The Creepypasta Collection: Modern Urban Legends You Can't Unread

by Mr. Creepy Pasta, T.W. Grim (Contributor), Vincent V. Cava (Contributor)

A terrifying, thrilling collection of must-read horror stories chock-full of nightmarish supernatural beings and the murderously disturbed that are sure to keep you up all night long.

“If you place this book back on the shelf now, you'll save yourself!” —MrCreepyPasta

​There are stories that scare you. And then there are the dark and disturbing creepypasta stories that will leave you seriously freaked out. The Creepypasta Collection is an unsettling anthology of terror, full of nightmares and dangerous creatures—from unearthly supernatural beings to the murderously disturbed. So, lock the doors, check under the bed, turn up the lights, and get ready for an unforgettable, up-all-night journey into the heart of darkness.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Audiobook, Anthologies, Fantasy, Horror Thriller

301 pages, Paperback

First published September 2, 2016

About the author

Mr. Creepy Pasta (a.k.a MrCreepyPasta) has a YouTube channel in which he reads short horror stories that originated on the Internet. This has since expanded into the publication of several anthologies.

Reviews

[Melanie (TBR and Beyond) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection was so much better than the second. I'm actually going to change my rating on the second one because now that I've read this one, I can really see how lackluster and flawed the second one is.

I actually don't have a ton of experience with CreepyPasta (the website or stories), other than seeing creepy photos around. It seems weird that I wouldn't be all over their stuff on the net because I'm a horror fiend but it just kind of wasn't on my radar for whatever reason. This book was so much fun. I really enjoyed most of it and if you are into horror anthologies than I'd suggest picking this one up.

I'm not going to review each and every story in this book but I'll list my favorites and the ones that weren't really anything special for me.

My favorite stories were:

Picture This
Creeping Crimson
Down in the Library Basement
Psychosis
Bedimt

My least favorite stories were:

Perfume
When Dusk Falls to Hadley Township

[Kain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well well...as usual I have finished this collection of short horror stories way too quickly. I literally started it yesterday morning and finished it tonight after two very busy day's. Yes this is testament to how good they are! If you like a good horror story ...wait that's too vague...if you like mystery wrapped in spine chilling, skin crawling realisation's every time you turn a page then this is your next addiction...I mean choice. Yes choice.

Several different well known author's (from the online Creepypasta world) come together to give you these well written creation's. Do not put this book back no matter what it say's on the back....you won't regret it.

[Neko · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best collection of horror stories ever! I loved every one of them, each uniqe, interesting with surprising plot twists. I must say that I enjoyed more those less bloody ones, because they were kind of gross and not that scary but all of them were written really good, described in detail so the reader's imagination could go wild and vivid.

I love the most: "Picture this" by Vincent V. Cava, "Bedtime" by Michael Whitehouse and "Down in the library basement" by Rona Vaselaar. They were perfectly scary and I was swallowing each word, breathlessly.

I recommend this to anyone who loves horror stories and I can't wait for the second volume to be published!

[Cale · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not the target audience for Creepypasta, but I've heard enough about it that when I saw this book, I figured it was worth a shot. In some ways, it exhibits the zeitgeist of what today's teens fear, but in a lot of ways, this is just a collection of barely readable short stories. As with any collection, the quality varies from story to story, but the overall quality is on the low side. And if this is the best that Creepypasta has to offer, I'm not missing much. It starts off with a story where the author hypothetically threatens the reader for writing criticism, which was at least interesting. There are a couple of decent stories (I liked the concept of 'Down in the Library Basement' and 'They Die Nameless' was creative, and 'A Trick of Perspective' was probably the most unique of the bunch), but for each of those, there were poor quality stories, either too much body horror ( 'Teeny Tiny' and 'Licks from a Bear'), or just stupid ('Perfume' and especially 'A Dark Stretch of the Road'). And what I think was intended to be the centerpiece, 'Bedtime' was a long slow slog through pseudo-Lovecraftian writing for very little reward. Look, I'm glad that there's a market for up-and-coming horror writers to focus on new and different scary concepts. But there's nothing here that made me think Creepypasta is the new horror. A lot of the stories and tropes are old and familiar, and suffered from a lack of polish. Unless you're starving for horror from more traditional outlets, give this a miss.

[David Wagner · Rating 1 out of 5]

I went in for that specific genre of internet creepy pasta, I received generic horror short stories ranging from passable to horrible. A clear misstep

[Krysten · Rating 1 out of 5]

As expected, this book was almost completely pure garbage. Two or three of the stories were actually worth reading - the cyber-psychosis one sounded exactly like a lot of my 2020 experience. But the stories that were bad - oh, how bad they were! Most were relatively short so reading them didn't make me feel like I'd been robbed of something, but the second-to-last story (which the notes at the end of the collection describe as "a classic of the genre") was SO LONG I ended up skimming half of it. It's split up into a bunch of sections, each of which seems about as long as any of the other stories in the book, and a couple times when I thought it was over it turned out there was still more and I'd just go JESUS CHRIST and start skimming. It was like the writer was trying to use as many words as possible to describe a few ghostly encounters. This hideous, putrid, festering, rancid abomination chilled me to my very core - motherfucker, get an editor.

Fuck this book and, honestly, fuck creepypasta. I don't know what I was thinking.

[Escapereality4now · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me introduce you to “The Creepypasta Collection: Modern Urban Legends You Can’t Unread”, edited by Mr. Creepypasta.

What an impressive collection of stories!

I had not heard of Mr. Creepypasta before this audiobook. The cover drew me in immediately. I heard that there is a podcast which I will be checking out

This was a solid collection of horror stories. They were well written, and some of them even chilled me. “The creepypasta collection” was true psychological horror. The endings of some of these stories unnerved me. I listened to this audiobook during my nighttime walks. It made it an eerie experience.

[Eric Montag · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seemed like every author that contributed more than one story had one story that I liked and one story that I didn't care for as much. So I think I will chalk that up to my own personal taste. My favorite stories were "Bedtime," "Licks from a Bear," "When Dusk Falls on Hadley Township," and "A Trick of Perspective."

[Sean Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical anthology with some really good stories, some mediocre and some downright terrible.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

They were OK horror short stories, but disappointingly only a couple of them really felt like "urban legends".

[Tabby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great collection of stories! Each one is really unique and almost borders on bizzaro fiction! There were quite a few stories in this book that kept me up at night!

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

8/31/2025 - OK stories, but nothing memorable. Having the same narrator read back-to-back stories made them blend together.

[Sweetener ™ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Phew, I did what felt like the impossible: finishing this book. These stories were so boring! They felt so repetitive, as many words were just being added to make these longer, ugh- this was just not good, quite terrible. It took me 1.5 months to finally get through this & I'm just glad it's over. I have no problems with creepypastas in general, I actually quite like them. I've read Penpal by Dathan Auerbach which I absolutely loved & gave 5 stars! This collection were just a bunch of stories that didn't resonate with my taste to say to least. There were 1, maybe 2 stories that intrigued me just a teeny tiny bit, but the fact hat I already completely forgot them speaks volumes. They weren't creepy in the slightest, the only thing that scares me about this book is that I payed money for it! It was in sale but still! Biggest regret of 2021 since u can literally read these stories for free on the internet! "Modern Urban Legends You Can't Unread", I really wish I could!

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would as I've read quite a few creepypasta's and they range in quality massively, from some skillfully written pieces to painfully bad crap. This is a surprisingly well put together collection, I didn't dislike a single story as all of them were entertaining in some way or another. This collection is a prime example of some of the talent out there at the moment and makes me look forward to seeing where these writers will go from here.

[Booklover · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great collection! I look forward to reading volume 2. The following are my favourites. I look forward to reading more by these authors.
- "Picture This" by Vincent V. Cava
- "Down in the Library Basement" by Rona Vaselaar
- "Voices in the Spirit Box" and "She Beneath the Tree" by Michael Marks
- "Licks from a Bear" by Max Lobdell

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection was a fun read! The stories were quite creepy and very original. My personal favorites were "Down in the library basement", "Bedtime", and "Creeping Crimson". If you are a fan of Creepypasta you will definitely enjoy.

[Autumn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wouldn't consider this creepypasta at all, just a collection of "scary" stories. It was fine— a way to pass the time while working on repetitive office work.

[GracieKat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't watched any of the YouTube videos put out by Mr. Creepy Pasta and I have to admit that this had been on my wishlist but I only bought it because it went on sale. I really wasn't expecting the quality to be very good. This is in no way meant to give offense to the writers within. I honestly don't read too many creepypastas and I'm not familiar with which writers are well-known in the genre. I do think that creepypastas themselves get a pretty low-quality reputation just because they're online stories and not 'published'. I've read some that were middling and some that were fantastic. Just like traditionally published books the quality can vary.

This is a great collection of stories. Most of them were very creepy. I also liked the presence of the infamous Smile Dog and Jeff the Killer. I was also introduced to some new characters that I'd like to check out. One of the main differences between general stories and creepypastas is that they're usually told in first person and usually as though they're 'true'. Kind of like a modern urban legend. There were a couple of stories that didn't really float my boat but in general the quality is very good. There are no grammar screw-ups, spelling errors or misused words. So, let's check out the stories shall we?

Picture This - Vincent V. Cava

This story didn't start out the collection very strongly for me. It wasn't that it was badly written or anything. It just seemed a little mundane. Which is probably my own fault. I was expecting something along the lines of a haunted painting type of story. And, now that I've criticized it, I'm going to lock my door. Just in case.

Creeping Crimson - Michael Marks

This story really caught my attention. I thought it was fantastic. It says something about fiction in general when you automatically expect the wife of the story to be bitchy or a nag. Nope. She was awesome. Great story all-around.

Teeny Tiny - Max Lobdell

This story was truly terrifying and on a more realistic level (barring one slightly unrealistic thing). Excellent story.

The Horror from the Vault - Isaac Boissonneau

This story had  distinctly Lovecraftian feel to it (besides the title). The monster was awesome and described very well.

Perfume - Michael Whitehouse

Perfume had a very Gothic feel to it. The horror and finale having more of a psychoanalytical feel but was great. It also said enough to get the point across without going into unnecessary detail.

A Dark Stretch of Road - Barnabas Deimos

We all know a dark stretch of road can only lead to no good, don't we? This had an ending that actually surprised me and was a great closer to the story.

A Trick of Perspective - Matt Dymerski

A very interesting take on the 'being watched' genre of horror and creepypastas.

Down in the Library Basement - Rona Vaselaar

Even though it was a little easy to see where it was going the enduing was still something of a surprise. I was actually left wanting more.

Voices in the Spirit Box - Michael Marks

This was one of the best in the collection, in my opinion. The story was great and you cared about the characters. Enough to make the last few pages terrible and creepy. I don't say this much but my scalp actually prickled a bit at the end.

When Dusk Falls on Hadley Township - T.W. Grim

I wanted to like this more than I actually did. I love creepy towns with secrets but this story just never jelled for me. Too many disjointed incidents without a good explanation to bring them all together. Being vague can be a good thing but sometimes the reader needs a bit more information to be sufficiently creeped out.

They Die Nameless - Aaron Shotwell

Another with a bit of a Lovecraftian flair to it. A good story but again, a page or two more would have helped explain the moving force behind it. I'm not saying it has to be spelled out to a tee but readers need something to go on.

The Nice Guy - WellHey Productions

A very good story with a definite urban legend feel to it. It could have flowed a bit smoother in spots but the ending had a nice kick to it.

The Yellow Raincoat - Sarah Cairns

An excellent entry into the creepypasta creature lore. And one I hope to read more of.

Depression is a Demon - Goldc01n

A very brief, hard-hitting piece. Excellent.

Licks from a Bear - Max Lobdell

Not one of my favorites. Others may like it better but I found it a trifle boring. I definitely 'enjoyed' Teeny Tiny more.

Psychosis - Matt Dymerski

Even though the title is a bit bland the story was great. I did and did not like the ending at the same time. This is one that would have been better served by being a bit ambiguous.

She Beneath the Tree - Michael Marks

A very creepy story. What is it with trees? Why do they freak us out so? Especially when used effectively in stories such as this. And I love the title.

Smile.Montana - Aaron Shotwell

A good Smile Dog story that had a good ending. Or will it end there?

Bedtime - Michael Whitehouse

I definitely liked his earlier entry 'Perfume' much better. This story seemed to drag on and was very repetitive.

Jeff the Killer: Right on Time - Vincent V. Cava

A great story about everyone's favorite (fictional) internet psychopath with an awesome twist that I didn't see coming.

A very solid collection. The couple of stories I disliked may hit someone else's creepy-bone just right enough to scare them. I saw in the back that a few of the authors here have published their own books. I look forward to reading them.

[Michelle {Book Hangovers} · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the creepypasta podcast, and so, I wanted to check this collection out! I listened to audiobook and found that it was just as entertaining as the podcast.
I’ve read a bunch of horror collections and anthologies by popular horror authors and I gotta say… this collection was just as good…even better then some of those popular, published authors.
This collection is supreme!

[Bri Little · Rating 4 out of 5]

**3.75ish stars**

This collection of creepy and scary stories was decent! My problem with most of the ones I didn’t like was that they were too short...
Standouts for me include Teeny Tiny, Voices in the Spirit Box, Depression is a Demon, and Licks from a Bear.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah! Creepypasta. I've loved Creepypasta for eons and so this book was a nice bit of nostalgia. It was a great collection and I may not sleep tonight after finishing. My favorite stories from this collection were: "Down in the Library Basement," "Psychosis," (That one literally made me cringe so hard) and "Jeff the Killer: Right on Time." Overall this anthology is highly recommended!

[☾❀Apple✩ Blossom⋆｡˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

good collection of creepypastas 👍 I liked the narrators too

[Burberi · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was such a creepy fun read

[Shay Muise · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10 for each individual pasta story

[Whitney Jamimah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I needed something entertaining that was not going to require to me commit a lot of brain power to listen to while I have been reading Oathbringer and thankfully The Creepypasta Collection was just the book to fit the bill. This year has been a strugglebus year for me when it comes to audiobooks, it's like nothing is working for me, I am not gelling with any of the narrators and I can't keep my mind focused. I've started and put down so many audiobooks it is becoming disheartening. Anyway, like I said before, this short story collection was good, entertaining and I was able to follow both of the narrators easily. I am giving the collection 3 stars because some of the stories were better than others but all in all I am very happy with my experience reading this anthology. Of course I think this would be a really good one to pick up for the Halloween season but it is a good one for any occasion really especially if you need something light to read between big chunky books. I 10/10 recommend The Creepypasta Collection!

[☠Arianne Reads Horror ☠ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gloriously creepy anthology of scares, monsters, and modern urban legends that you may or may not of heard of.

Mr.Creepypasta is a channel I've followed on youtube for a while, and I always love listening to the creepy stories that people come up with.
The great thing about a book like this is, that if you dont vibe with a story, you can just skip it! it creates no issue for any of the other stories.

There are many different kinds of horror, from supernatural to just pure human evil. And every story is as creepy or if not more so than the last one.

All of the stories are well written, creepy as fuck and even the stories I didn't really like, I read anyway!! When I think of creepypastas though, my mind comes to like 'internet urban legends' and I just think this was missing a few more of them.

A few favourites included: Teeny tiny, Down in the library basement, Mr.Nice Guy, Depression is a demon, and Jeff the killer: Right on time.

If youre looking for a bunch of quick, creepy reads to make you feel a little bit on edge, this one is for you!!!

[Halley Hopson · Rating 4 out of 5]

CREEPYPASTA COLLECTION

Picture This - 3.5
Creeping Crimson - 2
Teeny Tiny - 3
The Horror From the Vault - 4
Perfume - 1.5
A Dark Stretch of Road - 1 (literally 4 pages long and nothing happened)
A Trick of Perspective - 4.5
Down in the Library Basement - 4
Voices in the Spirit Box - 3
When Dusk Falls on Hadley Township - 1.5
They Die Nameless - 2.5
The Nice Guy - 3
The Yellow Raincoat - 4.5
Depression is a Demon - 2
Licks From a Bear - 4
Psychosis - 5 (by far the best story in this collection, this was awesome)
She Beneath the Tree - 3
Smile.Montana - 3
Bedtime - 4
Jeff the Killer: Right on Time - 2

[thebaronessofbooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly found this attempt to monetize the creepypasta phenomena more stomach turning than guy wrenching. All these stories can be read for free online. (Which is why I got this edition through the library system.) I was also sorely disappointed in a majority of the stories and it feels like they were chosen not by their own merit of stories, but because the editor is friends with them.
I'm a big fan of the creppypasta genre, and Mrcreepypasta on YouTube, however this story collection falls short of all expectations.
Save your money and just browse Reddit nosleep instead.

[Ben Arzate · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Full Review

The Creepypasta Collection is uneven, but for the most part it's a solid collection of horror stories. With a couple exceptions, you don't even need to be familiar with the online creepypasta community to enjoy it. If you like horror, this collection is worth picking up. If you need some more convincing, check out some of MrCreepyPasta's YouTube videos.

[M_ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a really quick read. I was really looking forward to some Creepy Pasta stories based on the ones I had read prior and on the television series on Channel Zero. These didn’t blow my socks off, but they were a good little distraction from the more serious books I’ve been reading of late.

Of the 20 short stories, there were 6 that I thought were okay:

1. Licks from a Bear (my fave)
2. Psychosis
3. Jeff the Killer: Right on Time
4. She Beneath the Tree
5. They Die Nameless
6. Bedtime