Is the Eugene and Martha Grimes case real? AI TikTok controversy explained
TikTok: @baddreams1985Amid the growing use of AI in the true crime realm, a TikTok video examining the case of Eugene and Martha Grimes has gone viral, raising questions about whether it’s real.
For better or worse, artificial intelligence is starting to permeate the entertainment industry like never before.
While in some cases it can be a force for good, it’s a divisive practice to say the least – Late Night With the Devil, True Detective, and Megalopolis have all faced AI backlash in recent months.
But this trend has also leaked into true crime, with an entire YouTube page dedicated to pumping out fake cases and racking up millions of views in the process. But are the atrocities committed by Eugene and Martha Grimes also AI-generated works of fiction?
The Five Nights at Freddy’s case isn’t real
Eugene and Martha Grimes – a couple said to have killed dozens of foster children by sewing them into animal costumes – are not real. The disturbing images for the case appear to have been made using AI.
Horror TikTok channel Scare Waves created two videos on the fictitious scandal, the first landing in January 2024 with a series of disturbing photos showing the Grimes couple, terrified children, and horrifying bear costumes that are reminiscent of bad taxidermy.
Another TikTok video was posted the following month with the same images, only this time a narrator described the details of the case, which it claims started in the early 2000s in Savannah, US.
“Martha and Eugene Grimes, a couple revered for fostering children and aiding the needy, harbored dark secrets in their sprawling Victorian home,” it says.
“Guests seeking refuge were sedated by the Grimes, and forcibly stitched into animal costumes, turned into unwilling performers for a perverse entertainment.
“The Grimes’ grotesque charade continued undetected for 18 years, the truth hidden by the couple’s veneer of generosity and community spirit.
TikTok: @baddreams1985“The horrors were unearthed in 2022 when a former foster child, triggered by the game Five Nights at Freddy’s, recalled the trauma, leading to a shocking investigation.
“As the investigation deepened, authorities uncovered a mass grave on the property’s outskirts. Amidst the overgrowth, many victims were found still grotesquely bound within their costume prisons.”
If this were true, it would certainly be up there as one of the most disturbing crime cases ever uncovered. Alas, it’s made-up, although it did manage to freak out Scare Wave’s followers in the process.
The first video, which highlights its Five Nights at Freddy’s connection, amassed a whopping 4.1 million views.
Eugene and Martha Grimes leaves some viewers concerned
It was shared with no caption to indicate it’s bogus, and while most commenters knew they were being duped, others were left traumatized.
“I miss the person I was two minutes ago,” wrote one, while another said, “This has permanently scarred me. I can’t unsee this now. When is the movie out?”
TikTok: @baddreams1985A third asked, “Is this where Smith got his inspiration for Tusk?” A reasonable question, given the similarities to the plot of the 2014 horror movie. And a fourth chimed in, “I think this is the most insane thing I’ve ever heard.”
As said, a majority of the comments are from viewers praising the story while also pointing out it’s obviously fake and created using AI.
There are also many comments about the creepy song playing in the background, which features a heavily edited voice saying, “Don’t believe what you see.”
In the second video, which has been viewed more than 5 million times, the TikToker was upfront, writing in the caption, “The Grimes Crimes, America’s Most Evil Family. Narrated. This is a work of horror fiction and not to be taken as factual.”
TikTok: @baddreams1985Even so, it had some followers fooled momentarily. “Immediately searches for a true crime doc…” said one, while another wrote, “Here I am Googling the Grimes family and it just comes up with The Walking Dead’s Rick Grimes and his family lol.”
A third asked, “How come I’ve never heard of this story? You’d think these types of stories would be known, especially due to Five Nights at Freddy’s.”
AI controversy explained
In cases such as this, the use of AI to create horror tales is harmless fun, a bit like creepypasta for the digital era – so long as it’s clear it’s not real. However, it’s indicative of a more concerning trend: AI’s increasing application in true crime.
Netflix has been leading the charge, from the digitally altered images of Jennifer Pan in What Jennifer Did to fake footage of Lou Pearlman speaking from beyond the grave in The Boy Band Scam.
NetflixBut it’s also made its way onto YouTube. Back in August, a report emerged of an entire YouTube channel made-up of fictitious crime cases. All of the videos appear to be created by AI, including the scripts and supporting images.
The biggest issue here is that there’s no announcement or warning, and with more than 100 videos racking up millions of views, thousands of concerned viewers have been fooled into thinking they’re real.
Speaking to the Denver Post, Casey Fiesler, an associate professor at the University of Colorado Boulder who specializes in technology ethics, explained, “The way that people believe something just because they see it on the internet is going to be increasingly a problem.
“The thing that generative AI has done is sort of democratize these types of bad actors in the sense that the more people who are able to create this kind of content, the more of it we will see.”
If you’re looking for a creepy case that is real, read about the smartschoolboy9 documentary, as well as whether he’s been arrested.