Screamer

The Screamer, also known as a Prank Flash, is a simple, yet effective way to make people shit bricks. Screamers are sort of like Goatse: they take you by surprise, they're horrifying, and you can't unsee them.

This is said to be one of the first examples to show up on the internets in 2002, asking the seemingly innocent question what is wrong with this picture? Of course within minutes ebaumsworld, picked up the flash and popularized the prank.

Nowadays, Screamers are a common breed on the internets, due to all the 13 year old boys that jizz these prank flashes out all over the interwebs.

How it Works

Screamers usually involve a Flash program that displays images carefully selected for their apparent relationship to some premise, such as subliminal messages. Many of them also include ridiculously quiet soundtracks, either very quietly played "scary" music or someone whispering incomprehensibly, which would appear at first to be part of the ambiance. Of course, in reality, this is all just a setup. The images have nothing to do with anything, and the soundtrack exists solely to force the unwitting viewer to turn up the volume.

After causing the unwitting viewer to stare intensely at their screen and listen very very carefully for several minutes (which is funny in itself to the prank-player), the Flash will suddenly display very disturbing or scary images accompanied by a loud scream played at max volume. Because the unwitting viewer has already cranked their volume up, their eardrums explode and they inevitably piss their pants. Witnessing this will probably cause you too to piss your pants from the sheer lulz.

If you ever feel butthurt after getting raped by a screamer, keep in mind that the person who gave you the link was also raped. That is, after all, the way Screamers go through the tubes.

Protips

By this point, most seasoned basement dwellers have learned how to avoid these sick pranks. Here are some protips for you if you're a pussy, and are afraid of getting screamer'd:

If you're watching a video on Youtube, check the fucking comments. If the uploader has disabled them, there's a good chance that you will get pwned.
Videos about bullshit like subliminal messages are obviously, well, bullshit, and are screamers.
If a video or flash says something such as "Turn your volume up" it is most likely a screamer trying to get you to turn your volume up. Similarly, if it is ridiculously quiet, it's also likely to be a screamer.
If it requires a lot of concentration or requires you to stare very closely at the screen, it's probably a screamer.
If you're playing a game like Where's Waldo?, keep in mind that Waldo is a sick fuck, and would take immense pleasure out of making you shit brix.
If it's a .gif that is pretending to be a still image, it's a screamer. No exceptions.
If you're still not sure about the video (or flash), you can be a faggot, and ask your friend to check it out for you. The results can be both lulzy, and informative.
And finally, don't be a fucking paranoid pussy. Even if you get screamer'd, after a week or two it will be lulzy to remember it.

Making a Screamer

Being a part of the fad is easy. Most of the professional prankers obviously use Flash for making a screamer, but a broke pedophile like you can even use something as retarded as Windows Movie Maker.

Find a scary image that would make people shit bricks. Most use scary faces. Then, think of the bait for the viewer. Now, every retard can spot a screamer (see above), so you have to think of something even more retarded. For example, make a slideshow of Mudkip pictures. Now, get a loud scream. Put everything in the right places, and if you're not a fucktard, you should now have a screamer. Well done, you.

Most notable

Except for those cheesy YouTube screamers which just have a badly rendered picture of a skull, screamers are usually so great you automatically bear them in mind - either it is so scary you pissed on the chair or it is just plain epic.

The Maze Game - Probably the most overused screamer, hence the numerous reaction videos on Youtube where the maze is involved. You guide your mouse through a maze. That's it. When you end level 3 the face of that demon girl from The Exorcist comes out and screams. That's it. If it doesn't sound so horrifying, just google it. You'll see. The idea of luring the viewer closer to the screen and getting him/her more concentrated was quickly popularized, therefore fucktons of maze game clones appeared, which follow the same routine, only have a different objective, e.g. "complete the maze and get Britney Spears naked".
What's Wrong With This Picture - Already mentioned in the article earlier, WWWTP is sometimes called the first screamer to be. This may or may not be true, but people who say it is bad are fucking retards. It just asks you to look into a picture of a house of some sort and find a mistake - what is wrong with it. I suppose I should mention that no matter how long you look there is nothing wrong with it, but you won't have to look long anyway, because in about 30 seconds this face comes out with a yell. Then it repeats itself. This one was so popular, it became an actual IRL meme and at some point it even got to that TV show "America's Funniest Videos". It also spawned another line of screamers - "Where's Waldo", which ask you to search for Waldo and end in the usual manner.
Ghost car - This one was actually created outside of the internets. It was originally a German coffee commercial or something but then some local warriors started claiming that it was an car advertisement, so the information is mostly unclear. What is known is that it trolled millions, because a screamer on television is obviously the greatest idea ever. You see trees and shit, and a car drives, then the car hides behind the trees and a zombie comes out. While it has a pretty awesome history, it is not as scary as the usual screamer. So go watch it, faggot.
Subliminal Messages (You can find it here.) - Also a common one, it was mainly popularized in Albino Blacksheep. Some say it is the scariest around, but this is probably just because it starts fucking with your brain before the climax, thus increasing the tension. Also, everyone knows subliminal shit is scary. It shows random images with hidden messages with them, then starts playing some music backwards (which is supposed to be demonic or something) and out of nowhere appear pictures of dead babies, mummies and other sick fuckery. But still, screamers involving "subliminal" shit are very common, so it gets old quickly.