The Shocking Decline of Analog Horror (And What We Can Do to Save It)
VHS tapes, glitchy voices, and overused effects. Oh my!
The internet has always had a weird relationship with the horror genre.
From the early days, networks were filled with shock sites, creepy animations, and concerning art projects. Some of these are still seen as internet mysteries, urban legends that once crawled in the viral spaces of Internet Explorer before we all switched over to better browsers.
Meanwhile, the Hollywood horror scene grew stale. Films began to merge into the same, all feeling like they were ripping off one another in story beats. There was only so much people could take of the same haunted house story.
Unoriginality ran rampant, and to some degree, still does.
So it was no surprise when a special little subgenre of horror came into the space, taking over the internet’s interest.
The Welcoming of Analog Horror
When analog horror came into the scene with series like Local 58 and CH/SS, people flocked to them in excitement. Analog horror offered something fresh and unique, much different than anything that Blumhouse was producing at the time.
It took the concept of found footage films and twisted it into terrifying nostalgia bait.
In its infancy, analog horror was a nice break from the blandness Hollywood was shoveling out. From Mandela Catalogue to The Walten Files, the creators of the subgenre offered interesting new takes on horror as a whole.
VHS would overlay distorted uncanny faces as the sound of static would fill the noiseless void. You would be at the edge of your seat waiting for a jump scare, anticipating it so that you would be prepared. Even so, they still managed to scare the shit out of you. And sometimes… they would never come, serving as the main source of fear as you tried to take in the story.
But…
Analog horror grew in popularity. Usually, that wouldn’t be a bad thing, as it means more opportunities for creators. The issue is that others began to see the subgenre as a means to make money.
To some, analog horror was a way to get clout (and possibly money) quickly. It was an easy style to replicate, and as long as you had a spooky little face hidden somewhere in the video, you didn’t need a story. Or, at the very least, you could distract the audience from the lack of story with the visuals presented.
Analog Horror is All The Same. Wait, What?
These new creators flooded the subgenre with so many videos that it prompted the creation of the “How to Make an Analog Horror” meme. A meme based on creating a tutorial to help new creators, though was meant to mock the tired cliches presented in the multitude of videos that many felt tarnished the subgenre.
And, despite their silly nature, these memes were spot on.
Spooky faces, random jump scares, the same VHS effect everyone else was using. Throw in some earrape screamers and you have a ticket to 1 million views.
Everybody wanted to make an analog horror. Hell, even I’m in the process of trying to make my own. It was no wonder why it became so oversaturated and why it was so hard to find the good videos that were buried underneath the rubble.
It was this oversaturation that made many call this era as
The Decline of Analog Horror
Analog horror began to fall out of favor despite its rapid popularity. Even so, series that were introduced early on still have loyal fanbases. The Mandela Catalogue, The Walten Files, and Gemini Home Entertainment are examples of series that are still going strong despite the apparent decline.
These are series that show promise, giving the audience actual value rather than cheap visuals and random jump scares to keep them at bay.
But if analog horror was actually dying, then why do so many series continue to be produced? Is it really all just greedy individuals that lack creativity? It certainly can’t be, not when there’s such wonderfully crafted series like Carne Vite, which offers some of the most interesting visuals to date.
I think it’s more so that people are focusing on all the negatives, which is a typical human thing to do. While I’d be naive to say that the subgenre isn’t going through a weird time right now, I don’t believe that it’s ever going to die.
It’s much too special to just fizzle out.
What Can We Do?
This is a tough one, isn’t it?
If you’re passionate about analog horror like me, then chances are that you want to help it get out of this “decline.”
But how? How the hell can any of us do that?
Bottom line: give props to those who deserve it.
Spread the work that you enjoy and share the videos you think are cool. Give the creators likes and comments, and let them know how much you like their work. Buy their merch if any is available. Be part of their Patreon. Anything you can do to help support those creators—do it now.
Alsooooo, there’s been a new subgenre that has emerged from the ashes of analog: digital horror. Something that… let’s just say I’ll be talking about very soon.
But for now, check out below some of these super cool series:
Local 58
The Monument Mythos
BLUE_CHANNEL
Gemini Home Entertainment
As always, give creators the love they deserve.
Stay creepy, friends.
Any thoughts now? It is way too cool to die out, and now that its here to stay, do you think there will be more derivatives of it like digital?