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The Scariest Form of Media (Part 3)
- Grace Stevens
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Hello! Last spring, I made a post about what is in my opinion the scariest form of media, analog horror. This past fall, I made a follow-up for Halloween to talk about more of my favorite analog horror series. To conclude my tradition of one analog horror post per semester, I want to talk about a similar form of media: digital horror. I've seen analog and digital horror be used interchangeably, but to my knowledge, digital is a more modern relative to analog, and they both fall under unfiction horror. As I describe them, the analog medium is made as if it is a VHS, and the digital medium is made as if it is a game or another form of modern technology. It all depends on how the creator presents the project. That's what I wanted to do as the last installment of this "series:" tell you about my favorite digital horror series.
People Still Live Here
If you've seen Parts 1 and 2, you know that I have to talk about Kane Pixels. The creator of The Backrooms dropped People Still Live Here nearly three months ago, and I finally checked it out. I had been meaning to watch it but wanted to line it up with this post, and yes, I was planning to put it here before watching it just because I knew it would be amazing. It's Pixels' shortest project, only five episodes at 40 minutes (so far). While compact, it's still really effective. We follow someone in a first-person video game called "People Still Live Here (2005)," and they walk around and have to collect various objects. That's it. The map is this static green field with a blue sky, but somehow there's still so much tension. It isn't too scary either, but there's the constant threat of a walking railroad warning sign and "The Shepherd." The series doesn't tell us too much, but there's already so much to theorize about. It's just a testament to Pixels' talent as a storyteller that there's so much packed into such a short series. Even the title says a ton. It implies there were possibly people stuck in this video game, and it's been a long time, and now they're back or never left? It's as great as all of Pixels' work, and I'd definitely recommend checking it out.
Petscop
It's time for a classic. Petscop is a horror series by Tony Domenico that started in 2017. Our protagonist, Paul, finds a lost Playstation game called "Petscop," and the episodes are his "Let's Play" videos. It's already a sick concept. What would you do if a game you never heard of showed up on your doorstep? I don't want to give too much away, but the plot unravels as Paul shares his findings with his friend, and we find out that it's full of secrets hidden under the surface. It's chock-full of mysteries and questions, and we're given really satisfying answers that make sense. There's so much to Petscop but honestly not much that hasn't been said already. I've been watching videos about the series since 2017, and new ones are still coming out, so I get to relearn and fall in love with it all over again. I kind of forget about it sometimes when thinking about a series I like because it's just so intriguing and perfectly executed that I have nothing to critique. It's 24 episodes but fully completed if you want something new to sit down and watch.
ChezzKids Archive
So this one's complicated. It's not a "series" in the typical sense, rather an ARG about a defunct education website from the 2000s. On the surface, it just looks like a team restoring a website with cute cartoon characters, but digging deeper, there are dark secrets to be uncovered. Besides the website, there's other in-universe mediums like YouTube channels and other social media pages. I've never taken part in an ARG and have only watched peoples' videos about their discoveries, but it all seems interesting, especially the idea of being the first person to figure something out. But I'll be honest. Despite this being one of my favorite digital horror series, I don't think it's one of the best. It falls victim to the "scary face" angle of horror, and it all just looks a bit overdone. "Then why is it on this list?" I hear you asking. Well, I love this thing because of certain theories. Yes, it's something the series is potentially about. I don't want to give too much away, but the relationship between the two characters was really effective, and to me, said a lot about abusive relationships. I also discovered this series when I was in the midst of one of those, so it hit hard. I felt a strange sense of relatability. "Am I a terrible person?" "Is this relationship toxic?" Lots of fun existential questions. Rambling aside, I'd definitely recommend exploring or watching a video about the ChezzKids Archive.
Vermis Malum
This one's an indie pick. If you aren't familiar with analog/digital horror, then you probably see no difference, but yes, Vermis Malum is pretty under the radar compared to the more popular series. It was created by Volrusk and follows our protagonist discovering a lost video game called Vermis Malum, and you guessed it, figuring out secrets. I found out about this series through a channel called Night Mind whose whole purpose is to uncover small projects like this, so that's cool. I'm not caught up on all the episodes yet, so I once again don't want to say too much, but I love the technical aspects. The title means "worm in the apple," which already says a lot, implying an "apple in the garden/Adam and Eve" concept. I love the imagery, and we switch all over the place from live-action to digital footage from the game to a computer screen. There are tons of allusions, from religion to Dante's rings of hell, and any video about this series will have tons of comments deciphering the little details. It has some great voice acting and lovely visuals that are better than what you'd expect of a "silly horror series on YouTube." Vermis Malum is just beginning, so I'd 100% recommend checking it out.
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