Recently, a horror genre by the name of by the name of analog horror has gained popularity on YouTube. Following several series of analog horror gaining attention, many more have poppedpopped up as popular channels cover them. The analog part of analog horror refers to its use of VHS/old TV effects, as well as a setting usually in the 1970-90s to convey it’s story in an old VHS tape ambience.
I first heard of analog horror several years ago with the channel and seriesLocal 58 TV. Personally, I was intrigued from the start. A fair warning before watching it and making your own decision: analog horror very often covers topics that may be triggering or disturbing, especially for those who cannot handle fear well. That being said, it’s more often than not used to cause the audience to feel uncomfortable, as if an ominous presence is with them. Analog horror uses such feelings as well as a thriller-type style to cause tension and discomfort in an attempt to scare the viewers .
Recently, one of the other mainstream analog horror series, The Mandela Catalogue, is one that’s been receiving the most exposure. One of the interesting things about analog horror is how it compensates for those it can’t scare as well. The Mandela Catalogue in particular shows how there’s good storytelling and interesting backstory for those less inclined to get scared. I’ll mention it once again, however, that The Mandela Catalogue is disturbing to watch and covers some pretty delicate topics such as encouraging self-harm (which you’ll see at most twice), religion, and psychological horror. That being said, for those who can handle such things and like the horror genre it’s definitely something to look into.
While everyone reacts differently to horror and thrillers, analog horror has the perfect mix of everything to interest a large range of audiences. The two series mentioned in this article are the most well-known but are by no means the only ones. If they catch your eye I encourage you to look into it more.