Analog Horror: A Niche Subgenre You’ve Never Heard About Until Now.
I don’t know about you but do you know what actually gets me jittery? No, it isn’t a repeated jump scare from a horror movie, a rebooted slasher tv series, or a gory video game but instead the emergency alerts we get on tv screens and on our smartphones. Remember the false missile alert in Hawaii back in 2018? Or how about the concerns over former President Trump using the FEMA Presidential Alert system to send the entire nation a personal text message? Whether it’s a severe thunderstorm warning during the afternoon news, an amber alert, or just a test alarm, we all naturally know those sounds and I’ll be honest… they creep me the heck out.
In this edition of The Digital Fireplace, I will be talking about “Analog Horror”. I’ll be explaining what it is, why it exists, and all that good stuff without trying to spook anyone out including myself.
To begin with, Analog Horror is this fairly new label of a subgenre that’s currently based on YouTube. Analog Horror content comes in the form of web series and is based on and inspired by local programming, emergency alert broadcasts, and public service announcements, it’s as if PBS meets a more sinister and unsettling Twilight Zone. (Yes, a second Twilight Zone shoutout!)
Popular YouTubers Markiplier and Jackcepticeye would bring the world of Analog Horror to the forefront of both their massive followings on the platform. While another YouTuber named Pad Chennington uploaded a defining deep dive video, titled “What is Analog Horror”. Both Markiplier and Chennington’s videos are very helpful to get an understanding and grip on this niche.
Within the video, there are 3 parameters that establish what can be considered Analog Horror.
The first parameter is that it’s “a form of storytelling depicting a pre-existing visual medium, usually one that is analog in nature”, examples are film reels, tv broadcasts, and VHS. The second parameter is that it “does not directly depict any characters and instead uses the second-person perspective”. Usually, in the most sense, you the viewer are the main character experiencing the story. The third parameter is that it uses a narrative involving elements of horror. (Which is pretty obvious in itself)
Chennington’s youtube video provides a number of great examples of Analog Horror that you can watch and look up yourself. (If you dare)
CH/SS by Turkey Lenin the 3rd is one of the first Analog Horror web series on Youtube created in January 2016 which used cryptic presentation (what is now considered a core element of the subgenre). Its popularity quickly generated many fan theories as to the meaning of the videos in this web series.
From CH/SS web series to ECKVA Net, this was an excerpt I found from its description on Fandom.com which is a very interesting read.
Another Analog Horror web series on YouTube is called local58 created by webcartoonist and author Kris Straub.
The first video, titled “Weather Service” of local58 is of a tv broadcast scheduling screen that cuts to an emergency alert bulletin. A warning of a “meteorological event” is ominously announced before it cuts back to the broadcast screen. The screen then soon glitches out and then things start to turn. Let’s just say “cryptically apocalyptic”.
At its core, by that summary alone Analog Horror is just exactly that. From apocalyptic parodies of a tv broadcast program, the content comes in other forms of old, dated media from advertisements about theme restaurants with animatronics, infomercials about a new medicine that cures ailments, or even old educational VHS tapes that would be played in grade school.
Analog Horror turns these forms of media from the past and puts a cryptic, unsettling twist to them that is purely out of one’s imagination.
There is a bit of a cause for concern from me, as someone who studies Communication and Media Arts. What I find slightly concerning about Analog Horror content like local58 and others is the possible use of this content for mal-intent purposes.
We see the impact social media has had on society whether that be with mental health effects to the mass amount of misinformation, doctored videos, and pictures, and the eye-catching power thumbnails and clickbait title’s have on Youtube. The worst thing that could happen is seeing Analog Horror content being used intentionally and out of context to convince and persuade users into thinking what they are seeing is actually real.
However, this IS the age we are all currently living through. No other time periods have dealt with anything else like the overwhelming problems that come along with the internet and social media, not even when television or radio were the primary mediums of the land.
This is one of the many reasons why The Digital Fireplace was created, to share and expose others to different types of content so if ever they do possibly come across something like Analog Horror they already have a general understanding of it.
Don’t get me wrong though, this is a sensational young niche that is very unique and upon my deep dive into it, I’ve come across other users who have identified Analog Horror elements in mainstream media. One user made an observation whether Orson Welles’s radio broadcast of War of the Worlds is considered “Analog Horror” which was cool to think about.
It will be interesting to see how this subgenre evolves over time and with its passionate community dedicated to it I wouldn’t be surprised to see “Analog Horror” return to my screen in the near future.
