Is Siren Head real? All about the internet’s spooky sensation
The notorious urban legend about a creature having two sirens in place of a head has haunted the internet in recent years, first as a cryptid copypasta and then eventually as a survival video game antagonist. Siren Head’s mysterious online presence had some people wondering whether the many images and videos sighting the eerie creature in surreal locations were rooted in reality or not.
But rest assured that the supernatural monster is as fictional as it can be since it originally began as a horror character drawn by an artist. Subsequently, Siren Head garnered a devoted fanbase that has resulted in diverse fanart, fan-made short films, and thrilling video games.
Key Takeaways
- Trevor Henderson, a Canadian horror artist, created the fictional supernatural character, Siren Head in 2018.
- Henderson attributed Siren Head’s similarity with Slenderman (another popular horror character) for propelling its popularity.
- Siren Head’s popularity grew from its initial form as a digital cryptid to being featured in video games.
The first look of Siren Head was teased on Instagram by it’s creator Trevor Henderson in August 2018
Siren Head was created as a fictional horror character by the Canadian horror artist Trevor Henderson in 2018. He had teased the first look of the character in an Instagram post on August 20, 2018.
The image on the post featured an emaciated and almost skeleton figure with two sirens for a head standing alone in what seemed to be a deserted graveyard. The caption, written in the form of a copypasta, described a woman and her husband who, while on vacation, stumbles upon an unusual creature.
“Rising out of the old cemetery, big as an old (macabre) telephone pole. Was this some kind of bizarre art piece the authorities hadn’t gotten wise to yet? Even as she stepped out of the car, the megaphones on its “head” screeched to life…A buzzing, doubled voice screamed random words at her. At this point, it jerked into motion, striding down the hill towards her,” it continued.
Nearly two months after teasing the first look of his new character, Henderson unveiled its name as “Siren Head” in an image posted on October 7, 2018, and detailed the facts about the strange being. For instance, one of the facts read that Siren Head was around 40 feet tall and about the size of a telephone pole. Other facts described its prowess as a predator and where it was commonly sighted.
Since Siren Head was initially created as a digital cryptid character, Henderson did not foresee the popularity it would achieve over the years, especially in the video game field.
Creator Trevor Henderson attributed Siren Head’s popularity to its similarity with Slenderman
In a 2020 interview with NOW Magazine, Henderson mentioned that the character originated from a digital art doodle he had done in 2018. He evolved his art from a sketch to a VHS textured “spooky guy” and inserted it in a moment of a found-footage horror movie.
“I don’t even know where he came from. I just drew a creature in this photo and then wrote up a vague blurb about it: “There’s this creature, it can announce different regional broadcasts.” Something about the design hadn’t been quite done in that way before, and it just resonated,” said Henderson.
By 2019, Siren Head became one of the most popular characters created by Henderson who had also created Cartoon Cat and Long Horse in the same year. Henderson further attributed the popularity of Siren Head to the Slenderman-Esque vibe it gave off, saying;
“Slenderman was created in a very similar way on the ‘Something Awful forums’, with someone editing photos and just making up a spooky story.”
Moreover, people’s inquiries about whether Siren Head was an actual creature grounded in reality or mere fiction did not go unnoticed by Henderson. When asked how he felt about the fact that a google autocomplete question went “Is Siren Head real?”, Henderson replied;
“That’s amazing. I guess that’s super flattering in terms of how well-done the Photoshops are. There were a couple of YouTubers who made a 12-foot-tall model in the woods out of PVC piping and foam. It was wild.”
As for the future of Siren Head, Henderson stated that he was planning on writing comics or other forms of narration centered around the character and had been working on a book project featuring Siren Head before it was scrapped. He also voiced that a live-action film would not be too bad, saying;
“I’d love to see it made into a mediocre Blumhouse movie where a bunch of sexy teens gets picked off. Not even a good one. It has to be mediocre-to-bad.”
The rise of Siren Head’s popularity from a fictional horror character to being featured in video games
On October 13, 2018, an independent video game developer known as Modus Interactive developed a short interactive video game titled ‘Siren Head’ based on the character of the same name. However, Henderson was not involved in the development of the game and had no say in the level or design of the game as he told NOW Magazine;
“[The game developer] came to me and was like, “I really like this thing, here’s a Steam code for another game I’ve made, can I make a game?” I didn’t have any say in the level or the design…I [said] just credit me where you can – as long as it’s not done for money.”
Though the indie game was little known during the first few months of its release, it witnessed a spike in popularity in 2020. Well-known gaming YouTubers such as Markiplier and Jacksepticeye’s review of the Siren Head game further expanded its reach to the gaming audience.
Additionally, VFX artists and indie filmmakers on YouTube including Shutter Authority, Secret4Studio, and Horror Skunx made short films on Siren Head that was received well by the audience and resulted in hundreds of millions of views on the videos.
Following the game’s unexpected popularity, Henderson envisioned making a longer version of the game with its developer. He told NOW Magazine;
“I was thinking about reaching out and asking if [Modus Interactive] wants to do a longer version, cause this game is really resonating with people, especially right now. It’s nice seeing him get some focus on his stuff, too. For how short the game is, I do think it’s really atmospheric and cool in a really economical way.”
While Henderson’s second collaboration with Modus Interactive did not materialize, his Siren Head artwork has since inspired numerous indie video games.
Moreover, apart from being featured in Fallout 4 as an antagonist, the character’s most notable spin-off is the first-person horror game titled “Siren Head: Awakening” which was developed and published by Prisma Games LLC on October 30, 2020.
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