How to Creep Out Your Friends over Text

Co-authored by Josef Storzi and Nihal Shetty

Last Updated: May 1, 2024 Fact Checked

Want to keep your friends up at night? Sending them creepy texts is a great way to freak them out and also have some fun. If you’re looking for that perfect scare, we’ve got you covered. We’re here to help with this guide on how to creep your friends out over text.

1

Tell them they’re being watched.

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Nothing is creepier than not being as alone as you think you are. Getting your friend to think that they’re being watched or that someone might be following them is a great way to make them feel more than a little unsettled. Send them something like:
- “I see you.”
- “I’d keep your curtains closed tonight.”
- “OMG. Don’t look behind you!”

2

Warn them not to go to sleep.

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Creepy messages are even creepier at night. Get your friend scared to go to sleep and you’ll have them up at night feeling freaked out. If you don’t feel safe before bed, it’ll be tough to close your eyes. Send them a message like:
- “Something’s coming. Whatever you do, please don’t go to sleep.”
- “Did you know that when you wake up in the middle of the night it’s because your body knows it's being watched?”
- “A crazy man broke into my house today—I didn’t want to tell him where you lived but he made me. Please don’t go to sleep tonight.” ^{[1]
 X
 Research source}

3

Get a little too affectionate.

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A stalker-y message can keep your friend on edge. Let them know you like them, but a little too much, and they’re sure to get a little freaked out. If you want to get your friend to be creeped out by you, send them a message like:
- “I know where you live. Are you sure that’s a good thing?”
- “I want to hold your body. Preferably ice-cold.”
- “I’ve carved your name with a razor into everything I own.”

4

Pretend you’re a serial killer.

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Get your friends thinking that they’re starring in their own slasher movie. Acting like you’re a crazy killer over text is pretty spooky—plus, it’s kinda fun! Send them a message saying something like:
- “I hope you aren’t a big screamer. The last one was a little too loud for my liking…”
- “Everyone’s blood tastes a little different. I can’t wait to taste yours.”
- “Would you rather be murdered with a knife or a hammer? Just want to know for future reference.”

5

Talk to them about the paranormal.

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Ghosts, vampires, and aliens are all more than a little creepy. Sharing a story about the supernatural with your friend over text can lead to some scary fun. Send them a message that reminds them that there might be things out there that we can’t understand like:
- “You ever think about how 1 in 5 Americans have seen a ghost?” ^{[2]
 X
 Trustworthy Source
 Pew Research Center
 Nonpartisan thinktank conducting research and providing information on public opinion, demographic trends, and social trends
 Go to source}
- “Have you heard about Betty and Barney Frank? They were abducted by aliens and had all these insane tests performed on them. The weirdest part is that they didn’t remember any of this until they started having medical problems, then figured it out after hypnosis.” ^{[3]
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- “Elizabeth Bathory tortured and murdered hundreds of girls in the 17th century. People say she was a real vampire—she used to bathe in their blood.” ^{[4]
 X
 Research source}

6

Freak them out about diseases.

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Creep out your favorite hypochondriac with medical facts. Microscopic viruses can be even scarier than big monsters. If you’ve got a friend who is a little squeamish around germs, sending them photos or info about real diseases can really freak them out. Send them a message saying something like: ^{[5]
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- “Ebola causes every organ in your body to bleed. You die when your lungs drown in their own blood.”
- “Cannibals can catch Kuru disease. They start laughing uncontrollably, then lose control of their body before they die.”
- “No one ever survives rabies if you don’t get treated within 48 hours. The worst part? If something small bites you, like a bat, you might not even know you have it.” ^{[6]
 X
 Trustworthy Source
 Nature
 Respected Multidisciplinary Scientific Journal
 Go to source}

7

Send them strange messages on a regular schedule.

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Anything can be creepy if it happens enough times. Sending your friend the same message every hour and ignoring them when they ask you what is going on can be a great way to creep them out a little. The content of the message isn’t that important: what’s creepy is the buildup from weird, to annoying, to unsettling. Pick one of these messages and send it to your friend every hour, all day:
- “Hello.”
- “...”
- “Where are you?”

8

Dare them with an urban legend.

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Urban legend dares aren’t just good for sleepovers. Tell your friend about a scary urban legend, and dare them to try it out—most of these dares don’t need anything but a bathroom mirror and possibly some candles. Even better, ask them to videotape themselves doing it—it’s a creepy challenge that’ll definitely freak them out. Dare them something like:
- “Go to your bathroom, turn off the lights and bring a candle. Then, say ‘Bloody Mary’ 13 times, and see if she appears.” ^{[7]
 X
 Research source}
- “Say ‘Candyman’ into the mirror 5 times and you die. If you don’t believe me, I dare you to try it out.” ^{[8]
 X
 Research source}
- “Have you ever played ‘Devil Face’? Set a timer for midnight, and go to your bathroom with all the lights off. Light 12 candles, and close your eyes. When your timer goes off, open your eyes, and you’ll see the face of the devil.” ^{[9]
 X
 Research source}

9

Send them a chain text.

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Chain messages have been around forever, and they’re still scary. Sending your friend a chain message that tells them that unless they send it to more people something bad will happen is a good way to freak them out. There are plenty of creepy chain messages around, but here are a couple that will really scare your friends: ^{[10]
X
Research source}
- “Hello, I’m Cordelia. I died in a fire 10 years ago. Send this message to 5 people or I will come to your room tonight.”
- “A serial killer escaped from jail. Now that you have read this message, he will visit you at 3 a.m. with a chainsaw. If you want to be saved send this message to 5 other people.”
- “Don’t stop reading or you will die. My name is Ofelia Heras. I am 16 years old. I am a murderer. I have no face. You have 900 seconds to send this to 5 people or I will kill you tonight in your sleep and there will be no known cause of death.”

10

Send them anonymous texts.

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Texts are scarier when you don’t know who’s sending them. There are plenty of ways that you can use to text your friends without them knowing it’s you. You can either use a website or an app to send your messages, so check out these tools: ^{[11]
X
Research source}
- If you’re using a smartphone, try downloading apps like TextFree, TextNow, or Burner.
- Some websites will let you send texts too, like textem.net or textsendr.com.

11

Link them to a creepy website.

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The internet is full of creepy things to send your friends. Send your friend a link to a website that’ll have them scared to go to sleep. It’s a lot of fun to see their reactions too, so tell them to text you after, or try out these sites yourself and see how you feel. Some sites to link them to are: ^{[12]
X
Research source}
- The Scary Maze Game ( https://scary-maze.com/ ): This game has been around forever, and it’s still just as scary as ever.
- This Man ( https://www.thisman.org/oldsite/ ): Thousands of people have seen this man’s face—want to know why? Check out this site.
- Fateful Day ( https://fatefulday.eu/test.php ): This website will tell you when you’re going to die. Pretty creepy!

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What if I don’t have a scary website?

Raven

Community Answer

You could search for creepy or unsettling images on the Internet and use them instead.

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To scare someone, you just need to suddenly act emotionless and start saying questionable stuff. Just don't keep the joke going on for too long!
Be careful! You shouldn't use these tricks on sensitive friends, because they may take it too seriously.

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How to Creep Out Your Friends over Text

Steps

Tell them they’re being watched.

Warn them not to go to sleep.

Get a little too affectionate.

Pretend you’re a serial killer.

Talk to them about the paranormal.

Freak them out about diseases.

Send them strange messages on a regular schedule.

Dare them with an urban legend.

Send them a chain text.

Send them anonymous texts.

Link them to a creepy website.

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