Episode 250: The Midnight Game
A candle, some salt, and a drop of blood. Gather these specific items, turn out all your lights, and wait until the clock strikes twelve. Complete the ritual and a dark entity will appear, one who tortures you with your deepest fears - at least according to this internet legend. It may have started as an online creepy pasta, but does this tale have any basis in reality? This week’s episode is The Midnight Game.
SOURCES
Behind Creepypasta, the Internet Community That Allegedly Spread a Killer Meme, Time: https://time.com/2818192/creepypasta-copypasta-slender-man/
CopyPasta, Know Your Meme: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/copypasta
Demonic mirrors and the Troxler Effect, What The Microscope Saw: http://www.whatthemicroscopesaw.co.uk/demonic-mirrors-the-troxler-effect/
Meet the Mesopotamian Demons, Getty Institute: https://www.getty.edu/news/meet-the-mesopotamian-demons/
Midnight Game on 4chan Archives: https://4chanarchives.com/board/x/thread/17767206
Paganism, How Stuff Works: https://people.howstuffworks.com/paganism.htm
Paranormal Games: The Midnight Man, iHorror: https://ihorror.com/paranormal-games-the-midnight-man/
Reviews: The Midnight Game, Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_midnight_game
Reviews: The Midnight Man, Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_midnight_man_2018
SebastianK22 on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sebastiank22/video/6890325884104920325
The Devil’s Hour: This Is Why You Might Feel Spooked Out At 3am, Yahoo News: https://yahoo.com/news/the-devils-hour-this-is-why-you-might-feel-153152317.html
The Midnight Game (2013): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2155391/
The Midnight Game Instructions, CreepyPasta: https://inuscreepystuff.blogspot.com/2010/08/midnight-game-instructions.html
The Midnight Game Reviews, IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2155391/reviews?ref_=tt_urv
The Midnight Man (2016): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5629964/
The Midnight Man Game, Whispering Dark: https://whisperingdark.wordpress.com/2013/07/24/midnight-man/
The Most Dangerous Game: The Midnight Game, The Ghost In My Machine: https://theghostinmymachine.com/2014/03/31/the-most-dangerous-games-the-midnight-game/
The Psychology of Horror Games, Platinum Paragon: http://platinumparagon.info/psychology-of-horror-games/
The Roles of Candles in Religion, The Melt Co: https://www.themeltco.com/blog/role-of-candles-in-religion/
Why the Ambiguous Allure of Ritual Creepypastas Is Chillingly Unforgettable, Horror Obsessive: https://horrorobsessive.com/2021/08/29/why-the-ambiguous-allure-of-ritual-creepypastas-is-chillingly-unforgettable/
Why You See Monsters in the Mirror, SciShow Psych: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJUK7WuOP1A
Witching Hour, Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/topic/witching-hour
Yule Log Ritual for Winter Solstice Magick, Patheos: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/witchonfire/2017/12/yule-log-ritual/