some of my favorite internet horror stories

The Mandela Catalogue, Alex Kister

definitely one ive stuck around for since its early days. everyone likes to poke fun at it for being responsible for the mainstreaming of analog horror and the genre becoming “predictable”, but alex kister continues to add new ideas despite this. maybe its the depersonalization, but the idea of being replaced by something not human and the existence of metaphysical awareness disorder draw me in heavily.

Petscop, Tony Domenico

one that hits very close to home for me personally, as its tale of an individual and his generational trauma resonate with me. its contents are believable enough to where a fraction of us were actually convinced petscop was a real game, lmao. its silent, liminal atmosphere broken by the occasional commentary or sfx are a real treat.

MyHouse.wad, Steve Nelson

a more recent addition, but man. this one was an absolute ride. the way it takes place in a familiar medium such as doom and creatively uses the game properties to weave a claustrophobic, winding tale a la house of leaves was a delight and an amazing decision. do not watch it at 1 am, however.

Anatomy, KittyHorrorShow

similar to myhouse.wad and house of leaves, this one is playable. you wander thru a low poly effigy of a house while searching for recorded tapes, each of them chock-full of references to human anatomy in comparison to a house. i sometimes find myself reading the transcript for writing inspiration, and just watching a playthrough still creeps me out on a masochistic level.

Penpal, Dathan Auerbach

a classic one. im gonna be honest, i havent read this story since i was 13, but the impact of this story, especially the ending, has stuck with me for this long, so hey, it must still be good. penpal tells the story of a guy recounting childhood memories and how one letter ends up spiraling into a tragic years-long tale of stalking and obsession.

This House Has People In It, Wham City Comedy

by far my favorite short film by alan resnick and the rest of the wham city crew. i highly recommend just experiencing this video by yourself, or watching night minds analysis. please.

EverymanHYBRID

famous for being the series that helped create the “slenderverse”, an extended collaborative universe of artists and video creators centered around the slenderman. this giant goodie bag of a series lasted for 8 years, made by a group of friends with an obvious passion and love for the story being told. fair warning, however: if you plan on watching this series, i HEAVILY recommend viewing it in tandem with night minds analysis series, as a lot of the arg elements are outdated and are required in order to understand and appreciate the story as intended.