So let’s move on just a little bit from our haunted dolls escapade of last week. Instead of talking about creepy BABIES, this weekend we will move up to the next phase of life and talk about creepy CHILDREN. Specifically, black-eyed children.
I know what you’re thinking, and no—these aren’t children who got into some gnarly recess fights and punched each other right in the eye sockets and are now sporting the bruises to prove it. Black-eyed children are described as having entirely black eyes—the pupil, the iris, the sclera (AKA the part that’s supposed to be white), everything. Just totally, demonically blacked out.
But their appearance isn’t what makes them creepy. Well, okay. It isn’t the only thing that makes them creepy. It’s also their behavior.
There are tons and tons of stories of black-eyed children floating around the Internet. Some are fictional or r/nosleep tales, but a lot of people swear they have actually encountered the black-eyed children. And all the stories have a lot in common and run along the same pattern.
So turn off the lights, get all cozy, and imagine this happening to you.
Stories usually begin with the children coming up to someone’s door of their house, or sometimes to the window of their car. Often keeping their faces a bit obscured by hoods and oversized sweatshirts, they begin by asking for help. Although a lot of people report that the children’s voices are strangely monotone or have little affect, the words they are saying are quite to the contrary, often telling their target that they need to find their parents or need to use their phone to contact their parents. They plead that they’re lost or stranded, sometimes saying that they’re cold, hungry, or thirsty. Despite their young age, most stories report that the kids speak very eloquently, almost as if they are just small, well-educated adults. No matter what the version of their story is that they’re telling their target, they’re always clearly angling for one thing—to be invited in. They ask to come in to use the phone or get out of the cold or get something to eat because they very clearly want the person to invite them in and allow them inside their house.
Of course, times aren’t what they used to be, and people are way more cautious about this sort of thing nowadays, so a lot of people are reluctant to swing the door wide and let just anyone waltz inside their house, even a child. (I mean hi, we’ve all seen Unsolved Mysteries. No, thanks.) But when someone refuses to let the children into their home or offers to help them in another way—for example, by bringing to the phone out to them or offering to call their parents while they wait on the porch—the children often get aggressive, confrontational, and scary. People have reported hearing their voices change to something deeper and more demonic, and the kids start threatening them and demanding that they let them into the house. There seems to be some sort of aspect reminiscent of vampire rules where they can’t just walk into the house. If the owner refuses or says they can’t come in, they never force their way into their home. They just get really upset and generally make people really uncomfortable. Most people report feeling threatened or feeling like the children were dangerous, but they can’t exactly pinpoint why, bringing to mind a demonic influence or other supernatural presence.
As if people don’t already feel creeped out enough, this is often the point where the children reveal their true appearance, lifting their heads more or pushing back their hoods to show that their eyes are entirely black. The kids are also reported as being unusually pale (same), making the darkness of their eyes stick out with even more intensity.
Other than appearing on people’s doorsteps or at their car doors, some people report seeing black-eyed children wandering around their neighborhoods (possibly looking for their next victim) or in abandoned urban/suburban areas. Some people report that the kids will linger on their doorsteps for a long time, hoping to be let in, and others report that they’ll go down the street and meet a third party in a mysterious vehicle and drive away.
Nobody has ever claimed to know what the black-eyed children actually are, but there are several theories. Some people believe they are vampires of some sort, due to the corpse-like pallor of their skin and the fact that they are adamant on being invited into your home. Others believe they could be the spirits of children who lost their lives in some violent manner, especially murder, though this doesn’t explain their mannerisms or way of speaking. A lot of people agree that the black-eyed children are dark omens or harbingers of death, and some even report that after having them show up at their house, they suffered illnesses, deaths in the family, or other tragedies. There are also definitely theories that they could be demons of some sort. No one is in agreement about what they are, and some people are even in disagreement about whether they are real and if the people who report seeing them have actually had such disconcerting encounters, or if they’re just another urban legend floating around the Internet.
What do you think? Are black-eyed children real or just some kind of creepypasta? What do you think they are? Demons, spirits, or something else? Have you ever heard any of the black-eyed children stories? Does this totally creep you out because, hello, creepy children? Let me know in the comments! As always, I’d love to hear from you. <3