The nightmare before Christmas isn’t Halloween. It isn’t whatever Tim Burton created in the 1993 stop-motion animated film of the same name, either. It’s actually an iconic Mariah Carey song the internet is turning into a frightening and hilarious meme as the snowy festive holiday rapidly approaches.
On September 17, internet creator and professional dancer Michael Berg uploaded a 12-second video to his TikTok. In the video, he leaves a house and turns to lock the door. Just as he goes to insert the key, Berg hears Carey’s unsettlingly soft vocalizing before her voice fades with the wind. Berg looks around, startled, checking the trees to see if someone is there. But there is no one. He continues to lock the door and the video just ends.
This started a wave of other TikTokers participating in the trend. Folks would leave their homes, maybe going to run some errands or enjoy the first days of fall, before Carey’s voice interrupts the autumnal peace. There’s a look of fear in their eyes as a shudder runs through their spines, and everyone either continues about their days or retreats inside. This trend has since been given an official name: “Mariah is coming,” and each video gets funnier.
We all know this song. It’s the tune that’s defined the holiday since forever: “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” the second song off Carey’s first holiday album released on October 28, 1994. Maybe it’s because the track came out in October, but the moment the temperatures drop and the spooky season rolls around, some stores—like CVS and Walmart—slowly start stocking their shelves with Xmas items. Festive colors such as greens and reds, as well as Christmas patterns and yuletide baubles, make their way onto cups and doors. The Christmas spirit is in the air, and it feels like Santa Claus gets closer every day.
Above all, the immediate indicator of the holiday spirit is Carey’s utterly recognizable song, whose bell charms and musical composition give it a frosty vibe. It’s so iconic and so tied to Christmas that you can’t go one Christmas party—or December day—without hearing it.
What makes this TikTok trend especially funny, though, is that the “Christmas Banshee,” as Carey has been lovingly referred to by folks in various comments, is in on the joke. On Berg’s September 17 video, the legendary singer simply replied “not yet.”
Berg responded to Carey’s comment on September 23 with another video. This time, he gets into his car and turns the radio on. Snoop Dogg’s 2004 banger “Drop It Like It's Hot” plays on FM 90.1. He then turns to FM 106.1, which is spinning Tinashe’s bop “Nasty,” before hitting FM 100.3 to listen to Tommy Richman’s song “Million Dollar Baby.” After a few seconds of vibes, “Million Dollar Baby” fuzzes out and is replaced with Carey’s Christmas song, and this track replaces every single station on Berg’s car radio thereafter.
He's since responded with two more videos, one on October 1 with a found-footage aesthetic and another on October 11 with a slasher vibe, that were more unnerving. And he compiled them all into a “She’s Coming…” folder, which has four episodes like some horror miniseries.
Complex reached out to Berg for comment.
Of course, we still have to get through Halloween and Thanksgiving before any presents get unwrapped and the Christmas Banshee gets unleashed. But make no mistake: Mariah is absolutely coming, and the internet isn’t quite ready for her yet. As a Halloween girlie, I’m not either. Are you? Either way, she's going on tour this snowy season. Watch out.