Jeff the Killer: Difference between revisions

Prior to the release of the original backstory video, a character known as [[Jeff The Killer]] gained attention on the Newgrounds account "killerjeff," created by Sesseur on June 7, 2006.<ref name="Nerdvana">Houston, Madison. “From Legendary Horror Icon to Internet Meme: Jeff The Killer.” Nerdvana, 1 Mar. 2017, nerdvanamedia.com/sci-fi-fantasy/legendary-horror-icon-internet-meme-jeff-killer/118341/.</ref><ref name="Daily Dot" /> Sesseur portrayed his own version of Jeff in this account. In a news post dated August 10th, 2008, Sesseur mentioned discovering a photoshopped image on [[Encyclopedia Dramatica]] and decided to develop a backstory for it. Originally, Jeff was intended to be part of a game similar to Bloody Mary, in which a participant would need to hide in a dark room closet, sit cross-legged, and repeatedly say "He's in here with me" three times while turning their head back and forth. Afterward, the person was to close their eyes and call out the name "Jeff" to make him supposedly appear before them, until the participant stands still or compliments him; otherwise, nightmares were said to follow.<ref>killerjeff.newgrounds.com/news/post/169853</ref>

On October 3rd, 2008,<ref name="Daily Dot">III, Fernando Alfonso. “4chan Hunts down the Origins of an Internet Horror Legend.” The Daily Dot, 1 June 2021, <nowiki>https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/4chan-x-origins-jeff-the-killer/</nowiki></ref> a YouTube video presented a different version of Jeff The Killer's backstory compared to the one mentioned earlier. In this version, Jeff accidentally spilled a gallon of acid on his face while cleaning a bathtub.<ref name="Daily Dot" /> The more widely known version, created by a fan of his earlier work, depicts Jeff's transformation into an insane serial killer. Interestingly, Jeff's real name in this story is Jeffery C. Hodek, not "Jeffrey Woods." The original backstory video, which once existed, got removed when YouTube terminated Sesseur's channel. Subsequently, a Brazilian channel called PhenomenonPoltergeist re-uploaded the video to YouTube on January 20, 2014, but without any audio, as the original version contained "I Guess You're Right" by The Posies as background music. At a later point, the video with the original audio surfaced on YouTube through a user named Bob's Brother, but it was eventually deleted when that channel faced termination.

On August 14, 2011, the image was posted to [[4chan]] captioned "Go to sleep"; the caption had become known as Jeff's signature catchphrase.

During the rise of creepypastas' popularity, various screamers incorporated the image of Jeff the Killer to frighten viewers. Examples of these screamers include [[Anne.jpg]], [[Spooky Scary Skeletons]] and others. The first screamer to feature Jeff the Killer as a jumpscare image was in a YouTube video titled [[NNN Special Broadcast]] created on August 2, 2007, as part of a horror film project called "Victims of Tomorrow." In this video, the Jeff the Killer image appears at the 4:11 mark, followed by the text "おやすみなさい" on a black screen, which translates to "good sleep" in English, resembling the phrase "go to sleep."

The image sparked controversy<ref name="Nerdvana" /> when rumors circulated that it depicted an unedited photograph of a woman named "Katy Robinson," who allegedly committed suicide due to cyberbullying on 4chan.<ref name="Daily Dot" /> The rumors stemmed from a post dated April 21, 2008, supposedly written by Katy Robinson's brother, claiming her suicide was a result of online bullying. However, other 4chan users disputed this claim, stating that the image was of a dog with a broken jaw.<ref name="Daily Dot" /> In an interview with ScareTheater, Sesseur, the creator of the earlier story, claimed that the image was of himself wearing a white latex mask.<ref><nowiki>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhPpcvD01Ok&t=90s "Interview with the Creator of Jeff the Killer"]</nowiki> December 12, 2015 - via [[YouTube]].</ref>  

Interestingly, the earliest known sighting of this image occurred on the Japanese message board, pya.cc, where two versions of the image (a less edited and a more edited one) were uploaded between September 10 and November 16, 2005, by users Mr. Malholland and Omega Boruto (Omega Volt).<ref name="Reddit">[Jeff the Killer - new image origins? "<nowiki>https://www.reddit.com/r/creepypasta/comments/bd5wzp/jeff_the_killer_new_image_origins/</nowiki>"] - u/[deleted] on Reddit.</ref> The first version, titled "White powder (2)," was less edited than the one associated with the character of Jeff. Further research revealed that the woman in the picture was actually named "Katherine White," who was alive and raising two children. A Reddit user even contacted Katherine on Facebook to inquire about the rumors circulating on 4chan, to which she responded by threatening legal action against those responsible for spreading the false death rumor on /b/.<ref name="Reddit" /> It turns out that the image of this woman was initially posted on the site TrueChristian.com on November 17, 2004.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20061122165849/http://www.truechristian.com/favoa.html</ref>

An alternative story emerged from users on 4chan's /b/ imageboard, attempting to explain the origin of these images. This narrative revolves around an alleged woman named "Victoria," who worked as a webcam model on [[wikipedia:Stickam|Stickam]] and utilized /b/ for self-promotion. A /b/ user took a screenshot of her face and asked the board if she was pretty. Subsequently, other users on 4chan began photoshopping the image and posting their edited versions in response, with one user posting a less-edited version along with the caption "Now you are." Once the woman became aware of the post, she promptly disappeared from the internet.<ref><nowiki>[https://archive.4plebs.org/x/thread/23477917/ "Finding the unedited image of "Jeff" (Oldfag Edition)"]</nowiki> 28 Sep 2019 - Anonymous on 4chan.org</ref> "Victoria" is yet another example of individuals rumored to be the person in the image. Additionally, there is a separate rumor suggesting the image depicts an overweight Japanese girl in a room with hanging laundry, who allegedly spammed her image across the Japanese image board 2chan (Futaba Channel) in 2004.