{{Short description|Internet hoax and nonexistent movie}} {{Italic title}} '''''Zepotha''''' is a nonexistent movie created as part of a hoax by TikTok user Emily Jeffri in August 2023. A similar meme, ''Goncharov'', had emerged on Tumblr nine months earlier<!--in November 2022-->, prompting comparisons between the two.<ref name="Polygon">{{cite web |last1=Diaz |first1=Ana |title=TikTok has invented a fake '80s horror movie named Zepotha |url=https://www.polygon.com/23831416/zepotha-opening-scene-tiktok-fake-80s-horror-movie-goncharov |website=Polygon |access-date=2023-08-15 |language=en |date=2023-08-14 |quote=''Zepotha'' really just seems like TikTok's take on ''Goncharov''...So far, ''Zepotha'' hasn't reached the same depth of planning, and it's prompted a bit of a rivalry between the two films.}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{cite web |last1=Rosenblatt |first1=Kalhan |title='Zepotha' is social media's favorite film — but it doesn't exist |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/zepotha-fake-movie-social-media-rcna99788 |website=NBCNews.com |access-date=2023-08-15 |language=en |date=2023-08-14 |quote="Zepotha" is not the first fake film to go viral. Last year, Tumblr users became obsessed with "Goncharov,"...It garnered similar fervor from people online}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kemp |first1=Ellie |title=Who is Emily Jeffri? The independent artist behind TikTok's Zepotha trend |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/who-emily-jeffri-independent-artist-27519489 |newspaper=Manchester Evening News |access-date=2023-08-16 |language=en |date=2023-08-15 |quote=Last winter, a meme of a similar nature...on Tumblr...resulted in the concept of Goncharov}}</ref>
== Creation == ''Zepotha'' as a concept was created on August 12, 2023, by Emily Jeffri when she posted a TikTok urging users to perpetuate a false 1980s horror movie as a "bit".<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2023-08-14 |title='Zepotha': The horror movie going viral on TikTok that doesn't exist |url=https://mashable.com/article/zepotha-horror-movie-tiktok-explained |access-date=2023-08-15 |website=Mashable |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sung |first=Morgan |date=2023-08-18 |title=Zepotha is huge on TikTok, but it's no Goncharov |url=https://techcrunch.com/2023/08/18/zepotha-1980s-horror-fake-movie-tiktok-goncharov-tumblr/ |access-date=2023-09-11 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref> {{Blockquote|text=new bit idea: what if we created a fake 80s horror movie called 'Zepotha'...we can convince thousands of people that this weirdly titled 80s horror film actually exists|author=Emily Jeffri|source=TikTok}} The video reached over 5.1 million views,<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |date=2023-08-14 |title=What Is 'Zepotha?' Here's What You Need to Know About TikTok's Fake Viral Movie |url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/a44808730/what-is-zepotha-tiktok-movie/ |access-date=2023-08-15 |website=Cosmopolitan |language=en-US}}</ref> and the ''Zepotha'' hashtag reached over 84.1 million views on TikTok.<ref name=":6"/> Misinformation quickly spread throughout TikTok and other social media platforms, which led many users to believe that ''Zepotha'' was real or a Mandela effect.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-13 |title=What is the viral TikTok 'horror movie' Zepotha? |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/national/uk-today/23719735.tiktok-horror-movie-zepotha-real/ |access-date=2023-08-13 |website=HeraldScotland |language=en}}</ref> Users created a "Which ''Zepotha'' character are you?" filter<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Russell |first=Erica|date=2023-08-13 |title=What Is 'Zepotha'? Solving the Mystery Surrounding TikTok's Favorite Fake '80s Movie |url=https://popcrush.com/zepotha-explained-tiktok-trend/ |access-date=2023-08-14 |website=PopCrush |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Team |first=Centennial |date=2023-08-14 |title=What Is Zepotha? The Imaginary Movie Taking Over TikTok |url=https://centennialworld.com/what-is-zepotha-tiktok/ |access-date=2023-08-14 |website=Centennial World: Internet Culture, Creators & News |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-09-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230926170757/https://centennialworld.com/what-is-zepotha-tiktok/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> which includes characters like Alaine, Cole, Danny, Maxine, Rita, and Vincent, who are commonly referenced when speaking about the movie.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-13 |title=What is the viral TikTok 'horror movie' Zepotha? |url=https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/national/uk-today/23719735.tiktok-horror-movie-zepotha-real/ |access-date=2023-08-15 |website=York Press |language=en}}</ref> Actress Maria Canals-Barrera also posted about the movie claiming she had seen it.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":5" />
Jeffri created ''Zepotha'' to market her album,<ref name=":7">{{Cite news |last1=Fadel |first1=Leila |last2=Martin |first2=Michel |date=2023-08-17 |title=The hype for a fake movie, 'Zepotha,' goes viral on Tiktok |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/08/17/1194349639/the-hype-for-a-fake-movie-zepotha-goes-viral-on-tiktok |url-status= |access-date=2023-08-17 |publisher=NPR}}</ref><ref name="Polygon"/> ''Soundtrack for an 80s Horror Movie,'' which came out on August 25, 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-21 |title=Is The 'Zepotha' Movie TikTokers Keep Talking About Even Real? It's Complicated. |url=https://www.bustle.com/life/what-is-zepotha-movie-tiktok |access-date=2023-08-25 |website=Bustle |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":6" /> Jeffri's music is used in the background of her viral video and many other videos discussing ''Zepotha''.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /> However, Jeffri's attempts to further capitalise on the meme's virality caused backlash.<ref>{{cite web |title=Why has viral fake TikTok movie Zepotha created a backlash? |first1=Iona |last1=Rowan |date=2023-08-22 |website=Digital Spy |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a44875987/zepotha-movie-1987-explained-tiktok/ |access-date=2023-08-25}}</ref>
== See also ==
== References == {{reflist}}
Category:Culture of TikTok Category:Internet hoaxes Category:Online advertising Category:Internet memes introduced in 2023