Screamer: Difference between revisions

Most screamers use scary/creepy images and loud sounds and screams to make their goal more effective (hence the name ''screamer''), per example, [[Regan MacNeil]] from the 1973's classic horror movie ''[[wikipedia:The Exorcist (film)|The Exorcist]]''. Some famous examples of screamers are [[The Maze]] by [[Jeremy Winterrowd]], [[Anne.jpg]], [[Ghost Caught on Tape]], [[What's Wrong?]] and the [[K-fee commercials]]. Horror films and professional horror games are not considered screamers since the viewers/players already know about jumpscares beforehand. Some screamers use disgusting and graphic images to gross the viewer out. These are called [[Shock site|shock sites]]. Shock sites can also be considered screamers since they intend to surprise and traumatize the viewer with unexpected content.

Some screamer websites contain [[:Category:Malicious scripts|Malicious scripts]], scripts in the screamer's source code that are intended to harm the viewer's device. Some screamers also come in the form of [[wikipedia:Scareware|scareware]], which is malicious software which seeks to both scare the viewer and harm their device. These types of screamers may use the following tactics to freak out their victims:  

* Putting the viewers device/browser into full screen mode right after a page loads

* Downloading other malicious software on the viewers device

Some better known examples of screamers with malicious scripts are [[000.exe]], [[Abantes]], [[McDonalds.exe]], [[Kkzkk.com]], [[Last Measure]], and [[Hikaru.exe]].

==Origins ==

[[File:K-fee Car.png|thumb|The '''[[K-fee Car]]''' commercial.|233x233px]]Even though the use of jumpscares in media can be traced back to the early 20th century,<ref>https://ultimatepopculture.fandom.com/wiki/Jump_scare</ref> screamers have been around since as far as the early [[:Category:1970s|1970s]] and slowly started to make surface on the web in the early [[:Category:2000|2000s]]. The first screamers to be aired on television in the 2000's were part of an advertising campaign named ''Wide Awake'' from [[K-fee]], for their new coffee drink called ''Turbodrink''. The nine ads consist of a peaceful scene with soothing music, but at some point in the ad, the scene gets briefly interrupted by either a zombie or a gargoyle jumping up and screaming at the camera, followed by the company's slogan and a picture of the product.

Because of their reputation as clever trolling tools and pranks, screamers have been featured quite frequently in works of fiction, including some well-known cartoons.

In the Cartoon Network animated series ''[[wikipedia:The Amazing World of Gumball|The Amazing World of Gumball]]'', the episode named “The Internet“, parodies the [[K-fee advertisements]]. In one scene, Gumball and Darwin appear randomly browsing the web while watching videos. Among these videos, they come across what is implied to be the K-fee ''Car'' ad. Gumball watches the video, commenting on the white car driving through the hills and staring closely at the screen, when suddenly a loud scream, which sounds nothing like the scream heard in the actual commercial, is heard, causing him to have an intense reaction which gets recorded and posted to the web. The rest of the episode involves Gumball trying to get rid of the video about his reaction, which has given him unwanted fame.

In Adult Swim's stop-motion animated sketch comedy series ''[[wikipedia:The Shivering Truth|The Shivering Truth]]'', the episode <nowiki>''The Burn Earner Spits''</nowiki>' cuts to a woman walking with an Umbrella until she stops. [[wikipedia:Vernon Chatman|Vernon Chatman]], the creator and narrator of the show attempt to count the numbers; which is abruptly cut by a Deformed-looking human face zooming in, accompanied by a piercing scream.

As screamers made surface on the web, people started recording their reactions to screamers and uploading the videos online. Eventually, [[reaction videos]] <span>became a trend on the Internet</span>. The concept of a reaction video is to get someone to play or watch a screamer while recording their reaction.

The first reaction video to [[The Maze]] was uploaded to YouTube by the user ''CantWeAllJusGetAlong'', on May 20th, 2006. In the now-deleted video, a young kid, named Justice, is playing The Maze. Then, he gets surprised by the screamer. Shocked, he starts screaming and repeatedly hitting the computer screen. He then runs to his stepdad Chad and starts crying. As of 2018, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh87njiWTmw the video] has over 27 million views.