My Favorite Depictions of Hell

[@therobotFrom94]

It's not hell in the traditional sense, but the torture of the last human in I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream would absolutely classify as hellish to me

[@zerotwo6814]

I would say it is sufficiently equivalent to be brought up here. What happens is undoubtedly hellish, and AM definitely fits the role of a devil-figure in the situation (doing a great job of it too).

[@mewxtwo]

The absolute worst fate I've ever seen in a piece of media since... well, hell. You know, from the popular book you may have heard of; The Bible.

[@charlesoakland7599]

@yvonetubla7682 yep

[@eisschnee2649]

An inescapable, brutal maze, food only when a brutal god determines you can have it, warping and twisting the very atoms of your being into distorted mirrors of what you once were? Then to top it off, once your friends find freedom in death, the enraged god turns you into a monster incapable of the same escape just so it can brutalize you for eternity? Sounds like hell to me

[@Raganlueck]

⁠​⁠@@mewxtwoThey actually don’t really talk about it that much, if at all, in the Bible, so IHNM might just be the worst one ever lol

[@GH-pf6mw]

i think one problem with depicting haven is that we can't imagine what would be eternal peace and comfort, but we sure can imagine eternal pain and suffering, that is more understandable for us.

[@bestaround3323]

The eternal part is the real problem. People tend to view it as simply, "a very long time." When that is completely inaccurate. They can't understand the scale, nobody can. The mind simply isn't able to handle extreme scales, let alone infinite ones.

[@elschaetty]

​@bestaround3323 Exactly, i can understand both i think pretty well, maybe more the eternal peace part, but the 'eternal' bit is completely unfathomable to a mortal like me

[@--CHARLIE--]

Also, people don't realize that boredom would be a non-issue in heaven by definition. People refuse to accept that kind of passivity as ideal, despite the fact that it would be. They get all uppity about free will, which is an illusion anyways so there's no problem except that the idea of a perfect existence makes most people uncomfortable and they feel the need to justify that.

[@bestaround3323]

@--CHARLIE-- Well, that just gets into the problem of evil discussion. Evil supposedly exists due to free will. If free will is so important that it merits the existence evil, then how can a heaven without it be better? If heaven exists, why have earthly existence at all? It is either illogical and/or cruel. Especially as if said heaven is infinite, as what is the point of a finite life of suffering, then? Wouldn't the logical thing be to end this life as quickly as possible? The issue isn't just a perfect existence. It is an eternal one. Such an existence would be quite similar to oblivion. Unable to truly change or give any kind of meaning in an endless existence. Each moment worth as little as the last, and as much as the next. Is there any point to such a sorry state?

[@gibleyman]

​@@bestaround3323There's a thought experiment I really like. "You have a 99% chance of going to heaven, but if you're unfortunate, you go to hell. Your alternative option is to simply not exist" And this is followed by "The option you choose everytime is to simply not exist. Because if you just so happen to be extremely unlucky 1%, you face the absolute worst faith existence can and will ever come up with, a faith that is quite literally impossible to even try and comprehend" The implications of "eternal torture" is so unfathomably cruel, it literally outweighs one's desire for eternal peace just to avoid it.

[@TheTrueGOATS]

Also apparently that valkyrie doesn't have braces, it's meant to be grooves carved into her teeth which is something vikings used to do

[@jesseharrold1812]

It's where Bluetooth comes from. Harald Bluetooth was a king of denmark who similarly tattooed his teeth blue, thus why the Bluetooth symbol on your phone is a rune. It's named after him. This sounds like absolute bull but I promise it's not.

[@bclark3614]

​​@@jesseharrold1812 can confirm, the inventor of Bluetooth named it that because King Harald united Scandinavia and Bluetooth unites devices

[@tee6424]

I recommend watching the Welsh Viking's video about these teeth markings

[@PancakeOnYouTube]

@@TheTrueGOATS TIL! Thanks for letting me know! I think I have some kind of false memory of reading that they were in fact braces & it was done on purpose to make the Valkyrie seem timeless, maybe I dreamed that lol

[@PancakeOnYouTube]

@@jesseharrold1812 That is excellent trivia

[@isidorakapor4934]

I will never forget how a friend of mine, when trying to explain concepts of Christian hell, described it as an absence of light. No raging fires, no demons poking at you with tridents, but an absence of all feeling, sensation, hope... pure emptiness. And this is also somehow what I dream of when I have a fever. It is so simple, yet so effective. On the other hand I think the best depiction of heaven would be a personal one - ex. a character that had a troubled life gets a moment of peace and everything they wished for, but also the possibility to simply end existance as a whole when they have had their fill

[@noelvalenzarro]

That’s just being dead. The exact same experience we had before we were born. And that’s exactly what happens. Nothing.

[@bestaround3323]

Personally, the idea of any kind of eternal life is a version of hell to me. Existing forever, not only with no end in sight, but one where even the concept of an end is meaningless. There is no relief, no break, and nothing can make the suffering of perpetual existence cease. No matter what it is filled with, infinity is hell. Oblivion is the only way to salvation.

[@Kastelt]

​@@bestaround3323That's only if you consider the human mind to work the exact same in whatever place is one going into. I always assumed that in religions the afterlives are different forms of being, they may be similar but we may be "adapted" to be in eternity in a way that it isn't boring (assuming an eternal, pleasant afterlife of course, who knows, some actual hell would indeed be made boring to add to the bad) Just for information I'm not religious, not currently.

[@bestaround3323]

@Kastelt But at that point, are we even shattered simulacrums of humans anymore? If the fundamentals of who we are get removed and replaced, is it even us on the other side? Can any shred of a person even survive such a brutal metamorphosis? This, of course, is a verbose way of asking if such drastic change would leave anything left, even resembling the person they once were.

[@Kastelt]

@@bestaround3323 I don't think removing the capacity to experience boredom is that much of a drastic change. Still, even if the change is drastic, sometimes afterlives aren't about keeping identities, for example reincarnations, positive or negative, in Buddhism, while they're not eternal they can last extremely long times, and you don't keep your identity because well, everything is impermanent, including it (no-self, hopefully getting the concept right). So I guess it doesn't ultimately matter (sometimes) if we "lose who we are", now I get that's scary since personally I'm attached to who I am, but still, I guess it's not about me as I am right now after all, if that makes sense. Though I guess I kind of went off topic in that last thing, since after all it's about eternity (my point was just was that's not really about keeping us as we are right now or when we die, so losing ourselves even if scary it's to be expected, again assuming actually removing the capacity for boredom or similar ends up a drastic change or if there's more than that). I hope this comment makes sense because as you've probably already seen I'm not good at explaining what I mean.

[@alicelily550]

Might sound boring, but I still think Dante actually did one of the best jobs portraying hell. Not only are the punishments incredibly creative and specific (and of course; cruel) but there’s also a beauty and humanity to it. What I like most about Inferno (although that might just be what I took from it) is the feeling that hell, in its entire structure, is inherently personal. I stepped away from it feeling like this was Dante’s hell only and every single other person would find their own version of hell based on their personal morals. I really enjoyed that.

[@alicelily550]

@@imacg5 that’s exactly what I’m saying. I think it’s fairly palpable when reading the divine comedy. Like, he literally picked his real life enemies to meet in hell while they’re being cruelly punished for eternity.

[@BLP04]

@@alicelily550 I think he was the best. Honestly, only reason I wouldn’t include him in this list is because it’s kinda cheating

[@Thenewboidahlia]

Agreed! So agreed

[@JustKrin]

​@@alicelily550honestly, the idea that other people are in your personal Hell is very interesting. Regardless of if they're being tortured or not, they are invading your space. That for me is Hell, go find your own Hell

[@zombyninja2576]

Dante was the goat

[@MissileDoctor]

The Good Place is one of my favorite shows of all time but I never hear people talk about it as much as it deserves

[@jaredkrol3739]

I think it lost people as the seasons went on and the initial premise fell away a bit But I was with it the whole time

[@Smoovyie]

first part was good. the rest mid

[@ceciliakeller957]

forever in awe that you make spoiler warning lists in to something so so stylish

[@scratched_ink]

What's the name of the song used for the spoiler warning?

[@matchington1148]

@@scratched_inkit’s a cover of Lay Down in the Tall Grass by Timber Timbre. I’m not sure who performed the cover though

[@jossypoo]

They feek like commercials on Turner Classic Movies, in the best way

[@jaylamarie5671]

@@scratched_ink Lay Down in the Tall Grass by Bev Lee Harling

[@scratched_ink]

@@jaylamarie5671 Sweet, thank you! I tried looking up the original and realized it was a cover lol

[@PotatoPatatoVonSpudsworth]

My two favourite depictions of "Hell" come from two SCP files: SCP 7179 - _A tropical island with fruits that give you amazing highs, populated by three people who embody your personal sexual preferences. These "people" have no agency, and do whatever you tell them. All injuries are healed, the sun never moves in the sky, and all attempts to leave the island fail. You remain there for eternity. The story follows how someone spends their first 10^100 years on this island. I have never encountered a work or fiction that better encompasses the horrors of living forever than this one._ SCP 7034 - _A high-rise road jammed with traffic and choked with smog, where you move only a few inches every few hours. If you eventually get past this traffic, you find that this raised highway just keeps going and going, with seemingly nothing beneath it. As cars break down or run out of gas, and as people run out of food and water, the stealing and killing starts. Only the most ruthless will make it to the end of this road... where they'll find Hell waiting for them. This story is a masterpiece of existential/psychological horror._ Both are very short, and SUPER worth a read! I intentionally left most of the details out!

[@BobSilverstein13]

To this I'd like to add SCP-2718 - "What Happens After", where an O5 is resurrected and recounts remaining conscious after death and experiencing the rot and decay of his body even as it's pulled apart into its constituent atoms and disintegrated.

[@jamesmontgomery7074]

I would add my favorite SCP as well, SCP-1733.

[@Thepissheadman]

Definitely examining this later

[@HollisRay]

these were both great reads :)) thanks!

[@mightykingwario]

I really like SCP 7034 because it reminds me of that one Dr. Who episode where they travel to some planet in the future and it's all just a giant ring of people in flying car traffic.

[@wildwubbzy2]

The hell depicted in chainsaw man is also a crazy unique take

[@RossZe_Chef]

Hell in Chainsaw Man is legit cosmic horror, and I love it

[@HowToEatChihuahua]

Bro, spoilers

[@thexenocide6013]

@@HowToEatChihuahua how the fuck is it a spoiler to say that the manga about devils has a depiction of hell in it

[@SpellboundSpectre]

@@HowToEatChihuahuaspoilers: beam and most of denjis friends live and have a great life after escaping

[@juniperrodley9843]

It's a crazy unique aesthetic, sure, but we don't really know much at all about it. It's cool how the Hell Devil sends people to it. I'm sure Fujimoto will write something interesting about it if he ever brings the story there.

[@mightykingwario]

I love Ultrakill's depiction of, not just Hell, but an adaptation of Dante's Inferno and the nine layers. Limbo being this plastic paradise of TV screen walls playing rolling hills and speakers playing bird chirping noises. Greed being a desert so hot it melted flesh, and those who were sentenced there were doomed to carry giant boulders across them. Wrath being an unrelenting storm on an infinite ocean where the Titanic resides. While Heresy sounds like the firey metal-band-music-video Hell usually looks like, Violence is the complete opposite-- a stark white castle of ash, where every violent act is reflected in the stark red that stains it. And this is all in the game where you throw and shoot coins out of the sky as an attack and parry everything including a giant's fists.

[@TheCosmicUprise]

Wraths ocean isn't water it's dammed souls. You can see them grabbing and stuff.

[@thegoldenkid3904]

​@@TheCosmicUpriseDamned souls underwater.

[@TehCakeIzALie1]

also, greed is a desert of superheated gold dust.

[@dhrumildave4221]

Ultrakill mentioned 🗣️🗣️ +FISTFULL OF DOLLAR

[@Mall_Mage]

I don't even like Ultrakill that much but it's depiction of Hell is cool af

[@Bwall89]

I personally think Dante was cooking when he was writing inferno’s version of Hell. it truly shows how twisted one’s mind can be

[@Charlie_Azrael]

I love that the line "when hell freezes over" is common parlance for "it will never happen" but in the divine comedy, the lowest level of hell is a frozen wasteland, and the great Satan himself is half trapped in ice

[@Morfe02]

Dante is a genius in way not only "diss track" all his relatives, politicians, preachers and teachers but also introduce a part of hell for journalists when didnt exists yet (circle 8 bolgia 2, but i considered bolgia 9 or 10)

[@giovannidugo7594]

​@aspiringjoker2883 it's a bit of a coincidence, in italian is not common parlance

[@geoffreyrichards6079]

@@Bwall89 I think he was heavily influenced by the Greco-Roman underworld, which itself was divided up into different regions and had different punishments assigned to their respective inhabitants.

[@BLP04]

@@Bwall89 yeah, but having Dante’s hell would be cheating, since it’s obviously the best one by far

[@soupssheetshow1407]

I think one of the most unique depictions of Hell I have ever seen is the one from the first The Darkness video game, because it is one of the few that I can think of where no one actually enjoys being there. The damned souls are locked in an eternal WW1 battle where they cannot die, but can still be torn apart, so they are all cobbled together from random bits of other people. If you end up at the bottom of one of the pits or get your limbs blown off and are left stranded in No Mans Land, then you're just stuck there forever in a cycle of eternally dying and reanimating over and over again. The demons are permanently left in a state of eternal suffering and misery. Pestilence is tied to a post and is constantly writhing in agony, Famine has no mouth, but has an abundance of food placed right in front of it, War is a quadriplegic left abandoned in the control room of a railway gun and Death is trapped in a dark prison for all eternity. And at the centre of that prison is the Darkness itself, isolated from everything and hooked up to a horrific machine that tears and impales it for eternity which it created for itself after going insane from living countless lifetimes alone with nothing but the worst of humanity to keep it company. There is no content mastermind enjoying the scheming and plans and making the entire place work. There are no cackling demons laughing sadistically as they inflict divine punishment upon the sinners. There are no angels sitting smugly on the side lines with offers of redemption and freedom if you perform a specific task. It is a place of perfect misery, where the suffering is completely self-inflicted and can never stop because everyone involved in it is just too far gone to even realise it's a choice anymore.

[@astralsn0w756]

One of my favorite genres of video is when a significant chunk of the video veers into an interesting tangent that doesn't necessarily have to do with the original premise.

[@Swagmaster65]

Boredom is a devious one. We've gotten so good at mitigating it because of how much we dislike it. We want it to never happen. We can't even go to the bathroom with our thoughts alone anymore.

[@ultralance]

The first time I thought about my own personal hell, I was like five and my mom was taking forever looking at shoes/clothing in the store and I thought it'd be just endless waiting that literally never ends. Not sure I'd say it's stayed my idea of what a personal hell would be, but it's a very distinct memory.

[@nuggetsaltshaker9520]

You're stuck in line at the register while you're mom goes to get the one thing she forgot. Everyone is annoyed at you for holding up the line.

[@Mall_Mage]

​@@nuggetsaltshaker9520But nobody says anything and there's eyes everywhere giving you annoyed looks

[@lptotheskull]

"*This* is the bad place!" *Immediately gets KZbin Premium ad*

[@BLP04]

1:14 France

[@cynquadil148]

Come on it aint that bad

[@cassierbutler6073]

​@@cynquadil148 THERE'S ONE OF THE FROGS, GET 'EM!

[@cynquadil148]

@@cassierbutler6073 never tasted frog legs. But I found a place that serves them, so maybe this week end 😗 snails are disgusting tho

[@cassierbutler6073]

@@cynquadil148 Honestly, they taste like chicken. Not bad with cayenne based sauces. Better fried than baked

[@slynthehedgehog8061]

Paris is not the entirety of France.

[@kazerl4950]

My favorite rendition of hell has to be in Fujimoto's Chainsaw Man. Hell is a set of doors that houses the domains of different fears. It's a sanctuary that contains all of humanity's worst threats, fed by humanity's darkest imagination. Almost animal-like in the way territory is controlled by the more instinctual, more primordial fears.

[@randompenny1391]

I like that the doors are a reference to dorohedoro

[@nightrunner823mcpro2]

Damn you summed it up perfectly, like 1:1 on what makes it so terrifying

[@guilhermefranco2930]

The Valkyrie doesn't have braces, btw. Skulls from the viking era reveal some warriors made cuts they would sometimes feel with stuff in their teeth. That's what she has

[@Morfe02]

and the norse myth mentions teeth at least 2 times

[@kevinforbesofficial]

i think my favorite depiction of Hell is literary. In the Discworld book F̶a̶u̶s̶t̶ Eric, Hell starts out as a classic Fire-and-Brimstone Hell, but everyone is going through the motions because nobody has nerve endings anymore - on account of being souls instead of bodies - so it's not the worst thing on the Disc. The King of Discworld Hell - a sort of David Brent type - discovers Corporate Culture - and decides to use it to make Hell a better more pleasant place. In the process he transforms Hell from meaningless torture to something genuinely existentially unpleasant and awful.

[@untrustworthyshelfing9953]

The DMV.

[@craigvinet3883]

Good point!

[@anonymeese]

I may know vaguely what you mean.

[@Baphomets_Kid]

Okay Boomer, the DMV has been fine now that they’re properly funded again after people who fled to the suburbs in fear of diversity moved back to the cities. As well as a lot of things being able to be done online.

[@biggaines330]

every americans hell

[@DankMemes-xq2xm]

"Erm, you weren't supposed to write on this part, please take another form and re-join the line when you're done"

[@gorbonfree8245]

Hell in Ultrakill is also really unique, it's basically a huge superorganism that plays with the residents of hell, i.e forcing V1 (the main character of the game) into fights by locking it in rooms

[@jeeperscreepers665]

Two of my favorite depictions of hell/the afterlife that i can think of would have to be how The Book of Life shows the duality of those places as well as the place 'beyond' what could be considered hell in being forgotten about by those who are still alive. I also always find humor in seeing heaven and hell in Good Omens and how similar they are in their people and work environment, just with two different masks on. Awesome video!

[@one-onessadhalf3393]

Your pfp is my favorite :D

[@casketbase7750]

I think what *Heaven Can Wait* is exploring is what it means for Joe to be Joe. Is his body what makes him Joe? No, he still has his saxophone and desire to win the superbowl. But then at the end he wins the superbowl and loses his saxophone. So who is he now? Probably not Joe, because his traits are all gone. But he is however, happy. He succeeded, so its time for a new life. Heaven can wait.

[@cookiecutter017]

joe of theseus

[@maxenswlfr1877]

I really like Doctor Who's depiction of kinda-hell in Heaven Sent. Both extremely tragic, inescapable and perfectly tailored to break the Doctor without physical pain for the most part. Also it's probably one of the best episode in a TV series period

[@Dergeytruto]

Yeah, the lake full of skulls thoroughly traumatised 6 year old me, so it definitely did its job in that regard

[@TheMinecraftMan757]

@@Dergeytruto I'm horrified that you described 2015 as when you were 6. How did this happen?

[@Dergeytruto]

@maxenswlfr1877 I just walked in on my grandparents watching it lol. And don't worry, I was exaggerating; by 'thoroughly traumatised', I just mean it really stuck with me (and scared me out of watching the show for a fair few years) No kids were actually harmed! :)

[@TheMinecraftMan757]

@@Dergeytruto No no, I'm horrified that you could've been 6 years old when this came out. Wasn't that five years ago or something?

[@Dergeytruto]

@@TheMinecraftMan757 It was nine years ago, so a while.

[@heelswoodenfloor]

For me, the scariest thing about a place like hell is not the place itself; it's that it's eternal. The idea of ​​eternity is agonizing, terrifying and exhausting for me. It doesn't matter if it's good or bad; if it's eternal, it will be my nightmare. PD: " Hahahaa 69 likes"

[@TheInsomniaddict]

This is one of the reasons why I hope there's no heaven. I've considered how long I'd be willing to live for and that could be tens of thousands of years, but I'd still want there to be an end, I think.

[@Seffyzero]

Being aware forever, whether in hell or in heaven feels like it would be torture to me. People who are welcome to the idea either don't understand just how long eternity actually is, or they simply haven't thought it through.

[@TheInsomniaddict]

@stm7810 That would be one of the few ways it could possibly work. Have your memory removed every so often so you can continue living. Of course how much of you would truly be left is always the question.

[@JordanWayneBrooks]

@@TheInsomniaddict The comforting thing about heaven is that you would be at eternal peace and bliss. You would never get tired of "existing" and you would love in it every second. I imagine there would be no getting tired of this and your love for your existence would be eternal. Hell maybe not so much...

[@JaylinBrown-l7w]

Yeah, ever since I was a child I’ve had a fear of eternity/immortality, and being in a Christian household, the idea of heaven didn’t really provide any comfort. I remember telling my father this, and he responded with the equivalent of “Just don’t think about it.” So yea..

[@Wickerspark]

I'll always stand by the Library of Babel as my favorite depiction of hell. Being forced to play what is essentially a game of chance to earn the right of redemption is terrifying to me.

[@AE-wv8jd]

you know there is a real website that models the library, also has images of your death and future, just got to get through everything else

[@aleanddragonITA]

​@@AE-wv8jd What's the website name?

[@marzipancutter8144]

@@aleanddragonITA it's just library of babel. Essentially it's just a seeded random letter generator for all possible configurations of characters that can fit on a 3200 char page.

[@vortexlegend101]

Hell is worse if they give you a trillion years of heaven first before blinking you straight into the torture. Also the worst hell is an endless void of nothingness, bonus points if they don’t give you a body (even less experiential input). I’ve experienced this in my dreams and it is truly terrifying. If that feels like a cop out, body horror is pretty awful, like if they take your face away so you can’t see hear or breathe, or turn you into a monster, or taking your body away entirely. Even worse if they do stuff to your mind as well, like make you deathly afraid of your own reflection, or make you enjoy doing truly horrible things and then changing you back and let you feel horrible about what you did, changing what you’re afraid of and what you enjoy, or making you blame yourself for things you’re not responsible for, changing your memories, your personality, identity into something it’s not. Etc etc etc. I think about this too much.

[@CosmicVoid_119]

I want it to be an endless void of nothingness that way better then anything else

[@dollstoop_kk244]

All of those things that you listed are absolutely all of my worst nightmares

[@tobetrayafriend]

My favourite depiction of hell is a literary reference. The hell as depicted in The Third Policeman by Irish writer Flann O'Brien is absurd and extremely unnerving...

[@tzelaltsolak462]

What’s it say?

[@LinwoodBlackmore]

Well don’t just leave us hanging!

[@bobloblaw418]

thats *such* a good fkn book

[@bobloblaw418]

@@tzelaltsolak462 you kinda have to read it to get it..

[@Mafyeux]

@@bobloblaw418 but i dont wanna!

[@mooxim]

The depiction of Hell in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey really stuck with me. I also love Little Nicky for subverting it by making two of the characters really happy to end up there because they're metalheads and they just love the aesthetic.

[@Blu_Zircon_Harvey]

While Hakita's 'Ultrakill' is directly inspired by Dantes inferno it makes some large creative changes making it feel more industrial in nature. A depiction of hell that leans directly into science fiction and asks you to think not only if robots have a soul and can be damned but does hell itself have a soul too? A world where reality itself feels like a malfunctioning machine that is slowly sputtering out.

[@flyingburger7751]

I feel like the Mannequins are the most twisted concepts from the game and is a great example of what unending suffering that this rendition of Hell provides

[@blockwithaglock96]

Hell in ultrakill is incredibly terrifying. A living creature made by god wich is horrific enough to make him regret. Something made for the sole purpose of causing pain wich has escaped even it's own creator

[@frankieisthename992]

ULTRAKILL'S Hell is probably one of my favorite video game settings tbh. It's this sort of visceral, alive thing that eats sinners and recycles them in a sadistic ouroboros. And then you can go fishing sometimes

[@mmy2k48]

Ultrakill definitely has my favorite depiction of Limbo at least, where it's a series of claustrophobic rooms and corridors that poorly depict heaven. On the walls there's screens showing green fields as far as the eye can see, forever out of reach. The sound of birds chirping played through cheap speakers behind plastic trees. Chapel rooms with stained glass windows that will never have sunlight shine through them. It's an eternal mockery for the unfaithful

[@CatholicDisgrace]

My favorite depiction of Hell is in Jean-Paul Sartre play No Exit. We are doing the Paul Bowles adaptation at my college and I am the Stage Manager for the show. I am having a blast working on this show with my friends and our amazing Director. This has cemented it as my favorite depiction of Hell.

[@specificdaughter]

My favorite isn't explicitly a depiction of Hell, but I think has the same effect. It's in the podcast Welcome to Night Vale's 89th episode. Night Vale is being invaded. The protagonist finds a woman he knows, but she is still and silent. He asks what happened to her. She answers. She was made strange. There is a cavern. The floor is covered in mud. She walks through the mud because certainly there must be something else. You walk through the darkness, through the mud, but there is never anything else. For years you walk through the mud. Sometimes you might feel that someone is near, that you can hear them moving through the mud, searching like you are for anything else, but your hands never touch and you cannot speak. You are alone. Sometimes the mud is over you head. Sometimes is a barely there dampness under your feet. And as you walk you are hollowed out. And as you are hollowed something replaces you. And as something replaces you, you are filled with it's desire for absolute nothing. The protagonist asks her when she escaped the mud to come back to Night Vale. She tells him that she is still in the mud. Her body is here. She is still in the mud. Tears are streaming down her face. She is still in the mud. The protagonist runs. It gives me chills. Every. Single. Time.

[@FullCircleStories]

Sounds like depression and trauma

[@kaityladybaby]

Holy shit a Night Vale comment this is so good. This episode has sat with me ever since I first listened to it

[@b-ratevillain3406]

I'm still in the mud, Cecil. I am still in the mud I'm still in the mud I'm stillin the mud I'mstillin the mud stillinthemud

[@sunshineunits5970]

omg yes !!! that was truly horrifying! that two part episode had my favorite depiction of the devil too. that innocent looking beagle puppy that then stands up on two feet, panting loud and heavy and upsetting human. asking “WHO’S A GOOD BOY?” compelling you to answer and be forever lost in doing so it sounds goofy but the way cecil voiced that damn dog… gives me chills

[@starlighttheorist2683]

Oh my god this was my answer too!!! It's my all time favourite part of the show and the voice acting is so chilling and inspiring that I'm considering making one of my stories into an audio film. And it's definitely a depiction of hell, the beagle puppy says as much at the end of the episode.

[@Hemostat]

I'm not a religious person but I like to think of heaven as being a place where all the stuff on earth doesn't really matter. If you get there before your loved ones well, its just a short wait. No biggie, you're glad they're down there living their life. In the example he gave where you accidentally crash and kill someone else they'd probably say something like "well, accidents happen but you didn't mean it." and you'd both just naturally understand it and accept it. If you got to heaven and your spouse had started dating another person it'd be like "im really glad they got to find someone who touches their heart in a new way" We always think of everything as concrete and final. that theres only 1 way to look at it. we're too stuck in our head to really understand anyone else and id like to imagine in heaven you can just cut through all that bullshit

[@espelhodasconstelacoes]

As a Christian, this is a surprisingly good take on the topic, this is basically what the Bible implies. In summary, everything after this life infinitely outweighs anything that you may experience during it, like a fetus out of a womb or a seed reborn into a tree. That's why, for example, suffering for Christ is worth it, because nothing you could ever suffer here could possibly compare to the glory of what comes right after. So, yeah, I'm really glad you think like this man. I hope you live a beautiful life and, after that, I hope to see you there :D God bless ya and Jesus loves ya :)

[@systemx3403]

From an Islamic perspective people in heaven aren't the same in this world when you enter heaven your heart and mind will be perfectly pure lacking the concept of spite and hatred you will live eternally in heaven any good thing you experience will become better the more you try it you can't mentally or physically get bored from the pleasures of heaven May Allah guide us all to the truth to the right path

[@Wendy_O._Koopa]

I had a dream that I died and went to Heaven, and like maybe I wasn't _quite_ dead yet, because there was a cosmic escalator running back to the mortal plane, slash my body if I wanted, or had any unfinished business. And there were tons of things I could do, or probably _should_ have done, but I was finally at peace... and none of that felt like my responsibility anymore. Needless to say, waking up was depressing...

[@espelhodasconstelacoes]

@Wendy_O._Koopa God bless ya and Jesus loves ya man, I pray that you find peace in this life

[@pierrotlehonque5084]

I think my personal hell would be like that one time I ate too many eggs before I realized I was severely intolerant to eggs and then was forced to go to a high school auditorium dance party, but in a much smaller room

[@LordOfNihil]

try indigestion after consuming a tuna sandwich. it just sits in your stomach stewing, every time you burp you get the smell of rotten mayo and stinking fish. thank all that is holy i didnt put pickles in it. you almost vomit every time but hold it in because you do not want to taste it. worst 5 days in my life.

[@pierrotlehonque5084]

@@LordOfNihil god damn

[@somerandomyoutuber3509]

For me, my personal hell would likely be either watching suffering and being unable to do anything about it, or causing suffering and being unable to stop it

[@darrenepp63]

I haven't seen it since I was a little kid, but hell in "what dreams may come" starring Robin Williams always stuck with me.

[@CorbCorbin]

It has some scenes right out of paintings, snd how it’s described in parts of Dante’s Inferno. The movie has a lot of things, that I just don’t care for, but I’ve always enjoyed it anyway. The cinematography is excellent, and quite beautiful.

[@rileymahoney4118]

My personal hell: an acid swap filled with various biting insects while the disembodied voice of mariah carey sings from all directions.

[@anablackwood6141]

So Christmas in Austrailia? LOL

[@gottkonighorus1493]

1:40 My personal hell is already depicted in Sartre's Work "No Exit", beeing forever waiting in a room with like really annoying, aggressive people.

[@CatholicDisgrace]

We are performing No Exit at my college, we're doing the Paul Bowles adaptation. I'm stage manager for the show, and I've been having a blast with this show. Honestly, I have to agree and say this is my favorite depiction of Hell.

[@juliomelle5349]

and not having 1 moment of peace, always awake, always being judged... yeah same hell to me

[@jaydee6825]

in season six of supernatural there is a scene of crowley’s implementation of hell being a perpetual yellow tinged queue, which goes along nicely with the adventure time depiction, and it’s one of my fave depictions of hell in spn alone

[@bizzaregiraffe5716]

This seems like a film channel, but the meticulously crafted hell from ultrakill and how it feels almost like a continuation of Dantes inferno after the death of humanity is a fascinating depiction.

[@flyingburger7751]

The torture from each layer is amazing thought out and creative. I also love the fact that even Hell itself is suffering, from boredom.

[@onajdominik1536]

when I read the title i immediately thought THE GOOD PLACE, as a serial tv show addict, trust me, it’s one of the most beautiful pieces of cinema i have ever laid my phylosophy loving eyes on, absolutely worth checking out

[@Charlie_Azrael]

As soon as I saw this video, I wanted to mention "that episode of Twilight Zone" and you came out the gate with that banger

[@vmuddy9330]

I was honestly surprised "What Dreams May Come" wasn't on this list. The book is more interesting because the afterlife in it is more fleshed out, but the movie does some really neat things with it visually. Definitely my favorite depiction of heaven, and one of my favorite depictions of hell.

[@cazzward2673]

You have no idea how excited I was to see The Good Place mentioned in the spoiler warning. It’s my favorite depiction of both heaven and hell.

[@spidey5558]

Many people have already mentioned it, but Ultrakill's rendition of the place of eternal torment is probably my favorite, and not just due to the novelty of being a sapient version of the place. From all of the red text we see thoughout the game, it can be inferred that Hell is simultaneously hilarious and sophisticated, saying stuff like "WE'RE GONNA NEED A BIGGER BOOM" and "YOU'RE THE STAR OF THE SHOW NOW, BABY", while V1 is killing for blood, but will also sprout amazing theatrics with it's memetic "YOU WERE LIKE ANTENNAS TO HEAVEN" speech. Hell is brimming with personality in Ultrakill, maybe more than any character in the game.

[@AlienRino]

2:43 hey it’s me :^) Great video as always, keep up the great work!

[@carmenworrall358]

One of my absolute favorite depictions of Hell - Baskin. It’s a Turkish horror film where this group of cops respond to a call late at night, but unbeknownst to them they end up descending into the depths of hell. It’s tied heavily to Turkish mythology, and I cannot recommend it enough

[@shaggy765]

Bravo Pancake You spoil us with your content

[@cb8387]

i love how this video completely derailed at the end and just became a synopsis of heaven can wait

[@kozlowskinator6056]

Plot twist, every depiction of hell is accurate. They all exist catered to the individuals worst subconscious nightmare.

[@garbage.cannot]

it’s amazing to me how little people know about certain things, yet speak on them so confidently lmfaoo

[@DrumznThat]

Great as always man, I remember when you announced the channel switch up, never thought the vids would be this high quality

[@PancakeOnYouTube]

I appreciate that so much! I think I kinda had a fire lit under my butt on Discord when I did the Zlatan video, a bunch of people on that crazy Blinx MLS chat roasted my editing so I’ve worked pretty hard to improve since then

[@weirdstashcat4437]

Ah yes, good ol Adventure Time. Love that depiction if hell. Though, I recently cane to love Dead Boy Detective's version of Hell. There is an interesting system for Heaven to.

[@MoSteel2]

I'll have to watch this video in full later, but Hell is always around us, it's pure pleasure until we get tired of it, and move on, then a new Hell comes in the form of the same, but different. A constant lesson. There is no physical place, just a lesson in what no longer is necessary for us and something for us to learn from. It was listening to an in-depth analysis of Donta Inferno that made me realize this, and the two other works Purgatorio and Paradiso.

[@kakeup]

I love "what dreams may come" for a depiction of heaven and hell, its such a beautiful film and everyone should watch it if they havent already.

[@anexperience1149]

My favorite depiction of hell is in Hellboy: In Hell. There's something about the German and English architecture, Dante like structure, and how the locations are to service what the plot wants you to feel. Truly a great experience, but you'll need to read what occurs before to truly appreciate it.

[@ZTenski]

I think my favourite is the Supernatural version, where Crowley takes over. Because NOBODY likes waiting in line.

[@simonpodliska1072]

One of my favorite depictions of hell is in Over the Garden Wall, which takes place in a mysterious forest called the Unknown. The Unknown is a metaphor for Dante's depiction of Hell, and although this is a kid's show with nobody outright confirming to us as an audience that they're dead, it's an entertaining watch! I highly recommend it.

[@chloer7166]

Thanks!

[@PancakeOnYouTube]

Wow, oh my gosh! Thank you so much!

[@s0kkix]

i absolutely love ULTRAKILL's twist on the nine circles of hell presented in the divine comedy. the level design alone bursts with creativity but finding that almost every one of them has unique lore attached to it and more characters from TDC really made it into one of my favourite depictions

[@Nootathotep]

I've tended to think of hell as a lot like Earth. There are good things here, mostly as a result of humanity's work, but a distinct lack of obvious work from God to help us. My best interpretation of Hell is that it is not a torture chamber, it's more like a secluded island colony where life happens but the rest of the world never visits you.

[@696190]

One of the most creative afterlife renditions I've encountered is from LEXX Season 3. In it, Heaven and Hell are two planets orbiting each other, with an air cordon uniting their atmospheres. The heaven planet is entirely covered by water, with various floating cities themed around hobbies dotting its surfaces, while the hell planet is covered entirely by desert, its cities being themed around sins. The heaven planet has no central government structure, whereas the hell one is in a constant civil war, the two factions led by eternally-resurrecting figures called Prince and Duke. It's great.

[@ianodonnell5552]

My Cat once defecated on my chest as I slept, I guess because he was pissed he was stuck in my room for so long. I woke up to a turd on my blanket on my chest and he was the only explanation!

[@batcow6066]

Mad god was an incredibly uncomfortable watch that truly made me feel the depths of one man's imagination of suffering

[@haley_th]

5:44 Talk To Me had me curled up in the theatre seat, hands up at my face (bc that facial gore holy shit), and mouthing “no no no” over and over for almost all of the third act. I think I cried on and off for the last half as well. A great movie, and incredibly intense.

[@p_frog]

watched it late in the am, had my girlfriend drive me home after. had to smoke a joint to calm myself down after seeing such a horrifically inescapable reality unfold in front of me

[@demonchildmina]

reminds me of the beginning scene (iirc) of pan's labyrinth. I've never watched the movie because of it, it haunts my dreams and i hadn't even seen the monster yet.

[@joshcortezmusic8697]

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed these types of videos you’ve edited together. Thank you for providing very interesting perspectives with a lot of examples. I rarely watch movies so I appreciate when someone highlights the interesting takes of such movies.

[@HappyHyperHuggieNini]

Painkiller had a great depiction of hell. Just a monument to humanity's war crimes, frozen in time

[@JadonLolley]

dawg speaking of showmanship, your spoiler warning section was so beautiful. great pacing, cuts, tone... instant sub after that lol cheers

[@justdiver]

Not sure if it's my favorite, but the most disturbing depiction I can think of is from "Event Horizon." Fantastic movie btw. Apparently, they shot a ton of footage for the "hell scene" that was so graphic, it hit the cutting room floor. There's some videos and articles about just that scene. It's worth looking into.

[@insomniacupcake491]

instant sub this is exactly the kind of content I love to see. also, one of my favorite depictions of hell is 'good omens's version which is just the grossest office space you could think of, essentially. I like it also because its essentially the exact same as heaven but with cosmetic differences, its a fun idea. and of course, 'hell is other people' while not a show has always been what I imagine a real hell would look like just because the idea of sitting in a room with 2 or 3 other people who are perfectly selected to annoy and aggravate you just enough for all of eternity.. id take the torture over it, lol. loved the video im gonna go and binge the rest of ur stuff now :)

[@RomanNardone]

24:00 technically "heaven can wait" was relatively recently remade back in 2001 in the movie "down to earth" featuring Chris rock... It's just as confusing

[@Bernardopod]

Paused the video at heaven can wait brb while I watch it

[@aloysiusdevadanderabercrombie8]

Man I was so sad to see that No Exit was on the list at 3:17 but didn't make it into the final cut. I read No Exit in my existentialism class and it was by far my favorite depiction of hell ever

[@Switcheroo1]

‘What dreams may come” with Robin Williams, still has some of the best depictions of heaven and hell I’ve ever seen

[@haydenturansky1973]

Vinland saga’s Valhalla is what I felt is a great depiction of a hell like place. It terrified me in the show and the manga.

[@elywahl9520]

What season..(

[@lightningdragon666]

For me, hell would be eating spicy food for eternity and no sweet food, ever.

[@OrphanCrippler1]

>So scared by Talk to Me he cant sleep >next video is adventure time I can just envision the soyjak

[@Microfaun]

The depiction I think about a lot is at the end of Episode 4 of 'What If' Dr. Strange completely alone, his whimpering voice echoing off the cold walls of a dead universe that he killed, everyone and everything in it destroyed, leaving him with nothing but blackness and silence to inhabit for eternity with his new found immortality. The deific Watcher even abandoning him to his eternal prison of his own crafting. Nothing will ever stir again. What hits even harder for me is that his wife's final moments are ones of panic and dismay as she sees him for the monster he is, asking him with pain and disbelief "what did you do?" just before fading away. He doesn't even get closure only damning words from the one he destroyed the universe trying to save. It's more of a thematic hell than a literal interpretation, but I couldn't think of a more terrifying hell than that. Ok, maybe one other hell. There's another very similar, more traumatizing depiction of hell from a very unlikely place. If you grew up in a christian household in the 90s there's a good chance you listened to 'Adventures in Odyssey.' In the radio show the fatherly Mr. Whittaker has an invention; the 'Imagination Station.' Which is basically a Sword Art Online complete immersion VR machine, but used to relive bible stories not amass anime harems. It's been many years so the finer details are lost on me, but in one episode Mr. Whittaker, stricken with grief at the memory of his late wife, attempts to create a simulation of Heaven, but inadvertently also creates a simulation of hell. Late one night as he works alone he tests the simulations. His simulation of Heaven is what you might imagine. A bright world full of all the good people who had ever died, loved ones and friends long lost. When he finishes the computer tells him there is one other new simulation to test out. Hell. Crafted as the opposite to the heaven simulation. He's frightened but ultimately his curiosity gets the best of him and he enters this new simulation. But the simulation of hell is not fire or brimstone, neither demons nor torture. Just nothingness. Mr. Whittaker finds himself in complete blackness and deafening silence. He asks the computer if something is wrong. It doesn't reply. He starts to panic, feeling the emptiness and silence press around him, oppressive, infinite, heavy. He begins to weep as he feels for the first time what it was to be *truly* alone. Separated not only from people, but from existence, from light, touch, sight and sensation. As if this were not enough he was separated from his memories as well, from his feelings of love and warmth. Even these comforts of his mind were stripped away leaving nothing behind but despair and infinity. Someone eventually finds him and pulls him out of the simulation. He had only been in it for a half an hour, but he feels as though he had been inside for years. He has to go to the hospital, utterly traumatized by the experience. From what I remember, even in subsequent episodes we are shown how he's dealing with the trauma of that experience. No other moment on the radio has ever come close to creating such fear in me. After the episode I remember running out of my room to sit in the living room where my parents were, just wanting to be around another person, terrified of being alone.

[@elcalabozodelandroide2]

23:39 so ; wonder woman 2

[@DigitalChurchCultist]

my hell would be just me off my allergy meds, constantly itchy and easily irratable, sometimes gasping for air but it all being... just a miserable experience

[@PancakeOnYouTube]

That’s a good one I relate heavily

[@VoicedNat]

What is hell for me? Void, no sensation, just a pitch black space devoid of anything, except your conscious mind, no body, no vision, no hearing, smelling, tasting nor touching, complete sensory isolation. For eternity. This is hell. Our minds are biologically made to seek out company, to have external stimuli, if you take that away the only thing left is Insanity and agony.

[@Ignirium]

How about your mind being forced into the background with no control as you watch through your eyes as your body carries out the most immoral and disgusting things on the people you love, for eternity? (i really didn't even want to type that nor imagine this.) That's sounds worse to me and i have seen that in anything before.

[@djgoblin1]

when the spoiler warning music hit i knew i was in for a great time. insane production thank you for making this

[@CIMiclette]

pancake! ...and my *other* dog

[@PancakeOnYouTube]

😂

[@kimberleelogan7800]

One of my favorites is from American Horror Story Coven where the one witch who was like a hippie kept experiencing a dissection in science class over and over again. What made it so compelling is that it was personal and she forgot every time, so the pain and horror was fresh every time.

[@Pongocity.]

I saw adventure time and immediately clicked.

[@passerinity]

Fun fact: the Good Place was directly based on the play No Exit by Jean Paul-Satre. The setting is different and the characters are verrryyy different but the premise is exactly the same. There are no instruments of torture. Hell is other people.

[@skelebratz]

a personal favorite depiction of hell is afton's hell in the recent fnaf fan film Family Comes First. it's like you see so much yet so little at the same time and i love that about it

[@chickenman-kf5qs]

Hellraiser has a really interesting view of what Hell resembles, it being a giant maze.

[@The_Dinosaur_Heretic]

The various Hell depictions in DOOM are kickass though

[@robjsmiles]

Metal: Hellsinger is similar, incredible soundtrack too.

[@DRourkey]

I like in supernatural where Crowley turns hell into a line that you never get to the end of for a little while. It's one of those things where it wouldn't be bad due a little bit, and slowly become the most maddening thing

[@crashedbruh]

Adventure Time mentioned !! Idk why but I remember this one episode where they go to take back a dead plant from Death, and the episode contains the best fart joke I have ever heard in my life, along with Finn having a music battle at the end to get the plant back, absolute peak of art ! Also, Vinland Saga's depiction of Valhalla needs to be mentioned, one of the most powerful scenes I have ever seen in anime, gives a very different interpretation of Valhalla as more of a hell than a heaven, if you haven't watched the anime already, highly recommend it. On a very different note, I feel Doom(both 2016 and Eternal) kinda need a cursory mention , they are probably the most metal depictions of hell ever put in media A very small scene in the Castlevania anime where there is a flying shot through an entirely empty hell that ends in a church with Dracula and Lisa embracing each other in a broken church Man I really can't remember a few other things , and its bothering me 😭 Have been loving your videos, keep up the good work brother :)

[@Nikkibuh]

"I thought it would be funny...!"

[@crashedbruh]

@@Nikkibuh it always sounds like jake's VA almost broke character right there😭

[@_thk]

I love this video's structure and comprehensive dives into the filmmakers' respective visions. It sounds like something you'd see play out before an Oscar is awarded for something like Production Design.

[@TheTrueGOATS]

You are cooking with these videos fr fr

[@chloer7166]

You are my favorite up and coming youtuber man, so glad the algorithm sent your vids my way. You can tell how much effort you put in and how much you love the subjects you cover. Another great watch keep it up!

[@Morfe02]

18:46 i I thought the same but then you think about Heimdall called "Golden teeth", the horse of Odin with "runes in his teeth" and the skeletons with filled teeth they found. THEY ARE NOT BRACES they are teeth with marks or tattoos bro

[@themightybullfrog]

I think the reason the Good Place twist works so well is that the foreshadowing is hidden in the very nature of being a story - If Elanor and Co were really in the Good Place, then there'd be no story, no conflict, nothing would ever go wrong, But instead we have, well, everything in the story, things that would only happen if this wasn't paradise, And it was completely invisible because it wasn't anything we weren't expecting from a story

[@jakabshaw4127]

4:03 this is going to be good

[@georgiabundick]

IVE BEEN ON A JURASSIC PARK KICK AND PHIL IS LITERALLY MY GD HERO RIGHT NOW AND SO IF THE SOPRANOS WASNT GONNA MAKE ME PUT THIS OFF, MAD GOD E A S I L Y WAS

[@desperoflamenco5950]

Huis clos is for me one of the best depictions of eternal suffering

[@ArcaneOblivion]

The game ULTRAKILL has my favorite depiction of Hell. It is an omni-malevolent entity without justification. So cruel even God could find no justification for its creation, nor unmake His mistake. So evil, He ended Himself out of guilt for making it.