A Comprehensive History of Internet Horror

[@Redlyne_]

This started gaining a bunch of traction, so deep dives are 100% on the horizon now. If you've got anything specific you'd like me to cover, reply to this with what it is, and the era (if you have it). Also open to request about further elaboration on things in this video, such as talking about specific ARGs or Creepypastas. I'll try to include everything, but no promises if it's something super obscure. Thanks

[@rediansjchillin]

this video was amazing

[@jokesterlego6108]

Great video!! As a long-time SCP fan, I'd love to see you elaborate on it, maybe its community eras (from "scary monster that will kill you" era of Series 1 to the renaissance of creativity that continues to this day) and universe! I hope that sounds interesting to you, I'm definitely checking out more of your content after this video!

[@sammytimgaming2947]

Mind If I can use the timeline template?

[@tahvohck]

I've got nothing specific to request that you cover, but this video gained you a new sub. You've got a great presenting voice/cadence and you did a great job on organizing everything as well. There was an error or two that I noticed but nothing so much of an issue as to warrant digging back through the video just to pick them out (and unfortunately, here at the end of it I can't remember what they were).

[@WK-47]

Glad to hear it. Was around to experience '90s internet personally, and it really was a completely different beast, but I hadn't heard of a lot of these things. Nice work.

[@crimsonite09]

If creepypastas were removed because they're badly written, then 90% of creepypasta would get deleted.

[@kaiyotee2475]

THEN WHO WAS PHONE??!??-??;?+??!+(??

[@100nodog]

So.... We shouldn't delete them... Right? 🤔

[@TheSCPStudio]

Most creepy pastas are clearly written by unoriginal amateurs and it’s kind of frustrating now. Not only are there so many rehashes of stories that have already been done, but a lot also have real brain dead writing issues. It’s not a good story if it relies on the character being willfully ignorant or someone withholding very important information from someone they care about in order to ‘save them’ when telling them would have been more effective.

[@ItsSupercat94]

@@TheSCPStudio I've actually listened to alot of creepypastas that were good but yeah you gotta search a bit to find them.

[@elephantman6117]

Good thing Candle Cove wouldn't be deleted. It's a well done Creepypasta.

[@CreepyKat86]

Maybe it’s because I’m getting old but I still think of nosleep stories as creepypastas.

[@Judgeangels]

Your pfp looks tics and roses

[@CreepyKat86]

@@Judgeangels ouch.

[@RedSpade37]

For me, I think NoSleeps were kinda like "interactive" creepypastas, where people would play along in the comments, interact with the author for more details, etc. Some of them had elements of ARGs, I think, where the author would ask questions about "What do you all think XYZ means?" and then people would try to figure it out, and then which ever user gave "the right answer" would be mentioned in the next part of the story. Long story short, I agree with you, and would add that they were creepypastas with kayfabe, haha

[@zubrhero5270]

@@RedSpade37 Creepypastas with kayfabe eh? I mean... that sentence makes absolutely zero sense... and yet it makes 100% sense to me. Love it.

[@fluffcake]

Tbh same

[@alexp.7135]

The dramatic reading of the Sonic.exe author's response to his story being deleted is the funniest goddamn thing I have ever seen

[@aplanenerdandagamenerd9087]

Tbh the fact that someone could write a reaction like that is scarier than the story itself

[@williamarmstrong7163]

That response is definitely some S tier internet history shit

[@bluebod2264]

Timestamp?

[@williamarmstrong7163]

​@@bluebod226427:10

[@matrixyst]

@@bluebod2264 27:09

[@parceltoungeharmon4524]

I remember the Creepypasta era so vividly. I was like 12/13 when it was at its peak in 2012-2014 and I was obsessed. Not so much with the actual stories themselves but more so with the characters. (The popular ones like Slender, Jeff the Killer, Jane the Killer, Ben Drowned, Eyeless Jack, Smile Dog, The Rake, Dark Link, Laughing Jack, Ticci Toby, etc) and let me tell you, the "babygirlification" of these characters was insane. The dreamy anime boy fanart (especially the Jeff the Killer ones), the "seven minutes in heaven" and "what Creepypasta is your boyfriend" quizzes on Quotev/Wattpad, Slenderman's brothers that someone made (one of which was called "Sexual Offenderman" or "Smexy" for short, which wtf btw why was that a thing), the whole Zalgo vs Slenderman thing, the cheesecake and waffles thing (if you know you know) But my personal favourite is the "Slender Mansion" which is the concept that all of the "big" Creepypasta, mainly the ones listed above, lived together in a decrepit mansion in the middle of the woods as a big dysfunctional family with Slenderman as the head of the "family". There were so many fanfictions that featured this and they all followed the same basic plotline. Teen girl (who looks like a scene queen) has a shitty life, usually being badly bullied at school/abused at home or both ends up encountering a creepypasta (who is usually the love interest) who offers the MC a chance to live with them at the mansion and become a creepypasta and kill people. I read so many of these and they were so cringe and so badly written but they were so entertaining. SO yeah, this video was a big nostalgia trip for me😅

[@yeahok8259]

Lmao, the original Hype House

[@OumuamuaOumuamua]

Jeff the killer raids area 51 Roblox

[@your-door-is-unlocked]

@@OumuamuaOumuamua OML I PLAYED THAT WHEN I WAS LIKE 9 NABNNMANANKMFJTK

[@phantomkapok]

good lord i remember all of this, but more so in 2018-2019 in the, creepypasta amino unfortunately haha, it wasn't a good place being there so young (10-11) but it was surprisingly fun making up weird creepypasta ocs and roleplaying with them, it was bizarre, i have some slight trauma because of course amino wouldn't be a good place for a kid my age, but i have a lot of nostalgia for the weird creepypasta mansion thing and the memes surrounding the fandom

[@passionate_possum_pal]

I remember back when I was in like 5th and 6th grade getting in trouble in school because I would be on my Chromebook reading creepypastas instead of paying attention to the lecture

[@CZsWorld]

It was all worth it for the sonic.exe rally cry reading

[@AlessandroPioltelli]

yeah that post is deranged... wtf was that guy thinking

[@cak17]

Love your content

[@wilderulz]

I know its not technically internet "horror" but to me there's something so eerie about lost media. The idea that even with the seemingly limitless expanse of knowledge afforded to us by the internet, there are pieces of media that will potentially never be viewed by another human being again. Its a creepy concept to me

[@ughust]

omg i've literally been saying this!! Lost Media is terrifying to me and u rlly hit the nose with this.

[@mjjgoblin]

Thank you for getting it!!!

[@sirlimen333]

That's really lame.

[@AspenBrightsoul]

I can't remember the scientific name, but "phobia of the lost" is a real fear many people have. It became "popular?" In the 1800s, due to the archeological boom. Edit. For those looking for a good example of this, then I would suggest reading Blood Meridian. Though please notetgis is a wildly violent and racist book, but in the way it is clearly showing why these things are bad.

[@idiotidiot5821]

I have a lot of photos on my flickr no one looked at. The horror

[@budderk1305]

the reading of the sonic exe creator in a faux vampire voice was very enjoyable, thanks

[@sonicroachdoggjrraven3263]

I thought it was a Hispanic accent which to me is funnier.

[@hyperacc6530]

For some reason i got cod world at war russian campaign vibes and I can’t really explain why

[@EndElseBegin]

It reminded me of a drunk cookie monster.

[@darkhart1234]

I thought it was just the edgiest sbemail in existence.

[@Galacsia]

As a latino i thought it sounded Russian.

[@FloodclawKupo]

Thank you for not actually jumpscaring viewers when discussing jumpscares.

[@ducklord3604]

Ikr I'm always scared by them even though I was into horror games a couple years back 🤦‍♂️

[@TheRCSoldier]

Thank you for commenting this so I don't have to watch the video in fear!

[@projectz975]

as a generation we are so traumatized by screamers 😭

[@wakkaflakka585]

LoL this is funny. The Samara of KZbin. 😱xD

[@BillHinderman]

@@projectz975 Legitimately the first thing I looked for in the comments exactly because of this.

[@selinnazsur2328]

I always get a bit annoyed that classic Creepypastas are getting deleted from the wiki not because I think they're well-written masterpieces, but because I'm a believer of the preservation of history and culture. Which includes internet history and culture. Archiving is essential for the internet, so I hope there is an alternate wiki page for those Creepypastas that does exactly that. (also the OG Creepypasta wiki's mods are said to be a bit of an elitist group, which isn't too much of an issue if you want some standards to be in place, but I also sympathize with young people who are inexperienced but passionate about Creepypasta just wanting to share what they have created, and I wish the mods weren't so harsh on them. Must suck having your stuff just disappear, they need their own space as well.)

[@Redlyne_]

Most are moved to the Trollpasta Wiki

[@selinnazsur2328]

@@Redlyne_ The stories were part of my personal experience on the internet too, so that's good to hear. Nostalgia inevitably makes things look better than they actually were lol Edit: On a side note, just checked the OG wiki and they have a historical archive page now apparently. Idk when it was made but that's an improvement. BEN Drowned is there, I'm relieved.

[@selinnazsur2328]

@@Redlyne_ One last thing, unrelated to Creepypasta. Scott did retire after the backlash but it was to protect his family, people made death threats to him and his pregnant wife which is inexcusable. And even though I don't exactly align with his politics, I have so much respect for the response he gave. He didn't apologize for his opinions, said he doesn't hate any of the members of his community and donated to those politicians for different reasons (which is a clear sign he's able to see nuance). He is based as hell and my personal favorite indie gamedev. We need more people like him.

[@parvanehjafari7615]

8:39 8:42 8:42

[@trustytrest]

If you want to post to a site that has standards, and you fail to meet said standards, you cannot blame them for enforcing their rules. The same holds true for any website.

[@CoreyisBarackObama]

Thank you so much for your brief inclusion of "The Shmiglo Files!!" Truly a pioneer of the Shmigloesque horror genre!

[@vladthelad9130]

WHAT ARE THE SHMIGLO FILES WHAT

[@TheyThemporer]

@@vladthelad9130 oh you don’t know?

[@MidClassWarrior]

@@vladthelad9130 I thought everybody knew

[@garrettmetting6938]

​@@vladthelad9130you wouldn't understand you just had to be there to get it

[@tysonbain4092]

Thank you, President. 🔥🔥🔥

[@deckum23]

Back rooms was better before everyone and their mother had a special different and quirky level that's totally different and unique from the 30,000,000 super ultra scary for real guys.

[@thebasedgodmax1163]

@Ghost Type Persian LOLWEED is better because at least it's not taking itself seriously and saying scary monster walking about backrooms is terrifying

[@nignamedmutt7270]

It took like 2 days for it to turn into "MaKe yOuR OwN SpOoKy HorRoR LeVeL iN a ViDeO GaMe!!!" And immediately fell apart.

[@analogapotheosis4275]

I don’t know if this is a hot take but I always liked the backrooms for how it was with just that popular picture alone. The horror of it came from the odd familiarity from picture and to me felt like something close to Everywhere at the end of time where there is no monster or anything and the horror is of memories and nostalgia.

[@amoureux6502]

Not too different from Slenderman or SCPs, every teenager wants to get in on the scary internet trend of the time

[@ethanhawksley9097]

@@ghosttypepersian7446saying the wikidot one is good is… yikes

[@Kitty255Again]

The Shmiglo Files needs to be a thing next year so we can gaslight the public into thinking time travel exists

[@Vhie05]

Imagine if this was just Redlyne casually self-promoting his project for next year

[@Kitty255Again]

@@Vhie05 It is. I'm from the future.

[@roadwarrior114]

@@Kitty255Again Got any GTA VI info?

[@whisp533]

What is the shmiglo files?

[@Kitty255Again]

@@roadwarrior114 They're still milking V Online and they made an Opressor MK3 :/

[@Soonfald]

Something about Nextbots I want to say: they're not JUST flat PNGs that chase you around, Nextbot is an AI navigation system created by Valve in the mid-2000s for Source games. Instead of NPCs following simple predetermined points, Nextbots use a "Navigation Mesh" on a map's surfaces so they can navigate areas in more sophisticated and complex ways. Nextbots are actually really technologically impressive, but now they're only known as photoshoped pictures of Obama, with the simplest form of their AI, chasing you in the backrooms, and that's really sad.

[@monkeychief1904]

The gargatron nextbot is really cool though! Someone took the png nextbot and gave it a “stalking” and “hiding” mode along with sound cues to make it into something actually a bit scary, then I think someone else took it and added even more to it.

[@memeproductions4182]

Using a navigation mesh for enemy pathfinding is like videogame basis, probably hard to find a game that doesn't use it

[@Viperrr420]

@@memeproductions4182 at the time nextbots were pretty advanced as most source games used node graphs. im not really educated on ai navigation systems though so correct me if im wrong

[@NanoBotSigma]

Also this isn't the first time png nextbots were popular, they were very popular around 2017 with youtubers like MsBreezy.

[@LanieMae]

I think I remember seeing a really good video explaining nextbot AIs although I can’t find it

[@gurgel1746]

Watching in 2024 and I am really dissappointed that The Schmeglo Files are not in this video

[@homieidan8602]

I feel you they living in the past

[@ubiquitous_star584]

8 year old me and my 7 year old brother definitely did not think herobrine was a joke. I remember we spent weeks on Minecraft trying to find him, even travelling to the nether and scaring ourselves so badly in the process. Think we even convinced ourselves we found him at one point. It’s one of my fondest memories with him to this day because we had such fun. 6 year old me didn’t find the car and the ghost jump scare very funny when my dad showed it to me though. Surprised he even knew about it considering he can barely use the internet now let alone in 2007.

[@yourlocaltheatrekid900]

I remember when I was around 12, my brother and I were playing Minecraft on our Xbox 360. We were playing a survival world with no real goal in mind, and we were on day two or three when the game started being weird. Weird colors, floating trees and pieces of grass blocks in Minecraft, stuff like that. Looking back it was either just a really weird seed or the cd was having an issue in the xbox player, but we got so scared we logged off that world and never went back on again hahah.

[@ohshino]

i was playing mcpe one time with a childhood friend years ago and one of us actually saw herobrine when we were in a village and took a screenshot. i dont remember who it was that saw it but i do remember the screenshot in my head- we had the old android call ongoing widget on the screen lol. im totally pissed that i deleted it off of my old cloud drive. maybe its out there somewhere on one of my old ones

[@Boggythefroggy]

Somebody probably already mentioned this but the “ghost car” screamer was actually one commercial in a series of ads for a German coffee company, with the scare being alluded to the jolt you’ll get with caffeine etc.

[@prlysis]

Ghost car messed me up for days when I first saw it. I must've been about 12 years old.

[@MSinistrari]

If I remember rightly, they also did a similar one with a demon thing.

[@prlysis]

@@MSinistrari There are several: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3fWmoauebCaga8

[@notsojharedtroll23]

Well, that company really made an 'scaring' commercial that was memorable, so to say that they failed in their marketing would be a dishonor.

[@SheepUndefined]

@@notsojharedtroll23 Depends on if you consider "everyone knows about the commercial, but no one remembers what the commercial was about" to be successful or not for marketing.

[@BobbyFluffy]

Interesting factoid about the SCP classifications: The classifications have less to do with how actually dangerous an SCP is, and is more strongly weighted towards how difficult it is to contain. Anything that's easily containable with minimal effort is Safe, regardless of how actually dangerous it is. Anything that needs some effort to contain is Euclid. Anything that's incredibly difficult and requires extensive, constant active effort to keep contained is Keter, even if it's relatively not too harmful (though some things of fairly little harm that's _very_ difficult to keep contained has sometimes shown up on the wiki as Euclid I think? idk). There's a simply explanation that's given using a box as an example that helps put the classifications into perspective: If you put it into a box and leave it alone, will it escape? If no, it's Safe. If you're not sure, it's Euclid. If yes, it's Keter.

[@bug-bonic]

as a frequent scp-reader yeah, youre pretty much right. the classifications are iffy and the 'box classification' is usually used but there are a few exceptions and there's a bunch of new classifications like thaumiel, apollyon and archon and "risk warnings" for further classifications on scps that need it! the wiki and some articles are really super in depth!

[@Jillybear265]

Well, haven't they recently changed their rating scheme? Or is that just for the youtubers I watch. I thought they came out with a more comprehensive and thorough list with detailed explanations for the specific classes. Though I may be incorrect

[@scientificallyaccuratetyra4292]

Then is it is the box, it’s thaumiel.

[@mook_butt8037]

Neutralized - no need for a box Apollyon - dear God, put it in a box, now Archon - might need a box, might be better without a box

[@iamhappyso]

@@Jillybear265 Yeah they still have the original 3 categories, but they made 2 more for how dangerous they are and how much they can disrupt society.

[@mercoro]

Backrooms was a really cool concept, it didn't need people adding all those new rooms and monsters, it was already good enough in the original concept. Unfortunately everything that turns mainstream on the internet, gets milked by youtubers.

[@great_channel]

Backrooms levels and entities existed way before it became mainstream. It became popular after kane pixels.

[@kathermov]

thought i’d update you: A24 and the original creator of the backrooms (a 17 year old, which is crazy to me!) are making a “the backrooms” movie!

[@Homesicktraveler]

Frfr. The concepts always start out cooler.

[@sci7zo]

Here's the issue. The backrooms are infinite. Which means it is impossible to prove that it doesn't have other rooms or monsters. In fact it has an infinite amount of different rooms and monsters. Canonically speaking it is connected to the library of babel because it is infinite. So like it or not, it's all canon. I do like that there is a threat of something inhuman because aside from that there is something comforting about the backrooms. I do agree that a lot of people focus way too hard on the monster aspect though.

[@freyasr]

@@great_channelall my friends thought i was crazy when i said the backrooms has been around for at least 5-6 years

[@brandonandlexi]

i just want to say thank you real quick for not having a super loud annoying voice but also not such a quiet voice that it’s obnoxious. i can actually watch all 46 minutes of this and it makes me over the moon.

[@vampvhs]

I will never forget the pure chokehold jumpscares had on my childhood, bc of them i became deeply scarred by the exorcist Regan face, from the rocking chair video to “Samantha’s Ghost found in World at War,” it was like I couldn’t escape these videos and that exact image, I became so weary that every video was a jumpscare that to me KZbin became a landmine, I would check dislikes (thanks KZbin for removing a core feature) and comments to make sure I wasn’t gonna get caught slipping. I even remember the first time I got jumpscared, thanks to my cousins, I was probably 5-8 and they were teens, and they showed me ghost car, the scary maze game, one after the other, and I remember crying and running into the other room, using either the landline or someone’s phone to call my mom who didn’t answer, and I left a voicemail saying I wanted to go home (they tried to “comfort” me, basically saying they wouldn’t do it again just so I’d call back and leave another voicemail saying nevermind I was okay). After years of being damn near traumatized I eventually wanted to face my fear and I deliberately looked up the video bc before then, even seeing a small thumbnail with the image would shake me, and I looked up the scary maze game and desensitized myself, I ended up watching all the videos I remembered and I eventually got over it and even watched the exorcist after promising myself I’d never watch it bc of how scared of the face I was. So thank you internet for being so evil as to scare the shit out of single-digit-aged me, but actually thank you for giving me the opportunity to face the fear myself and making myself get over it by deliberately viewing the very material that plagued my childhood

[@ericgolightly8450]

Your cousins owe you your happiness

[@kassiocabral1639]

Thats cool. I did something similar

[@resetti2040]

This is so insanely relatable

[@korakuen]

the desensitizing tactic is too relatable lmao i did that w Russian Sleep Exp

[@steph7809]

Same here lol, I was so traumatized by jumpscares I would always check KZbin comments and if there were no comments yet then I wouldn't even try to watch lol being a kid with unsupervised access to the internet during the early 2000s was pretty horrible sometimes

[@goosefrabba127]

I think Ben Drowned would have been worth mentioning since it predated and probably inspired a lot of video game creepypastas. While the content of the story isn't really special when you look at literally every other "haunted cartridge" creepypasta (like Sonic.exe), the way it was told via 4chan posts and KZbin videos to make an ARG was very unique, especially for the time. I remember it striking a nerve when I first read it because the videos used obviously hacked footage of Majora's Mask that had the paranormal aspects come out in particularly janky ways, which evoked a sense that the hardware being used couldn't keep up with the supernatural forces affecting it which really spooked me.

[@Redlyne_]

Definitely going to talk about it in a deep dive

[@IATEALLTHECHEESE]

It continued in 2020 and gained 2 more arcs as well as a website that is apart of the story. It's become a lot more in depth and complicated since the base story/arc

[@mingotv2102]

@@Redlyne_ pls talk abt petscop also

[@feIon]

@@mingotv2102 fr fr

[@spacefacecadet]

When final part was a download that said you were haunted now 😫 so good

[@NeroCrucible]

The act of simulating fear in a controlled environment to somehow improve our odds of dealing with it in real life

[@Vertex_vortex]

Yea

[@ihatemywife1359]

Yea

[@bdeverick95]

The art

[@notsojharedtroll23]

Yea

[@FrenkTheJoy]

I like this timeline format better than the iceberg formats. I feel like most people don't understand how icebergs work, they seem to just haphazardly throw stuff around.

[@theothertonydutch]

Agreed. Icebergs kinda suck and are way too cluttery.

[@arthurg.calixto3338]

Idk, icebergs seem extremely simple to me.

[@Fieldperson]

sometimes it makes sense but when talking about something they'll say "and we'll talk about this part later on in the iceberg" and then an hour later they finally continue the topic after yapping about other stuff.

[@NeyamStar]

Ikr

[@Anthony-ye3uv]

Shout-out for accurately describing Y2K! A lot of people think everyone was scared for no reason at all. That's ignoring the fact that there was significant effort over the course of a couple of years from Microsoft and other software vendors to aggressively patch everyones' systems. Fun fact; Y2K was a boom for India's tech sector because they prioritized learning COBOL, an old language that the US and other countries considered obsolete. Of course, the systems most vulnerable to Y2K bugs were written in it!

[@Murray02-m3c]

The thing I love most about this timeline is that over the years you can visually see how people became desensitised to horror and as a result, original content became a rare occurrence. Still when an original piece of content does appear it is soooooo good. The back rooms for example is like that of the SCP foundation. A perfect balance of horror and originality. Really loved the video

[@kimotee5892]

I think it’s really interesting how what is popular in horror/horror tropes often reflects a current societal fear e.g. the fear of computers and AI as mentioned in the video. Considering the back rooms/liminal spaces are still popping off now, I think it definitely speaks to a fear of endless confinement from pandemic anxiety

[@maxsync183]

its interesting, monsters have always reflected the fears of the society that produced them, thats why witches came about at a time when women were slowly gaining more power and why cannibal films were very popular at the time when isolated tribes were being contacted for hte first time. i think the backrooms are popping off partially because of what you say bt also because the intenet has allowed humans to connect to each other at any time, from any location. we're used to feeling like we're with other people even in places where those other people arent interacting with us like malls and offices. so something like the backrooms, an empty location with no way to contact other humans, really appeals to our fear of being truly alone.

[@mattpace1026]

@@maxsync183 Witches came about when women were slowly gaining more power? You flunked history class, didn't you?

[@SilverlineXZero]

Backrooms is not horror and the horror offshoot has nothing to do with what you described.

[@cupriferouscatalyst3708]

That's a really good theory, it would make a lot of sense

[@ThornShadowWolf]

I would also say with the pandemic, a lot of businesses that relied on in-person activity or even just places had physical locations filled with visitors kinda died out or went fully online, so suddenly there just... *was* a lot more liminal spaces out there. Empty malls, abandoned buildings, hotels where only one or two people are staying... if you went out into the world instead of staying home you just *were* in a liminal space. Everything is the same, and yet, not, because it's desolate and everything is shut down. Or everything is different, except for one or two ghosts of the past (distinct built-in seating that couldn't be removed, the outline of a logo that was taken down, etc.) that give you a sense of knowing the place and yet not knowing the place.

[@AmyLeeLover9]

The detail and research you've put into this is impressive! I feel like Doki Doki should have gotten an honourable mention for the brief visual novel era with how much it exploded upon release

[@ikaiju-eu9wn]

doki doki do you lift club

[@matowakan]

doki doki really isn't a scary game, just popular

[@ikaiju-eu9wn]

@@matowakan it's more of a disturbing game based in meta horror

[@solitaryopm]

@@matowakan it’s a game that messes with your brain

[@DARKANDGRIDDY1984]

There are a few annoying mistakes tho

[@skitterybananas1365]

Kinda sad there was no mention of rpg maker horror games. That was what spawned my love for horror and i really got a kick out of them. Hell, i still revisit them to this day. Great video though!! It was fun reliving the different horror eras that i was a part of

[@MoondustManwise]

Same here!

[@leticiavieira3808]

Agreed!!! Ao Oni and IB were the bestttt

[@eugeniabukhman8533]

So real, RPGMaker horror is the shit! It's not technically horror in the traditional sense, but Yume Nikki is still one of my favorite games of all time.

[@pikachumilo]

Same!

[@Catsarecute231]

The Witch's House and Mad Father are my favourites! I love them so much I love rpg maker horror games :)

[@prollygonnakms]

Another thing you should add, is EAS horror senarios. From what I've seen and know, as someone who's done tons of research with this thing, is that its a form of art or internet horror that often consists of scenarios such as the end of the world, a life threatening storm or space incident, or even creatures or inhuman figures that are life threatening. They take them and put them into a new broadcast or emergency system, as if they were real. A really cool idea if you ask me. Its a slightly new thing, but there are a few that date back a while ago.

[@ilmc2799]

I thought of this one too! I love those kinds of videos.

[@donpollo3154]

Eas horror is so cool because it instills a genuine unease The best ones make you feel like it is a legitimate emergency without jumpscares or glitches, just a horrifying atmosphere of danger

[@schizophrenicgaming365]

eas horror is mid. oh noo scary EAS sound, scrimblo is beheading people on liveleak again. edgy weirdcore for twelvies

[@ilmc2799]

@schizophrenicgaming365 none of what you just said was in the Bible, but yeah u described EAS horror pretty well

[@r.henryjr.1533]

@@schizophrenicgaming365 Good for you man, keep it to yourself next time.

[@travisretriever7473]

"Jumpscares are to horror, what tickling is to comedy."

[@SheepUndefined]

and quick, snappy bits repeated ad nauseum with no nuance are what parroting is to actual opinion.

[@joerionis5902]

​@@SheepUndefinedWhat!? I thought that's what quotations are supposed to be!

[@ponponpatapon9670]

@@SheepUndefined ok SheepUndefined. whatever you say. not like the original post is a quote or something!

[@SheepUndefined]

@@ponponpatapon9670 "what parroting is to actual opinion." It's almost like I knew that and it didn't matter, or something. Weird.

[@literaltrashpigeon5570]

If I recall, Y2K was maily an American fear. I was in the UK and didn't hear a blip of it.

[@NippyBooks]

I think so too! what I remember about NYE that day, was just a bunch of Alien 'merch'...everyone joked that it's gonna be the year the aliens will finally visit...

[@Nick-xg8ly]

leave it to america for people to fear-monger amongst themselves about the end of the world

[@walrusArmageddon]

Americans are a bit dramatic

[@literaltrashpigeon5570]

@@walrusArmageddon as an American, can confirm lol

[@SpiderM0nkey]

Uk during y2k: 🤴⚔️🗡️🤺🐉🏰🔥🏹/j

[@chronicbackpain6047]

- Horrors beyond comprehension - Jumpscare Fest - Horrors Beyond Comprehension - Jumpscare Fest I see a pattern

[@Moko_Choko06]

This timeline made me feel so old. It's weird to think that all the stuff I grew up with is fading into obscurity.

[@kw2519]

Agreed…. I was 10 when we got the first wave of AOL cds

[@t.j.aarons889]

Didn't know sonic.exe got oofed on the wiki. The writer's reaction is hilarious. In partial defense of sonic.exe, I think it is still a classic in the creepy pasta world for better or worse. I think it is also responsible or at least inspired the creation of troll pastas which was some of the funniest shit when I was a teen.

[@jish8681]

I'd personally put liminal spaces and backrooms in the 2020's era due to that they kinda popped off during the pandemic, with those "places that look unnerving but familiar" videos that went around in mid 2020. And the backrooms really popped off when Kane pixles made the found footage video in early 2022

[@BombBird11]

Yup, I'd agree with this statement. I'm gonna be personally honest, before 2020, liminal space videos just weren't recommended to me on KZbin, not because I wasn't interested in it, but because I simply thought nothing of it at the time. After 2020 and so on, those "Familiar places you've seen in your dreams with unnerving music" videos were all over my homepage, _without_ even looking or searching for them. I can't be the only one, right?

[@Brush421]

i think it became popular during the pandemic because many places were completely empty for the first time in many people's lives. and it matches the uncanniness of liminal spaces

[@gaby232323]

It was because of the pandemic the world felt so empty while everyone was inside. This is why these spaces become what they are today..

[@Ohmyadeline]

No.

[@salam-peace5519]

Also Dreamcore and Weirdcore could have been mentioned as well as they are kind of connected or associated with liminal spaces.

[@therobotFrom94]

Marble Hornets was my first proper dive into Internet Horror. I was 13/14 in '09 and it was amazing, terrifying and creative

[@Th3Raz96]

Samesies, had a short lived little obsession with the Slenderman mythos back when Marble Hornets was still new, used to tag up my school with the operator symbol and drawings of him 😂

[@Ash_Vulpine]

Was super amateur and really boring with nothing really terrifying, but I can’t deny it definitely influenced internet horror media

[@therobotFrom94]

@@Ash_Vulpine if that's your take fair enough, but for me as a child - I loved it. perhaps if i watched it now it would feel different but you use amateurish like it's a bad thing when that was one of the whole points. it was found footage, a genre defined by amateurish aesthetic

[@jamesallen2909]

@@Ash_Vulpine being amateur was literally the whole point. High production isn’t even remotely scary

[@Ash_Vulpine]

@@jamesallen2909 but it never felt real, it felt like a bunch of 16 year olds who just took a film class making a school project, nothing ever felt natural

[@sporeman1331]

Small Correction on SCP containment classes, Safe doesn't necisarily mean the object is harmless, just that if you put it in a box and nothing else, it won't do anything. A button that destroys the universe if pressed but otherwise does nothing on its own would be "safe". Euclid means some resources would be needed to contain, and most sapient/humanoid SCP's are in this class. Keter means it's extremely difficult to contain, so if something can phase through walls or enter a pocket dimension, that would typically be Keter.

[@jakobwhaley5641]

Unneeded correction he was told by others after the video was posted, like 10 times

[@0Possum-_-Prince]

I love args but i don’t have the attention span /patience to watch them so i really appreciate ppl like you and others that narrate them / explain so i can watch them and draw/do school work

[@Tyree42069]

Man I loved internet horror. I remember the nights I’d read/watch creepy pastas, then go to school the next day talking all about it on the playground with my friends. And something will just never beat watching horror videos on KZbin during a summer night with your bedroom window open, and the loud fan noise in the background, early to mid 2000’s was just absolute peak internet horror

[@sbeve6570]

that reading of the sonic.exe monologue had me dying bro

[@Tati_91]

The video I didn’t know I needed! I work at daycare and our newest kid (almost 6 yrs old, fam recently moved here) keeps on drawing (it literally spills out of her, she doesn’t stop once) strange looking faces and figurines. She then writes down their names (while having problems writing her own). „Jeff the Killer“, „Sonic (Exe)“, „Momo“ - those I knew beforehand. But she also drew some SCPs with different numbers… Now, thanks to your video, I also know about those (I didn’t hear from SCPs prior, don’t know if they’re well known in germany). I told my coworkers and our boss, we collected all her paintings so far (since she doesn’t really care about them afterwards, I believe she just needs to get those images out of her head) and are going to show them to her parents. I love horror and bizarre stories/games, I really do. But it’s horrible to think about a kid having these images ingrained in their thoughts 24/7. I really hope we can figure out how the hell she is able to know this stuff so well, and that the parents will get our point. Kids seeing something inappropriate or scary by accident happens, but we are well over "accidentally" seeing this stuff. So, thanks again, really helpful video! I also enjoyed it in general and was grateful for the non existing jump scares :)

[@Snoebal]

I saw those said images in the 5th grade and was unable to look at them without getting a huge chill down my spine. I’m able to look at some of them, but not all, and I can’t imagine how scary it would be to see those as a 6 year old, back when you’re still convinced monsters are real and stuff.

[@lisaornelas4891]

as someone who is now an adult and had unsupervised access to the internet i personally feel bad for anyone who has to deal with keeping those images in their head. i saw jeff and smile dog, and all the other scary images and while that was almost 10 years ago i still struggle to fall asleep sometimes when the images pop up in my head so being a 6 year old and having learned the creepy pastas i worry for their imagination and what it could do to their psyche

[@melaniemanning2462]

I hope this turned out ok. A lot of gen x parents just have no idea what's out there.

[@darrengrave]

My youngest brother got obsessed with "evil sonic" (sonic.exe) which he somehow stumbled upon on youtube. There's definitely a weird and increasing phenomenon where young-young kids (younger than appx 12 which is an age kids seem to naturally gravitate to spooky urban legends imo) keep getting waay into this stuff. It wasn't like this when I was a kid in the 00s/10s with just as much unsupervised internet access, so something changed algorithmically or purposely. I have a theory game devs are purposely pushing their products towards kids after the success fnaf, because I keep coming across actual toys of these characters at carnivals or dept stores.

[@lilwaffleiron7845]

​@@darrengraveyeah that's actually a very real phenomena with the advent of games like Bendy and The Ink Machine, later iterations of FNAF, Hello Neighbor, Poppy's playtime, etc. They lure children in with the excitement of taboo and then make money off of the marketable characters.

[@ikaiju-eu9wn]

now do an incomprehensive history of internet horror

[@tiffhasknees]

i typically do not stray into new content often as i tend to stick to watching the same creators i have been watching for years, but i decided to watch your dead games video on a whim. i can confidently say that it was the most entertained i have been with a video on this site in a good while! I'm now binge watching your content :) keep up the good work!!

[@ADandyDan]

I had to fact check myself because I almost complained that Welcome Home wasn’t mentioned. This video went up before Welcome Home really blew up. It’s a really interesting up-and-coming horror project that I would love to see you cover as it comes out.

[@av1182]

Analog horror just had a huge milestone with the release of Skinamarink. I had never been interested in that genre of horror until I saw that movie last week. Analog has a chance to enter the mainstream with the relatively huge success of that film

[@dangerxbadger2300]

And the Backrooms movie isn't far behind! 😊

[@jasonreitz4597]

Man, Slender the Arrival was great. The problem people had with it is that it was released in an ocean of eight pages clones it was intially dismissed at that point.

[@Redlyne_]

I'll concede and say that at the least, it's definitely better than the original

[@trouslinabone]

I heard that the Eight Pages was the demo to the Arrival. If that's true, then it's funnier but kinda sad.

[@purplehaze2358]

It’s debatable whether SCP can actually be considered horror anymore. There are so many different genres to be found on the SCP wiki, including comedy, drama, tragedy, mystery, and even borderline-neomythical epics. I’d also like to state that the 3 core object classes don’t actually necessarily rank overall threat level; it’s just the likelihood of escape should observation be broken.

[@cooliostarstache5474]

There is literally so much creativity oozing from the SCP community that it's genuinely a crime that no major film company has ever made a movie about or inspired by the Foundation. The closest we've gotten is the video game Control

[@Asageun]

​@@cooliostarstache5474have you seen scp overlord and scp dollhouse? They're short films made by the community

[@dangerxbadger2300]

One of my favorite videos that uses SCPs as its topic is Jeffiot's "Scps that are just some guy." It's HILARIOUS.

[@TheLuckySpades]

​@@cooliostarstache5474no large company will ever touch it because of the license that everything on the Wiki has The license basically says that you can reuse it for whatever you want, but that thing also needs the same license, so you can sell stuff about the Foundation (I own several books, a handful of merch and a boardgame made by fans), but someone else could just copy it and sell or share it for free and you would have no legal recourse to stop them Big studios tend to not like it when you can put their movies on youtube with no issue However there are high quality fan stuff that got crowdfunded, such as 096 from MrKlay and Overlord by Evan Royalty

[@anusaukko6792]

I mean SCP as a whole has completely ballooned into something else. It's the largest collaborative writing project in history, you can find anything there.

[@vampyregem]

I first had internet access back in 1997 (am old) and it was a very strange place back then, and still is but it is vastly different! Thank you for this well put together and narrated video!

[@ManahManah77]

Nice work. I'm in my late forties so I came up on the 80's and 90's style horror films (still can't watch the clown scene from Poltergeist alone), and so I'm admittedly not well versed in a lot of the internet horror other than being aware of its existence (or past existence). Example: I was into the Walten Files for a while before I ever learned anything about FNAF other than knowing what the game looked like. Analog horror in general has pulled me into the fray, as I'm one of those people who actually do remember the media in it's original heyday. I can tell you that yes, there have been "mysterious tapes" in existence since those days and even further back, though I can't think of any that turned out to be anything sinister or like what was found in the movie "8mm". Usually it was just a regular old VHS/Beta tape with no markings that was found someplace "hidden" or "odd" that a legend would be woven around. I totally remember the chain mail emails, even a few old fashioned snail mail versions. Found Footage was a really creepy genre that I think was soiled by the BW franchise. I warned my friends that I would punch anyone trying to pull a jumpscare on me, but because considering we all watched Faces of Death it was more annoying than scary.. I discovered the SCP Foundation (ironically) over the pandemic, been a fan since. The Dark Web... um... I'd rather not say anything other than take heed of the advice about being careful what you go looking for. That's not being dramatic, but a warning that yes, there is real and way beyond abominable that exists on it and if you wander around not knowing what you are doing you can stumble on it without meaning to. There are sick appetites in this world, and people willing to feed them. Enough said. But anyhow, you did a great brief (considering the amount of material to cover) but comprehensive report of the genre.

[@SwaggyG_2102]

As a 2000s kid, stuff like creepypastas, Slender, and FNAF were what made me such a huge horror fan. Although it scared the everliving shit out of me, it also made me feel pretty mature as well.

[@DaquaviousFriggleton]

I wish I was born a few years earlier in the 2000s cause I kinda missed the mark with that sorta shit

[@benjaminmiramontes7029]

@@DaquaviousFriggleton every generation makes their own spaces and memories in youth. While I’m sure you missed some of the stuff of our childhood, in the future you will look back on the thing you DID do at this age with the same nostalgia that we look at our stuff with now

[@BlackMoonHowls]

@@DaquaviousFriggleton Don't worry, your generation has P H O N K. I dig it, being Generation X and all that but what gets me is industrial and that early 2000's kind of Goth stuff, I'm what you call traditional. However, I'm also a Brony and a huge fan of D&D while being actually Wiccan, like how 2020 and 2021 were a modern day social and cultural rebirth, that made medieval versions of songs, and the term "Bardcore". That came and went and 2022 then 2023 happened and we're moving on into more of a cyberpunk-era. Ever heard of Neuromancer, no not the synthwave band, but the novel? Snow Crash was written in the 90's because of that book in the 80's. We got the Space 2080's to look to and Cultural Homogenization to push unchecked and unregulated technological marketing and retailed sales of cyber ware and 3D printable mechanical hands that we already have. Sobie Brand Soda no not the flavored drinks but the actual branded soda they used to sell in a dedicated and similarly designed soda machine. 3D printable food? I remember back in the day seeing plans and blueprints for items and things on 4chan for something called a "3D Printer" had no idea what that was but that was in the AOL time of the internet, and this was well before anyone had a working printer for like decades. I was a smol boy on the nets and still used what was also called "Lime wire" before it was all like Napst3er and crap. Cheer up, dude we have anime on the Moon to get to. So Wake the fuckup samurai we haz a Super Weenie Hut Jr (YT) to take down, this boring dystopia we live in is copro controlled, where fun is boring and safe, and creativity is stomped out. Write yourself a fiction piece and submit it to fanfiction.press or maybe an SCP article and that to the SCP site. Perhaps just write a story so this reality is not so lame and safe, one meant to entertain you and mock the awful writing in modern movies. We need danger and life altering topics, just make your mark on this world somehow. Authors like Mary Shelley and Brom Stoker or even, the famous Scotsman's wife that inspired him to write a "better version" of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde by throwing his original draft into the fire of their homes fireplace. Sometimes life needs to hit you so hard that you have a feeling and a concept to put to pen and make real. Make your audience feel your pain or your suffering, or your guilt over something in the form of a character struggle, make it solid and believable and not just that. REAL and physical, your words have to carry weight and your audience must feel that. What I did was write a Science Fantasy adventure with the help of Ai Dungeon and I have since moved my story else-where fully writing all of it myself. It's about a Dragon warrior priestess and her journey to vanquish the Mad King, and evil entity that lives in a cursed Claymore sword that is soul bound to her. She pick up is scrappy little brat with some spunk and a tangent for thievery and feminine wilds. The main character takes this kid, breaks and then remolds them into shape as way of a solider from the Legion of FO NV or The Frontier would. Much like the anime training montages your see in Isekai animes or the "Genkai" and "DBZ treatment." Ever heard of Isekai animes or D&D anime like Danmachi, or Demon Lord Retry, what about How Not To Summon a Demon Lord? Real video gamey stuff like the famous "Stat Screen!" meme from the days of TFS Abridgemon, but also more Fantasy RPG like with mechanics like say the classic "Fire Ball" spell or using slimes as a beast tamer to store infinite items without a Bag of Holding. Hilarious stuff my guy, but also themes like slave trading that's normal way back in the pagan days of the vining's and not to mention other peoples too. Grounded in reality but has that element of "realness" to it. Just go nuts that's what REAL RP'ing is make something up and the just run with it but it being so believable it gives you that, "What if" question in your mind, like the Tomorrows and all that. I was so inspired by everything from the last several years to write something out I had in my head and it turned into a great piece. I can't post any of it on YT they don't like any of the content, and will shadow ban it or if I mention anything from it. There is an SCP called The Wandsmen it is a multiversal and pataphysical world, their job is to document things from other universes and things to a giant archive at their home base. I loved the piece so much I took the in universe method of how the wandsmen are formed and used that to make a character named Karasu Von Kvitravn. A person is selected from other universes and they transform into a bird they hated most in life. Depending on what bird they transform into is what job they have within their organization. Long story short they basically deal is record keeping, documenting historical events or events yet to happen and then document those. Reconnaissance and scouting out new places or dimensions. I just made it so that this Karasu guy documents the "Mad King" thing that my Main Character has got going on with her. Karasu helps the MC along in their journey while not "interfering" that would be against the wardsmen's code and other very bad stuff in our world, like legality issues so I only made a reference to the organization in the form of a character from that dimension coming to this world I call Caern and getting this "story" from my character and info on individuals of extreme power and that of the "Gods" of their affairs my dragon character WOULD know about from history basically being a demi-God themselves like that is not free, so he had to give my MC something in exchange. If there is a plasma sword mentioned in my story, that's basically just a light saber or a energy saber really, it is written just like it would be in video games text that makes you see it in your head, in tangent alongside the magic" already in universe from the D&D elements. I just like my samurai in the technological era still speaking ancient Japanese fighting robots, aliens and magical elves or goblins, that's all.

[@DaquaviousFriggleton]

@@BlackMoonHowls holy fuck I’m not all that

[@liliallen1632]

Individual era deep dives would be so fun! This video is so good. I love the history of horror! The one thing I would tack on the tail end, that you did mention through ps1 horror, is the resurgence of digital horror that is happening now-ish! Great video!

[@valkurL]

Finding videos like this where it's not the same repetitive topics that I've seen time and time again is quite a task, and this is a breath of fresh air. Thanks for this!

[@ariconditioner]

GRAVITY FALLS!! Gravity Falls was among the first shows-- the first *Disney* show, to dip their toes into ARGs via putting codes in and after the episodes. The most notable thing Gravity Falls did in regard to ARGs is start a worldwide ARG called the Cipher Hunt (An ARG revolving around find Bill Cipher's statue), which began as a celebration to Gravity Falls' ending. The hunt was massive, and tons joined in on it's seemingly endless array of clues and puzzles found all over the world!! For a lot of people, including me, gravity falls was their first introduction to ARGs and I'd be sorry if I didn't mention it.

[@DeviousCrypto]

The updating OS in the background was a really nice touch. Love your content!

[@SquidSquisher]

Really loved how laid back he sounds, in addition to how easy this is to watch, the music and transition sounds are great too

[@minmo2099]

I'm a child of early 2010s internet horror so this was a really fun, chill nostalgia trip. If you ever decide to make an expanded version of the video, i'd suggest maybe talking about the boom in the obsession with skinwalkers? They're more popular nowadays but I remember there were stories (esp on 4chan's /x/ board) and people talking about them way back in 2019. Nowadays every other horror story from 4chan and reddit has something to do with skinwalkers, plus the countless memes and the whole schizoposting thing that's everywhere on tiktok now. I can't wait to see what you have in store for us in the future man, keep up the great work

[@AlexVanChezlaw]

I think the reason why Creepypastas became so popular is because all of the people born in the late 90s and early 2000s were children by the late 2000s early 2010s who had access to a more mature web. So, that lead to many of them finding out about these scary stories and started writing their own. But, by 2014 most of them were teens and moved on to other topics or just outgrew them, oversaturation is also another reason as you mentioned.

[@GustavoGplay]

I don't think analog horror will die so soon. There are still some very good new AH stories being made and the whole concept is so vast that it's hard to believe it will just fade away.

[@dangerxbadger2300]

Plus, the Backrooms movie is gonna be massive.

[@red10909]

sadly, analog horror is being ruined by some edgy 14 year olds that put so many death and gore to it that the series just get unscary and poorly mad, but theres always a hidden gem on it that have the potential to keep the analog horror genre alive, ex:vita carnis, a really good analog horror with a really good story edit:just found a typo

[@dangerxbadger2300]

@@red10909 white stag education is also pretty good

[@alanponce5046]

There’s been a massive spike in “skin walkers” this last year I thought for sure you’d add that in the one second you talked about tik tok, because they actually have really good spine tingling videos.

[@CEDA_Burr1ta]

I believe something worth adding is Visual Horror, like how big that genre got after the release of Doki Doki Literature Club. That game had a huge influence on other Visual Horrors and added onto the whole breaking the 4th wall/matrix-like ideas! Otherwise, outstanding job your in-depth knowledge and humour really made this video and gained you a sub, looking forward to more content in the future!

[@alejandralastra4174]

I played ddlc a few years ago and it scared the shit out of me, i went on blind and when i finished i had nightmares of it 2 nights in a row.

[@bluehole6019]

What an absolutely amazing game. Even knowing that it was a horror game going into it I was still blown away. Modern classic.

[@taylorhope4651]

Surprised doki doki wasn't mentioned tbh

[@fleurpayne3620]

the Sayori bit made me feel extremely disturbed for a while

[@trustytrest]

On one hand, DDLC is overrated. On the other hand, it was NOWHERE near the first nor the most influential. Irisu Syndrome was a way bigger deal and influenced more works than that meme dating sim ever did. Seriously, the only reason DDLC ever got popular was just because of waifu simps. Beyond that, it's the definition of style without substance.

[@miiilowo]

i love online/web horror and the unexpected ultrakill music in combination with this is making me experience a category nine autism event

[@Flesh_Wizard]

I read that as if it was a government issued warning or something 💀 ⚠️CATEGORY IX AUTISM EVENT IN PROGRESS⚠️ ⚠️PLEASE SEEK COVER⚠️

[@miiilowo]

@@Flesh_Wizard yeah exactly. the sheer force of my excitement is going to level a fucking city

[@SisterRose]

The things I feel are missing here specifically are Ben Drowned and Petscop. Ben Drowned's influence on internet horror in general cannot be understated, as so many projects were inspired or came out of it - i doubt we'd have stuff like super Mario 64 beta content without it - or even Sonic.exe. Petscop was another thing that was absolutely huge and influential and is likely a huge part of what pushed the PS1 horror revival despite it being aesthetically quite different, not to mention directly influenced series like Catastrophe Crow. The move from "Haunted" games to entirely fake/created games is a really interesting step in the evolution of digital horror. Speaking of digital horror - Digital Horror as a thing, as opposed to analogue horror, is becoming more and more popular - using glitchy artifacts and the like. The minecraft stuff largely falls under this - but also stuff like the Chezzkids archive etc. which is influenced by the early 2000s internet. I think you're right in saying that 2000s type stuff(which falls under this umbrella) is likely what we'll see going forward. On that subject and In terms of history - in the 90s, it would be worth looking into unsettling content like Mouchette. There were a lot of weird and unsettling websites in the 90s and early 2000s that are still fairly well archived in some cases even if they're not outright horror, and are a lot more interesting than most "shock" sites. These sort of weird websites - intentional or not - still exist too and you'll often see them covered on Barely Sociable, Nexpo, Reignbot and the like. Something like the MLP horror movies might be worth covering too, and the explosion of horror/mystery/arg youtube with the likes of Inside a Mind, Atrocity Guide, Night mind, Nightdocs etc. and the "Weird youtube" that often dips into horror like Dad Feels. They were really the key part in pushing youtube based horror, but internet horror in general also. Another big viral thing I Feel is the adult swim & wham city comedy projects that often got their virality online, as well as having ARGs attached to them(particularly this house has people in it, where the ARG was the main content). Also in your deep dives - series like Daisy Brown, hiimmarymary, I am Sophie etc. were all pretty influential, and also "twitter horror" like the Sun Vanished and gr3gory88, and the establishment of the ARG archive. Also, series like KrainaGryzbowTV(4.2 million views on the first video!) and The Magical World of Ania, Polish "analogue horror" that predates the coining of the term. I definitely feel like they were an influence on everything going forward. While you're going international, there's definitely 2ch/japanese originating stuff, spanish language stuff that's bled over into the western online horror fields. Also, the stuff that crossed over to TV - Channel Zero for example, but even shows like Wandavision that seem to me to be heavily influenced by early analogue & digital horror, particularly the "reality glitch" aesthetic. it could be worth looking at the non-horror things that heavily inspired horror too - going into ARGs more, the culture that produced vaporwave, dreamcore etc. that helped lead into the likes of the backrooms. Actually, vaporwave ended up creating a LOT of horror-adjacent rabbit holes - take a look on Pad Chennington's channel for that, particularly the begotten mystery. Lost media is also a huge iceberg to get into that regularly overlaps with horror. In fact I'd say the primary surviving creepypasta trends often focus on this - stuff like Go for a Punch, Hitogata etc. (also you're dead on with regards Monument Mythos being the best analogue horror, even if the creator has caught some controversy for engaging in some pretty awful behaviour - he's pretty young though and seems to be learning so i hope he can bounce back in time, the Trinity Desk Project was really interesting)

[@Juani_lol]

This is probably the best comment and also petscop is the goat

[@Th3Raz96]

Damn dude, it's not often I see someone MORE versed in the wide world of horror than myself, but you def are 👏👏👏

[@nai.nine.]

very insightful and interesting comment omg!!

[@vampvhs]

Finally someone who comments as much as me, I usually feel like I’m typing for nothing bc someone will comment some dumb shit like “I ain’t reading all that” but I just like giving my full thoughts or backstory on stuff, so I appreciate your dedication to typing out your entire point

[@zestfulzalyn]

What a really straightforward and well made video! I would like to suggest, for the more in depth videos, the Cicada 3301 internet mystery. Not entirely sure if it falls under an arg or if it’s even horror related, but I think it would be nice to revisit! It had died out and I haven’t heard about it since it exploded years ago. Hope you see this comment :) keep up the great videos!

[@yeetusthefetus3465]

Does anyone remember dear David? The little ghost boy whoes head was squished on one side? There used to be a chain mail for this story too. This one always creeped the hell out of me. It was the scariest thing for my baby brain. This has to be one my favorite horror story by now.

[@thrash208]

I remember the whole Blaire Witch marketing campaign online. I think people dont really understand how much a phenomonon that movie was back in the day there wasnt the slew of info online alot of people didnt have any access to the internet whatsoever. We all thought the blair witch project was real and the online website only confirmed it more for us. To me that movie will always be the scariest movie in existence just because it came out at the right place and time. A time where you couldnt really fact check things so when you tried and all you got was more confirmation it really was convincing.

[@firecracker187]

Yes but Blair Witch totally bit off of a 1970s movie for 'found footage'. Cannibal HoIocaust

[@BigManDaichi]

I usually get pretty anxious watching videos like these, just 'cuz I'm usually up alone in the middle of the night. For some reason though, your videos don't really strike that nerve, and so I'm still able to get my fix of learning about the weird and spooky. Thanks for that. I can't wait to see more.

[@KatelynVesco]

Tbh, I still remember when I got my first phone and read my first chain text. It was something about a girl who was pushed into the sewers by her classmates, and if you didn't forward the message, she would come up from the drains and kill you. I still get the tiniest bit anxious when I close my eyes in the shower because of this lol

[@Leech_Boy]

OMG CARMEN WINSTEAD???

[@rosenrot6779]

​@@Leech_Boy😭😭😭☠️☠️

[@VileVisionshaunt]

I found the interrogations of those 2 girls who stabbed their friend to be extremely interesting. If true crime is your thing, check them out. One seemed to be more influenced and almost genuinely afraid of the mythos and the other is just a psychopath. Both need to be institutionalized for an undefined amount of time but I’m not sure either belong in prison(which I’m pretty sure they didn’t go, if I’m not mistaken). Crazy case.

[@enbykeith]

I watched their interrogation. They’re both definitely mentally ill, but in very different ways. The one was a manipulator and wanted to harm. The other was easy to manipulate and I think truly believed she had to do it because of what the other told her. It’s such a bizarre case, especially with them being so young when they did it.

[@ryuunosuk3]

I don't know if they belong to prison, but certainly they don't belong to society.

[@lowresgamr]

I've learned a bit about Y2K, mostly from a professor who was working during it, the reason for the damage being minimal was because people had been working heavily behind the scenes to find some solution for the dating problem. My professor was one of the people who created a solution. I don't recall what he actually did, but it helped out and reduced the total damage to only a couple systems.

[@cavejohnson4370]

A good ARG I think you should have mentioned is petscop. It isn't too popular anymore outside of the committed few, but when it was first picking up steam it really grabbed the attention of a lot of people who weren't into ARGs making it a lot of people's first hands on experience with them. Petscop also fits into this genre of these "found games", similar to "found footage" media, but instead they would be posted by a user, primarily on youtube, showcasing said game. A lot of games in this genre also went with the route of showing off "bugs" in popular games like minecraft, WoW, or CoD, that would be used to tell a story.

[@qtipcraicmarauder]

petscop is, and always has been, my favorite ARG. i haven’t watched it in a good while (i could again) but man does it hold a special place in my heart. also, i really recommend the youtuber mysticete for cool petscop animations and great theories/analysis of interesting parts of the series and the series as a whole

[@autumneatspant86]

Yes! I wish instead of .exe games, he put “found games” into one section. I know Ben Drowned is technically a Creepypasta, I think it’s more fitting as a found game and was pretty revolutionary for the found game genre

[@qtipcraicmarauder]

@@autumneatspant86 i agree, “found” games are a really common trope that could’ve been included, some are done really well too (like petscop)

[@r.henryjr.1533]

To be clear it's not an ARG since there's no puzzles or interactive elements, it's a horror webseries like lonelygirl15.

[@SCANNI]

I have a lot of nostalgia for the old days of KZbin horror, when screamers and early args ruled the platform with a iron fist, when creepypastas where new and genuinely frightening, the classics such as " channel 666" , "I have the body of a pig" and " smile dog ". I Know it's weird but I really miss that era.

[@rebeccajeane8287]

Me too. I wish they'd make a KZbin clone that had all the videos from back then and none from 2014-present.

[@Frieswithnoketchup]

theres this sort of sub-horror genre on tiktok, it involves the family guy clips with the gameplay underneath, usually what happens is they obviously play a family guy clip, however halfway through it the clip becomes more corrupt and creepy, it's a step above random jumpscares in random videos but it's very unexpected and well made when done correctly

[@cowboysfan1996]

cant wait to scroll on my fyp late at night then get jumpscared

[@Frieswithnoketchup]

@@cowboysfan1996 even more recently some self-aware ones have been starting to appear

[@luckyy3691]

Family Guy already starts to feel corrupt and creepy for me haha 😅

[@erecbeaudoin8477]

I'm pretty sure those are made to scare away young viewers, so they'll be too afraid to keep going down the family guy tiktok rabbit hole and the algorithm will stop promoting them.

[@mafi2924]

@@erecbeaudoin8477 a noble cause

[@rairaur2234]

Great video and I wish all the best for the channel. What I want to specifically mention and applaud is this: I really respect how you give brief introductions to nomenclature and historical backgrounds without making potential uninformed viewers feel stupid, yet not boring the informed ones out. Kudos! This really shows that you think about the actual viewers of the end product and try to make them more comfortable: something a lot of creators really miss out on, focusing solely on what _they_ want to show instead of also on what _the audience_ would like to see. Another thing I think you're strong at is the playing with accents and tones. This really adds to the audio experience kek

[@bbs001gaming7]

we have to make the smeglo files a big hit next year. to keep up the continuity and make sure time doesnt fold in on itself

[@user-ev5gj8xe2b]

This was such a nostalgic watch, I was also praying for Marble Hornets to show up because of how radically they changed the internet horror game. Also, Creepypastas today are a far stretch from the ones in the 2000s, as it basically never centers around strangely dateable characters but is now just a catchall term for very short horror stories. I'm excited for people to be nostalgic for things like TWF the way I am now with things like Ted the Caver. Great video ^_^

[@yeahok8259]

Exactly- I definitely hold the original creepypastas in very high regard. What a fun and strange time that all was. And as for Marble Hornets, I was actually late to the fandom but I’m absolutely loving my adventure in the Slenderverse. EverymanHYBRID is also a great Slenderverse series; I almost started TribeTwelve but decided against it after discovering how horrible the creator was. To my knowledge there seem to be a couple of small Slenderverse /adjacent ARGs that are fresh right now; I’m following these channels in the hopes that they’ll be good additions

[@user-ev5gj8xe2b]

@@yeahok8259 omg i thought i was gonna faint when you brought up everymanhybrid, also there was a canon continuation of marble hornets called clear lakes 44 but thats when THAC stopped x_x

[@yeahok8259]

@@user-ev5gj8xe2b Yeah I recall hearing about that actually!! I’m up to date on the MH comics and all as well. I recently started watching a series called Hollow Hemlocks (and another called Arachnivenom/ExVlogs, though I’m not 100% sure I can confirm it’s Slenderverse yet?). There’s a lot of really cool new stuff that seems to be on the horizon lol

[@user-ev5gj8xe2b]

@@yeahok8259 the mh comics were not made w the consent of the other creators, one of the members just used the yt channel to promote it independently:(

[@AHOPOAH]

I love how this video uses absolutely no creepy music in any form Specially when talking about 2007 with that No More Heroes BANGER

[@WishGender]

when you said that local 58 and candle cove were made by the same guy I literally shouted out loud “THATS THE GUY THAT MADE CANDLE COVE?!?!” Clearly I need to brush up on my analogue horror and lost media creepypastas. Glad I’m home alone so I didn’t have to explain my outburst

[@toast9719]

a video on the history of internet horror is literally something i wanted to watch so i’m so grateful for this video. i would love it if you decide to do a deep dive of the different eras in separate videos. this is probably my new favorite channel❤

[@avaaa5933]

the random better call saul music made me giggle. great vid!

[@AnnieGalla]

Just wanted to say, I'm impressed with the level of research put into your videos thus far, both for this and my Iceberg, and I'm looking forward to what you have planned in the future.

[@soyprotein]

great video, it was cool to have been able to see most of these evolve in real time. i ran a cursed images twitter account in 2016 focusing on liminal spaces with some jokey ones thrown in, and it was fun to witness the concept of liminal spaces develop in the mainstream

[@Futures_End]

I was actually active in the Creepypasta Wiki community during the time where sonic.exe was deleted. I was semi-active in chats and forums and I remember its deletion being pretty big, though not as big as them getting rid of Jeff the Killer and hosting a competition for one lucky individual to write its replacement. It was really amusing to me seeing what seemed like giants in the field getting deleted from the wiki due to poor writing, though I had no idea about the post that came after it. Worth mentioning that back in these days there was also a Trollpasta Wiki, where intentionally bad awful terrible stories were written and hosted and sonic.exe and the original Jeff the Killer got moved here, along with others that were laughably bad on the main wiki. Trollpasta has since been deleted but I did funnily enough get Trollpasta of the Month once for writing "Minecraft.exe", which I to this day find an amusing title given that's literally just the name of the game. And I was a dumb kid when I wrote it.

[@PapierToillette42]

Could not keep myself from repeating Chuck's monologue at 33:00

[@manicdistopia2502]

born in early eighties grew up with all of this - love it - first memory of internet was Prodigy dialup and connect in 86' -- then came AOL in early 90's- paid for internet by the minute

[@TiddleDink]

This channel is underrated, these are top-tier videos. Also your music taste is great.

[@stuffedcrust2167]

great video, man! it was a fun trip down memory lane. although I think you missed two big key elements of internet horror, particularly from the 2000s. being a kid back then, nothing was scarier than those rumors about your favorite wholesome browser game getting infiltrated or hacked by something evil. I’ll never forget how terrified I was of the idea of my webkinz getting murdered by a club penguin! that, and the other huge trend on KZbin in the 2000s (alongside the Paranormal Activity movies), were the obviously fake ghost videos with the classic red circle thumbnail. we’ve come so far and yet, that’s still the same stuff that gets millions of views on TikTok lol.

[@carnigob42069]

so glad to have discovered your channel. all of your videos i've seen so far are so laid-back and chill without being nonchalant or nihilistic, yet funny, sarcastic, and entertaining without being overbearing or rude. looking forward to catching up on your disturbing games iceberg and patiently awaiting the next release. nice work redlyne!

[@kat-2point0]

The reading of the Sonic.exe response is chef’s kiss. The music, the voice, the accent, it going on and on, I love it.

[@michaelwilson8461]

Great video man. Having these things narrated by someone that wasn't around when a lot of it started is kind of fun. It's like watching people open a time capsule and speculate about the contents as they pull the items out one by one. At the same time it makes you feel old when you realize "wait a second , I was there when it was buried lol. By the way, displaying the OS version relevant to each time period was a nice touch.

[@purplehaze2358]

Sirenhead actually sorta spawned an internet horror genre of its own; that being, "unnerving images".

[@theothertonydutch]

When you see it you'll shit bricks was that thing already.

[@red10909]

the unnerving images videos also popularized more of trevor henderson's work, such as cartoon cat and long horse

[@kw2519]

Moa?

[@ethansmith2360]

I feel like unnerving images were definitely a genre before, but I won’t disagree with Trevor Hendersons content making them much more popular.

[@bappos_on_cracko4394]

Completely random, but its awesome that you use gran turismo music and sound effects while discussing horror subjects. Such an unusual mix that strangely works together. Also that ghost car will permanently be a scar inside me.

[@skittstuff]

Watching this video gave me what I can assume is the same emotions old heads feel when they look at photos from their childhood. This was the best (and weirdest) walk down memory lane ever. I was a kid in the 2000s with unmonitored access to the internet. Probably fucked me up mentally, but at least I can point at the screen and go 'hey I was there for this!!' Love your choice of music for this btw!

[@ravenovatechnologies6554]

Absolutely digging the Gran Turismo 3 music/sound effects. If you know you know. Oh yeah the video was great too. solid effort!

[@brutusmagnuson315]

My friends and I used to find obscure cryptozoology/alien/paranormal stuff that freaked us out and fascinated us in the 90’s. Realm of the Unknown was a web page we’d read a lot. Shock sites, like Rotten, on the other hand, are sites I wish we never found

[@ThorDagdason]

There's a subsection of Garry's Mod Nextbots that actually try to be unsettling too. They have unique mechanics and aren't just an image that constantly chases you down. A lot of them do still have a PNG as their appearance but there's also a handful that have 3d models. Some popular examples are Terminus/Nominus, Father, The Hidden, Viris and Hinn.

[@FroFTW85]

I remember finding SCPs like around 10 years ago, like late 2012 early 2013. I read through a few entries including some of the more popular ones mentioned here. It wasnt til i read through SCP-093. That was such an indepth entry, with great world building. I got hooked on trying to find everything about that specific entry. Theres been a few games and videos made about it, but i dont think anything ever surpassed the original written entries.

[@Aster_Risk]

I'm really enjoying your videos. The speed of your narration, the writing (some great low key humor) and editing work together well. This video got me through my last hour of work today.

[@thomaskiser2388]

Just for that monologue around the 27 min mark, you had me subscribing so fast 💀😭😂

[@johndecosta2582]

I’m absolutely furious that the Shmiglo files wasn’t included.