I’ve always been a huge horror fan, and it all started when I gained unrestricted internet access at age five. I was on YouTube a lot, so I was always up to date on the latest horror challenges and games.
Here’s a few that were a part of my childhood that you may know of:
Charlie Charlie Challenge
This was a game that was popularized on the internet in 2015 where people would try to contact a Mexican ghost by using paper and two pencils. It was rumored to be a traditional Mexican game, but there isn’t any evidence to support that claim.
To play, you would create a grid on a piece of paper with four squares with two labeled as “yes” and the other two labeled as “no.” Then, you would place two balanced pencils in the center to create a cross. The goal was to contact the spirit of Charlie Charlie by asking questions like, “Charlie, Charlie, are you here?” The pencil would either move towards “yes” or “no” to indicate if the spirit is present. To finish the game, chant “Charlie, Charlie, can we stop?”
When I was in elementary school, there was a period of time where I was constantly consuming YouTube content about this challenge. I even tried it myself one time, but my dad shut down my hopes and dreams of contacting a spirit by telling me the game was fake. Either the wind moved the pencils, or people would blow on them to cause them to move.
One Man Hide and Seek Challenge
This was another game that blew up in 2015 as a viral YouTube trend. However, it actually originated in Japan in 2007 as a ritual called Hitori Kakurenbo. The gist of it was that you played hide and seek with a spirit/demon.
The set up included taking a stuffed doll, removing the stuffing, replacing it with rice, putting a piece of your own fingernail or blood in it (of course, YouTubers never did this part), sewing the doll back up with red thread, and then placing it in a bathtub full of water. The final step to start ‘the game’ was to name the doll and say, “[Name], you are it.” After this, you’d turn off every light in your house and hide. Supposedly, the doll would move on its own and find you. To end the game, get a glass of saltwater, and pour half of it in your mouth. Then, find the doll, and spit the water onto it. Next, pour the rest of what’s left in your cup onto it. After this, chant three times, “I win.”
I was also obsessed with this challenge, especially because I loved watching the channel Guava Juice. I was inspired by them to try to do this challenge myself. Alas, it didn’t work. I actually have no idea where that doll went…
3 a.m. Challenge
The 3 a.m. challenge is a more open-ended challenge that peaked in the 2010s. YouTubers would do any random thing they could come up with but did it at three in the morning to make it sound scary. If you didn’t know, that time is the “witching hour,” so it’s believed to be the peak time for supernatural activity.
YouTubers would do something ridiculous such as titling their video, “Making slime at 3 a.m.” or “Calling Freddy Kruger at 3 a.m.” and claim that they got a response. There would always be something scary that happened, even if it was just the lights going out or the floorboards creaking.
Surprisingly, I never tried this one because it meant that I wouldn’t have an adult to go to if something scary happened. With the other ones, I did them in broad daylight, so I knew everyone was still awake and could ‘save me.’
Have you ever heard of any of these challenges or tried them yourself?
Leave a comment below!
