In a strange case of internet users actively manufacturing the Mandela Effect, a fake 1980s horror movie called Zepotha is now all the rage on TikTok and other social media sites. But how did this trend start and what is the reason behind it?
Searching “Zepotha” on TikTok without any context could generate confusion for the uninitiated, as the lore, art, and story all become increasingly elaborate. The level of absolute detail on the TikTok account @sadoth.art, who claimed to be painting an “iconic scene” from the film, is simply mind-blowing. The artwork itself, along with the message, “So glad this horror classic is making the rounds again!” would probably convince a casual viewer it was a real film.
In reality, there is no real Zepotha movie. However, so much is being talked about in regard to the film, it now has a world of its own, like a crowd-sourced Creepy Pasta in an incredibly short span of time, and that’s by design.
Where did this all start?
Musician Emily Jeffri has been narrowed down as the originator of the Zepotha phenomenon, according to NBC News. Over on Jeffri’s TikTok page, they posted an idea for a “new bit” over the weekend.
“[W]hat if we created a fake 80s horror movie called Zepotha & started commenting ‘omg u look EXACTLY like that one girl from Zepotha’ or ‘wait u look exactly like ______ from Zepotha’ on every thirst trap we see. Together we will witness new lore develop, main characters will emerge, etc. & we can convince thousands of people that this weirdly titled 80s horror film actually exists.”
While millions of users have already viewed Jeffri’s original video, the little prank appears to have not pleased everyone. For instance, another TikTok user called @woahhcaroline characterized Zepotha as “another dumb TikTok trend” and accused propagators of the meme of gaslighting others.
Even though some are already claiming they are sick of Zepotha, it has clearly generated a dedicated fanbase; if its 1,500 Reddit users on the r/Zepotha subreddit is any indication. A day after the original video, Jeffri basically confirmed in a follow-up clip that the entire Zepotha fad was cooked up as an ingenious marketing ploy for their forthcoming album SOUNDTRACK FOR AN 80’s HORROR MOVIE.
The video in question featured Jeffri making coy faces in reaction to a comment displayed on screen from one of their followers, saying, “i kinda jus realised that you have an 80s themed album coming and u made this whole zepotha thing.. Ur a marketing genius. I love u oh my god.”
In the follow-up post, Jeffri even provided a plug for their album in the video description while the song that has been used in the entire series is the artist’s own track, presumably from the upcoming release, called “DO YOU REMEMBER ME.”
Meanwhile, the Zepotha subreddit is doubling down on its lore ideation, with users creating a Discord server and canon text document to work out the finer points of the story.
You can check out the album SOUNDTRACK FOR AN 80’s HORROR MOVIE on Aug. 25.