Remember the Creepy Charlie Charlie Challenge? It Was a Viral Stunt for a Horror Movie

You may — or may not — remember the Charlie Charlie Challenge that has been making the rounds recently via social media? It’s an ominous contact-the-dead style game in the same vein as the Ouija board — the biggest difference being that it’s done with number 2 pencils.

Kids went crazy playing the game, posting all sorts of viral videos and tributes to the challenge. It turns out, the whole thing was a viral stunt after all.

The marketing team behind an upcoming horror movie The Gallows unveiled a video of kids playing the same Charlie Charlie Challenge. Check it out:

What Is The Gallows?

The purported idea behind the Charlie Charlie Challenge is that participants are contacting a Mexican demon named — you guessed it – Charlie. After calling upon the demon, it answers questions by spinning the pencil to the appropriate response.

The BBC apparently looked into the demon rumor and found there to be no truth behind it:

“There’s no demon called ‘Charlie’ in Mexico,” says Maria Elena Navez of BBC Mundo. “Mexican legends often come from ancient Aztec and Maya history, or from the many beliefs that began circulating during the Spanish conquest. In Mexican mythology you can find gods with names like ‘Tlaltecuhtli’ or ‘Tezcatlipoca’ in the Nahuatl language. But if this legend began after the Spanish conquest, I’m sure it would’ve been called ‘Carlitos’ (Charlie in Spanish).”

“Mexican demons are usually American inventions,” she says.

Clearly, it’s because the whole thing was drummed up to create hype and anticipation for this film. So, what is The Gallows?

According to the IMDB page for the movie, this is the synopsis:

20 years after a horrific accident during a small town school play, students at the school resurrect the failed show in a misguided attempt to honor the anniversary of the tragedy – but soon discover that some things are better left alone.

It would appear that it has absolutely nothing to do with a Mexican demon. So, then what the hell is happening in that teaser? The girl is doing the Charlie Charlie Challenge with friends — we can hear their voices in the background when it first starts.

The only thing I can guess is that the “horrific accident” involves a child named Charlie. Since the Mexican demon talk was just a rumor when the challenge was trending, it’s possible that was just a misguided attachment. It’s also possible that the child named Charlie is of Mexican descent in the movie, not that it would have any bearing on the story.

What do you think?

We’ll find out soon enough because The Gallows releases on July 10. I expect we’ll see a longer, more detailed trailer before then.