Previously: “Carrie Morgan’s Halloween Costume.”
Ever wonder how the folks who grow truly gargantuan pumpkins for the purposes of all those “who grew the biggest pumpkin?” contests that tend to proliferate around the Halloween season actually… y’know… grow them? The creepypasta “Harvest Hill” has an answer to that question — and it’s not pretty.
Written by Creepypasta Wiki user Darius McCorkindale, who also narrates on YouTube under the name Dr. Creepen, and originally published in June of 2024, this one is a good old fashioned folk horror story — not, I would argue, a subgenre we see represented much in creepypasta, and therefore a refreshing change of pace. Named for the town in which it’s set, “Harvest Hill” gives us a look into a longstanding annual pumpkin-growing contest, and the horrors that can fill the grounds on which they occur.
[Like what you read? Check out Dangerous Games To Play In The Dark, available from Chronicle Books now!]
Some goals do, in fact, require sacrifice to achieve.
But determining whether the goal is worth the sacrifice?
Well… that’s something only you can answer for yourself.
Find an excerpt of “Harvest Hill” below, and head to the Creepypasta Wiki to read the full story. Happy almost-Halloween, friends.
***
Nestled at the edge of town, my modest farmhouse is surrounded by meticulously tended gardens. Each morning, I wake at dawn, don my gardening gloves, and tend to my plants with the care and precision of a master craftsman. This year, my pride and joy was a massive pumpkin that I’d nurtured from a tiny seedling into a colossal gourd. It sat in the center of my garden, its vibrant orange skin gleaming in the sunlight, and I couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride every time I looked at it.
However, there was one garden in Harvest Hill that always caught my eye with a mix of curiosity and unease: Old Farmer Joe’s. His property, just next door to mine, was shrouded in mystery. The garden was overgrown and wild, yet his pumpkins always seemed to grow bigger and healthier than anyone else’s. Joe was a reclusive, eccentric man who rarely spoke to anyone, and when he did, his words were often cryptic and unsettling. The townspeople often gossiped that he held secrets, old and dark, but of course this was all wild speculation and no one knew anything for sure.
***
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[Photo via Beeki/Pixabay]
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