What is Jeff the Killer?

Jeff the Killer is a fictional creepypasta character depicted as a pale, disfigured serial killer with a carved smile, no eyelids, and the catchphrase "Go to sleep." He is one of the most recognized characters in internet horror culture[7].

Where did Jeff the Killer come from?

The image first appeared on the Japanese website pya.cc in September 2005[12]. The character name originated on Newgrounds in 2006-2008 via user Sesseur (Jeff Case)[5], and the most popular version of the story was published on the Creepypasta Wiki in August 2011 by GameFuelTV (Josh Jordan)[5].

What does Jeff the Killer mean?

Jeff the Killer represents a type of internet urban legend born from collaborative storytelling. The character's story about bullying, disfigurement, and madness, paired with a genuinely unsettling image, created a modern digital boogeyman[8].

How do you use Jeff the Killer?

The character is commonly used in screamer videos and websites, creepypasta stories, fan fiction, fan art, and as a reaction image. The catchphrase "Go to sleep" is often used as a standalone reference to the character[1].

Is Jeff the Killer still popular?

Jeff the Killer is a classic of internet horror culture. Interest peaked on Google Trends in October 2014[7], but the character still holds a recognized place in creepypasta fandom and internet horror communities[8].

Who wrote the Jeff the Killer story?

The most famous version was written by Travis (brother of Josh Jordan, who posted it under the username GameFuelTV) and published on the Creepypasta Wiki in August 2011[5]. An earlier version was created by Sesseur (Jeff Case) and uploaded to YouTube in October 2008[9].

Where did the Jeff the Killer image come from?

The earliest known instances are from the Japanese site pya.cc in 2005, where two edited versions appeared under the title "White Powder"[12]. Despite over a decade of internet detective work, the original unedited photograph and the identity of the person in it are still unknown[15].

Is the Katy Robinson story true?

No. The claim that the Jeff image was a photoshopped picture of a girl named Katy Robinson who killed herself after being bullied on 4chan was a hoax. The real person behind the associated photos is Heather White, who is alive and confirmed she was not the person in the Jeff image[11].

What is "Go to sleep"?

"Go to sleep" is Jeff the Killer's signature catchphrase, whispered to victims before he attacks them in the creepypasta stories. The phrase first appeared on 4chan on August 14, 2011, captioned on the image[9]. A possible precursor is the Japanese text "おやすみなさい" (good night) that appears after the Jeff image in a 2007 YouTube video[10].

What is the anne.jpg screamer?

anne.jpg was a screamer website created on September 9, 2008, that displayed the Jeff the Killer image with a loud gunshot sound. It became one of the most visited screamer sites on the internet, accumulating over 23 million visits[4].

Who is Jane the Killer?

Jane the Killer is a fan-created female counterpart to Jeff. In the most widely accepted version, Jane Richardson was Jeff's neighbor whose family he killed. She became a burn victim wearing a white mask, with the catchphrase "Don't go to sleep. You won't wake up"[5].

Why was the original creepypasta deleted?

The original 2011 story on the Creepypasta Wiki was widely considered poorly written with significant plot holes, such as a stabbed character appearing fine days later and doctors attributing psychotic behavior to painkillers[2]. Despite its deletion, the story's pairing with the image ensured the character's survival across other platforms[10].

What is Jeff the Killer's real name?

It depends on which version. Sesseur's original character was named Jeffrey C. Hodek. The GameFuelTV 2011 story gave no surname. The fan community later adopted "Jeffrey Alan Woods" from the Homicidal Liu Tumblr story, while GameFuelTV's own 2012 sequel used "Blalock"[5].

Jeff The Killer

2005Creepypasta character / internet screamer / image macroclassic

Published March 24, 2026 · Version 2.0.1

Also known as: Killer Jeff · Jeff the Killer Creepypasta · JTK

Jeff the Killer is one of the most recognized creepypasta characters on the internet, a fictional serial killer depicted as a pale, disfigured figure with a carved smile, lidless eyes, and the chilling catchphrase "Go to sleep." The character originated from a heavily edited photograph that first appeared on the Japanese message board pya.cc in 200512, with the story and name emerging through Newgrounds and YouTube between 2006 and 20085. The accompanying creepypasta, published in its most popular form in 2011, made Jeff the Killer a cornerstone of internet horror culture, spawning countless fan works, screamers, derivative characters, and one of the web's longest-running image origin mysteries2.

creepypasta memes horror memes catchphrase memes photoshop memes fan art memes

Overview

Jeff The Killer, a fictional horror character from the creepypasta genre, depicted as a noseless figure with bleached white skin, a wide grin carved into his cheeks, burned-off eyelids, and long black hair7. The character is almost always shown in a white hoodie, holding a knife, with the image designed to be as unsettling as possible through stark contrast and unnatural features1. The face itself, a heavily photoshopped image with an impossibly wide smile and hollow, dark-ringed eyes, became one of the most widely circulated scary images on the internet4.

What makes Jeff the Killer distinct from other creepypasta characters is the combination of a disturbing visual and a simple, repeatable story. The character's catchphrase, "Go to sleep," became shorthand for the entire Jeff the Killer mythos, used in screamers, memes, fan art, and countless retold versions of the story7. The image was one of the earliest creepypasta visuals to go viral alongside its narrative, making Jeff one of the few characters in the genre that people recognized on sight10.

Origin & Background

Platform

pya.cc (earliest known image), Newgrounds (character name), Creepypasta Wiki (viral story)

Key People

Sesseur / Jeff Case, GameFuelTV / Josh Jordan, Unknown

Date

2005 (image), 2008 (character name), 2011 (viral creepypasta)

The earliest known appearances of the Jeff the Killer image trace back to the Japanese website pya.cc. Two versions were uploaded there: the first, titled "White Powder," appeared on September 10, 2005, posted by user Mr. Mulholland, and a second version followed on November 16, 2005, posted by user Omega Bolt12. The first version featured a pale face with copy-pasted cartoonish eyes and a canine-like jaw overlay, while the second version more closely resembled the now-iconic Jeff image13. These images predated any story, character name, or creepypasta connection by several years9.

The image surfaced again in a Japanese YouTube video titled "NNN臨時放送" on August 2, 2007, part of a horror film project called "Victims of Tomorrow"9. The Jeff the Killer face appears at the 4:11 mark, followed by the Japanese text "おやすみなさい" (meaning "good night"), which may have inspired the later "Go to sleep" catchphrase10.

The connection between the image and the name "Jeff" began on Newgrounds. A user called "killerjeff" (created by Sesseur / Jeff Case on June 7, 2006) posted the image on August 14, 2008, claiming it was a self-portrait9. Sesseur had previously developed his own version of the character, describing a Bloody Mary-like ritual where participants would hide in a dark closet and chant "He's in here with me" to summon Jeff9. On October 3, 2008, Sesseur uploaded a YouTube video presenting a backstory in which Jeff accidentally spilled acid on his face while cleaning a bathtub5.

The version of the story that made Jeff the Killer famous, however, came from a different creator entirely. In August 2011, Creepypasta Wiki user "GameFuelTV" (Josh Jordan) published the now-iconic story written by his brother Travis5. This version introduced the familiar plot: a teenager named Jeff moves to a new town, gets attacked by bullies, is doused in bleach and alcohol and set on fire, then descends into madness, carving a permanent smile into his face and burning off his eyelids before murdering his family and becoming a serial killer5.

How It Spread

The GameFuelTV version of the story spread rapidly across creepypasta communities. The creepypasta spawned over 200 derivative works on the Creepypasta Wiki and over 3,700 results on Creepypasta.com4. YouTube channel MrCreepyPasta uploaded a reading of the story that gained over 4 million views4.

The image also found a second life as a screamer. On September 9, 2008, a site known as "anne.jpg" launched, featuring the Jeff the Killer face alongside a gunshot sound effect9. Over the next eight years, the site was visited more than 23 million times4. An Urban Dictionary entry for the screamer appeared on July 30, 20136.

On August 14, 2011, the image was posted to 4chan with the caption "Go to sleep," which became Jeff's signature catchphrase9. Interest in the character peaked on Google Trends in October 20147. That same year, on November 1, 2014, YouTube user Keyblade uploaded a Spanish-language rap battle between Jeff the Killer and Slender Man that went on to accumulate over 50 million views4.

Frequently Asked Questions

References (20)

1
The Legend of Jeff the Killer: Origins, Impact & Creepy Internet Mythosarticle
2
Jeff the Killer Origin: The 14-Year Internet Mystery | Decoding the Unknownarticle
3
Jeff The Killer: Origin and History - Maestrovirtuale.comarticle
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Jeff the Killer - Know Your Memeencyclopedia
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Jeff the Killerencyclopedia
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Jeff the Killer - Urban Dictionarydictionary
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Urban Dictionary: akk.li/pics/anne.jpgdictionary
8
Jeff the Killer | Fictional Characters | Dictionary.comarticle
9
Jeff the Killer: The Disturbing Story Behind the Internet’s Most Famous Creepypastaarticle
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Jeff the Killer - Screamer Wikiarticle
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Jeff the Killer - Creepypastaarticle
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Jeff the Killer convo - Pastebin.comarticle
13
early jeff the killer images (named 'white powder' on a japanese website)htt - Pastebin.comarticle
14
/x/ - Paranormal » Thread #13124942article
15
/x/ - Paranormal » Thread #20651303 » Jeff the Killer - Origins Varticle
16
/x/ - Paranormal » Thread #12901244 » Quick Creepypasta Questionarticle
17
/x/ - Paranormal » Thread #22375496 » Jeff the Killer - unedited image search?article
18
/x/ - Paranormal » Thread #20121584 » Found the earliest source of jeff the killerarticle
19
/x/ - Paranormal » Thread #23477917 » Finding the unedited image of "Jeff" (Oldfag Edition)article
20
/x/ - Paranormal » Thread #13140999 » JEFF ORIGINS 6: I ACCIDENTALLY THE OTHER THREAD SORRYarticle