© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

The hype for a fake movie, 'Zepotha,' goes viral on Tiktok

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Folks on social media are hyping up a cult classic horror movie from the '80s. But here's the catch - the movie, it doesn't exist.

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

It's called "Zepotha." And it is the brainchild of an 18-year-old musician from Oxford, England, named Emily Jeffri. Just a few nights ago, she made a post on TikTok that said, what if we created a fake '80s horror movie called "Zepotha?"

FADEL: She challenged her followers to comment about it everywhere they could to make people think it was a real film. Why, you ask? Jeffri says it started as a way to spread her music.

EMILY JEFFRI: My music is heavily '80s inspired, heavily inspired by, like, the kind of horror genre, I suppose. And so, like, I've always made links to, like, my songs belonging in chase scenes and things like that.

(SOUNDBITE OF EMILY JEFFRI SONG, "WHERE ARE THEY NOW???")

MARTIN: Jeffri says she can even picture how "Zepotha" would end, and she has the perfect song in mind.

JEFFRI: It'd be, like, the villain. Oh, my God, it'd be the villain showing up at the end and, like, looking up at the camera after you think that they've, like, died. And then the end credits would roll, and it would be so cool. And then the song plays out as the credits are rolling. That's totally what it would be.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DO YOU REMEMBER ME???")

JEFFRI: (Singing) Oh, do you remember me?

FADEL: The TikTok that revealed this song and started the "Zepotha" trend has over 7 million views. Emily Jeffri says the fan response to the concept of "Zepotha" has been mind-blowing.

JEFFRI: There's fan fiction. There's, like, movie posters, cosplays as well. People are dressing up as the characters. It's such a cool way that people are expressing themselves at the moment, and I love it.

MARTIN: Ana Diaz is a culture writer for Polygon. She says the community forming around the fake movie "Zepotha" is not that different from fandoms of real movies.

ANA DIAZ: Co-creation is a deeply fulfilling experience. People want to contribute to something that's larger than themselves. And there's something really exhilarating about seeing others interact with it and build on it.

FADEL: For her part, Emily Jeffri is content to let the "Zepotha" community decide what comes next.

JEFFRI: I don't want to just take "Zepotha" and then decide exactly what it's about and what it is and take that away from all of these really creative, amazing people. Like, I only came up with the name, and everyone else has done everything else.

FADEL: That's Emily Jeffri, creator of "Zepotha," the film not coming to a theater near you.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SOLUS")

JEFFRI: (Singing) You glare at me, pretend to be... Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.