The mere concept of the dark web is enough to freak people out, but apparently some brave folks are now diving even deeper by ordering mystery boxes from the platform.
If you ask me, there’s a time and a place for a mystery box. A bakery selling off its mis-shapen products? Sign me up. Your favorite clothes store clearing some stock? I’m in.
But a box from the deepest, darkest corner of the internet, where all manner of illegal and terrifying things take place? I think I’m good!
There are some curious people who are willing to give these boxes a try, though, with creators sharing the unusual items they receive in posts on YouTube and TikTok.
Creator Red Mask, who hides his identity under a mask, has shared a number of eerie ‘unboxing’ videos after he began ‘dabbling in the dark web’ in 2015.
In an interview with Vice, the creator explained that his first experiences of the dark web were through a friend who’d order ‘goods’ which arrived wrapped in socks.
“It amazed me how accessible and simple it was,” he said.
He began to explore the platform more during lockdown, after which he started filming his unboxing videos.
In the clips, Red Mask has received everything from a broken PlayStation and a KFC bucket filled with rubber chickens to a note with a key attached to it, and what looked like a can of literal pee.
“The creepiest thing I’ve ever received is a letter from someone claiming to be my real birth mother. It actually had details about me that not just anyone would know,” Red Mask told Vice.
“They didn’t want to get in contact but told me they still keep an eye on me,” he added, claiming that the letter was delivered to his actual home address.
YouTuber HindiDarkestFacts decided to order his own mystery box after seeing videos that he believed ‘seemed really scripted’.
He now shows everything he receives in the boxes, including a bottle of red liquid with the number ‘6’ drawn on the bottom, a black mask, a phone case and a shiny piece of jewellery made up with multiple gems.
However, Hindi Darkest Facts has a message for anyone who believes it’s all made up.
“I’m glad you don’t believe in it, because the less curious you are, the more safe you are,” he said.
That’s enough of an excuse for me.