Maddie James
Candle Cove is a fictional children's television show that forms the basis of an online horror story, or creepypasta, written by Kris Straub. The story is told through a thread on a fictional forum, where users discuss their memories of the show and its disturbing details, including a character known as the Skin-Taker. The story gained popularity online, inspiring fan fiction and YouTube videos, and was eventually adapted into a television series. The concept of the story is rumoured to have originated from a satirical article in The Onion. The Candle Cove Curse refers to the phenomenon of crew members and actors who worked on the show receiving injuries, their careers being ruined, and even dying in mysterious ways.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of work | Creepypasta |
| Format | Internet forum |
| Plot | A young girl named Janice, who imagines herself to be friends with marionette pirates |
| Disturbing details | A character known as the "Skin-Taker", a skeleton pirate who wears clothing made out of children's skin |
| Fan response | Shared on larger horror fiction sites and forum sites, spawning fan art, music, and videos |
| Television adaptation | Channel Zero: Candle Cove, starring Paul Schneider and Fiona Shaw |
| The Candle Cove Curse | A phenomenon where crew members and actors who worked on Candle Cove experienced negative events such as injuries, ruined careers, and unnatural deaths |
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What You'll Learn
Kris Straub's 2009 horror story
The forum users discuss a disturbing, low-budget children's television show, "Candle Cove", that they all vaguely remember watching. As the users reminisce, they recall more and more unsettling details about the show. The story's protagonist is a young girl named Janice, who imagines herself to be friends with marionette pirates. One of the show's most sinister characters is the "Skin-Taker", a skeleton pirate whose clothing is made out of children's skin. Another episode, referred to as the "Candle Cove Screaming Episode", consists of the puppets flailing and screaming while Janice cries.
The story takes a darker turn when one user mentions that they asked their elderly mother if she remembered the show. She responds that whenever the user claimed to be watching "Candle Cove", there was only static on the screen, and they would watch dead air for 30 minutes.
"Candle Cove" was originally posted on March 15, 2009, to Ichor Falls, a website for horror fiction. Unlike most creepypastas, which are collaboratively shaped by numerous posters, "Candle Cove" can be traced back to a single author, Kris Straub, who is also an illustrator. The story quickly gained popularity, inspiring numerous YouTube videos and fan fictions. In 2015, Straub self-published "Candle Cove" in a collection of short stories entitled "Candle Cove and Other Stories". The collection includes other horror stories set in the fictional town of Ichor Falls.
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The Skin-Taker
As the users reminisce, they recall more disturbing details about the show, including the character of the Skin-Taker. The Skin-Taker is a skeleton pirate whose clothing is made from children's skin. He has a tattered cape and a top hat, and his jaw moves so wildly that it looks like it will come off its wire hinges. The Skin-Taker is one of the more sinister figures in the show, along with characters like one-eyed Horace Horrible, whose handlebar moustache sat over a set of too-tall teeth.
In one episode, the Skin-Taker fights with the young girl protagonist, Janice, who is friends with marionette pirates. Janice destroys the Skin-Taker with a sword, leaving only his head. The Skin-Taker then reforms off-screen, in a scary moment for viewers.
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Screaming Episode
The "Screaming Episode", also known as Candle Cove s01e12, is a piece of creepypasta—a horror story shared online—written by Kris Straub and uploaded in 2009. It is presented as a thread on the fictional "NetNostalgia Forums", where users discuss a disturbing children's television show they remember from their youth, Candle Cove.
In the "Screaming Episode", users recall an episode of Candle Cove in which the characters do nothing but scream and cry. The episode is described as lasting 30 minutes, with one user stating that their mother recalled only seeing static on the screen whenever the show was meant to be on.
The story of the "Screaming Episode" is told through exchanges between members of the "NetNostalgia Forum", who are trying to remember the strange show from their childhood. They discuss marionette characters like Pirate Percy, a cowardly pirate who captained a living pirate ship, and the protagonist of the show, a young girl named Janice. As the users continue to reminisce, they begin to recall more disturbing details, such as a character known as the ""Skin-Taker", a skeleton pirate who wears clothing made out of children's skin.
The "Screaming Episode" is just one example of the many pieces of fan art, videos, and music that have been inspired by the Candle Cove story. The story's popularity has led to it becoming somewhat detached from its original author, often being shared as an urban legend. It has also been adapted into a television show, with the first season of the SyFy Channel's Channel Zero focusing on the Candle Cove story.
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Candle Cove fandom
Candle Cove is an online horror story written by cartoonist and author Kris Straub. The story is about a group of Internet forum users reminiscing about a disturbing children's television show they watched when they were younger. The fictional show-within-a-story is called Candle Cove, and it is about a young girl named Janice who imagines herself to be friends with marionette pirates. As the forum users continue to discuss the show, they recall more sinister details, such as a character known as the "Skin-Taker", a skeleton pirate wearing clothing made out of children's skin.
The story quickly gained popularity, inspiring fan fiction, artwork, videos, and music. Fans also produced videos claiming to be footage of the fictional show itself. The story's format as an Internet forum thread may have contributed to its popularity, as it could be easily copied and pasted across various websites and forums, taking on a life of its own and becoming an Internet urban legend.
The Candle Cove fandom is notable for its creativity and dedication to the source material. Fans have invented detailed episode descriptions for two seasons of the show, as well as in-depth explorations of fictional books that supposedly inspired the made-up show. There is even fan-created pornography based on the story. The fandom has also engaged in role-playing, recreating the story's exchange as if it were real and posting it on various forums and websites.
The story has also spawned a Creepypasta fandom, with fans discussing and analyzing the story's creepy and unnerving elements. The character of the Skin-Taker, in particular, has become a memorable and iconic figure in horror fiction. The fandom has also explored the concept of the "Candle Cove Curse", a phenomenon where crew members and actors who worked on the show allegedly experienced negative consequences, such as injuries, ruined careers, and unnatural deaths.
The Candle Cove fandom has helped to spread the story to a wider audience and has contributed to its enduring popularity. The story's unique format and disturbing content have resonated with fans, who have embraced and expanded upon the world created by Kris Straub.
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Channel Zero adaptation
Candle Cove is an online horror story written by web cartoonist and author Kris Straub. The story is centred on a discussion about a fictional children's television series on an Internet forum. The show is about a young girl named Janice who imagines herself to be friends with marionette pirates. As the users reminisce, they recall more disturbing details about the show, such as a character known as the "Skin-Taker", a skeleton pirate who wears clothing made out of children's skin.
The story was posted on creepypasta.com and the Creepypasta Wiki, as well as sites such as 4chan, Reddit, YouTube, IGN, and horror.com. On some forums, fans recreated the story's exchange as if it were real. In 2015, the SyFy Channel announced their intent to adapt the Candle Cove story as the first season of a newly announced series, Channel Zero. The season expands on the story and centres on a child psychologist who returns home to investigate the disappearance of his brother and other children in the 1980s. Channel Zero: Candle Cove stars Paul Schneider and Fiona Shaw and premiered on 11 October 2016.
The Candle Cove story has also inspired numerous fan inventions, including detailed episode descriptions for two seasons of the show, an in-depth exploration of the 1767 book The Nickerbocker's Tale, which supposedly inspired the made-up show, and countless pieces of fan art and fan fiction. Fans have also produced videos and music either about the show or claiming to be footage of the fictional show itself.
The Candle Cove Curse is a name given by fans and former crew members to the phenomenon of several crew members and actors who worked on Candle Cove receiving injuries, their careers being ruined, and even dying in unnatural ways. These events are all closely linked to their time working on the show.
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Frequently asked questions
Candle Cove is an online horror story written by cartoonist and author Kris Straub. The story is about a group of users discussing a disturbing children's television show they watched as children.
The Candle Cove Curse is a name given to the phenomenon of several crew members and actors who worked on the show receiving injuries, having their careers ruined, or dying in mysterious ways. These events are all linked to their time working on the show.
The story centres around a young girl named Janice, who imagines herself to be friends with marionette pirates. One of the pirates, Pirate Percy, captains the Laughingstock, a living pirate ship. The group is joined by a skeleton in a tattered cape and top hat, calling himself The Skin-Taker. In one episode, the characters scream and cry while Janice is crying.
Straub has stated that he was inspired by a satirical article in The Onion titled "Area 36-Year-Old Still Has Occasional Lidsville Nightmare."
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