Candle Cove

Candle Cove is a Creepypasta story by Kris Straub that appears at first glance to be a forum discussion about an old children's show that aired briefly back in the 70's and was never seen again. As recollections of the show are traded back and forth, it becomes clear that beneath the show's cutesy and disarmingly low-budget appearance is something dark and disturbing, and by the end, it's implied that the show is something much more sinister than a half-remembered childhood memory...

You can read it here, or listen to the narration here.

This story was adapted as the first season of Syfy's horror anthology Channel Zero in 2016.

Tropes used in Candle Cove include:

• Creepy Doll: The cast of the show.
• Fictional Document: The story is presented in the form of a discussion thread from a message board.
• Follow the Leader: The whole premise of a kids' show turning out to hide sinister supernatural secrets gave rise to a whole genre of Creepypasta known as "Lost Episodes" which usually involve someone discovering an episode of a real-life kids' show that contains creepy imagery and darker themes than usual, with the implication that some sort of Eldritch Abomination was behind it. These often contain static as well as an homage to Candle Cove.
• Foreshadowing: "YES! Okay I'm not crazy!"
• Memetic Mutation: Has become one of the more popular creepypastas, with some YouTubers trying to recreate that infamous episode.
• Mind Screw: Candle Cove does not exist. It has never existed. Then why are there so many people who remember the show?
• Misaimed Fandom: See Memetic Mutation. To explain: the horror of this story comes from the fact that there was never a Candle Cove show to begin with. Whatever malignant force is behind the "show" uses the local tv station as a medium to enter the minds of children. Yet somehow, YouTubers try to recreate the final episode of the show. If they want to do justice to the myth, they should upload 20 minutes of static and have a set of those in the know state they remember said episode, hinting that once you've seen it you will always be attuned.
  • Some people familiar with this story have found a solution - they insist the videos are static. When they're not. I hope.
  • Or there's this one.
• Nightmare Fuel: The premise seems innocent (though a little creepy) at first, until one user's nightmare is mentioned and it turns out to be real. It involves the entire cast screaming and flailing around, while one of the characters breaks down in tears. The Skin-Taker starts grinding his teeth to prepare to eat someone to the point where it looks like his jaw is about to fly off. We then discover that the entire show can actually be seen by a select group of children.
• No Ending: The thread ends with The Reveal.
• Nothing Is Scarier: You will probably never look at TV static the same way again after reading this.
• Nostalgia Filter: Played straight at first, then horribly, horribly subverted.
• Paranoia Fuel: What other kinda-creepy kids' shows out there could be secretly an Eldritch Abomination?
  • Or responsible for another Creepypasta. Connection is thin, but that talking boat in The Wind Waker...
  • A child and an incompetent pirate go on adventures in a living ship together, each episode packed with Nightmare Fuel. Doesn't that sound familiar ...maybe it's a continuation?
• Ripped from the Headlines: Well, sort of. The story's premise was inspired by an article from The Onion: "Area 36-Year-Old Still Has Occasional Lidsville Nightmare."
• Show Within a Show: Despite being fictional, what little we learn of Candle Cove is described in vivid detail.
• Subverted Kids Show: Played for scares rather than laughs.
• Stylistic Suck: Both the description of the show itself, which looks like it was produced on a shoestring budget, and the forum posts themselves, some of which would make a Grammar Nazi turn red with rage.
  • Or not. The creepypasta really reminds you of people reminiscing about 90's cartoons. In fact, some aspects of the "show" seem downright clever, if disturbing. The Skin-Taker is a pretty good lyricist.