A viral trend inspired by the Netflix horror series If Wishes Could Kill has taken an eerie turn, with a real-world version of the Girigo app leaving some users unsettled.

The series, released on April 24, introduced a fictional premise in which an app grants users’ wishes but forces them to pass on a deadly curse within 24 hours. Shortly after its debut, a similarly themed app appeared on Google Play and quickly gained traction online.

What is the Girigo app?

The real-life Girigo app presents itself as a “wish-recording journal,” allowing users to record video messages expressing their wishes and revisit them later to reflect on outcomes.

Despite its relatively harmless functionality, the app heavily borrows from the show’s horror aesthetic. It features pixel-art imagery, ominous countdown visuals, and a rule suggesting it only “answers” between midnight and 4am. One of its most talked-about features is the playback function, which claims to return users’ wishes “in another voice.”

An in-app counter even tracks user activity, stating that thousands of wishes have been recorded and a smaller number of “echoes” returned.

Much of the app’s popularity stems from platforms like TikTok and Instagram, where users are creating dramatic content inspired by the show. These include staged “final hour” countdowns, warning-style videos, and skits mimicking the fictional curse.

Rather than using the app purely as a journaling tool, many users are treating it as a storytelling prop performing fear for audiences already familiar with the series.

The trend mirrors the narrative of the show itself, where characters knowingly engage with the dangerous app despite understanding its consequences.

Reports of unsettling experiences

While most interactions appear theatrical, some users claim more disturbing experiences. Social media posts describe issues such as the app being difficult to uninstall or continuing to produce sounds even when closed.

Though such claims remain unverified, they have contributed to the app’s mystique and fueled further online discussion.

In the original series, Girigo is depicted as a corrupted creation fueled by human emotions like grief and revenge, a concept that seems to resonate with how audiences are engaging with the real-world version.

As the trend grows, the Girigo phenomenon highlights how quickly fictional ideas can spill into reality, especially when amplified by social media culture.

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