The Other Side of the TV
A terrifying supernatural horror story about a teenager who discovers that the horror movie on his TV may not be fiction after all.
It was around 10:30 PM.
Fifteen-year-old Ethan was home alone.
His parents and younger sister had gone to visit his grandmother. They had told Ethan they would be back before midnight.
Before leaving, his mother had warned him,
“Don’t open the door for anyone, okay? And don’t stay up too late watching TV.”
Ethan smiled.
“Mom, I’m fifteen. I can take care of myself.”
His mother laughed, grabbed her coat, and left.
The front door closed.
The house suddenly felt much quieter.
Ethan grabbed some popcorn, dropped onto the couch, and turned on the TV.
He flipped through the channels.
Nothing interesting.
Then he stopped.
A horror movie had just started.
On the screen, a teenage boy was sitting alone in his house.
Ethan smirked.
“Seriously? This guy is scared of everything.”
He kept watching.
A few minutes later, the boy in the movie heard something upstairs.
Knock...
Knock...
Knock...
The boy slowly looked toward the staircase.
Ethan turned down the volume.
Then he heard something.
Knock...
Knock...
Knock...
His smile disappeared.
The sound had come from upstairs.
Ethan stared at the ceiling.
“Probably just the pipes,” he whispered.
He grabbed another handful of popcorn and forced himself to keep watching.
On the TV, the boy checked his phone.
The time was 10:47 PM.
Ethan looked at his own phone.
10:47 PM.
He frowned.
Then something strange happened.
The boy in the movie slowly looked directly toward the camera.
He whispered,
“If you're watching this... don't look behind you.”
Ethan froze.
He stared at the screen.
“That was creepy.”
Then he heard a voice behind him.
Very softly...
“Ethan...”
His heart stopped.
He slowly turned around.
Nothing.
The living room was empty.
Ethan stood up and checked the hallway.
Nothing.
He checked the kitchen.
Nothing.
He checked the front door.
Locked.
He grabbed his phone and called his mom.
No answer.
He called his dad.
Straight to voicemail.
Ethan walked back into the living room.
The horror movie was still playing.
He picked up the remote.
“I’m done with this.”
He pressed the power button.
The TV didn't turn off.
Instead, the screen changed.
Ethan's blood ran cold.
The movie was gone.
The TV was showing his living room.
His living room.
His couch.
His coffee table.
And Ethan himself...
sitting on the couch.
But there was something else.
A dark figure was standing behind him.
Ethan immediately turned around.
Nothing.
He looked back at the TV.
The figure was still there.
And now...
it was closer.
Ethan dropped the remote.
He ran toward the front door.
He grabbed the handle and pulled.
Nothing.
He tried again.
Locked.
Then he heard a voice from upstairs.
“Ethan...”
He stopped.
It sounded exactly like his mother.
“Mom?”
“Ethan, honey... come upstairs.”
Ethan slowly looked toward the staircase.
He didn't move.
Then he looked at the TV.
The teenage boy in the movie was standing at the bottom of a staircase.
A dark figure was behind him.
The boy was screaming,
“DON'T GO UPSTAIRS!”
Ethan backed away.
Suddenly...
he heard footsteps coming down his staircase.
Step...
Step...
Step...
Ethan's breathing became faster.
Every light in the house suddenly went out.
The TV went black.
His phone rang.
MOM CALLING...
Ethan answered immediately.
“Mom?”
There was silence.
Then his mother's frightened voice came through.
“Ethan... are you home alone?”
“Yes.”
A pause.
Then Ethan whispered,
“But... you're upstairs.”
His mother went silent.
Then she screamed,
“Ethan! Don't open the door! We're still at Grandma's house!”
Ethan dropped the phone.
His eyes slowly moved toward the TV.
The screen was black.
But he could see its reflection.
His reflection.
The couch.
The room.
And...
someone standing directly behind him.
Ethan couldn't move.
He didn't turn around.
A cold breath touched the back of his neck.
Then a voice whispered into his ear.
“Your mom was right.”
Ethan's eyes filled with tears.
The voice continued,
“Never open the door for anyone.”
Ethan swallowed.
“Why?”
The black TV screen suddenly lit up.
A pale face appeared.
It smiled.
Then the voice whispered,
“Because whoever is outside...”
A long pause.
“...is not your family.”
At that exact moment...
someone knocked on the front door.
Knock...
Knock...
Knock...
Ethan stood frozen.
Then he heard his mother's voice from outside.
“Ethan... honey, open the door.”
He stared at the door.
His phone was still in his hand.
His mother was still on the phone.
And she whispered,
“Ethan... whatever you hear outside... don't look through the window.”
The knocking stopped.
Silence.
Then...
something began scratching at the front door.
Scratch...
Scratch...
Scratch...
Ethan slowly looked toward the TV.
The pale face on the screen was still smiling.
But now...
it was wearing his mother's face.