This trope taps into our deepest fears about the . It subverts the "found footage" genre.

The internet is full of "ghost stories," but few are as unsettling as the legend of . 📼 The Origin

The audio often features rhythmic, wet thumping noises.

In the lore of the post, anyone who watches the full 4:12 minutes of the MP4 begins to notice "AleXXXander" in the background of their own family photos.

AleXXXander is described as having features that don't quite line up—eyes that are too wide or a smile that persists even while "eating."

What makes this creepypasta (or "analog horror" concept) stick in people's minds is the use of the .