If you search the internet, you’re bound to stumble across something you probably wish you hadn’t seen. Especially with YouTube, it’s easy to fall down a rabbit hole of strange videos. Recently, I discovered a dangerous hobby that racks up millions of views: dark web mystery boxes. “Dark web” and “mystery box” are two things that sound like they shouldn’t go together, yet there are several YouTube channels that unbox packages from the dark web. The depths of the dark web are a place where no sane person should be, but in the safety of your home, you can watch YouTubers explore the risks of ordering random boxes from unknown sources.

The dark web is not too difficult to access, but any activity that occurs there can lead to danger. YouTubers such as Crypto NWO order boxes for hundreds to thousands of dollars (which they convert to Bitcoin) from anonymous people and receive the packages in PO boxes to protect their address. The unboxing process is intense, and the people unpacking the boxes always make sure to wear gloves or face masks to protect themselves from potentially harmful objects in the package. The buyers never know what to expect in these boxes, and they generally hope for something valuable, but usually end up with items that they want to get rid of.

It’s hard to say how real or valuable the items found in these mystery boxes are because there is no information about who or where they came from. Oftentimes, YouTubers end up with “cursed” objects such as voodoo dolls or possessed objects. Depending on the unboxer, some take these haunted things seriously and try to show respect to them while others exploit the objects for more views. Each mystery box also contains some sort of twisted narrative based on its content. There are hints at murder or kidnapping based on the destroyed photos or letters left behind in the boxes. The senders even use real missing persons’ names on the letters and objects, but it’s too hard to know if the sellers actually have anything to do with these people (but it is the dark web after all).

To me personally, the items such as journals seem a little too unrealistic and are most likely written by the seller just to frighten the buyer. Any other spooky or unexplained objects that are planted in these boxes are probably also for the same affect. The “blood” that seems to show up in every box also seems a bit fake since it appears to remain fresh and bright red by the time the YouTuber opens the box, although real blood tends to turn brown in color after a few days. After taking Mr. Wright’s creative writing class and doing the 3DSP project, I feel like I understand someone’s mindset when trying to create a scary story using a slightly realistic backstory. After making fake blood myself and creating fake documents for this project, it seems that any sadistic individual could easily stage a fake murder/kidnapping. Nonetheless, these unboxing videos are still entertaining and gruesome due to these mysteries.

I don’t want to reveal too much about what has been found in these boxes, but luckily (or unluckily) there are hundreds of dark web unboxing videos on YouTube so there’s a good chance you’ll be surprised with the contents of whatever video you choose to watch. Cell phones, drugs, dead things, and unmarked USBs and hard drives are among some of the items found in mystery boxes, but there’s always some completely unexpected thing included such as car seats or a child’s diary. Although the insides of these boxes may not be real and are put together by some twisted person just for shock value, it’s hard not to feel a little frightened by the idea that things much worse than mystery boxes can be purchased on the dark web. Make sure to limit yourself on these videos before going to bed, and of course remember to stay as far away from the dark web as possible. As unboxer Crypto NWO says, the dark web unboxing is for stupid YouTubers to do so that viewers can enjoy the mystery safely.