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When it comes to horror, the landscape has been shifting. While the genre has always been the home of more unique and independent works and stories that push the envelope and, in some cases, go on to spawn major franchises, we’re seeing more of those kinds of stories, especially ones that got their starts on YouTube, really dominate as of late. Movies like Obsession and Backrooms have not only been getting critical acclaim but have been winning big at the box office as well making some wonder where the next big YouTube horror hit would come from and now, we have that answer—and some pretty big names are involved.
As reported by Deadline, United Artists’ Scott Stuber, Amblin’s Steven Spielberg, and Amazon MGM Studios have acquired the film rights to The Mandela Catalogue, the viral YouTube analog horror series created by Alex Kister. The series, which launched on YouTube in 2021, has been a viral sensation with well over 100 million views and follows the story of the fictional Mandela County, Wisconsin which has been invaded by shapeshifting, nearly immortal beings called Alternates. Kister is set to direct the film from a screenplay he adapted with Tyler Clifton.
Analog Horror Could Be The Next Big “Trend” In Entertainment (And For Good Reason)
If you aren’t familiar with the idea of analog horror but saw either Obsession (which is technically not analog horror but falls into the YouTube horror connection thanks to its director, Curry Barker’s previous work on that platform) and Backrooms and liked them, here’s a primer on the subgenre. Analog horror is a subgenre of the horror fiction community that typically is characterized by low-fi graphics, cryptic messages, and generally has a late 20th-century feel to it. This isn’t a slick, contemporary type of situation. Many analog horror offerings have a distinct vibe that feels more at home between the 1960s and the 1990s, which also generally matches the story setting. The stories offer very few or no jump scares, and while they share some DNA with the found footage horror subgenre, they are also distinctly different. The stories typically produce scares that deliver a more personal, unsettling sort of scare that is both disturbing and fascinating at the same time. It’s a subgenre that has found particular success on platforms like YouTube, but also in short format on TikTok and other social media platforms as well.
The success of Backrooms and Obsession has proven that there is a wider audience than just online for these kinds of horror offerings and now, Hollywood is taking notice and there is a reason for the success. Analog horror tends to be made by younger, somewhat less experienced creators who are bringing fresh perspectives to the storytelling and filmmaking process. They are also telling original stories, which is something that media consumers have been complaining about there being a lack of in Hollywood for years. Think about it: how often do you see people online talking about being tired of getting yet another sequel or reboot? Analog horror and films made by these younger, social media first creators are offering up those fresh, original stories and horror, particularly analog horror, is exactly where those things have thrived. By looking to those creators and stories, Hollywood may finally be getting the message about what audiences actually want—and we could all benefit from it.
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