How to Recognize an Internet "Screamer" Video

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Updated: November 16, 2019

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Have you ever watched a seemingly innocent video, only to have a very scary face flash onto the screen with a loud scream? You've watched an internet "screamer", and they may trigger an embarrassing moment, possibly involving some damp pants or a few shakes. Here are some ways to help recognize them BEFORE you almost have a heart attack!


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    Look at the website itself. Check which section of a website you're in. If you're in the "prank" section, close the window immediately (unless, of course, you're intending to watch a video about pranks). If there are comments under the video, look at those. If comments are disabled (and the video isn't either for kids or about a hot-button topic such as conspiracy theories), close the window! If you see a comment similar to "Whoa, that made me jump", close the window! Also if it's impossible to disable comments, you should look for plenty of comments that are deleted by the creator.
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    Examine the video itself. If it has very low music (this makes the audience want to turn the volume up, so the scream is louder and scarier), or if it has very small text (which makes you want to go into full screen), that's a good indication that it's a screamer. Exit out!
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    Look at the content of the video. If it deals with scary things, like ghosts or supernatural things, this may be a screamer, but you cannot be certain. Be careful!
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    If it shows a room or picture, and invites you to "Find what's wrong in the picture", or "Find Waldo", close the window immediately!
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    They have a new trend going on where videos describing people reacting to screamers are actually screamers themselves. If you suspect this, scroll down and see the comments, as listed above. If the maker of the video disabled comments, this is a clue because they may have done it to purposely lead viewers to believe the video is genuine. To check if that's why they've disabled the comments, scroll down just enough to see the video time, so you don't see the video itself. Turn the volume down, just in case it is a screamer, and if the video time runs out and there's no scream, it's safe to watch.
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    Check the time on the video. If it's suspiciously short cut the video. The key word here is "suspiciously". If there's a good reason for it to be short (for instance, it's showing

a character saying a quote and that's all), then it's probably safe, but if it's short when you'd expect a longer video, it's probably a screamer.

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    Pause the video and forward all the way to the end. If everything is good feel free to watch.

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    • If the face pops up and it says, "Gotcha!" or something, there is a risk that the screamer will pop up again and scare you twice.
    • If a video looks suspicious, don't watch it at all, unless you absolutely have to.
    • If your friends watch a YouTube video with you and are standing behind your chair and suspiciously laughing or chuckling while you watch it (provided, of course, that nothing explicitly funny is happening in the video), exit immediately!
    • Buffer through the video, if there is a scary face or any other suspicious object, don't watch.
    • If you're watching a video, check for the related videos. If the list includes other screamers, you're probably watching a screamer yourself.
    • If you are forced to, move away from the monitor as much as you can, if possible.
    • If you think you may have stumbled on a screamer through YouTube, stop the video, and search through the comments. If they generally talk about dislike for the user who posted the video, or talk about being pranked, then it is very likely to be a screamer.
    • Common screamers feature names such as Kikia, The Maze (aka Scary Maze Game), This is not a Screamer, Where's Waldo, What's Wrong with this Picture, Car Commercial Optical Illusion or Hearing/Seeing/Reaction Test, and Talking Puppy!!.
    • Internet Screamers will most of the time have low music, encouraging you to turn it up, and pictures that encourage you to look closer.
    • If the video has sugary sweet music at the beginning, there's a chance it may be a screamer. However, if you're watching, say, a scene from a My Little Pony episode, it's probably not. Think to yourself: "Is this a normal time and place for sugary music?".
    • If in doubt, pause the video and move the playback slider along, to check for any scary or unusual frames near the end.
    • Websites like or have a lot of screamers on them. Be careful!
    • If you are not too sure about a video scroll down till you see the lower part of the video and watch the bottom to see if you can get a glimpse (but a non-scary glimpse) of the video if you can see something scary from the bottom watch another video!
    • Some short videos aren't screamers and some long ones are. As an example of a video that's short but not a screamer, some videos are clips from movies or television programs that only show a character saying something. As an example of a long screamer, some videos are extremely long and repetitive, tricking the viewer into thinking they will be the same for the entire video, only to have something scary happen at the end.
    • Some screamers have a spiral whirling in the middle, or a creepy scene such as an empty room with a green color effect and a screamer waiting to scare you.
    • If on Youtube, the video has more dislikes than likes, it probably is a screamer (particularly useful if comments are disabled!).
    • Some screamers may have a normal thumbnail, but the face may pop-up immediately after the video starts. This gives you no clue through the video, but a way to possibly avoid that is to pause the video before it loads, and before you do this, mute the sound, and after you pause the video quickly scroll down and read the comments.
    • Do not watch a pornographic video when the rules of the website are strict against pornographic content. It is a screamer.
    • If it says, "Put on 3D glasses!", that gives it away- close the window!
    • Check the name of the video. If it's something like "This is not a screamer" it's most likely to be a screamer anyway.
    • Remember it's just a video, even if the face pops up, it can't harm you.
    • The scream or loud sound is what scares most people. Mute the video or take your headphones off.
    • If you found out it's a screamer, you can e-mail/show it to your friends. Then laugh at them when they get scared. Just make sure they don't break the computer.
    • People with low amounts of subs are more likely to make screamers. If you only watch videos from people with at least a thousand subs, you probably won't find a screamer.
    • Check the video date, some people might post screamers on April Fools.


    • Another thing to do is to Google the video. Most of the time, when you search it, it will say it is a screamer video
    • If a video says "Look closely!", the scary face is imminent. Get away from the computer, plug your ears and close your eyes, or do not obey it and close the window.
    • If you stumble after you see the screamer pop-up, there is a 65% chance of that it will appear all over if you stumble upon a looping screamer. Try to be careful with screamers that loop a lot.
    • If you're on YouTube, and you find a random comment with a link to something like don't click the link, it's just going to show you another screamer.
    • If you're sitting at a desk or table, push your chair out from under the table so that if the scary face pops up, you can get away fast.
    • If the face pops up, immediately turn your face away from the screen, and get away from the computer. You'll probably do this by instinct anyway.


    • Some popular screamers to watch out for: (Do not watch if you have a faint heart!)
    • "Kikia" [1]
    • "Subliminal Music and Images" [2]
    • "Where's Waldo?" [3]
    • "Don't touch the walls (aka. The Scary Maze" [4]
    • Michael Jackson Ghost Seen Behind Shaheen [5]
    • "Not for Children" [6]

    Article Info


    Categories: Unwanted YouTube Videos

    In other languages:

    Español: reconocer un video para asustar en internet, Русский: распознать скример, Português: Reconhecer um Vídeo de Susto na Internet

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