The Russian Sleep Experiment

by Unknown .

Jesse Cornett narrates this creepypasta classic tale of psychological terror by an unknown author, about five political prisoners who, in the 1940s during World War II, were deemed enemies of the Russian state and first imprisoned, then experimented upon by researchers, who intended to keep them awake for 15 days by means of a then-untested gas-based stimulant. Everything went fine for the first five days. After that, everything changed.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Science Fiction, Fiction, War

Unknown Binding

First published October 1, 2013

About the author

Books can be attributed to "Unknown" when the author or editor (as applicable) is not known and cannot be discovered. If at all possible, list at least one actual author or editor for a book instead of using "Unknown".

Books whose authorship is purposefully withheld should be attributed instead to Anonymous.

Reviews

[Sidharth Vardhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A record of a true experiment. The horror of message in the end seem true even today. Must read:

http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/The...

Or better still, listen it on YouTube after midnight.


Big spoiler. Do not open if you want to read it.

Well, okay not true experiment but it works better if you believe it is real.

A chilling story of an immoral experiment gone wrong which brought out the worst of humanity. Sounds like a well beaten theme and has a few minor defects in execution but it worked for me better than Poe - May be because I listened to it at 3 a.m. on YouTube in a video with what seemee realistic images (amount of biological details contained in the story make it sound like record of a true experiment, first half is highly believable) and with those chilling voices in background music .

[Jessica Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first time I read this was in fifth/sixth grade and it still continues to be one of the craziest and one of my favorite Creepypastas ever written.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a decent gory creepypasta. Though there was one glaring error, if the story takes place in the late 1940s then the commanding officer can't be ex-KGB (started in 1954). I mean, not central to the story, but it bugged me.

Apparently there's a novella length version, The Russian Sleep Experiment, so I'm assuming this story gets fleshed out more... which could be interesting.

[jzmcdaisy · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading Ted the Caver, I subjected myself to a much lamer Creepypasta. Despite its fame, I don't understand why this story is so highly praised. Not only that, but I found out that some people genuinely believe it's real. RSE is written like a historical document, but it turns into a gross, organ-filled gore fest by the end. During World War 2, German soldiers were given drugs that kept them awake for days, so the premise of the story isn't completely farfetched. But by the end of the story, the subjects turn into monsters that spout edgy nonsense about how sleep keeps all of humanity's violent tendencies in check.

I listened to the Creep Cast episode that covers this story, then listened to the Chilling Tales for Dark Nights version. I'll take any opportunity I can get to recommend Hunter and Isaiah's antics to people. Weirdly enough, the Chilling Tales version is more gently worded and the violence is toned down a bit. The word testicles is replaced with groin when the soldier gets his balls removed. I don't know why the violence was neutered (pun intended) in that version. I can't really recommend this story. Not only are there better horror stories out there, but better Creepypasta as well.

[LignjaHal · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5.0
Another classic creepypasta that CreepCast got me to revisit. It's a classic story and it is an intriguing read. But the ending speech from the last remaining subject is just way too much. Too much philosophizing, too much grand standing, and just too many words. This isn't the place for a villain monologue.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t laugh at the rating for this creepy pasta classic. This scared the heck out of me when I was younger. There was an odd verisimilitude to this obviously fictional short story because I knew about Russian mad scientists and I also go crazy when I don’t get enough sleep.

[Daria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[i · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5 ⭐️

😨

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

cornerstone of my adolescents, just good USSR horror

[Ally Lane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creepy AF

[Taylor Seiverd · Rating 2 out of 5]

i listened to this through the CreepCast Podcast with Wendigoon & Papa Meat.

Idk. 2.5 stars? it was okay. gore is cool & all but i just wasn’t feeling this one

[ramsey ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

omg they have creepypastas on goodreads

[Sydney · Rating 3 out of 5]

the gore and writing was nice but it got cringe fast.

[Mey · Rating 3 out of 5]

its not the best story tbh but for the amount of times i use this image it deserves a few stars lols

[Rowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this first the first time as a tween and it holds up. One of my favorites.

[amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok gang this is goated

[Dre Scott-Urichen · Rating 5 out of 5]

it gets a tad corny at moments but easily the most memorable horror story ive read, stuck with me since I was in elementary.

[Kylie · Rating 3 out of 5]

down with the sickness

[Eddie Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

a classic

[my name is nour white yo! · Rating 5 out of 5]

used to sleep with the light on bcz of these mfs

[Sabrina Fair · Rating 2 out of 5]

Childhood nightmares turned unintentional comedy in adulthood. I was so innocent then...

[Maggie A · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 Classic creepypasta horror that has a solid concept but a very strange execution, and not in a good way.

[Hera · Rating 3 out of 5]

traumatized ✨🙏🏻

[Agnieszka Jarosz · Rating 2 out of 5]

w sumie dlaczego miałabym nie oceniać creepypast na goodreadsie ??

[Ben Lashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

80%

[Katie White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic!

[Pilar L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** thanks, Creepcast! (October 4 2023)

*** finally getting brave enough to count my rereads—or more likely, re-listens—of the Creepcast episodes. This was a good read. The first time I read this, it traumatized me, like it did many young people: the perfect, delicious mix of World War Two gore and the “what if this really happened” of history. (July 23 2025)

*** counting my creepypastas early this year! This one is always enjoyable, thanks to Papa Meat and Wendigoon! They give a great critique on an admittedly good horror story for the time period. Kudos to the original author who really did write something iconic! (January 5 2026)

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

2010 creepypasta classic with an unknown author going by the username OrangeSoda. An absolute favorite in my book and what got me to see creepypasta as an absolute extreme in the horror genre that movies and books can't reach due to the nature of the short story.