*NOTE: This is a reupload, earlier when it exported from Premiere Pro it was only 8 minutes of the 19 minute video, so I've spent the last 4 or 5 hours trying to fix the problem. Everything should be fine now but if not, I'll see what I can do to fix it
hey man, you made a couple of mistakes. the multi level, video gamey backrooms is older than the kane pixels backrooms. humans being attracted to scary, depraved stories is also older than video media, see campfire stories and old fary tails and even mythologies.
So mutilated and tortured children is fine and an innovative idea for analog horror, but the moment you put something real, what happens and is represented as something horrible happening in the real world, you can't handle it? that's fucking stupid
VHS tape plays "HI guys I am dead this vhs tape is haunted do not watch" Static "OK there is scary noise outside bedroom better go check it out without a gun" The main character runs into scary intruder man with big eyes and big mouth "Omg! There is man in my house!" Mc dies and is replaced, classical music plays
The exact moment I could no longer take 90% of the medium seriously was the South Park analog horror series trying to flash an image of "realistic" Ike.
Jerma unintentionally becoming analog horror icon is so funny yet such thing happening to him fits him so well. “No chat, I don’t look like an analog horror icon!”
The reason I’m so drawn to vita carnis isn’t because of its horror, like it was with local 58 and Gemini home entertainment. I love it because of how unique the world building is. The humanoid one was creepy, yeah, but the other creatures were equally - if not more - interesting. I also have been growing a little disenchanted with analogue horror recently, but that one stood out to me.
I agree, but we all must admit that Darian is a very talented artist. I'm still wondering how much time did he spend on making that irl trimming puppet just becouse it looks so good
That Harvester video is fucking horrifying, and it was mostly audio based. I couldn't imagine how much worse it would've been if we saw everything clearly happening.
vita carnis made me go from saying 'fuckin mimics!' to 'fuckin harvesters!', the harvesters are the most scary out of all the creatures in that series, and thay can stay in canada!
Its also neat that when rewatching it, usually whenever the female TTS voice kicked in is when minformation would kick in. Best example I can think of is like when they say say mimics are hard to put down with guns so they advise you to "not fight and run", which is then proven false by the video of the storming of the compound when the strike team took out several. Having something similar to Trevor Henderson's series The Mayfaire Watchers Society, where the entities don't necessarily have to be malicious just because they look weird, is always nice for me when interacting with fiction since it can add an element of unknown to scenarios. Fae folk rules of they're only dangerous in certain circumstances is always interesting when written well.
Just a couple weeks ago, was watching a vid with that sound in it at 1 in the am and thought someone knocked on my window...I grabbed my gun and went outside thinking someone was messing with me....obviously no one there, but it freaked me out....went back and listened to the vid again and that's when I figured out it was the video.
I think vita carnis does better than some of the more recent analog horror series. Wonderful art, legitimately terrifying scenes and ideas, and interesting lore
@@ChillyUltraKillGemni could have been better if it had more monsters than woodcrawlers and iris (I know DRD and nature's mockery exists but the former was used kinda late into the series).
Am i the only one who doesn't find Vita Carnis that scary? I find the story interesting and the visuals really cool, but it isn't that scary. I also don't consider jumpscares to be scary but they do make people jump. I love horror but hate jumpscares so basically what I'm saying is Vita Carnis is more interesting than scary
As an analog-horror creator, the genre seems to be mocked a lot for its overused tropes and such. This makes it really hard for smaller series and creators to get off the ground. Hopefully it'll be fixed or saved sometime in the future.
I remember the whole backrooms popularity phase was so annoying. It was a novel idea, endless rooms of yellow, with absolutely nothing in them. The concept itself was terrifying enough to be stuck there. But the internet began turning it into SCP, making hundreds of ridiculous levels and almost comedic "entities" into the mix.
I have an idea for a horror story in which a character is in the backrooms and they’re just going increasingly more desperate and sad as it goes, and eventually they find someone who just got in and they bond with that person but because they’ve been alone for so long their relationship is uncomfortable and the main character is obsessive. In the end they find a door and only the other character can escape from it, but the main character attacks them and tries to force them to not leave and ruins their chance at escape. Then the other character runs away afterwards, they never find each other again, and the main character is back to being alone.
@@lovestrucktheidiot Exactly, it felt so juvenile, the mystique and quiet dread of the backrooms now felt like some baby's first monster's labyrinth. Adding levels was cool, I could've jived with that, but adding a shit ton of "entities" just felt like that IKEA SCP all over again.
I think what I love about the Mandela Catalogue is that Alex seemingly recognizes the issues with analog horror, and has as a result shifted the series away from the tropes it itself created. Jerma Syndrome has been almost completely removed from the newer parts, including the Volume One remake, instead replaced with wholly original 3D assets that look human, but don’t move like humans. The guy’s a damn genius, and more importantly, I’m still scared by the series because it still actively introduces new concepts to scare the shit out of you.
I feel the opposite, the charm of the old videos is what makes it fun, and the live action started to take away from what made it creepy. I am not scared of the mandela catalog stuff because it is or isnt grounded in reality, it plays into my own personal fear. By utilizing not the best live action, it took me out of it and made me realize how... goofy everything is. Like watching people try to take this funny creature so seriously that it ends up being more humourous than not. I'm glad you still get enjoyment from it though!
@@Autocratical Dude, saying that Alex "ruined" the genre simply because he introduced many of the fresh ideas that other creators would go to copy and exploit is... Dumb. What the series was doing and is STILL doing it's pretty high quality compared to most analog horror series, and Local58, The Monument Mythos or The Walter Files are up there, along with it, to keep offering their own unique takes on the genre. You can't look at a work that did something great and get mad at it because everyone else began plagiarizing it... And no, The Mandela Catalogue never shows Lucifer eating anybody.
I think my favorite entry in the genre (I believe it counts?) is the Mystery Flesh Pit National Park. I love the world building there, the bizarre pamphlets, the unsettling lore implications, and most importantly the fact that it was left alone and not milked into oblivion and expanded into 10000 different series, making it lose all its mystery
@@thewizard1 fr, just a creepy humorous alternate reality. Not analog horror at all, just a dude making a funny story about a wacky hell mouth and our attempts at making money off it
Vita Carnis, the Mandela Catalogue, Gemini Home Entertainment, and Local58 all impress me with how scary they can be with such little done to actively try to scare someone. They all feed off of this uncanny valley vibe, wnd I love it
Someone mentioned in the comments of a similar video that analog horror often deals with technology from the 70s-early 2000s and that they'd like to see horror from different periods like the 50s and earlier which I think is great. It's why I love the Monument Mythos because it takes place over the lifespan of America, putting emphasis on different time periods and the technology of the time. Personally I think great horror could be made out of basic and uncanny sounding recordings from the turn of the century or maybe some supernatural element in the world wars which are already horrific enough. I'm just tired of the 80s and 90s theme personally.
My biggest grievance with analog horror is how often the story jumps the shark. The biggest appeal of analog horror, to me at least, is how grounded and believable it is while still entertaining elements outside the realm of reality. The medium of VHS tapes, security camera footage, news broadcasts, and tape recordings makes it more fantastical than something like true crime, but it's not full on supernatural horror. But then the accompanying plot completely defeats that appeal by using aliens, zombies, lizard people, demons from another dimensional, alternate universes, and other totally unrealistic and outlandish characters and ideas. If I'm supposed to be afraid of the extradimensional shapeshifting demons that prey upon humans, you can't expect me to think I'm going to be learning about them from a vintage VHS player on a cathode ray tube television.
if it ever is fantastical or widespread horror like that it should be like the movie "without warning" instead of premade video tapes it would be live news broadcast and maybe footage from traffic cams of chaos in the streets instead of pre-made videos that would require a society to exist afterwards to produce and manufacture tapes, something crazy can work, but it needs to be shown how it would actually be shown, also the supernatural in general is an outlandish thing, the real world is boring (also not architecture is pretty cool) and thats kind of the point of fiction including horror, to break that reality a little it just might not be for you
It’s sorta like the uncanny valley. Monument mythos didn’t jump the shark it fucking shot itself out a cannon. By launching so far into the unknown and changing the format it’s really become it’s own thing
I'm late to the party here, and it's an older piece of work that's still ongoing, but I'd highly recommend THE SUN VANISHED if you want an element of a modern-day analog horror/ARG mix; the way it's been going is genuinely so fascinating to witness
Things like the SCP Foundation and the Backrooms became so popular that people took notice and simply decided to take advantage of them as outlets for their creativity. Instead of submitting new articles that were simply new spooky/paranormal things that need to be locked away for the former, or creepy places you could get trapped in for the latter, people just used them as platforms to post their ideas for characters, monsters, organizations, world building, and so forth. Popularity runs the risk of attracting the attention of the wrong people who do not appreciate it for what it is but instead for what they can use it for to benefit themselves.
The SCP somewhat mangaed to retain it's quality and charm, especially with the world being so flexible and varied, but the Backrooms was absolutely eviscerated
Absolutely. The SCP foundation isn’t just about scares anymore, it’s about a fantastically wide array of stories and concept created by truly talented authors. I shudder to think what would happen if the internet jumped onto the Foundation like they did the Backrooms.
I remember back in 2019, my best friend showed me the backrooms, and she was massively intruiged by the unknown aspect of it, the constant threat of something being in the backrooms with you or not. So when the backrooms footage came out back in 2022, she was rightfully kinda pissed when the entire concept was thrown away just to put a bunch of cliche, cookie-cutter looking monsters into it. Completely altering what the backrooms were from the start.
Be careful you don't yeet yourself through the wall into the quirked up backrooms or you're gonna get got by the infamous Scrunkly Bunkler monster on the secret level 2048!!! But it's okay because all you have to do to make friends with it is drink the delicious wall-sludge and it'll heal you and make your hair rainbow-coloured and let you fly and visit whatever level you want!!!!!!!!!!
@@wanchorman472 Oh no! It’s SCP I mean entity, 6969420 also known as chuck! thankfully I have a blue crayon (he loves Blue Crayons but hates purple ones) so the worst thing he’ll do is open up a wormhole to level -3 instead of shoving a firecracker up my ass!
I think the Kane pixels backrooms is actually quite good, but as with everything good, comes a bunch of horrible copy cats and children. Then the main backrooms cannon became some shitty Walmart scp universe, and it lost all its meaning. Which is probably why Kane pixels has dropped the backrooms for his new series, the oldest view.
I hated that too. The original Backrooms concept was never supposed to be like SCP, but people made it like SCP. The concept was just being stuck in an unnerving familiar place. Not people in Hazmat suits mapping out different areas and fighting monsters that you would see in a video game.
I wouldn’t say analog horror is declining/dying as much as it is stagnating. I don’t think these issues are solely related to Analogue horror; as with any form of media, people will mindlessly copy popular things leading to overused tropes and less creativity. Hopefully this genre doesn’t die, as it’s always been an almost morbid fascination of mine (many other people too, I’m willing to bet). There are some unique analog horror series out there (monument mythos, liminal land, vita carnis) that have their own interesting ways of world and character building. If you disagree, let me know, I’m interested in what other people have to say. And if there are any analogue horror series you’d recommend, leave a comment :)
It's worth remembering: 1. The more media is in a given genre, the harder it is to do something "original" within that genre. 2. More media in a genre means a higher chance of more "bad" media in said genre. It might be trendy to look down on creepypasta, and yeah a lot of it is garbage, but don't dismiss it out of hand. Some really great stories, e.g. Ted's Caving Page, work so well because they walk a fine line between "standard horror story formula an audience can predict" and "weird event that this dude online might have actually witnessed." Some of the real classics are topics like: "I remember this low-budget kids show with a really unsettling villain puppet." "There's this weird 'ritual' you can do by setting up mirrors in your pitch black basement and then having a conversation with your reflections." "I went caving a while back and disturbed something in a passage that didn't sound like any animal I recognised. I'm going back to see what it was."
Personally I like analog horrors where the "monsters" are just animals. They aren't malicious in any way, they're just doing what animals (or plants) do to survive Some series I like that have this are The Living Flesh Pit National Park and Vita Carnis, as well as some based on jurassic park/dinosaurs
it feels a bit sadder, the deaths are just accepted as normality no matter how brutal and long they may be compared to real animals where they just maul and eat you. analog horror animals like the harvester in vita carnis are the worst
That's why I like the Mimic so much; it's not some alien or demon using psychological warfare, but it's an animal that has adapted to seek out a certain kind of prey; it also makes the Harvester seem even more terrifying as they're pretty much biological landmines
The scariest thing about animalistic horror is that the you and the creature have a lack of understanding, there simply is no reasoning with it, your instincts tell you to fear it, and it's instincts tell it to hunt, its more natural, more normalised, it makes you feel insignificant.
"Oversaturated" is probably the best way of summarising what happened to analogue horror. From that you get the development of commen tropes and the abundance of similar and/or low effort work. I do hope the newest series in the genre hold their own against the flood of similar content. I also think digital horror (nostalgic late 90s to 2010 video game/computer horror) still has much to offer, however. But it's unfortunately much more difficult to produce due to how one must make, play, emulate, and/or modify a game or program in order to get footage.
I was also thinking of video recordings being done on a smartphone too, like recording vids on an OPPO phone when it comes to digital horror. Hell, maybe even screen recordings from either a mobile phone, a PC, or a console when it comes to footages in said horror.
I think Kane’s backrooms are different to me. Like it’s inspired by the 4chan post but it has its own lore that makes sense to what story it’s trying to tell. Yes, content farms and whatnot have oversaturated the genre, but I wouldn’t put Kane’s work in that category. With the more content he makes, he’s really proven himself to be a stellar creator from writing and technical standpoints.
There is also just little enough for it to still be left to the imagination cause it's so unexplainable. IMHO, the take on the Backrooms was a miss but I don't disagree with the rest of the video
@@softestleftistI think it was a valid take but it doesn't invalidate Kane's work. It can defeat the purpose of the original but still be interesting in its own right
@@drewlmao Yeah exactly! Like Kane Pixels imo is one of the artist that brought the Backroom into its Golden Age before the copycats and tik tok clones showed up
Kane also had a few different aspects to their Backrooms that I liked, such as the corproate researh team trying to understand the backrooms, wanting to create a stable rift between the two, and even their desire to turn the unknown maze of drab yellow walls into an entire living space/commercial district/factory/entire city system.
i would argue that monument mythos does not suffer from any of the tropes. sure, it's in an analog format, but it takes a WHOLLY different approach from any other analog horror series to date. it isn't even really a horror series at this point though it does have elements of horror present. it's an alternate history, and a commentary on and parody of our modern political climate. it has transcended far beyond the label of analog horror imo.
Agree that monument mythos is a lot of a alternate history kind of series since the horror comes from the altering of events we had happen in our timeline combined with some elements that hint at a larger picture coming
As someone who likes alternate history I loved it, I think alt history has also become formulaic and tropey to some extent so it's nice to see something new with the genre and an analog horror series which isn't confined to only the 80s or 90s. There's a lot to be made out of both genres as even small details of the worldbuilding unnerves the audience, such as how different but similar the world is to ours, kind of like an uncanny valley for history.
as someone who's really passionate about analogue horror and is super sad to see the state its in, I'm really glad that despite the staleness and predictability, that is starting to be realised and understood by new creators who are making some incredibly unique and terrifying series and I love it
I really liked the Chimpy Chippa's Tapes, how they blended traditional analogue horror with live-action footage. This ended up giving the series a refreshing cinematic edge. I wish the series was longer though. I guess Spring Tock Pictures likes keeping their project short though.
What I like about Alex Kister is that he doesn't overstay his welcome with vhs spooky, and actually tries to tell a story with characters. And not just uncanny imagery, tho that also is present. Kane Pixels also made a newer series called The Oldest View, and I'm not sure it's analog horror, it's still amazing.
I think a big issue is that a lot of the people making things inspired by the first or second wave of analog horror just aren't familiar with the source material. They don't know what analog technology is, and instead ape elements of other analog horror series simply because it's convention.
@@johndexterzarate6663þat is a really interesting take. I wonder how would a series pan out if þe main scare was þe internet and modern technology in general.
I was so ready to throw hands until you clarified that you don't hate Vita Carnis, the video of the mother and son getting killed by the harvester is probably the best analog horror video I have ever seen
I think it's amazing how fast the acclaim-ostracization cycle was in Analog Horror. It usually takes a full decade for the same thing to happen in movies and games but in this it was 5 years at best. It might sound bad, but it just forces innovation and creativity for everyone willing to try their hand at it.
Gemini Home Entertainment is the only analog horror series I'll call a masterpiece. The lore is so interesting and there are some genuinely unsettling moments. You can clearly tell the creator was passionate about the series and wanted to deliver it the best he could, and didn't just do it for cheap scary images.
i think skinamarink deserved a mention as i believe it had one of the freshest takes on analog horror in a while, having the original less is more appeal of the backrooms and managing to hold a sense of dread for so long that you have to look around your room to make sure your still safe
Agreed, I was surprised that it didn't get a small segment of the video, or even a brief mention. I know it's divisive, but Skinamarink will most likely end up as my favorite theater experience of the year. I went with a friend knowing that it would be unorthodox and I was petrified for the entire runtime. My heart was pounding nonstop and I have never felt fear from a movie on a level even close to Skinamarink. I don't think it's a movie I need to see again or would have anywhere near the same viewing experience, but for a one-time watch it was incredibly unique and terrifying.
There was something that started to pop up, “Digital Horror” where it’s creating horror out of things like Flipnote on the DS like with The June Archive and Restoration Project. Sagan Hawkes and Raymundo 2112 talk about it more. Petscop could be considered Digital Horror too
Im worried with the direction digital horror is going in, cause ive been seeing a lot of "creepy lost flash game" type vids (Which is probably due to the Lacey flash game videos) and its probably gonna get stale.
@@aniketr341 yeah I can see that. On the other side I can see it being completely stale as most gaming or internet creepypasta invoke ‘Digital Horror’ like with Interloper it’s a bit like a creepypasta already. And the Roblox one BrandonWorks is sort of creepypasta as well but Analog Horror is like that too
When it comes to them "found footages", does recording something on a smartphone, like an OPPO phone, part of "Digital Horror"; let alone screen recordings on a phone, a PC or laptop, and a game console like the Xbox 360?
Analog horror, a genre embracing the eerie aesthetics of old technology, had a moment in the digital age. It fascinated us with VHS vibes and nostalgic chills. But it faded as our demand for high-def scares and quick content took over. Despite this, analog horror's charm endures, reminding us of the haunting allure of the past. This is all true, because i was there🗿
There's also a nice little offshoot of the analog horror genre known as _EAS Scenarios,_ which utilize the fear of the lack of information, doomsday/nightmare scenarios, and fear of sudden noises, which I enjoy a lot and watch while I eat food. Kinda weird how it wasnt mentioned in this video since it's one of the few analog horror offshoots that still feel decently enjoyable right now.
Oddly enough EAS scenarios were not originally an offshoot of analog horror, they were part of the EAS community first with prank videos meant to instill fear in your friends or family when you replaced a channel on tv or radio with the fake warning, the fact they became full horror oriented is definitely partially thanks to analog horror though, It did feel weird to see the stuff I used to watch converging with what's done now
IMO, Analog Horror started dying when people started implementing gore in it. Gore is great when used wisely. The Walten Files has some pretty gory and violent stuff, but it's not thrown around randomly, it has a great impact because it's used sparingly. However, throwing guts and maimed bodies all over the place takes away from the mysterious and unnerving nature of Analog Horror by introducing mindless violence everywhere.
Honestly, that and everything being of super natural or eldrich horror. It would be really creepy if for once the main monster wasn’t a creature with goals of hating humanity but rather an animal acting on instinct.
Idk, gore can be really effective and I haven't seen much of it in analog horror, if any notable example, most you get is leftovers post incident and a bit of blood or red paint if you're using real life acting, I know horror movies with tons of It that keep you on edge, surely if done right you could get a barf enducing result, however, It could become predictable too and overused as well even within It's own contained series, such a difficult tango, It's a similar brawl with vulgarity, too much and you get ridiculous really quick.
Even worse, in genres like the Slasher in movies, gore is used as a visual narrative and sometimes to show something innovative, how the fuck should I be shocked of "super realistic blood" in a damn frame of an analog television 💀
I feel the old timey music trope is due to the laws around copyright rather than lazieness or trying to set a tone. Most music used is either always been public access or has only recently come into public access and so you get a reccuring theme
i really hope analog horror continues because i think its really cool to watch and the universes are so interesting esspecially breakdown videos of it. btw great video man keep it up
Glad you mentioned the Monument Mythos/Nixonverse/corner folk series (created by mister manticore) since it’s really interesting. It combines elements from eldritch and lovecraftian horror, science fiction, and conspiracies to creat a really unique analogue horror series. The world building is great, rivaling that of vita carnis and the Mandela catalogue. I’ll try not to spoil much, but I will say that the series has some really wholesome moments amidst the chaos. TH-camr Wendigoon has made some really neat videos dissecting the series, and there’s many more you can find here on YT. If anyone else has seen the series (it seems to be not that well known), let me know!
@@007megaoof Eh it has certain elements that satirize modern internet horror but that is mostly limited to side series/uncannon videos. The core is still a cohesive series
my biggest gripe with analogue horror is how much it shifted towards being art based. it's already infinitely harder to make yourself known as a writer than as an artist (been writing for years at this point and only people i sent my stories to have read them) due to the fact there's no outlet/proper way of publishing stories. seeing analogue horror be a lot more text-/sound-based with the occasional edited image (mainly talking about smaller series) was great because it gave me hope that there was finally a proper way of sharing your stories. clearly it developed in a different direction, which at first wasn't bad (i adore vita carnis and the art of other big analogue horror series), but you dont need to be a rocket scientist to quickly figure out that the writing is going to deteriorate when all people wanna see is just creepy images (such as urbanspook). crossing my fingers that maybe someday there will be an actual genre that values writing over superficial things. also im pretty sure a bunch of urbanspook-like series just use chatgpt to generate the text because it really feels fake.
My biggest problem with analogue horror is the desdeprate attempt to make the series "deep". I think a lot of creators forget that horror has the main objective of making the viewer FEEL terrified, you can make a more complex horror story, but the best ones knew that well crafted concepts and lore didnt matter if the work in itself isnt visually striking, sometimes a simple concept is enough to make people disturbed, it only depends on how you will execute it.
rant "...the series was initially praised for its groundedness and artwork..." Wait, wait wait. Are you telling me that humans, genuine, living humans, saw the urbanspook video with its fucking "This guy's name is X. he got stabbed a lot. This guy's name is Y, he got shot and killed and murdered. This guy's name...", white text on black background, with a bunch of pictures drawn by a 5 year old, and they thought "Damn, this is a breath of fresh air! Good analogue horror series, at last!", rather than instantly laugh at how bad that stuff actually is? The story is practically non-existent, the way information is written is not even close to a police report it presents itself like... There are just so many things done wrong, I don't want to waste my time writing them all down. I can't seriously believe it has fans. Or had, for that matter, before the whole gore controversy.
I guess I was late to the party because I feel like there is still a lot to be gained from this sub genre. I’m not gonna lie, it’s my favorite thing going right now.
Yea Analog Horror still has potential, it just needs something different. Ive rewatched The Mandela Catalogues over and over and i started to see how TMC uses classic tropes such as Text To Speech, Disembodied Voices and Morphed Features. Its still pretty good but i wish it did something different
A great analog horror series came from Linkara, of all people-- "Winter of 83" which was his April Fool's joke. It's a pretty straightforward horror story that succeeds by having most of its horror happen offscreen, or through the sounds of things just off camera. It reminded me of the V/H/S anthology series but in a good way. I feel like analog horror can really fall apart when it gets into the "marketable lore product" territory (which, I know it feels kinda mean to point fingers at FNAF, but so much modern analog horror owes itself to mascot horror.)
The pattern with each new trend in the horror genre and medium is a growing sense of immersion. Watching found footage felt more “real” than slashers, sharing creepy pastas was easy in the early internet, and now ARGs and Analog horror felt like creepy pastas coming to life. But the internet’s growth has increased the ability to oversaturate popular trends and quickly wring them out. Unless some creator can find a unique spin in story-telling (such as with Skinamarink), it seems like analog horror has hit its wall and the bubble is bursting. The next wave of horror will need to be more immersive than analog and find a way for the story to come to life to excite & engage the audience more. I don’t know what that requires, but that’s the simple fact of entertainment evolution
BRO I thought I was watching a video from a huge TH-cam channel. This is honestly crazy, the editing is absolutely perfect, the visuals are great, it's actually incredible. Keep up the fantastic work :)
Personally the one that got to me was The Alternates, because the idea of a malicious entity that intends to hurt you and can almost perfectly mimic you once it has killed you is disturbing to be on a sort of existential level. It's the idea of being replaced and no one knowing until it's far too late.
@theloathsomedungeater5268 they also had something like that happen. When Mark is praying and begging for God to save him, no one came. Mark has spent all his life believing and praying to God and now when he desperately needs him, he's nowhere. I feel like this one of the ways "Gabriel" scares and puts dread and gloom into people so they have a better chance of offing themselves so more alternates take their place
I like analog horror as a unique way to tell stories but I think that people got caught up more with the "analog" part and did not spend enough time on the "horror"/story without just retelling another story or relying solely on cliches. Horror is one of the hardest genres to write and have it not only be good but actually scary. I think many of the analog horror creators are very skilled creators but not skilled enough writers.
One thing that always comes to my mind when I hear about things copying each other in media is a episode from South Park called "simpsons did it". The episode itself pointed out how nowadays, it's incredibly difficult to make something original for people to enjoy when something similar to it was already made by another person. That's how it must be for most people who make analog horror. It all starts to feel the same and they try their best to make theirs stand out from others. Eventually, they'll run out of ideas and resort to taking ideas others series had but have a slight twist and call it original.
I found out the Mandela catalogue was from Wisconsin earlier this week and I was really surprised because I’m also a Wisconsinite and literally no fiction of note is ever set here.
I've said it a lot under many different videos, but In my opinion, Local 58 and Gemini are two leaders of the genre. They essentially created the genre of Analog horror. I personally don't consider the first ARG's like Marble Hornets or The Sun Vanished as analog horror, which is why I'd say Local 58 created the genre. I really miss Local 58, and Gemini only uploads like once a year. They definitely paved the path for series such as Mandela Catalog (which I believe to be one of the best modern Analog horror series'), Greylock, Vita Carnis etc. Personally, I believe the best internet horror series, analog or not, to be Marble Hornets, TSV, Local 58, Gemini, Boisvert_, Kane Pixel's... well, *everything*, Chainmail Chasers and the Mandela Catalog. I really hope for Local 58 to come back, as the story was incredibly interesting and I'm upset that it ended with a cliffhanger. Marble Hornets really doesn't need a detailed explanation as to why it's so great. TSV was the first to actual have immersion, that being the fake news broadcast and expert filmmaking. TSV really pushed the boundaries of what was possible before Local 58 was even a thought in anyone's mind. Boisvert_ is such an odd ball when it comes to internet horror. The story of a mans decaying mind cluttered by depression and self destruction, portraying just how terrifying the human mind really is. And my god, the art and animation is just *impeccable*. And the story is one you can easily get lost in. Kane Pixel also really doesn't need any introduction. He and Alex are leading the genre right now and it's easy to see why. Chainmail Chasers is such a novel spin on the classic creepypasta formula, bringing it back and breathing new life into it with modern editing and story telling with interesting characters you can really relate with. In conclusion, Analog horror and internet camp fire horror stories really have come a long way. Analog has had a pretty good run so far, but I also believe that it's coming to an end. Kane Pixels new The Oldest View series is amazing and I 100% believe that it'll help bring the change to internet horror I think we really need. That, and I believe things such as Boisvert_ and I Can't Sleep will also come front stage pretty soon with the death of Analog. I'm excited to see a new age of horror, because currently, while Greylock, Vita Carnis and Mandela Catalog are all amazing works of art, it's just gotten so stale already. we *need* something new.
Really nice take ngl. It fucking sucks how none of these videos mention other internet horror projects, like ARGs and unfiction series in general. It makes it so that people who are into analog horror aren't able to get into these other horror series that they would fucking love since they don't realize that analog horror is moreso a subgenre of unfiction horror which has been a thing since early internet. And retroactively putting shit like marble hornets into that box doesn't do it justice, when it's not a first tread into analog horror, but a fucking innovation in internet horror storytelling. It just sucks because I want more people to see these other series that are just as good if not better than popular analog horror, but if people keep treating analog horror like it's a unique thing separate from unfiction, they won't discover other shit they'd love
TSV is still probably one of my favorite things that's been created on the internet. It's amazing, immersive and excellently done to scare you but still keep it nonsaturated with jumpscares or "Creepy event spooky"
ive never been freaked out or scared by horror or anything of the sort (i am a fan though, i find it fascinating) but that knock at the end had me shitting my heart out
I feel like it's an interesting conversation on whether they're "clichès" or just things that make it a genre. I think people are quick to dismiss actual interesting analog horrors because now those tropes are being a lot more recognized, and while I can definitely understand how it can take you out of the immersion a little bit, I personally don't think it's a bad thing.
one thing I hate about analogue horror is that the principles are so effective. like even the joke applications of the tropes you used here were able to illicit fear in me
"people see other people do something cool and try to replicate it while barely knowing what made it good in the first place and not making anything new with the idea" is the best way to sum up a lot of recent analog horror
Feels like, to me, "Analog horror" died the moment they started calling it "Analog Horror" in the same way "Mascot Horror" died when they started calling it "Mascot Horror." Part of what kills these "genres" is that they decide on some particular set of traits, and settle with that and stop bringing new things to it. When it declares itself as purely "analog horror" it locks itself away from strange and new inspirations that could elevate it, and it all starts to look the same. That's why most of the best analog horror content was from before they slapped a label on it. I will say, I didn't really like the "mascot horror" trend anyway. FNAF was fresh, I was a fan of that, as many folks of my generation were. but none of the adjacent games that came out after it really seemed any good to me, it seemed ridiculous to me that people got so laser-focused on such an inflexible, specific horror concept. But people wanted that FNAF money. My advice for upstart horror creators, or really creators of ANY kind of art: Inspiration, especially varied inspiration, is your friend. Don't just look for inspiration in other pieces of media in the style of what you're creating. If you're making a fantasy story, cheesy 80s action might give you an idea. If you're writing a psychological horror, maybe a cowboy movie would give you your epiphany. Keep yourself inspirationally open. Explore stuff you haven't seen before. Varied tastes create unique vision. You don't have to listen to me though, I'm just some random indie media fan who cares too much. If you want to make another local 58 clone, you have every right.
The first time I watched the vita carnis mimic episode i thought it would be harmless. NOPE, I couldn’t sleep at all that night. The thought of a mimic being in my closet or outside my door made me get the worst sleep I ever had
@@ametuergamer1524sort of. They're all interconnected. I reccomment crowmudgen's recent video on it, he does a great breakdown without losing the creepy atmosphere.
If you like Backrooms content but are bored of all the entities, I recommend The Poolrooms by artist Jared Pike. It seems to be either calming, nostalgic, creepy depending on who you ask. I find it to be more on the nostalgic side. There’s a few videos in his official channel, but there are a few good fan creations as well (like from Matt Studios or Return to Render).
I think honestly all horror that gets popular goes through these phases. As much as we remember slashers well, that genre was also super oversaturated and got terrible (Jason literally ends up in SPACE). Things that are creative and cool become popular, accessible, then oversaturated. But history shows that the good ones endured. We don't remember all of the horrible slashers, found footage videos, derivative creepy pastas.... We remember the bangers. And I think this will be the cycle for analog horror. Lots can be released but we will keep coming back to the incredible ones. "You Are On the Fastest Available Route" still makes me uncomfortable. For every The Painter, there's a Greylock, thankfully. We will hold onto the amazing ones and they'll endure! Thanks for the great video.
Everybody remembers star wars but almost nobody remembered laserblast until it became a target for youtubers who review bad or obscure movies for a living.
@@TheAbigailDee i honestly thought it was kinda funny because what the actual heck was running through the driver’s head going in the middle of nowhere whilst the map is clearly turning satanic somehow 🤣 Not to say its bad i loved it especially the end
note about the backrooms, a whole lore about the backrooms existed before the analog horror backrooms. i know because i watched a lot of video about the backrooms before the kane pixels backrooms came out its just the backrooms was less known before then.
It was an absolute kick in the gut to see my “Local69” parody at 14:05, I basically forgot about its existence, only to see it pop up here. This video describes exactly why I lost all interest in analogue horror, it’s a phenomenal documentary on such a great fallen genre.
Boisvert is by far one of my favorite analog horror/ARG series on youtube. Its not about anything paranormal, and even though it suffers from the black and white trope. Its simply perfection (in my eyes)
I mean, it's not really horror though. Sure, it has the "creepy" children ghost things, but it reads like a 10 year old wrote it, and none of it is really scary. It's just your typical creepy pasta he was talking about, its not analouge horror. Sure, it's a tape, but its just images and some random lady talking.
@@avionrico6941 its decently well made imo. Not many analog horror series now are considered good. From what i can tell, People categorize it as analog horror. If you dont think it is, Thats fine. Nothings wrong with that.
Some already mentionned it but I'd like to mention Angel Hare as one of the best thing that was made because of Analog Horror. It is an amazing serie that, while still containing a little bit of cliché stuff from the genre, it did something that not a lot of people have done: Make the paranormal entity a protagonist protecting you and comforting you about an horrible situation. Sure, it might scare you here and here because of the eerie concept of a show that is sentient, able to see what's happening out of its universe and constantly directing young Jonas on what he should do to protect himself and be safe but 90% of the time, the show isn't trying to scare you. The three best examples being the deconstruction of a gun so it can't be used, the fact that the show never go into details on who is Jonas' father, always only hinting that something his wrong with him without saying exacly what is wrong with him, and despite always comming back as the main question of the show, it'll never tell us concretely what happened, only show us around it with the use of clues. It's an amazing show that deserves to be more popular deserve its success. Not only because it's a well made original show but also from hiw kind and supportive The East Patch is.
If I recall, people started making more floors and monsters for the backrooms and added their own story well before Kane. Kane decided to make his own concept which had the weird wire monster which got adopted into that community. Personally I like Kane's approach to the backrooms, it still feels like the uncomfortable and unknown dimension like in the original, but with a few tweaks. I'm also not a fan of the multiple floors, monsters, and organizations, and escape plans in the backrooms, It just muddies things up from the original simple idea.
Great video! 😄 I got in fairly early in Marble Hornets at the start of college, and was blown away. Really agree with your take on The Backrooms. I'm so tired of this trend of obsessive world building and attempting to explain the wonder out of everything. Elements of mystery are what can make things engaging or scary, and shouldn't be stripped away for the sake of a "satisfying" explanation.
I think the decline actually started with the Mandela Catalogue, personally. I think it started out strong, but quickly started missing the point of what made it scary to begin with. Episodes stopped being PSAs that could hypothetically exist if the incidents had happened in real life, and focused less on the monsters themselves, and started trying to build a narrative with characters and subplots. The Alternate threat stopped feeling personal to the viewer, and became about the threat they posed to the characters involved instead. What also happens with this shift in focus is that later episodes maintain the analog aesthetic but aren't videos you can realistically imagine getting made in the real world if someone was in the shoes of the characters. As all these changes happened, it felt less like analog horror and more like just another horror webseries, and as other series take inspiration from it, other series suffer from the same lack of focus.
Whoever told you that Felix is the murderer of The Walten Files is wrong. Bon, who's suspected to be Jack, is the only known killer in the series so far.
There is a relatively new series that’s piqued my interest. The Man In The Suit is an analog horror series told from the perspective of a cameraman on the set of the original Godzilla series, and it revolves around the man inside the Godzilla suit, who slowly became fused with the suit. It’s one of the most genuinely horrifying and scary series I’ve ever seen recently.
I just need to point out how much i love Vita Carnis for what it is. First of all, Darian is a very talented artist, some of the designes like mimic are very disturbing. Second, Vita Carnis is great at what it's doing for many reasons, but the one that i don't think a lot of people point out is how diffrend it is from the other analog horror series. Most of them use the same concept of evil demons and aliens (something like Mandela Catalogue) but in Vita Carnis these are just animals, some of them kill people, some of them don't, but even when they do it's just becouse of the fact that they want to survive, just like any other animal would, they are also pretty much treated like animals by the society, some of them as extremely dangerous ones but still, these are just living creatures with inatincts and common behaviours
The funny thing is that without skin, all those animals will freeze to death, die of infections, be damaged by UV rays, not be great at keeping liquids inside, and would just generally be terrible at surviving xD
I like ones that may not be as scary but clearly have so much thought and effort put into its world building Monument Mythos for example, idk if you’d classify it exactly as analog horror cause the format is way different, but it does keep the static and muffled audio of early microphones Is it scary? Not particularly, no. However, the lore and ideas used are so fucking deep and detailed are awesome
One majorcorrection: Kane pixels backrooms found footage video came out 3 YEARS after the fandom backrooms wiki was created and introduced new levels to the backrooms meaning that if anything Kane was inspired by the backrooms level lore and not the other way around, although it's more obvious that the two things just have nothing to do with each other. The fact that you say "The internet RAN with it." is just kinda dumb since all it takes is a quick google search to find this information.
Plus the fact that many of the creators of big name analog horror series ended up being outed as groomers is definitely contributing to the genre’s death.
I think analog horror began to show signs of staleness far before Mandela. When it first came out, I felt that Mandela was a sort of relief from the Local 58 remakes (I really like Aidan Chick’s work but Channel 7 and Analog Archives are very much 58 remakes)
I’ve been writing and developing the art for my series for over a year and a half now, and am only finishing the first episode. The decline of analog horror’s popularity was part of the reason it took so long just because I started losing interest in the genre , and so I found I needed to find a different medium to present my idea. I’m kind of glad that the fad has faded away and left only a few juggernauts that continue to evolve their storytelling abilities through the characters and the presentations, much like Mandela Catalogue
ynkow that the backrooms was doing its whole entire thing before kane pixel even made a single video on it and that if im right has been going on from the start of 2020 till now
Honestly since the beginning of analog horrors existence I just kind of tuned out because I just couldn’t find it very scary. I found the one about medication for emotions and [redacted] emotions pretty creepy but it sort of stopped after that. It just doesn’t really feel like a very flexible genre for horror since the style revolves around static, glitchy stuff with creepy face, aggressive murderous sentences that pop up randomly, etc. When laying it out like that, it does sound like there’s plenty of room to create something unique but I haven’t really seen anything beyond a FNAF themed analogue horror or “living planets”. I’m not trying to say this to be a big tough guy like “I’m just not scared,” when the “bear” scene from annihilation literally kept me up for multiple nights
Some things I think of when watching the video - Putting Marble Hornets as the ur-analog horror is something I never really noticed despite electrical glitches being the 'symptoms' of Slenderman presence. That's really cool. - Other than scary glitching error inherited from found footage horror movies, I think Local58 rose to fame is also related to vaporwave trend that also sorta go mainstream around the same time, which features nostalgia callback and glitch aesthetic as its main feature. - Also probably related is the rose of mystery/horror youtube content creators investigating ARGs and other 'Internet Mysteries', which in itself I think related to the old internet "Top 10 list" type of contents, which most popular ones are supernatural or creepy in topic - The oldest example of ur-Jerma Syndrome and possibly its ur-template that I can think of would be that creepypasta Mereana Mordegard Glesgorv which predates Marble Hornets by at least a year.
this is a big part of why I love Doctor Nowhere's stuff so much, it strips the genre back to the most basic concepts, analog plus horror, and then takes it new places without biting from previous works. you end up with some things in common just because only so much variation is possible, but the execution is so damn unique. even doing played-out things like the "we, the authority, are gonna tell you about the monster, but it's actually manipulating our informational video" trope, the actual execution of it in practice is so unique
I think Kane Pixels’ backrooms series genuinely slaps. The entities are only one part of what makes the backrooms scary, their sprawling, massive nature, and utter impossibility to escape for anyone who isn’t graced by the incredible wealth and technology of A-Sync is just as bad- and I believe that the entities in the videos are actually people who have been infected by the bacteria in the air, suspended in life in the backrooms permanently, and have no intentions to harm anyone, but simply run after people because they represent their best chance at finding an exit from literal purgatory.
This is such a well done video! Vinatge Eight's "Children Under the House" Is something different. I also really like their series "Human Trials" I think they are analog although I am not really sure about Human Trials.
Children under the house was very unique and chilling!! I enjoyed it a lot. It didn’t get super popular but it definitely deserved to be! It’s something different in an ocean of analog horror
@vmcintosh1061 Yes I really love that series and I agree that it is something different. I love how the creator has so many different works as well that are different to "Children Under the House".
My ultimate top 5s for analog horror are Local 58, Gemini Home Entertainment, The Tangi Virus, Stone Cold, and Greylock!! All 5 of these have very unique concepts with L85 and GHE sharing a sort of "sentient planet" concept, the Tangi Virus just being horrific on its own with the first video, not even counting the Oracle Project and the Human Trial, Stone Cold coming in hot with only one video that was good enough to get EmortalMarcus into it, and do not get me started on Greylock
ohhhh tangivirus is. fantastic. It becomes all the more horrifying when you take medical history into account. the inactivity of the government is arguably one of the scariest if not the scariest part of the tangivirus series BECAUSE it’s happened time and time again that mass death has just been ignored (see the history of HIV)
if anyone is curious, we lived alongside quite a number of other human species not just Neanderthals. It’s weird to know that just a few thousand news ago the Denisovans were around
*NOTE:
This is a reupload, earlier when it exported from Premiere Pro it was only 8 minutes of the 19 minute video, so I've spent the last 4 or 5 hours trying to fix the problem. Everything should be fine now but if not, I'll see what I can do to fix it
Imagine spending blood sweat and tears on a video and premiere pro says no 😭
@@circleception3916 That would've sucked so bad 😭
hey man, you made a couple of mistakes. the multi level, video gamey backrooms is older than the kane pixels backrooms. humans being attracted to scary, depraved stories is also older than video media, see campfire stories and old fary tails and even mythologies.
imagine using adobe
So mutilated and tortured children is fine and an innovative idea for analog horror, but the moment you put something real, what happens and is represented as something horrible happening in the real world, you can't handle it? that's fucking stupid
We've reached the "hyper-realistic blood" phase for analog horror
oh god this is totally the "mario looking at the player with hyper realistic bleeding eyes" phase isnt it
VHS tape plays
"HI guys I am dead this vhs tape is haunted do not watch"
Static
"OK there is scary noise outside bedroom better go check it out without a gun"
The main character runs into scary intruder man with big eyes and big mouth
"Omg! There is man in my house!"
Mc dies and is replaced, classical music plays
But this of course can only mean that when we leave it, we'll be all the better for it.,
Best way to describe any internet horror series/genre that becomes over saturated and stale
The exact moment I could no longer take 90% of the medium seriously was the South Park analog horror series trying to flash an image of "realistic" Ike.
Jerma unintentionally becoming analog horror icon is so funny yet such thing happening to him fits him so well.
“No chat, I don’t look like an analog horror icon!”
It's the most Jerma thing to ever happen
the most jerma thing jerma has ever jerma’d
Analog Andy
"No, chat, I'm not gonna put a vhs filter over the facecam"
good thing this jermaine guy you speak of isn't real
The reason I’m so drawn to vita carnis isn’t because of its horror, like it was with local 58 and Gemini home entertainment. I love it because of how unique the world building is. The humanoid one was creepy, yeah, but the other creatures were equally - if not more - interesting. I also have been growing a little disenchanted with analogue horror recently, but that one stood out to me.
the trimming is also cute
I agree, but we all must admit that Darian is a very talented artist. I'm still wondering how much time did he spend on making that irl trimming puppet just becouse it looks so good
That Harvester video is fucking horrifying, and it was mostly audio based. I couldn't imagine how much worse it would've been if we saw everything clearly happening.
vita carnis made me go from saying 'fuckin mimics!' to 'fuckin harvesters!', the harvesters are the most scary out of all the creatures in that series, and thay can stay in canada!
Its also neat that when rewatching it, usually whenever the female TTS voice kicked in is when minformation would kick in. Best example I can think of is like when they say say mimics are hard to put down with guns so they advise you to "not fight and run", which is then proven false by the video of the storming of the compound when the strike team took out several.
Having something similar to Trevor Henderson's series The Mayfaire Watchers Society, where the entities don't necessarily have to be malicious just because they look weird, is always nice for me when interacting with fiction since it can add an element of unknown to scenarios. Fae folk rules of they're only dangerous in certain circumstances is always interesting when written well.
The clear takeaway from this video is that someone needs to make an Analog Horror series called Jerma Syndrome.
peeping the horror so hard you turn PSYCHO
Vita carnis
look up the smiling disease it already exists
The Smile Tapes:
There practically is. The smile tapes.
19:08 Whoever created that knocking sound deserves either pain or praise. It gets me every time.
Cant believe i got tricked by the same trick in another video 😔
i fr got tricked four times
I clicked that and i thought it was real for a second 😭
I was wearing head phones when it happened, and I had to rewind to make sure it was the video.
Just a couple weeks ago, was watching a vid with that sound in it at 1 in the am and thought someone knocked on my window...I grabbed my gun and went outside thinking someone was messing with me....obviously no one there, but it freaked me out....went back and listened to the vid again and that's when I figured out it was the video.
with any internet horror thing, there’s inevitably a scary guy who’s whole thing is either having big eyes or a large toothy smile
Jerma
Or being slenderman
@@Tokito935HAHAHAHA
Timmy Turner from Fairly Odd Parents?
@@arandomcrusader8822 This is easily the most underrated reply in the whole comment section, lmao ;-D
I think vita carnis does better than some of the more recent analog horror series. Wonderful art, legitimately terrifying scenes and ideas, and interesting lore
Vita carnis is 10/10 Gemini is 11/10 smile tapes... 8/10
@@ChillyUltraKillGemni could have been better if it had more monsters than woodcrawlers and iris (I know DRD and nature's mockery exists but the former was used kinda late into the series).
@@snuuy7373 true.
Am i the only one who doesn't find Vita Carnis that scary? I find the story interesting and the visuals really cool, but it isn't that scary. I also don't consider jumpscares to be scary but they do make people jump. I love horror but hate jumpscares so basically what I'm saying is Vita Carnis is more interesting than scary
its not really a scary kind of analog horror. One of those cool new concepts. A COOL ONE!@@douglassmalls6934
As an analog-horror creator, the genre seems to be mocked a lot for its overused tropes and such. This makes it really hard for smaller series and creators to get off the ground. Hopefully it'll be fixed or saved sometime in the future.
For me, I think it's been overused as a genre, and now that tropes have been seen and used, we will have to wait a bit for a ground breaking series.
Maybe TWF 4 Could Fix That
@@giogaming2010if it ever comes out 😒
There’s nothing we can do, just gotta hope the entire anolog horror series gets some hype again
@@Unknown.exe.88 never said my series was popular 🤷♂
I wonder if analog horror fans just scream when their game lags
brooo
when their game crashes they have a heart attack
I FUCKING DO BRO THAT SHIT SCARES ME😭
I think they scream when their dog licks their hand
I mean, that's terrifying when you realize it's been a long time since you've saved.
I remember the whole backrooms popularity phase was so annoying. It was a novel idea, endless rooms of yellow, with absolutely nothing in them. The concept itself was terrifying enough to be stuck there. But the internet began turning it into SCP, making hundreds of ridiculous levels and almost comedic "entities" into the mix.
The fact that almond water and smilers became a thing is just so funny to me.
I have an idea for a horror story in which a character is in the backrooms and they’re just going increasingly more desperate and sad as it goes, and eventually they find someone who just got in and they bond with that person but because they’ve been alone for so long their relationship is uncomfortable and the main character is obsessive. In the end they find a door and only the other character can escape from it, but the main character attacks them and tries to force them to not leave and ruins their chance at escape. Then the other character runs away afterwards, they never find each other again, and the main character is back to being alone.
Right? Last I counted there is- not joking- 73 variants of the Partygoers. There has to be some point where you say "enough is enough", you know?
@@lovestrucktheidiot I'm honestly intrigued by how far they took that concept
@@lovestrucktheidiot
Exactly, it felt so juvenile, the mystique and quiet dread of the backrooms now felt like some baby's first monster's labyrinth. Adding levels was cool, I could've jived with that, but adding a shit ton of "entities" just felt like that IKEA SCP all over again.
I think what I love about the Mandela Catalogue is that Alex seemingly recognizes the issues with analog horror, and has as a result shifted the series away from the tropes it itself created. Jerma Syndrome has been almost completely removed from the newer parts, including the Volume One remake, instead replaced with wholly original 3D assets that look human, but don’t move like humans. The guy’s a damn genius, and more importantly, I’m still scared by the series because it still actively introduces new concepts to scare the shit out of you.
yes! i was looking for a comment talking about this
Jerma syndrome is an amazing name for goofy horror faces
I feel the opposite, the charm of the old videos is what makes it fun, and the live action started to take away from what made it creepy. I am not scared of the mandela catalog stuff because it is or isnt grounded in reality, it plays into my own personal fear. By utilizing not the best live action, it took me out of it and made me realize how... goofy everything is. Like watching people try to take this funny creature so seriously that it ends up being more humourous than not. I'm glad you still get enjoyment from it though!
@@Autocratical Dude, saying that Alex "ruined" the genre simply because he introduced many of the fresh ideas that other creators would go to copy and exploit is... Dumb. What the series was doing and is STILL doing it's pretty high quality compared to most analog horror series, and Local58, The Monument Mythos or The Walter Files are up there, along with it, to keep offering their own unique takes on the genre.
You can't look at a work that did something great and get mad at it because everyone else began plagiarizing it... And no, The Mandela Catalogue never shows Lucifer eating anybody.
@@Snormite Based
I think my favorite entry in the genre (I believe it counts?) is the Mystery Flesh Pit National Park. I love the world building there, the bizarre pamphlets, the unsettling lore implications, and most importantly the fact that it was left alone and not milked into oblivion and expanded into 10000 different series, making it lose all its mystery
flesh pit my beloved
Mystery flesh pit is an analog horror now?. You are regarded, aren't you
@@thewizard1 fr, just a creepy humorous alternate reality. Not analog horror at all, just a dude making a funny story about a wacky hell mouth and our attempts at making money off it
@@thewizard1regarded as what
Thats not really analog horror
Vita Carnis, the Mandela Catalogue, Gemini Home Entertainment, and Local58 all impress me with how scary they can be with such little done to actively try to scare someone. They all feed off of this uncanny valley vibe, wnd I love it
Do you like Winter of 83?
@@Game_Hero never seen it
@@DivaaGaming Really amazing one, very different and with a visible budget compared to other ones.
Very fun series
I could never get into Mandela, I kinda feel like it's overrated. Gemini is my personal choice
Someone mentioned in the comments of a similar video that analog horror often deals with technology from the 70s-early 2000s and that they'd like to see horror from different periods like the 50s and earlier which I think is great. It's why I love the Monument Mythos because it takes place over the lifespan of America, putting emphasis on different time periods and the technology of the time. Personally I think great horror could be made out of basic and uncanny sounding recordings from the turn of the century or maybe some supernatural element in the world wars which are already horrific enough. I'm just tired of the 80s and 90s theme personally.
Bet, someone make an analog horror based in WWII or something
@@Unipulse43 I would love to watch it then
A silent movie that goes from silly slapstick to something morbid over time.
My biggest grievance with analog horror is how often the story jumps the shark. The biggest appeal of analog horror, to me at least, is how grounded and believable it is while still entertaining elements outside the realm of reality. The medium of VHS tapes, security camera footage, news broadcasts, and tape recordings makes it more fantastical than something like true crime, but it's not full on supernatural horror. But then the accompanying plot completely defeats that appeal by using aliens, zombies, lizard people, demons from another dimensional, alternate universes, and other totally unrealistic and outlandish characters and ideas. If I'm supposed to be afraid of the extradimensional shapeshifting demons that prey upon humans, you can't expect me to think I'm going to be learning about them from a vintage VHS player on a cathode ray tube television.
if it ever is fantastical or widespread horror like that it should be like the movie "without warning" instead of premade video tapes it would be live news broadcast and maybe footage from traffic cams of chaos in the streets instead of pre-made videos that would require a society to exist afterwards to produce and manufacture tapes, something crazy can work, but it needs to be shown how it would actually be shown, also the supernatural in general is an outlandish thing, the real world is boring (also not architecture is pretty cool) and thats kind of the point of fiction including horror, to break that reality a little
it just might not be for you
It’s sorta like the uncanny valley. Monument mythos didn’t jump the shark it fucking shot itself out a cannon. By launching so far into the unknown and changing the format it’s really become it’s own thing
I'm late to the party here, and it's an older piece of work that's still ongoing, but I'd highly recommend THE SUN VANISHED if you want an element of a modern-day analog horror/ARG mix; the way it's been going is genuinely so fascinating to witness
Things like the SCP Foundation and the Backrooms became so popular that people took notice and simply decided to take advantage of them as outlets for their creativity. Instead of submitting new articles that were simply new spooky/paranormal things that need to be locked away for the former, or creepy places you could get trapped in for the latter, people just used them as platforms to post their ideas for characters, monsters, organizations, world building, and so forth. Popularity runs the risk of attracting the attention of the wrong people who do not appreciate it for what it is but instead for what they can use it for to benefit themselves.
The SCP somewhat mangaed to retain it's quality and charm, especially with the world being so flexible and varied, but the Backrooms was absolutely eviscerated
@@tomaszhallay6653this, though I do like both, my favorite is scp compared to the two of them
the scary thing of the back rooms was not knowing what’s in there with you, adding 600 layers with 80000 monsters each made it just feel dumb and lame
I totally agree with the backrooms but SCP was only improved with people’s creative ideas being added to it
Absolutely. The SCP foundation isn’t just about scares anymore, it’s about a fantastically wide array of stories and concept created by truly talented authors. I shudder to think what would happen if the internet jumped onto the Foundation like they did the Backrooms.
I remember back in 2019, my best friend showed me the backrooms, and she was massively intruiged by the unknown aspect of it, the constant threat of something being in the backrooms with you or not. So when the backrooms footage came out back in 2022, she was rightfully kinda pissed when the entire concept was thrown away just to put a bunch of cliche, cookie-cutter looking monsters into it. Completely altering what the backrooms were from the start.
Be careful you don't yeet yourself through the wall into the quirked up backrooms or you're gonna get got by the infamous Scrunkly Bunkler monster on the secret level 2048!!! But it's okay because all you have to do to make friends with it is drink the delicious wall-sludge and it'll heal you and make your hair rainbow-coloured and let you fly and visit whatever level you want!!!!!!!!!!
@@wanchorman472 Oh no! It’s SCP I mean entity, 6969420 also known as chuck! thankfully I have a blue crayon (he loves Blue Crayons but hates purple ones) so the worst thing he’ll do is open up a wormhole to level -3 instead of shoving a firecracker up my ass!
I think the Kane pixels backrooms is actually quite good, but as with everything good, comes a bunch of horrible copy cats and children. Then the main backrooms cannon became some shitty Walmart scp universe, and it lost all its meaning. Which is probably why Kane pixels has dropped the backrooms for his new series, the oldest view.
I hated that too.
The original Backrooms concept was never supposed to be like SCP, but people made it like SCP.
The concept was just being stuck in an unnerving familiar place. Not people in Hazmat suits mapping out different areas and fighting monsters that you would see in a video game.
@@Sma11_saussHe hasn’t dropped it, he’s working on a movie with A24.
I wouldn’t say analog horror is declining/dying as much as it is stagnating. I don’t think these issues are solely related to Analogue horror; as with any form of media, people will mindlessly copy popular things leading to overused tropes and less creativity. Hopefully this genre doesn’t die, as it’s always been an almost morbid fascination of mine (many other people too, I’m willing to bet). There are some unique analog horror series out there (monument mythos, liminal land, vita carnis) that have their own interesting ways of world and character building. If you disagree, let me know, I’m interested in what other people have to say. And if there are any analogue horror series you’d recommend, leave a comment :)
I agree, i think its reached its peak and plateaud rather than descending into death
It's worth remembering:
1. The more media is in a given genre, the harder it is to do something "original" within that genre.
2. More media in a genre means a higher chance of more "bad" media in said genre.
It might be trendy to look down on creepypasta, and yeah a lot of it is garbage, but don't dismiss it out of hand. Some really great stories, e.g. Ted's Caving Page, work so well because they walk a fine line between "standard horror story formula an audience can predict" and "weird event that this dude online might have actually witnessed."
Some of the real classics are topics like:
"I remember this low-budget kids show with a really unsettling villain puppet."
"There's this weird 'ritual' you can do by setting up mirrors in your pitch black basement and then having a conversation with your reflections."
"I went caving a while back and disturbed something in a passage that didn't sound like any animal I recognised. I'm going back to see what it was."
Personally I like analog horrors where the "monsters" are just animals. They aren't malicious in any way, they're just doing what animals (or plants) do to survive
Some series I like that have this are The Living Flesh Pit National Park and Vita Carnis, as well as some based on jurassic park/dinosaurs
it feels a bit sadder, the deaths are just accepted as normality no matter how brutal and long they may be compared to real animals where they just maul and eat you. analog horror animals like the harvester in vita carnis are the worst
It's such a clever way of writing
That's why I like the Mimic so much; it's not some alien or demon using psychological warfare, but it's an animal that has adapted to seek out a certain kind of prey; it also makes the Harvester seem even more terrifying as they're pretty much biological landmines
The scariest thing about animalistic horror is that the you and the creature have a lack of understanding, there simply is no reasoning with it, your instincts tell you to fear it, and it's instincts tell it to hunt, its more natural, more normalised, it makes you feel insignificant.
"Oversaturated" is probably the best way of summarising what happened to analogue horror.
From that you get the development of commen tropes and the abundance of similar and/or low effort work.
I do hope the newest series in the genre hold their own against the flood of similar content.
I also think digital horror (nostalgic late 90s to 2010 video game/computer horror) still has much to offer, however. But it's unfortunately much more difficult to produce due to how one must make, play, emulate, and/or modify a game or program in order to get footage.
I was also thinking of video recordings being done on a smartphone too, like recording vids on an OPPO phone when it comes to digital horror. Hell, maybe even screen recordings from either a mobile phone, a PC, or a console when it comes to footages in said horror.
as much as i hope, no genre or series is safe, it's inevitable
I think Kane’s backrooms are different to me. Like it’s inspired by the 4chan post but it has its own lore that makes sense to what story it’s trying to tell. Yes, content farms and whatnot have oversaturated the genre, but I wouldn’t put Kane’s work in that category. With the more content he makes, he’s really proven himself to be a stellar creator from writing and technical standpoints.
There is also just little enough for it to still be left to the imagination cause it's so unexplainable. IMHO, the take on the Backrooms was a miss but I don't disagree with the rest of the video
@@softestleftistI think it was a valid take but it doesn't invalidate Kane's work. It can defeat the purpose of the original but still be interesting in its own right
@@drewlmao Yeah exactly! Like Kane Pixels imo is one of the artist that brought the Backroom into its Golden Age before the copycats and tik tok clones showed up
Kane also had a few different aspects to their Backrooms that I liked, such as the corproate researh team trying to understand the backrooms, wanting to create a stable rift between the two, and even their desire to turn the unknown maze of drab yellow walls into an entire living space/commercial district/factory/entire city system.
@@GamingEelektross scp copy type of shit.
i would argue that monument mythos does not suffer from any of the tropes. sure, it's in an analog format, but it takes a WHOLLY different approach from any other analog horror series to date. it isn't even really a horror series at this point though it does have elements of horror present. it's an alternate history, and a commentary on and parody of our modern political climate. it has transcended far beyond the label of analog horror imo.
Monument mythos is such an underrated analogue series that really deserves more attention
Agree that monument mythos is a lot of a alternate history kind of series since the horror comes from the altering of events we had happen in our timeline combined with some elements that hint at a larger picture coming
goated monument mythos
Monument mythos does great at being both a great story and kinda funny at the same time.
As someone who likes alternate history I loved it, I think alt history has also become formulaic and tropey to some extent so it's nice to see something new with the genre and an analog horror series which isn't confined to only the 80s or 90s. There's a lot to be made out of both genres as even small details of the worldbuilding unnerves the audience, such as how different but similar the world is to ours, kind of like an uncanny valley for history.
as someone who's really passionate about analogue horror and is super sad to see the state its in, I'm really glad that despite the staleness and predictability, that is starting to be realised and understood by new creators who are making some incredibly unique and terrifying series and I love it
I really liked the Chimpy Chippa's Tapes, how they blended traditional analogue horror with live-action footage. This ended up giving the series a refreshing cinematic edge. I wish the series was longer though. I guess Spring Tock Pictures likes keeping their project short though.
Not many new creators get popular, I made one...and its like not popualr
A lot of the smaller ones are just amazing, like Winter of 83 (think thats the name) and the Tangi virus
There's Angel Hare which is surprisingly heartwarming and subverts a lot of tropes. It also has a tie in game.
@@troin3925Woah
Someone actually mentions Angel Hare for once, that’s a rare sign.
Honestly, it just went through what all trends eventually suffer from. When the scene becomes too oversaturated, it dies
What I like about Alex Kister is that he doesn't overstay his welcome with vhs spooky, and actually tries to tell a story with characters. And not just uncanny imagery, tho that also is present. Kane Pixels also made a newer series called The Oldest View, and I'm not sure it's analog horror, it's still amazing.
I think a big issue is that a lot of the people making things inspired by the first or second wave of analog horror just aren't familiar with the source material. They don't know what analog technology is, and instead ape elements of other analog horror series simply because it's convention.
....Most of þem probably don't know what a floppy disk is, someþing which isn't really utilized or used as medium for þese kinds of horror.
@@johndexterzarate6663þat is a really interesting take.
I wonder how would a series pan out if þe main scare was þe internet and modern technology in general.
@@johndexterzarate6663you're using þ that's so based
@@johndexterzarate6663Bro really used thorn
This is a common phenomenon across all kinds of art. I've heard it called 'cannibalistic influence'.
I was so ready to throw hands until you clarified that you don't hate Vita Carnis, the video of the mother and son getting killed by the harvester is probably the best analog horror video I have ever seen
Vita Carnis still gives me nightmares sometimes
I literally cannot watch it. It makes my stomach turn
@@Unipulse43looks like someone doesn't have a protective trimming pet
For me the best analog horror vid has to be tape 6 of the Greylock series
I think it's amazing how fast the acclaim-ostracization cycle was in Analog Horror. It usually takes a full decade for the same thing to happen in movies and games but in this it was 5 years at best. It might sound bad, but it just forces innovation and creativity for everyone willing to try their hand at it.
Gemini Home Entertainment is the only analog horror series I'll call a masterpiece.
The lore is so interesting and there are some genuinely unsettling moments. You can clearly tell the creator was passionate about the series and wanted to deliver it the best he could, and didn't just do it for cheap scary images.
“They’re not scary?”
“Never were.”
i think skinamarink deserved a mention as i believe it had one of the freshest takes on analog horror in a while, having the original less is more appeal of the backrooms and managing to hold a sense of dread for so long that you have to look around your room to make sure your still safe
The movie sucks.
Agreed, I was surprised that it didn't get a small segment of the video, or even a brief mention. I know it's divisive, but Skinamarink will most likely end up as my favorite theater experience of the year. I went with a friend knowing that it would be unorthodox and I was petrified for the entire runtime. My heart was pounding nonstop and I have never felt fear from a movie on a level even close to Skinamarink. I don't think it's a movie I need to see again or would have anywhere near the same viewing experience, but for a one-time watch it was incredibly unique and terrifying.
@unusualbug7591 what do you mean you dont like Grey ceiling and random voices? You clearly don't understand art
@@nickolson9235How did you not just laugh through the whole thing? My buddy and l couldmt take it seriously. Nothing happens.
@@Mae4Everyeah, it could have had more than just random walls and a toy phone
There was something that started to pop up, “Digital Horror” where it’s creating horror out of things like Flipnote on the DS like with The June Archive and Restoration Project. Sagan Hawkes and Raymundo 2112 talk about it more. Petscop could be considered Digital Horror too
Im worried with the direction digital horror is going in, cause ive been seeing a lot of "creepy lost flash game" type vids (Which is probably due to the Lacey flash game videos) and its probably gonna get stale.
@@aniketr341 yeah I can see that. On the other side I can see it being completely stale as most gaming or internet creepypasta invoke ‘Digital Horror’ like with Interloper it’s a bit like a creepypasta already. And the Roblox one BrandonWorks is sort of creepypasta as well but Analog Horror is like that too
When it comes to them "found footages", does recording something on a smartphone, like an OPPO phone, part of "Digital Horror"; let alone screen recordings on a phone, a PC or laptop, and a game console like the Xbox 360?
Analog horror, a genre embracing the eerie aesthetics of old technology, had a moment in the digital age. It fascinated us with VHS vibes and nostalgic chills. But it faded as our demand for high-def scares and quick content took over. Despite this, analog horror's charm endures, reminding us of the haunting allure of the past.
This is all true, because i was there🗿
Thank you Ranma Fan
Goofy ahh chat gpt kind of comment ☠️
@@itsnotcominghomespeaking wisely(don't know what to call it) is now considered AI-like?
chatgpt ahh comment
@@akkiaddizone6889 i mean if you use chat gpt you know that this is very similiar to the chat gpt wording
There's also a nice little offshoot of the analog horror genre known as _EAS Scenarios,_ which utilize the fear of the lack of information, doomsday/nightmare scenarios, and fear of sudden noises, which I enjoy a lot and watch while I eat food. Kinda weird how it wasnt mentioned in this video since it's one of the few analog horror offshoots that still feel decently enjoyable right now.
Oddly enough EAS scenarios were not originally an offshoot of analog horror, they were part of the EAS community first with prank videos meant to instill fear in your friends or family when you replaced a channel on tv or radio with the fake warning, the fact they became full horror oriented is definitely partially thanks to analog horror though, It did feel weird to see the stuff I used to watch converging with what's done now
Yeah I actually first learned about analog horror through watching some EAS scenarios
IMO, Analog Horror started dying when people started implementing gore in it. Gore is great when used wisely. The Walten Files has some pretty gory and violent stuff, but it's not thrown around randomly, it has a great impact because it's used sparingly. However, throwing guts and maimed bodies all over the place takes away from the mysterious and unnerving nature of Analog Horror by introducing mindless violence everywhere.
Honestly, that and everything being of super natural or eldrich horror. It would be really creepy if for once the main monster wasn’t a creature with goals of hating humanity but rather an animal acting on instinct.
Idk, gore can be really effective and I haven't seen much of it in analog horror, if any notable example, most you get is leftovers post incident and a bit of blood or red paint if you're using real life acting, I know horror movies with tons of It that keep you on edge, surely if done right you could get a barf enducing result, however, It could become predictable too and overused as well even within It's own contained series, such a difficult tango, It's a similar brawl with vulgarity, too much and you get ridiculous really quick.
Analog horror are boring
Even worse, in genres like the Slasher in movies, gore is used as a visual narrative and sometimes to show something innovative, how the fuck should I be shocked of "super realistic blood" in a damn frame of an analog television 💀
@@jurassicarkjordanisgreat1778 that's why the movie Nope was so good to me, the alien in that movie is just an animal
I feel the old timey music trope is due to the laws around copyright rather than lazieness or trying to set a tone. Most music used is either always been public access or has only recently come into public access and so you get a reccuring theme
you would be correct
i really hope analog horror continues because i think its really cool to watch and the universes are so interesting esspecially breakdown videos of it. btw great video man keep it up
Glad you mentioned the Monument Mythos/Nixonverse/corner folk series (created by mister manticore) since it’s really interesting. It combines elements from eldritch and lovecraftian horror, science fiction, and conspiracies to creat a really unique analogue horror series. The world building is great, rivaling that of vita carnis and the Mandela catalogue. I’ll try not to spoil much, but I will say that the series has some really wholesome moments amidst the chaos. TH-camr Wendigoon has made some really neat videos dissecting the series, and there’s many more you can find here on YT. If anyone else has seen the series (it seems to be not that well known), let me know!
I don’t think it’s really horror anymore
I thought it was satire
@@007megaoof Eh it has certain elements that satirize modern internet horror but that is mostly limited to side series/uncannon videos. The core is still a cohesive series
@@douglassmalls6934 oh
@@007megaoofIt started off with more horror elements but has moved to more Sci-fi, conspiracy satire with horror elements
my biggest gripe with analogue horror is how much it shifted towards being art based. it's already infinitely harder to make yourself known as a writer than as an artist (been writing for years at this point and only people i sent my stories to have read them) due to the fact there's no outlet/proper way of publishing stories. seeing analogue horror be a lot more text-/sound-based with the occasional edited image (mainly talking about smaller series) was great because it gave me hope that there was finally a proper way of sharing your stories. clearly it developed in a different direction, which at first wasn't bad (i adore vita carnis and the art of other big analogue horror series), but you dont need to be a rocket scientist to quickly figure out that the writing is going to deteriorate when all people wanna see is just creepy images (such as urbanspook). crossing my fingers that maybe someday there will be an actual genre that values writing over superficial things.
also im pretty sure a bunch of urbanspook-like series just use chatgpt to generate the text because it really feels fake.
My biggest problem with analogue horror is the desdeprate attempt to make the series "deep". I think a lot of creators forget that horror has the main objective of making the viewer FEEL terrified, you can make a more complex horror story, but the best ones knew that well crafted concepts and lore didnt matter if the work in itself isnt visually striking, sometimes a simple concept is enough to make people disturbed, it only depends on how you will execute it.
rant
"...the series was initially praised for its groundedness and artwork..."
Wait, wait wait.
Are you telling me that humans, genuine, living humans, saw the urbanspook video with its fucking "This guy's name is X. he got stabbed a lot. This guy's name is Y, he got shot and killed and murdered. This guy's name...", white text on black background, with a bunch of pictures drawn by a 5 year old, and they thought "Damn, this is a breath of fresh air! Good analogue horror series, at last!", rather than instantly laugh at how bad that stuff actually is?
The story is practically non-existent, the way information is written is not even close to a police report it presents itself like... There are just so many things done wrong, I don't want to waste my time writing them all down.
I can't seriously believe it has fans. Or had, for that matter, before the whole gore controversy.
the creator actually and unironically uses autistic furry as an insult what did you expect
I guess I was late to the party because I feel like there is still a lot to be gained from this sub genre. I’m not gonna lie, it’s my favorite thing going right now.
4.n0m4ly_’s work is so cool. Definitely worth checking out
Yea Analog Horror still has potential, it just needs something different. Ive rewatched The Mandela Catalogues over and over and i started to see how TMC uses classic tropes such as Text To Speech, Disembodied Voices and Morphed Features. Its still pretty good but i wish it did something different
Not at all! Analog horror isn't dead. There's plenty more to see.
A great analog horror series came from Linkara, of all people-- "Winter of 83" which was his April Fool's joke. It's a pretty straightforward horror story that succeeds by having most of its horror happen offscreen, or through the sounds of things just off camera. It reminded me of the V/H/S anthology series but in a good way. I feel like analog horror can really fall apart when it gets into the "marketable lore product" territory (which, I know it feels kinda mean to point fingers at FNAF, but so much modern analog horror owes itself to mascot horror.)
The Lightbringer himself?
@@miguelbranquinho7235 the og himself
The pattern with each new trend in the horror genre and medium is a growing sense of immersion. Watching found footage felt more “real” than slashers, sharing creepy pastas was easy in the early internet, and now ARGs and Analog horror felt like creepy pastas coming to life. But the internet’s growth has increased the ability to oversaturate popular trends and quickly wring them out. Unless some creator can find a unique spin in story-telling (such as with Skinamarink), it seems like analog horror has hit its wall and the bubble is bursting. The next wave of horror will need to be more immersive than analog and find a way for the story to come to life to excite & engage the audience more. I don’t know what that requires, but that’s the simple fact of entertainment evolution
BRO I thought I was watching a video from a huge TH-cam channel. This is honestly crazy, the editing is absolutely perfect, the visuals are great, it's actually incredible. Keep up the fantastic work :)
Personally the one that got to me was The Alternates, because the idea of a malicious entity that intends to hurt you and can almost perfectly mimic you once it has killed you is disturbing to be on a sort of existential level.
It's the idea of being replaced and no one knowing until it's far too late.
I thought their whole sthick was to make their targets kill themselves? 🧍♂️Have I really been lacking in MC??
And that god is canonically dead and is an alternate meaning everyone time you pray to “God” it means nothing
@@PikaPower234 Preferably, they want their targets to off themselves, but if it has to be done, they can kill them as well
@@theloathsomedungeater5268 sounds like an edgy reddit story
@theloathsomedungeater5268 they also had something like that happen. When Mark is praying and begging for God to save him, no one came. Mark has spent all his life believing and praying to God and now when he desperately needs him, he's nowhere. I feel like this one of the ways "Gabriel" scares and puts dread and gloom into people so they have a better chance of offing themselves so more alternates take their place
I like analog horror as a unique way to tell stories but I think that people got caught up more with the "analog" part and did not spend enough time on the "horror"/story without just retelling another story or relying solely on cliches. Horror is one of the hardest genres to write and have it not only be good but actually scary. I think many of the analog horror creators are very skilled creators but not skilled enough writers.
One thing that always comes to my mind when I hear about things copying each other in media is a episode from South Park called "simpsons did it". The episode itself pointed out how nowadays, it's incredibly difficult to make something original for people to enjoy when something similar to it was already made by another person.
That's how it must be for most people who make analog horror. It all starts to feel the same and they try their best to make theirs stand out from others. Eventually, they'll run out of ideas and resort to taking ideas others series had but have a slight twist and call it original.
“you let it out didn’t you?”
me on the toilet: 👁️👄👁️
I found out the Mandela catalogue was from Wisconsin earlier this week and I was really surprised because I’m also a Wisconsinite and literally no fiction of note is ever set here.
I KNOW RIGHT??
Dawn of the Dead 2004 was set in Wisconsin.
@@Unipulse43 Dawn of the Dead 2004 was.
That 70s Show?
Tons of famous serial killers and murder cases are from Wisconsin
I've said it a lot under many different videos, but In my opinion, Local 58 and Gemini are two leaders of the genre. They essentially created the genre of Analog horror. I personally don't consider the first ARG's like Marble Hornets or The Sun Vanished as analog horror, which is why I'd say Local 58 created the genre. I really miss Local 58, and Gemini only uploads like once a year. They definitely paved the path for series such as Mandela Catalog (which I believe to be one of the best modern Analog horror series'), Greylock, Vita Carnis etc. Personally, I believe the best internet horror series, analog or not, to be Marble Hornets, TSV, Local 58, Gemini, Boisvert_, Kane Pixel's... well, *everything*, Chainmail Chasers and the Mandela Catalog. I really hope for Local 58 to come back, as the story was incredibly interesting and I'm upset that it ended with a cliffhanger. Marble Hornets really doesn't need a detailed explanation as to why it's so great. TSV was the first to actual have immersion, that being the fake news broadcast and expert filmmaking. TSV really pushed the boundaries of what was possible before Local 58 was even a thought in anyone's mind. Boisvert_ is such an odd ball when it comes to internet horror. The story of a mans decaying mind cluttered by depression and self destruction, portraying just how terrifying the human mind really is. And my god, the art and animation is just *impeccable*. And the story is one you can easily get lost in. Kane Pixel also really doesn't need any introduction. He and Alex are leading the genre right now and it's easy to see why. Chainmail Chasers is such a novel spin on the classic creepypasta formula, bringing it back and breathing new life into it with modern editing and story telling with interesting characters you can really relate with.
In conclusion, Analog horror and internet camp fire horror stories really have come a long way. Analog has had a pretty good run so far, but I also believe that it's coming to an end. Kane Pixels new The Oldest View series is amazing and I 100% believe that it'll help bring the change to internet horror I think we really need. That, and I believe things such as Boisvert_ and I Can't Sleep will also come front stage pretty soon with the death of Analog. I'm excited to see a new age of horror, because currently, while Greylock, Vita Carnis and Mandela Catalog are all amazing works of art, it's just gotten so stale already. we *need* something new.
Really nice take ngl. It fucking sucks how none of these videos mention other internet horror projects, like ARGs and unfiction series in general. It makes it so that people who are into analog horror aren't able to get into these other horror series that they would fucking love since they don't realize that analog horror is moreso a subgenre of unfiction horror which has been a thing since early internet. And retroactively putting shit like marble hornets into that box doesn't do it justice, when it's not a first tread into analog horror, but a fucking innovation in internet horror storytelling. It just sucks because I want more people to see these other series that are just as good if not better than popular analog horror, but if people keep treating analog horror like it's a unique thing separate from unfiction, they won't discover other shit they'd love
TSV is still probably one of my favorite things that's been created on the internet. It's amazing, immersive and excellently done to scare you but still keep it nonsaturated with jumpscares or "Creepy event spooky"
If I remember local 58 and analog archives were the foundings of modern analog horror, I think ghe was "created" in the analog archives server
Analog Archives! Love that.
ive never been freaked out or scared by horror or anything of the sort (i am a fan though, i find it fascinating) but that knock at the end had me shitting my heart out
now make one on the death of video essays
10:18 my wifi went out as soon as gabriel appeared here
I feel like it's an interesting conversation on whether they're "clichès" or just things that make it a genre.
I think people are quick to dismiss actual interesting analog horrors because now those tropes are being a lot more recognized, and while I can definitely understand how it can take you out of the immersion a little bit, I personally don't think it's a bad thing.
one thing I hate about analogue horror is that the principles are so effective. like even the joke applications of the tropes you used here were able to illicit fear in me
"people see other people do something cool and try to replicate it while barely knowing what made it good in the first place and not making anything new with the idea" is the best way to sum up a lot of recent analog horror
that's all media ever
Feels like, to me, "Analog horror" died the moment they started calling it "Analog Horror" in the same way "Mascot Horror" died when they started calling it "Mascot Horror." Part of what kills these "genres" is that they decide on some particular set of traits, and settle with that and stop bringing new things to it. When it declares itself as purely "analog horror" it locks itself away from strange and new inspirations that could elevate it, and it all starts to look the same. That's why most of the best analog horror content was from before they slapped a label on it.
I will say, I didn't really like the "mascot horror" trend anyway. FNAF was fresh, I was a fan of that, as many folks of my generation were. but none of the adjacent games that came out after it really seemed any good to me, it seemed ridiculous to me that people got so laser-focused on such an inflexible, specific horror concept. But people wanted that FNAF money.
My advice for upstart horror creators, or really creators of ANY kind of art: Inspiration, especially varied inspiration, is your friend. Don't just look for inspiration in other pieces of media in the style of what you're creating. If you're making a fantasy story, cheesy 80s action might give you an idea. If you're writing a psychological horror, maybe a cowboy movie would give you your epiphany. Keep yourself inspirationally open. Explore stuff you haven't seen before. Varied tastes create unique vision.
You don't have to listen to me though, I'm just some random indie media fan who cares too much. If you want to make another local 58 clone, you have every right.
The first time I watched the vita carnis mimic episode i thought it would be harmless. NOPE, I couldn’t sleep at all that night. The thought of a mimic being in my closet or outside my door made me get the worst sleep I ever had
Greylock is godly, probably my favorite one
I can't understand a single thing in it though. Is every episode a different event?
@@ametuergamer1524sort of. They're all interconnected. I reccomment crowmudgen's recent video on it, he does a great breakdown without losing the creepy atmosphere.
Ima be honest, gray lock put me to sleep
@@ametuergamer1524 it jumps around in its own timeline as far as I can tell, so one episode may be before another from time to time
It uses AI art, like so many of the recent analog horrors, so it's a no from me personally.
If you like Backrooms content but are bored of all the entities, I recommend The Poolrooms by artist Jared Pike. It seems to be either calming, nostalgic, creepy depending on who you ask. I find it to be more on the nostalgic side. There’s a few videos in his official channel, but there are a few good fan creations as well (like from Matt Studios or Return to Render).
I think honestly all horror that gets popular goes through these phases. As much as we remember slashers well, that genre was also super oversaturated and got terrible (Jason literally ends up in SPACE). Things that are creative and cool become popular, accessible, then oversaturated. But history shows that the good ones endured. We don't remember all of the horrible slashers, found footage videos, derivative creepy pastas.... We remember the bangers. And I think this will be the cycle for analog horror. Lots can be released but we will keep coming back to the incredible ones. "You Are On the Fastest Available Route" still makes me uncomfortable. For every The Painter, there's a Greylock, thankfully. We will hold onto the amazing ones and they'll endure! Thanks for the great video.
Everybody remembers star wars but almost nobody remembered laserblast until it became a target for youtubers who review bad or obscure movies for a living.
Is fastest route the one where the map turns evil and guides the driver to a monster?
@@Goku-fn3qd yeah! The first video on the Local 58 channel
@@TheAbigailDee i honestly thought it was kinda funny because what the actual heck was running through the driver’s head going in the middle of nowhere whilst the map is clearly turning satanic somehow 🤣
Not to say its bad i loved it especially the end
Local 58 is still the best one
note about the backrooms, a whole lore about the backrooms existed before the analog horror backrooms. i know because i watched a lot of video about the backrooms before the kane pixels backrooms came out its just the backrooms was less known before then.
1:08 “Fear takes many shapes and sizes.”
This given the choice, I’d rather face a moderately-sized fear an than extra large one.
It was an absolute kick in the gut to see my “Local69” parody at 14:05, I basically forgot about its existence, only to see it pop up here. This video describes exactly why I lost all interest in analogue horror, it’s a phenomenal documentary on such a great fallen genre.
Boisvert is by far one of my favorite analog horror/ARG series on youtube. Its not about anything paranormal, and even though it suffers from the black and white trope. Its simply perfection (in my eyes)
i second this. the artwork is fantastic and it clearly has a deeper story beneath it and is full of emotion. i really enjoy their stuff
how did you NOT mention the children under the house?? i dunno if people catagorize it like the others, it is pretty well done
I love that story so much it stuck with me!
TCUTH is a very good one!
Vintage Eight is clearly an underrated yet pretty good analog horror yt creator
I mean, it's not really horror though. Sure, it has the "creepy" children ghost things, but it reads like a 10 year old wrote it, and none of it is really scary. It's just your typical creepy pasta he was talking about, its not analouge horror. Sure, it's a tape, but its just images and some random lady talking.
@@avionrico6941 its decently well made imo. Not many analog horror series now are considered good. From what i can tell, People categorize it as analog horror. If you dont think it is, Thats fine. Nothings wrong with that.
As Bon says, "Rose broken, we will fix you, YOU WILL BEAUTIFUL, YOU WILL BEAUTIFUL, YOU WILL BEAUTIFUL,
Oh forgot, episode 4 released last night
Some already mentionned it but I'd like to mention Angel Hare as one of the best thing that was made because of Analog Horror. It is an amazing serie that, while still containing a little bit of cliché stuff from the genre, it did something that not a lot of people have done:
Make the paranormal entity a protagonist protecting you and comforting you about an horrible situation. Sure, it might scare you here and here because of the eerie concept of a show that is sentient, able to see what's happening out of its universe and constantly directing young Jonas on what he should do to protect himself and be safe but 90% of the time, the show isn't trying to scare you. The three best examples being the deconstruction of a gun so it can't be used, the fact that the show never go into details on who is Jonas' father, always only hinting that something his wrong with him without saying exacly what is wrong with him, and despite always comming back as the main question of the show, it'll never tell us concretely what happened, only show us around it with the use of clues.
It's an amazing show that deserves to be more popular deserve its success. Not only because it's a well made original show but also from hiw kind and supportive The East Patch is.
If I recall, people started making more floors and monsters for the backrooms and added their own story well before Kane. Kane decided to make his own concept which had the weird wire monster which got adopted into that community. Personally I like Kane's approach to the backrooms, it still feels like the uncomfortable and unknown dimension like in the original, but with a few tweaks. I'm also not a fan of the multiple floors, monsters, and organizations, and escape plans in the backrooms, It just muddies things up from the original simple idea.
Great video! 😄 I got in fairly early in Marble Hornets at the start of college, and was blown away. Really agree with your take on The Backrooms. I'm so tired of this trend of obsessive world building and attempting to explain the wonder out of everything. Elements of mystery are what can make things engaging or scary, and shouldn't be stripped away for the sake of a "satisfying" explanation.
I feel like world building is good just not for every setting
@@wezreplex0obv yeah but when it comes to horror, it’s rarely needed
I think the decline actually started with the Mandela Catalogue, personally. I think it started out strong, but quickly started missing the point of what made it scary to begin with. Episodes stopped being PSAs that could hypothetically exist if the incidents had happened in real life, and focused less on the monsters themselves, and started trying to build a narrative with characters and subplots.
The Alternate threat stopped feeling personal to the viewer, and became about the threat they posed to the characters involved instead. What also happens with this shift in focus is that later episodes maintain the analog aesthetic but aren't videos you can realistically imagine getting made in the real world if someone was in the shoes of the characters.
As all these changes happened, it felt less like analog horror and more like just another horror webseries, and as other series take inspiration from it, other series suffer from the same lack of focus.
It's just resting. Waiting for a new life to come.
Pause…
Whoever told you that Felix is the murderer of The Walten Files is wrong.
Bon, who's suspected to be Jack, is the only known killer in the series so far.
10:46 Gabriel really is a Lowtiregod
There is a relatively new series that’s piqued my interest. The Man In The Suit is an analog horror series told from the perspective of a cameraman on the set of the original Godzilla series, and it revolves around the man inside the Godzilla suit, who slowly became fused with the suit. It’s one of the most genuinely horrifying and scary series I’ve ever seen recently.
I just need to point out how much i love Vita Carnis for what it is. First of all, Darian is a very talented artist, some of the designes like mimic are very disturbing. Second, Vita Carnis is great at what it's doing for many reasons, but the one that i don't think a lot of people point out is how diffrend it is from the other analog horror series. Most of them use the same concept of evil demons and aliens (something like Mandela Catalogue) but in Vita Carnis these are just animals, some of them kill people, some of them don't, but even when they do it's just becouse of the fact that they want to survive, just like any other animal would, they are also pretty much treated like animals by the society, some of them as extremely dangerous ones but still, these are just living creatures with inatincts and common behaviours
Personally the introduction of the monoliths and the sphere made me eye roll but it's not lost
@@wezreplex0 they had to have some sort of threat
@@senacario5942 they had the mimics
@@wezreplex0 well shit. I guess Darien just wanted to draw giant meat balls then and I can't blame him.
The funny thing is that without skin, all those animals will freeze to death, die of infections, be damaged by UV rays, not be great at keeping liquids inside, and would just generally be terrible at surviving xD
I like ones that may not be as scary but clearly have so much thought and effort put into its world building
Monument Mythos for example, idk if you’d classify it exactly as analog horror cause the format is way different, but it does keep the static and muffled audio of early microphones
Is it scary? Not particularly, no. However, the lore and ideas used are so fucking deep and detailed are awesome
One majorcorrection: Kane pixels backrooms found footage video came out 3 YEARS after the fandom backrooms wiki was created and introduced new levels to the backrooms meaning that if anything Kane was inspired by the backrooms level lore and not the other way around, although it's more obvious that the two things just have nothing to do with each other. The fact that you say "The internet RAN with it." is just kinda dumb since all it takes is a quick google search to find this information.
Plus the fact that many of the creators of big name analog horror series ended up being outed as groomers is definitely contributing to the genre’s death.
I think analog horror began to show signs of staleness far before Mandela. When it first came out, I felt that Mandela was a sort of relief from the Local 58 remakes (I really like Aidan Chick’s work but Channel 7 and Analog Archives are very much 58 remakes)
I’ve been writing and developing the art for my series for over a year and a half now, and am only finishing the first episode. The decline of analog horror’s popularity was part of the reason it took so long just because I started losing interest in the genre , and so I found I needed to find a different medium to present my idea. I’m kind of glad that the fad has faded away and left only a few juggernauts that continue to evolve their storytelling abilities through the characters and the presentations, much like Mandela Catalogue
ynkow that the backrooms was doing its whole entire thing before kane pixel even made a single video on it and that if im right has been going on from the start of 2020 till now
my brother in christ its horror its SUPPOSED to make you disgusted and uncomfortable
Honestly since the beginning of analog horrors existence I just kind of tuned out because I just couldn’t find it very scary. I found the one about medication for emotions and [redacted] emotions pretty creepy but it sort of stopped after that. It just doesn’t really feel like a very flexible genre for horror since the style revolves around static, glitchy stuff with creepy face, aggressive murderous sentences that pop up randomly, etc. When laying it out like that, it does sound like there’s plenty of room to create something unique but I haven’t really seen anything beyond a FNAF themed analogue horror or “living planets”.
I’m not trying to say this to be a big tough guy like “I’m just not scared,” when the “bear” scene from annihilation literally kept me up for multiple nights
The analog horror was the horror genre to saturate the fastest, even though, I think, it has the most potential out of them all.
Some things I think of when watching the video
- Putting Marble Hornets as the ur-analog horror is something I never really noticed despite electrical glitches being the 'symptoms' of Slenderman presence. That's really cool.
- Other than scary glitching error inherited from found footage horror movies, I think Local58 rose to fame is also related to vaporwave trend that also sorta go mainstream around the same time, which features nostalgia callback and glitch aesthetic as its main feature.
- Also probably related is the rose of mystery/horror youtube content creators investigating ARGs and other 'Internet Mysteries', which in itself I think related to the old internet "Top 10 list" type of contents, which most popular ones are supernatural or creepy in topic
- The oldest example of ur-Jerma Syndrome and possibly its ur-template that I can think of would be that creepypasta Mereana Mordegard Glesgorv which predates Marble Hornets by at least a year.
Huge W for including creepypastas what a legend
this is a big part of why I love Doctor Nowhere's stuff so much, it strips the genre back to the most basic concepts, analog plus horror, and then takes it new places without biting from previous works. you end up with some things in common just because only so much variation is possible, but the execution is so damn unique. even doing played-out things like the "we, the authority, are gonna tell you about the monster, but it's actually manipulating our informational video" trope, the actual execution of it in practice is so unique
I think Kane Pixels’ backrooms series genuinely slaps. The entities are only one part of what makes the backrooms scary, their sprawling, massive nature, and utter impossibility to escape for anyone who isn’t graced by the incredible wealth and technology of A-Sync is just as bad- and I believe that the entities in the videos are actually people who have been infected by the bacteria in the air, suspended in life in the backrooms permanently, and have no intentions to harm anyone, but simply run after people because they represent their best chance at finding an exit from literal purgatory.
Greylock is incredible, and probably the best analog horror to come out in quite some time.
Love that series! ❤
I refuse to believe anyone actually finds Mandela Catalouge scary
I could watch mandela catalogue at 3 am in the middle of a graveyard and I still wouldn’t be scared
Any time I see funny jerma face man it just reminds me of omega flowey at the end of undertale which isn't exactly horribly scary.
I like the way you kinda parodied analog horror through the video, the subscribe promotion using gabriel was creative
The Death grips Music Videos, first analog horror
This is such a well done video!
Vinatge Eight's "Children Under the House"
Is something different.
I also really like their series "Human Trials"
I think they are analog although I am not really sure about Human Trials.
Children under the house was very unique and chilling!! I enjoyed it a lot. It didn’t get super popular but it definitely deserved to be! It’s something different in an ocean of analog horror
@vmcintosh1061 Yes I really love that series and I agree that it is something different. I love how the creator has so many different works as well that are different to "Children Under the House".
My ultimate top 5s for analog horror are Local 58, Gemini Home Entertainment, The Tangi Virus, Stone Cold, and Greylock!! All 5 of these have very unique concepts with L85 and GHE sharing a sort of "sentient planet" concept, the Tangi Virus just being horrific on its own with the first video, not even counting the Oracle Project and the Human Trial, Stone Cold coming in hot with only one video that was good enough to get EmortalMarcus into it, and do not get me started on Greylock
ohhhh tangivirus is. fantastic. It becomes all the more horrifying when you take medical history into account. the inactivity of the government is arguably one of the scariest if not the scariest part of the tangivirus series BECAUSE it’s happened time and time again that mass death has just been ignored (see the history of HIV)
This video is so well put together! Keep it up!
if anyone is curious, we lived alongside quite a number of other human species not just Neanderthals. It’s weird to know that just a few thousand news ago the Denisovans were around
monument mythos has a special place in my heart