If you've ever fallen down a late-night TikTok rabbit hole of unsettling, can't-look-away videos, there's a good chance you’ve encountered Spencer Lackey.

The creator has built a following of more than 3 million followers on TikTok through short-form horror videos that transform ordinary spaces — a hallway, a bedroom, a window at night — into something more unnerving. His clips, often just seconds long, rely on atmosphere, suggestion, and timing rather than on jump scares, creating a style closer to analog horror than to traditional social media content.

Lackey's work is deceptively simple. A shadow lingers too long. A figure appears where it shouldn’t. The story unfolds quickly, but the unease sticks. That ability to build tension in such a compressed format has helped his videos rack up millions of views, with some going viral almost instantly.

In 2025, Lackey began expanding beyond TikTok, taking a step toward filmmaking with his short film You Are Here, signaling a shift from platform-native storytelling to more traditional cinematic work. His goal, he’s said, is to use social media as a pathway into directing full-length horror films.

As digital creators are increasingly being taken seriously as filmmakers and leveraging their accounts for Hollywood deals, that dream doesn't seem so far-fetched.

From YouTubers and TikTok stars to streamers and podcasters, Mashable talks to creators about how they built their platforms, the gear they swear by, and the trends they see coming next. Read more of our creator coverage or see more of this year’s Mashable 101 to discover the internet's most exciting voices.