Black-eyed children

[1] Bethel's stories have become regarded as classic examples of creepypasta, and gained such popularity that he published a FAQ "just to keep up with demand for more info about the new urban legend.

[6] In 2012, the horror film Black Eyed Kids was produced with Kickstarter funding, its director commenting that the creepy children were "an urban legend that's been floating around on the Internet for years now, I always thought it was fascinating.

"[7] A 2013 episode of MSN's Weekly Strange that featured reports of black-eyed children is thought to have helped spread the legend on the internet.

[1] During one week in September 2014, the tabloid Daily Star ran three sensationalistic front-page stories about alleged sightings of black-eyed children, connected to the sale of a supposedly haunted pub in Staffordshire.

Hill considers the legend to resemble "typical spooky folklore stories" such as the phantom black dog, where the subject is not supernatural, and there may never have been an actual original encounter.