Within the pages of a mysterious document are the detailed accounts of a monstrous infestation, a parasite living off the souls of tortured people. The document appears without notice on a computer or smart phone and once read, pulls a person unwillingly into a continuous story of suffering. The being manifested, an ambassador representing the underworld, can take many forms, some resembling human characteristics, albeit misshapen and twisted. Other times it takes on the form of a Lovecraftian beast or a less corporeal shape, a mere shadow waiting in our closets or clinging to the walls. But one aspect is consistent — the name, the name we now know and fear — The Suff.
Born of the Mundane
Like many urban legends, The Suff was born of a rather strange, yet innocuous occurrence. Jeff Kinnard, the founder of Macabre Monday on Substack (the platform providing this newsletter), posted a Note regarding a document he could not delete. It had no origin that he could remember, only a name that invoked dread, a situation he brought to the attention of the broader horror and speculative community for investigation and conjecture.
I believe Scoot took on the first story, directly writing about the cursed document, set in the current day. It wasn't until Jon T created the infamous picture of the old man with long arms that others started to write about the omniscient being that we've all come to know. The Chronicler was the first to write about The Suff being an entity and going back in history. Passed that, the gloves were off and people were inspired to create a massive timeline of events that involved the Suff.
~ Jeff Kinnard
Urban legends like The Suff are similar to Slender Man, a creepypasta Internet meme within the horror genre that is the result of a prompt or shared experience. These often involve fictional supernatural characters grounded in a mundane reality, given a dramatic flair and stretched to the limits of understanding. In the case of Slender Man, created by Something Awful forum user Eric Knudsen, the creature is a man depicted as a thin, unnaturally tall humanoid with a featureless white head and face, wearing a black suit. In opposition, The Suff tends to take on a less distinctive form but is still considered Substack’s first true urban legend.
On the surface, urban legends are created for a myriad of reasons: to explain the unexplainable, to convey moral lessons, reflect the ills of society and most often for frightful entertainment. The Suff first arose from the imaginative depths of Substack writers in order to explain the unexplainable. A document appears, and in some cases, a story unfolds from its pages, digital or analog. The one who discovers it must finish the story. In the worst cases, the unfolding tale finds its way back into the document, a chronicle of events mirroring the tragedy of an unwilling participant. While not a requirement of an urban legend’s inception, the reasons stated tend to give additional weight or power to it.
Manifested in Reality
The best urban legends, those that endure through the ages, are given freedom to manifest in reality and don’t always adhere to a strict dogma. Direct first-person narratives, film, photography and art that illustrate a live encounter tend to take on an increased frenzy of notoriety and longevity. This was the case with the rise in “creepy clown” or “killer clown” sightings in 2016. The fear of clowns, known as coulrophobia, was exacerbated by Stephen King’s book It, and a cinema reboot in 2017. Many thought the sightings were a marketing campaign for the upcoming release. However, the locations, makeup and experiences of witnesses were too unique to attribute to the film.
What proliferated accounts of killer clowns prowling corn fields and forests late at night was an increase in the number of participants, either as clowns themselves or social documentarians uploading YouTube videos. It’s unlikely the phenomenon would have continued if nobody could provide evidence of creepy figures roaming the streets in colorful wigs and large clown shoes, wielding bloodied weapons. Media organizations as well as police departments began to take notice, issuing warnings about the behavior, for fear that real harm would eventually come to those confronting the clowns.
This is one aspect of The Suff that may prevent the urban legend from gaining ground outside of the Substack platform. Stories are sure to be written, and the direction of the lore will ebb and flow depending on community interest, but it’s ability to find a foothold in the real world could be limited. Bringing The Suff to the attention of a wider audience requires a more defined existence, the very thing which limits the legend’s ability to morph into something terror inducing. Often times, the direct influence increases popularity, while the remaining mysterious elements can produce greater fear and social anxiety.
Anxiety Inducing
This anxiety is a key characteristic of any urban legend, and The Suff is no different, containing an element of plausibility that forces us to face uncomfortable truths. Finding an unfamiliar document on any digital device reminds us of the havoc a computer virus can wreak, a natural emotional response, but it’s made worse when the document’s contents are ominous and familiar. Solid details need to be present in order to grow the legend, while leaving it ambiguous enough to amplify fear. It’s a natural tendency to bend the facts to supernatural proportions when people are forced to use their imaginations to fill in the gaps.
Stories of urban legends like The Suff turn safe settings of family and the bedroom into sources of fear. Ordinary occurrences in everyday surroundings are the perfect opportunity to induce anxiety, in some cases violating social norms to the extent it causes revulsion. For example, it’s not normal to consume live insects for food, but it’s the sort of dichotomy which stimulates an irrational response. Attaching an urban legend to existing societal anxieties can be even more powerful, such as disease and unrest. Although, the more personal and relevant, the higher the likelihood people are to move the legend from their minds into their realities.
Conclusion
It’s possible The Suff will return as variations on its current form or fall totally into obscurity. It’s also possible another urban legend will rise up from the ashes of The Suff, taking over Substack with a heightened level of ferocity. It’s hard to imagine, given how quickly The Suff gained popularity, becoming a fixture of speculative authors on the platform. Several stories that were referenced throughout this essay can be found in the linked post below, as well as links to further explorations of the character and myth. If you’re interested in participating, be sure to tag Jeff Kinnard, founder of Macabre Monday. Or stop on by and read through many of the horrifically entertaining entries.
If you find a document named The Suff, it’s best to delete it before opening… unless you want the legend to become reality.
A great dive into The Suff and urban legends. I really hope we get a book made out of all our stories as I'd love to have it sitting on my bookshelf.
Love your dive into The Suff. I do hope one day that we see another urban legend emerge. For now will cling to the slightest hope that The Suff will grow into something as widely known as Slenderman!