Corpse Creeper

Parasitic beast that controls the body of its host after the host's death. The beasts of this land have found plenty of ingenious hiding places, but none so clever as the body of another creature! If you happen on such a beast, rejoice! You've hunted two creatures at once!

Corpse Creepers are enemies in Hollow Knight. They are parasites which hide inside husks, controlling their host's body when the husk is defeated.^[1]

Behaviour and Tactics

When certain Husk Hornheads and Wandering Husks in Deepnest are killed, they reanimate as Corpse Creepers. This is signalled by the body of the corpse twitching a few seconds after death before sprouting legs and attacking. They will also emit a loud screeching sound cue after transformation which is useful to inform of a reanimation off-screen.

After they reanimate as Corpse Creepers, they will scuttle towards at the Knight very quickly. They can scale walls with ease, but cannot jump.

Great Slash helps to get rid of them easily. Once the corpse starts twitching, start charging up the Nail Art and strike as soon as it starts running. They are weak enough where even one Great Slash from the Sharpened Nail will kill it.

Dream Nail Dialogue
...Light...Danger... ...Safe...Dark... ...Hungry...Hungry... ...Scared... ...Eat...When... ...Kill...Hurt... ...Away. Away... ...Pain...

Location

The Corpse Creeper can only be found in Deepnest, mainly to the south of the Failed Tramway Bench.

Locations in Deepnest

Gallery

Challenge Room with Corpse Creepers

Trivia

• An easy way to tell if the husk will turn into a Corpse Creeper is by using the Dream Nail on it. Grimmchild will sometimes spit fire at a corpse that has a chance at reanimating, the fire making a "tink" sound when hitting the corpse. Corpses of defeated enemies will not have any Dream Nail dialogue, however, Corpse Creepers will, even before the telltale twitching starts.
• There are two types of Corpse Creeper variants, the Husk Hornhead, and the Wandering Husk. Although there are Husk Bullies in Deepnest, these will never transform into Corpse Creepers.
• The Corpse Creeper is one of the few enemies that have various different looks, but no change to behaviour, the others being the Siblings, the Fungified Husks, the Royal Retainers, and the Mistakes.

References

1. ↑ Wanderer's Journal, p. 90.

Compendium
Main Game	Crawlid • Vengefly • Vengefly King • Gruzzer • Gruz Mother • Tiktik • Aspid Hunter • Aspid Mother • Aspid Hatchling • Goam • Wandering Husk • Husk Hornhead • Leaping Husk • Husk Bully • Husk Warrior • Husk Guard • Entombed Husk • False Knight • Maggot • Menderbug • Lifeseed • Baldur • Elder Baldur Mosscreep • Mossfly • Mosskin • Volatile Mosskin • Fool Eater • Squit • Obble • Gulka • Maskfly • Moss Charger • Massive Moss Charger • Moss Knight • Mossy Vagabond • Durandoo • Duranda • Aluba Charged Lumafly • Uoma • Ooma • Uumuu Ambloom • Fungling • Fungoon • Sporg • Fungified Husk • Shrumeling • Shrumal Warrior • Shrumal Ogre • Mantis Youth • Mantis Warrior • Mantis Lords Husk Sentry • Heavy Sentry • Winged Sentry • Lance Sentry • Mistake • Folly • Soul Twister • Soul Warrior • Soul Master • Husk Dandy • Cowardly Husk • Gluttonous Husk • Gorgeous Husk • Great Husk Sentry • Watcher Knight • The Collector Belfly • Pilflip • Hwurmp • Bluggsac • Dung Defender • Flukefey • Flukemon • Flukemarm Shardmite • Glimback • Crystal Hunter • Crystal Crawler • Husk Miner • Crystallised Husk • Crystal Guardian Furious Vengefly • Volatile Gruzzer • Violent Husk • Slobbering Husk Dirtcarver • Carver Hatcher • Garpede • Corpse Creeper • Deepling • Deephunter • Little Weaver • Stalking Devout • Nosk Shadow Creeper • Lesser Mawlek • Mawlurk • Brooding Mawlek • Lightseed • Infected Balloon • Broken Vessel Boofly • Primal Aspid • Hopper • Great Hopper • Grub Mimic • Hiveling • Hive Soldier • Hive Guardian • Husk Hive Spiny Husk • Loodle • Mantis Petra • Mantis Traitor • Traitor Lord Sharp Baldur • Armoured Squit • Battle Obble • Oblobbles • Shielded Fool • Sturdy Fool • Winged Fool • Heavy Fool • Death Loodle • Volt Twister • Zote the Mighty • God Tamer Xero • Gorb • Elder Hu • Marmu • No Eyes • Galien • Markoth Wingmould • Royal Retainer • Kingsmould • Sibling • Void Tendrils Hornet • The Hollow Knight • The Radiance • Shade • Hunter's Mark	a
		a
Hidden Dreams		a
	Grey Prince Zote • Winged Zoteling • Hopping Zoteling • Volatile Zoteling • White Defender	a
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The Grimm Troupe		a
	Grimmkin Novice • Grimmkin Master • Grimmkin Nightmare • Grimm • Nightmare King Grimm • Seal of Binding	a
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Lifeblood		a
	Hive Knight	a
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Godmaster		a
	Flukemunga • Pale Lurker • Brothers Oro & Mato • Paintmaster Sheo • Great Nailsage Sly • Pure Vessel • Void Idol • Weathered Mask	a