SyFy`s Channel Zero has a fantastic premise: It adapts creepypastas--viral scary stories from all corners of the internet--into 6-episode seasons of prestige horror TV. That leaves the show`s creator, Nick Antosca, with the fascinating task of hunting down those creepypastas` authors so he can get permission to use the source material.Channel Zero`s first season, which aired last year, adapted the 2009 creepypasta `Candle Cove` by author and webcartoonist Kris Straub. Season 2, which premieres tonight, tackles writer Brian Russell`s `NoEnd House.` In both cases, the authors weren`t hard to find, but Antosca told GameSpot that that isn`t always the case--especially where Channel Zero Season 3 and Season 4 are concerned.`Part of what`s important to me on this whole process of adapting creepypastas is giving the authors of the original creepypasta their due,` he said. `In the case of Candle Cove and No-End House, those authors are actually pretty well known. Kris Straub is a successful cartoonist. Brian Russell`s name is right on the story, and Brian Russell, interestly enough, works on the Exorcist TV show on Fox. So he`s around LA.``Without giving away the stories that we`re using for installments three and four, those authors were a little bit harder to track down,` he continued. `In one case, I just did a bunch of internet research myself. In another case, we had a researcher on the show do some tracking, and we found them and reached out to them. And as you might imagine, they`re pretty excited to be contacted about this. So we option the story and try to keep them in the loop.`Creepypastas have traditionally appeared on message boards and forums (`NoEnd House` was first published on 4chan), often from anonymous users or users with cryptic pen names, and throughout the internet`s history they`ve gained traction with dedicated creepypasta readers and casual web browsers alike. Adapting them for television presents unique challenges that Antosca, a horror author ...
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