Creepypastas are all about imagining something scary and then convincing yourself that scary thing will somehow become real, right?
Well, BEN Drowned didn’t ask you to imagine things. Instead, it showed you. This creepypasta came with eerie videos, strange messages, hidden clues, and haunted footage from The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. Most importantly, all these things were posted one piece at a time, and that’s a big part of why people still remember it.
In this article, we’ll discuss how a short thread on a paranormal board about BEN Drowned turned into one of the best-known stories in internet horror.
What Is BEN Drowned?
If you search for the most famous creepypastas, especially those related to haunted games and digital horror, BEN Drowned almost always appears near the top of the list. The original story was created by Alex Hall, who originally posted under the username Jadusable. Today it’s considered one of the foundational internet horror stories, which is also an alternate reality game (ARG).
According to the story, a college student receives an old Nintendo 64 cartridge. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, which contains a save file named “BEN.” Soon, the game starts behaving in strange ways, and the player realizes that something inside it may be watching him.
How BEN Drowned Started on 4chan
BEN Drowned first appeared in September 2010 on 4chan’s paranormal board called /x/, where “Jadusable” posted the opening chapter of the horror story. The readers were hooked by the fact that he didn’t present the story as a finished fiction. Instead, he was telling the story as if the strange events were happening to him in real time. That made the experience much more convincing.
Readers could follow each update, react to new details, and wait for the next post just like they were watching an actual mystery unfold. Even though today that kind of mixed digital entertainment feels normal while watching videos, playing browser games, or visiting a casino online, in 2010 the format felt surprisingly new and impressive.
That’s exactly what helped BEN Drowned become an internet legend.
Why the BEN Drowned Videos Made It Feel Real
Most creepypastas are written as simple stories, which means readers have to imagine the disturbing scenes themselves. But each post of BEN Drowned came with YouTube clips that seemed to show the haunted cartridge in action.
In particular, Jadusable uploaded clips such as BEN.wmv and DROWNED.wmv, which featured strange glitches, distorted environments, very odd behavior from characters, and the Elegy of Emptiness statue that was appearing in unexpected places. The file itself was acting strangely, and at one point players saw the phrase “You shouldn’t have done that” on the screen. This has become one of the most famous catchphrases from BEN Drowned.
In general, it’s much more convincing to see something instead of just reading about it. As a result, the videos became memorable as they gave readers tangible visual proof that the story was actually happening.
How BEN Drowned Became an Interactive ARG
BEN Drowned became even more unusual when it stopped behaving like a normal creepypasta and turned into an alternate reality game, or ARG. ARG is an interactive game that allows users to follow clues, solve puzzles, and uncover parts of a story across different platforms. Basically, it feels like the events are happening in the real world.
One of the most important moments was the appearance of TheTruth.rtf, a hidden file that suggested BEN had manipulated earlier posts and could somehow spread beyond the haunted cartridge. After the success of this ARG element, the Moon Children website allowed users to take part in various puzzles, secret pages, and cryptic messages.
At that point, fans were no longer just reading BEN Drowned and waiting for the next post. They became creators of the story as well and started to actively help the story progress.
Why BEN Drowned Is Still Famous Today
Now you know that BEN Drowned is far from a classic creepypasta that managed to hook the reader with impressive storytelling. The success of this famous story is mostly related to the fact that people could interact with it and find the evidence themselves.
Consequently, today, even years later, fans who have grown up with it still create theories, videos, artwork, and games inspired by it to share and inspire newcomers. The story even returned with a final chapter called Awakening in 2020. That’s why it still comes up whenever people talk about the best of internet horror.
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