Is Zepotha real? TikTok's fake movie meme explained

16 August 2023, 09:16

Courteney Cox puts a twist on the Grimace Shake trend

By Katie Louise Smith

Is Zepotha a real movie? What has Taylor Swift got to do with it? TikTok's fake '80s horror movie meme sparks elaborate prank with endless lore and characters.

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If you've been on TikTok over the past few days, you may have come across a few videos talking about the forgotten '80s horror movie Zepotha.

Zepotha has seen a huge resurgence on the social media platform recently, with people flocking to creators' comments to tell them how much they look like certain characters from the movie. Comments like "You look so much like Danny from Zepotha!" or "You remind me of Maxine from Zepotha soooo much!" have been popping up all over the place.

But the film has now caused mass confusion amongst those who have no idea what it is or who those people are... because it's not real. It's completely fake. It doesn't exist.

Zepotha is another one of TikTok's elaborate inside jokes, much like the Grimace Shake trend and Goncharov (1973). Here's what you need to know about the trend, how it started, who started it and all the characters that have been created so far.

What is Zepotha on TikTok? Is Zepotha real?

What is Zepotha? Tiktok's fake movie meme explained. Picture: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images, @emilyjeffri via TikTok

Is Zepotha a real movie?

Zepotha is, unfortunately, not real. Zepotha is fake movie meme that was originally started by musician @emilyjeffri.

In a video posted on August 12th, Emily writes: "Ok so new bit idea: What if we created a fake '80s horror movie called 'Zepotha' & started commenting 'omg u look EXACTLY like ________ from Zepotha' on every thirst trap we see."

Together, we will witness new lore develop, main characters will emerge, etc. & we can convince thousands of people that this weirdly titled '80s horror film actually exists."

The video now has over 880,000 likes and 4.7 million views. Thousands of people are now playing along with the elaborate prank, and comments have started spilling over into unsuspecting creator's comment sections.

People have been urging Emily to delete their original video so that people who come across Zepotha videos in their feed don't discover that it's complete made up.

Others have also likened the trend to 2022's 'Goncharov (1973)', which saw TikTok users create an entirely non-existent gangster film starring Robert De Niro.

All the Zepotha characters and lore explained

So far, a handful of Zepotha characters have been named on TikTok. They include: Danny, Alaine, Emma, Sophie, Ray, Jane, Maxine, Rita, Alex, Michael, Cole, Neil, Robbie, Alecia and Eileen.

There's even a TikTok filter that tells you what Zepotha character you are, alongside photos of random people.

There's also countless 'scenes' that people can't stop talking about, including the 'Zepotha Opening Scene' and the 'Zepotha Forest Scene', which has been dubbed "one of the best scenes in cinematic history".

Fake Wikipedia pages have been created, a fictional sequel is currently in production and it's now been established that there was an original novel series that the film is based on. The lore also includes a whole host of fake fan fiction on AO3, fanart and fancams.

Even Wizards of Waverly Place actress Maria Canals-Barrera has hopped on to the trend with a video explaining how much she loved the movie back in the day, and how much her daughter looks like Alaine.

A new viral video has now emerged saying that Taylor Swift has been cast in the 'Zepotha remake'. But don't worry Swifties, it's not a real movie...

Zepotha song: What is the TikTok sound used for the Zepotha videos?

In Emily's original Zepotha post, they used one of their own songs from their upcoming album, SOUNDTRACK FOR AN 80’S HORROR MOVIE.

'DO YOU REMEMBER ME' has now been used in over 9000 TikTok videos, all relating back to the fake Zepotha movie and the lore.

Riffing off the viral Stranger Things soundtrack videos where people comment about how it feels to listen to it during summer nights, people have also been romanticising Emily's song, commenting on how it 'transports' them to certain scenes in the movie. (None of which exist, of course.)

TikTok users have called Emily a marketing genius because of how much attention the prank has given to their new music. "Did this person just casually make the best song ever and create a fake movie just to get people to hear her music?," one user wrote. "That's the best marketing tactic I think I've ever seen. I love you random person on TikTok and this song is amazing, I can't wait for the release!!!"

Now, if you need me, I will be thinking about what happened to Alaine and Maxine after that intense chase scene. Still not over it, tbh.