. This is often done to make the eventual jump scare more effective, as the viewer is caught off guard and taken by surprise. Despite their popularity and notoriety, screamers remain a controversial and divisive form of internet content. These types of pranks are often spread through social media and messaging platforms, and typically rely on the viewer being unaware of the content they are about to see. In some cases, screamers are used as a form of advertising, although this practice has been criticized for being uncommercial and upsetting to viewers. Many websites and online communities have implemented policies against screamers and similar content, citing concerns over the psychological impact on viewers, particularly those who may be vulnerable or have anxiety or other mental health issues.

Origins

The first screamer to be aired on television in the 20th century was an anti-heroin campaign titled Monkey on Their Backs, which features a wind-up monkey toy playing its cymbals while a young girl's voice discusses addiction to heroin. Suddenly, the monkey stops playing and the camera zooms in on its face, which abruptly changes to a still image of a real-life monkey screaming at the viewer, accompanied by a loud primate scream. The text "Why do you think they call it DOPE?" appears on screen. One of the earliest screamers in the 19th century was a program created by Patrick Evans, titled "Nightmare" that, when executed, features a digital image of a skull facing right with its jaws open, covered in blood, and bearing a bullet wound.

In advertising

Prior to the emergence of screamer videos, a number of public service announcements were broadcasted with the intention of shocking viewers with disturbing imagery in order to raise awareness about various issues. One early example is the Faroe Islands (WDC) PSA which depicted the slaughter of dolphins by islanders. In addition to public service announcements, screamers were also utilized as a means of advertising. Perhaps the most well-known example of advertising screamers is the controversial "Wide Awake" campaign launched in April 2005 by German beverage company K-fee. The campaign consisted of nine 20-second television commercials that portrayed peaceful scenes which were abruptly interrupted by the appearance of a zombie or a gargoyle screaming at the camera, followed by the company's slogan and product. The advertisements were criticized for being uncommercial and upsetting, with many viewers complaining to K-fee, which subsequently took the commercials off air. Although it is rumored that a warning message was displayed before the advertisement played, this has not been proven. The K-Fee Car commercial was featured on several TV shows, including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, K-Fee's official website, Tarrant on TV, and America's Funniest Home Videos. In 2021, a one-hour documentary video featuring the actors from the commercials was uploaded to YouTube by Rhys Lapsley.

The advertising campaign for the 2018 horror film "The Nun" utilized an unskippable YouTube ad that violated the platform's "shocking content policy." The ad featured an iOS device volume icon and then suddenly transitioned to the titular character with a loud scream. A Twitter post featuring a clip of the ad went viral, garnering over 145,000 likes and 132,000 retweets, as well as numerous complaints to YouTube. The platform subsequently removed the ad.

Internet screamers

Internet screamers is another term of "screamer" that defines various form of online media as a form of video, website or a program that are intended to scare the viewer.

One of the most notable example of internet screamer was 2004 computer game made with Adobe Flash, The Maze. Created by Jeremy Winterrowd in 2003, this interactive media is disguised as a simple computer game in which players use their mouse to guide a blue square through a narrow path without touching the walls. As the player advances through the levels, the walls progressively become smaller, making it increasingly challenging to avoid hitting them. This design prompts players to bring their faces closer to the screen and concentrate on the game. At the third level, the walls become so thin that it becomes difficult to avoid touching them. At this point, regardless of whether the player succeeds or fails, an image of Regan MacNeil, the possessed character portrayed by Linda Blair in the horror movie The Exorcist suddenly appears on the screen accompanied by an edited sound effect of her screaming playing twice. This jumpscare tactic is a hallmark of internet screamers.

In addition to the flash game, there are various other types of screamers that involve staring at a dot or finding the difference between two pictures. One notable example is the 2001 screamer called "What's Wrong With This Picture?" or simply "What's Wrong?" The screamer begins with a normal stock photo of a dining room and asks the viewer to find something wrong with it. After 30 seconds, the image suddenly changes to an eyeless woman with a wide open mouth putting her hands around the side of her face, accompanied by a loud scream. This screamer gained significant popularity and was even featured in The New York Times on April 22, 2002. The creator of the animation, Jaybill, stated that he made the screamer "exclusively for the purpose of scaring my girlfriend."

In some cases, internet screamers may be created with malicious intent, designed to deceive the viewer into believing that their computer has been infected with a virus or that they have unintentionally accessed illegal content. These types of screamers can be particularly dangerous, as they have the potential to cause panic or anxiety in the viewer and may even result in them inadvertently downloading malware or other harmful software. In some cases, malicious screamers may be disguised as seemingly harmless content. One well-known example of a malicious screamer is McDonalds.exe. Upon execution, the program would display an excerpt from a horror story before returning to the desktop and opening a dialogue box containing an email address and phone number. After a brief second, the screen would cut to a black-and-white image of a pale woman, which would intermittently display on the screen until the process was terminated.