The laugh comes from the Evil Dead franchise, created by Sam Raimi with the original 1981 film The Evil Dead. In the series, the Deadites are demonic spirits that possess the living, and their mocking cackle became one of the films' most recognisable audio signatures. Clips of the laugh spread through horror forums, Halloween compilations and soundboard sites in the 2000s, where it sits comfortably next to any ghost attack sting. It endures because it condenses the franchise's campy dread into a few seconds.