Why Yellow Dominates the Horror Genre

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

If the color yellow dominates the horror genre, it's no wonder why the ghosts are afraid of Pac-Man because of how terrifying he is.

[@BoneDaddy69420]

imagine that you're an intangible immortal wandering spirit trapped in an endless labyrinthine purgatory, and you just so happen to cross paths with this yellow behemoth with no distinguishable features other than an enormous maw easily capable of devouring you and dissolving the remaining pure essence that exists of your very being into a gaping, empty void.

[@rayw.6677]

Well, well, well, if it isn’t little Alex. ;)

[@Emmett_Br0wn]

@@BoneDaddy69420 Damn that's *dark-* *_How did you even think of that??_*

[@BoneDaddy69420]

@@Emmett_Br0wn i love pac man and video games, but i adore dark, occult, paranormal or otherwise eldritch themes even more.

[@JustADolt]

It might also because of his yellow teeth… MAN, he really needs brush his teeth!

[@syrusangi8743]

Yellow: vibrant, innocent, reckless, noticable, and easy target. So far the words that come to mind when I thought of yellow.

[@1krauterquark88]

It also is partly used as a sign of greed in some books

[@syrusangi8743]

@@1krauterquark88 interesting

[@1krauterquark88]

@@syrusangi8743 one example would be "the visit" or " Besuch der alten Dame"( in German)

[@SergioLeonardoCornejo]

The most evident reason yellow is a threat color is yellow snow.

[@yuno4444]

Me: yellow minded..

[@Adamguy2003]

I heard somewhere that yellow tends to usually be the first color people notice from a distance (Hence why McDonald's uses it in their logo); It quickly catches the eye and can make something a focus of attention easily. That's probably at least part of the explanation.

[@spiderbrine8877]

And also when yellow is darkened it’s a much more unnerving color. Unlike most other colors that have look relatively good when just darkened, yellow becomes a odd dingy color that I would be surprised if anyone said they actually liked that color.

[@Melanie-Elisabeth]

To go back to how much this color is noticeable, designers have also found out it was the one which clashes the more on black, even more than white.

[@nm9688]

Isn't that red? Since it has the longest wavelength

[@Melanie-Elisabeth]

@@nm9688 it's slightly too dark to be as readable as yellow; on the other side, the contrast with white seems to be too high to be that comfortable for the eyes. Then, I think it's a mix of readability/comfort + contrast. If road signs or a character shone too brightly, it would be impossible to understand them, I guess.

[@hawahardy]

the simpsons

[@okey6470]

Probably the same reason why you would play happy music during a sad moment in a movie

[@Quurze]

@re mi Soundtrack dissonance. I had to search it up but I found it.

[@tsunderecat413]

**cough** shazam opening scene **cough**

[@MeemahSN]

A very childish soundtrack played over a scene of bloodshed

[@swiatowidciesslak6249]

You didn't mention impotrant thing: many venomus animals is yellow: frogs, snakes, wasps etc. Yellow is natures sign to **** off.

[@preternatural3231]

my first thought

[@CloverCelest]

I guess that's why Six wears a yellow raincoat.

[@awkwardllama0509]

6:10 i gotchu bud

[@devinmorse9112]

It's funny how the video uses the phrase "yellow jacket" numerous times, and yet it doesn't mention the wasp.

[@Otto_Von_Beansmarck]

then again all nature uses all viberant colors to tell things to frick off

[@haddie7730]

Another interesting movie fact about yellow. In the movie ‘Jaws’, whenever the colour yellow appears on screen, the shark shows up

[@cramerfloro5936]

I once had a discussion with illustrators and book sellers on various illustrations, and we also talked about yellow: it’s a warning colour because it’s irritating, it puts a certain strain on our eye. And it looks like gold, but isn’t as warm or shiny, which is why it was the go-to colour for evil in medieval paintings.

[@Mokiefraggle]

Yes, this! It's something to do with how the eye perceives color. The rods and cones of the eye process things using red and green wavelengths of light (hence why red/green colorblindness is most common), and yellow is basically a precise 50/50 mix of the two, which means it creates greater strain on the eyes to perceive it, as both rods and cones are fully active. It's a color that basically can be painful to look at for long periods of time, which makes it make more sense as a color of warning or a signal to feel concern/fear. I also imagine that--on the idea of it being an apt color for evil in medieval art--that it might also have something to do with the idea of yellow as a sickly color. Yellow is a color of infection, of puss, of jaundice, of rot and decay. It's the color of something stained by age, be it bone, paper, or fabric. It's quite easy for yellow to become unpleasant to look at, in ways that the other colors of the spectrum just don't quite seem to...except for green. Green also has connotations of sickness, of decay and mold, and it is a color that is tied to yellow, so it again makes sense. One of my art professors once mentioned that a study was done regarding the color, and found that babies with yellow-painted rooms, or an excess of yellow in their rooms were often inclined to be fussier than babies with rooms in other colors, as it causes continual strain on their developing vision. So, it appears only natural that it is a color that at once can attract attention for being bright and striking, while at the same time putting us off as visually straining and arresting.

[@whitedragoness23]

Yellow is irritating, I just skip using it and never noticed or ever thought of yellow being used as a symbol of anything. It just seems like a annoying color. I’m surprised it’s used in horror at all. Especially since it’s so bright.

[@Tiffany-gz7wt]

Title: "Why Yellow Dominates the Horror Genre" Me: "Holy sh*t! It does!" Cousin: ...subtly points out the RED background

[@Silver_Sonic_23]

And what about black? Most horror movies have black in them.

[@cinnamontins3930]

Red and black are obvious when most think about horror. Whenever I see yellow, it instantly attracts my eye against a dark pallet

[@SergioLeonardoCornejo]

Red, black, and yellow.

[@racheltheehermit7314]

Red is blood. Red is passion. Red is rage. (At least, it is in the West.)

[@mirowhzo5750]

Me wearing yellow: * Paranoid looking around my room for the monster *

[@alexiaivan7708]

In nature, bright colors usually mean danger. For instance, carnivorous flowers always have bright, enticing colors to attract their victims. Same way Pennywise used bright colorful balloons to attract children to their deaths in the sewers.

[@Preppybabiess]

oh cool

[@nuklearkhaos115]

You could've said the Hundreds of Poisonous Animals many of which are Yellow

[@alexiaivan7708]

@@nuklearkhaos115 that’s also true. Yellow doesn’t necessarily signify weakness.

[@paracanthushepatus1547]

In my country yellow represent dead people when someone died we always put yellow flag near the people house who died Btw the country I meant is indonesia

[@wiljotheartist9932]

One of the things I love about little nightmares is how noticeable Six is in her raincoat You have no idea how often I can lose the character on screen if they’re dressed in colours to match the background and it has killed me on multiple occasions I didn’t have that problem in little nightmares as my eyes were instinctively drawn to the yellow

[@mysticadriana]

True XD (referring to Mono and Runaway Kid xD)

[@Dookieman1975]

Funny how before Six gets her raincoat she has dark clothes and blends in with the dark, in a way this sort of shows that her innocence is destroyed by a world of nightmares and is evidently cruel. Mono also wears dark clothes and a baggie, this time to hide… well himself despite his natural impulse to do good, until his innocence is crushed at the end of LN2.

[@apelican5836]

@@Dookieman1975 wow. Now that is detail!

[@courtneycherry5582]

Very true if I'm not a neon rainbow my charter is gone 😂

[@DivineIno]

Limbo lmfao

[@toyloliSpare]

I always just assumed that yellow tied back to "A canary in a coal mine!". Ie; since the industrial era an indication that something pretty and innocent will probably die and all the implications of the character being a canary could tie back to.

[@ziltonf.salgado9974]

Awesome point!

[@preternatural3231]

ooo love thisss

[@Logitah]

Holy mother! An excellent point!

[@magpieMOB]

I should've scrolled down and read this before I commented. Same hat!

[@magpieMOB]

@@nightmarecake4265 Not sure if you're actually asking or if you're quoting someone, but FWIW, canaries were taken into mines because a common danger was pockets of natural gas that could suffocate miners or explode if ignited - canaries have tiny lungs so they suffocate quickly in the presence of natural gas- if you see your canary's dead, GTFO of there

[@PhantomBones101]

A normal person: strange I never noticed Me: the Sinestro Corp controls the horror industry!

[@SergioLeonardoCornejo]

Aw, man! It makes sense now that you mention it.

[@apelican5836]

Wait…. Oh god it makes sense

[@isaiahwilson4943]

I was scrolling for a Sinestro comment and I was not disappointed.

[@alexschofield8085]

Can I get some context for this please?

[@isaiahwilson4943]

@@alexschofield8085 Sinestro, former Green Lanterb and leader of the Sinestro lantern corp, is one of the scariest mofos in DC. He wears yellow and the Sinestro Corps is made up of some scary mofos. Predator, Xenomorphs and I think even Pennywise and Freddy Kreuger have cameos as members of the corps in comics. Sinestro is widely feared and respected because he almost completely mastered the Green Lantern ring, does not fear much of anything anymore and damn near domesticated Parallax(the living embodiment of fear). Keep in mind, Parallax possessed and hoed several justice league level threats, including Green Lantern. And Sinestro treats it like a pet. You can't not fear him.

[@twistedmyth5860]

I think part of the reason is that Yellow really is ONLY a bright color. Like every other color can be varying saturation and values and still be easily read as that color, but not yellow. When yellow is made darker (outside of when it's used to shade yellow) it often loses being read as yellow. Yellow is stuck as a light, bright color as opposed to every other base color. Also, horror is always about corrupting safety and Innocence which yellow is associated with both.

[@erinbathie-moore8478]

Both yellow AND orange do this. When you go onto a digitial colour wheel, if you darken orange, you get brown. (It's the opposite of neon orange)

[@als3022]

I think yellow can also be seen as sickly and disturbing. Yellow rotting leaves, the yellow skin of a person suffering from some disease. Yellow can be vibrant or sickly at the same time. When it comes to descriptions of physical characteristics I think that this also plays a part.

[@dandeliondandylion4517]

My personal headcanon(?) is that yellow is pretty visible, making the protagonist/victim an easier target

[@PrairieMcFox]

A few more good examples of yellow being associated with horror is that yellow is also the colour of fear in the Green Lantern canon, and within the Cthulhu mythos the melevalant and most directly meddlesome of the old ones is Hastur the Unspeakable who is often referred to as the King In Yellow.

[@theonetemplar9401]

Just recently finished a CoC game with him as the main antagonist. Half of the group had manias that made us want to summon him. Thankfully the other half managed to stop him from fully appearing.

[@Salt_Master_Queue]

True. I looked up some images of Cthulhu, and the eyes were orange, which uses yellow. And what other series has an emphasis on eye color? FNaF! In the games, the whites of the eyes are a yellowish silver whenever they're glowing. I didn't know why that, per example, whenever Freddy played Carmen's Overture (at least during the first game as far as I remember), his eyes would flicker that yellowish silver, and, of all things, that was the thing that was the most stressful thing imo from the game.

[@midnightpredator18]

The king in yellow is really interesting within itself.

[@shard7549]

I’ve always wanted you to talk about Little Nightmares.

[@apelican5836]

Same

[@Celestial7Heavens]

I just remembered “The King in Yellow” from a Lovecraftian novel. The movie “The Village” also had the characters wearing yellow cloaks when hiding from these mysteries monsters from the forest. The video game “Little Nightmares” has the protagonist wearing a yellow raincoat too. The horror video game “Death Stranding” uses gold and yellow in a lot of the key items that are important to the story. It’s also been scientifically proven that divers and surfers should avoid wearing yellow wet suits because they attract sharks more than the color red.

[@MidnightEkaki]

When i think of yellow and horror i think of The Village, the yellow and red coat imagery left a strong impact in my mind as a kid I'm surprised it wasn't included in the video

[@fredarok579]

Yellow has also been used to represent madness and disease, as well as apparently causing anxiety in humans, even infants, after prolonged exposure. (Also, IT lore dives would be great!)

[@SingingSealRiana]

the king in yellow

[@MagicalMaster]

Yellow and scary? It's primal. Eyes in the night. They almost always reflect yellow. A flare of light in the darkness that signifies danger.

[@m0bz0mb39]

Also kids just look adorable in yellow rain gear! Where I live it rains pretty much every day so my kids and I wear our rain coats and boots almost every day of the year so I spend a decent amount of money on rain gear and I've only ever bought yellow rain coats for my kids because it's just too cute

[@Pandie2828]

I agree but watch you step just in case😄

[@lilllyeevee6536]

What about dog/cats?

[@Logitah]

Also, it makes them much easier to spot outside, especially if it gets foggy. I've been considering getting myself a yellow car, because my observational skills aren't very good. It would be easy to find it in a crowded parking hall.

[@fandomcake5158]

Me, an Advertising Arts graduate who enjoys when people know how filmmakers use colors queues to mess with viewers: This video.... This sparks joy.

[@Salt_Master_Queue]

This sparks joy: *your comment* This does not spark joy: *the color yellow*

[@alexpatterson4286]

Fantastic video! But I think that Little Nightmares does show paper-toy symbolism, just not as boats. Little Nightmares features paper planes, dumped in the clutter of some scenes. Six can interact with the paper planes, lifting and throwing them. A paper plane, because it's crafted by a school-kid, cues childhood in the same way a paper boat does.

[@candyland832]

Paper boats are also found scattered

[@riakun]

I find yellow to be a very interesting color. Though it is usually associated with innocence, warmth, and caution, from why I briefly studied in color theory in psychology, people who live in yellow houses usually are very angry and very mentally ill overall. I've also noticed that with two of my friends who lived in yellow houses. Moral of the story: if you're in fiction, avoid yellow. If you're going to rent or buy a house or are choosing a color to paint your house, avoid yellow.

[@sw8228]

Do you think the colour yellow caused the anger or do you think that because of their anger they looked for a comforting colour in hopes that it would help?

[@riakun]

@@sw8228 that's actually a great question, and sadly not one I can 100% answer. I think it was kinda one of each. One friend came from an already messed up home, and moved into a new house that was yellow, and her family fell apart there. My uncle had a yellow house that he was renting out to people, and each family that moved in seemed super cool and friendly, but all 4 families divorced and separated in that house within 2 years. Yellow is such a strange color

[@sin3358]

@@riakun so you shoukd wear yellow to assert dominance. Got it

[@Mokiefraggle]

@@sw8228 As I recall from color theory in art, it's believed that yellow can increase stress due to the fact that yellow is a color that's actually physically stressful for our eyes to perceive. Rods and cones use red and green wavelengths, different amounts of rods or cones firing off to create different blends that will make the other colors. Yellow is a 50/50 mix of the two, so yellow means that all the rods and all the cones are firing at once, and being worked, which causes eyestrain over time, and all the resulting discomfort of that. This stress on the body can therefore translate to stress on the mind, and this can potentially result in emotional distress that can be vented as anger. This means that it could in fact be the color that caused the anger, without the person being aware that it was the source. After all, who thinks of a _color_ as being the source of their growing anger/frustration? So, the color stays, and keeps being a strain, which keeps cycling back to build anger and frustration, and so on. At least one study mentioned by one of my art professors said that it's actually a bad idea to paint an infant's room even a pastel shade of yellow, as it is incredibly stressful to their developing vision, and can result in a baby who is more fussy and agitated than one kept in a room with a less visually straining color.

[@sw8228]

@@Mokiefraggle that's really interesting, its cool how colours can have literal effects on us

[@lauraruizesparza4654]

We all know what happens to kids in yellow raincoats....

[@SingingSealRiana]

you'll float too

[@lazer_kat_4673]

That's why my raincoat is navy blue. I'll blend in to the night sky and the creepy gutter clown won't notice me

[@Dragon_Liege]

I- I'm 13- My raincoat is yellow-

[@SingingSealRiana]

@@Dragon_Liege then better be careful

[@SingingSealRiana]

@@lazer_kat_4673 good choice ^^

[@DrAmadeusRaven]

For Little Nightmares, while the Maw itself isn't a paper boat, paper boats still appear in the first game and it's sequel. In the sequel itself, there is a paper boat near a sewer drain in the City. And near that boat there is a ghostly figure of a child.

[@khadijasenghor286]

The ghostly figure is one of the glitchy remains you can collect to see an alternate ending

[@daisycolvin2151]

We can also note yellow lighting in horror films that include office spaces. Yellow lighting is so foreboding

[@ohshanana2397]

I always thought it was because blood looks better on yellow. sure you can see blood on white, but all you see is a red stain and not really the glossy ness of the blood.but on yellow, blood shines more and stands out, and even when the blood has dried you can still see the glow of a light burgundy that you can never miss

[@somethingfunny5571]

I’m a simple woman. I see little nightmares I click

[@brittanyheaton4342]

I found another little nightmares fan

[@somethingfunny5571]

@@brittanyheaton4342 indeed you have

[@CosmicBlueRavenEntity]

9:13 Also [Slight Spoiler] in Little Nightmares II, when Six regains her raincoat, before they go to the next section, they pass a paper boat near a sewer grate (reference to "It")

[@DarkLightHuntress]

I think in the case of Pennywise's outfit, the use of yellow could be deceptive, playing on associations with innocence and safety. But another idea I had was the use of the color was a way to build tension quickly and create a creepy feeling, since yellow can signify innocence and safety, but also caution, and so it could also signify an ambiguous situation.

[@22Tesla]

Hmmm this makes sense. Yellow kind of appears in M. Night Shamalan's The Village as a "safe" color while red is the evil color, yet people wearing yellow are not safe to the dark evil stalking them throughout the movie.

[@crimson_bailey]

Wow, I'm not the only one who thought about that movie immediately.

[@hackman669]

So in horror films, books, the guy or girl wearing yellow is like the red shirt guy in old Star Trek episodes! He is dead meat and there is nothing he or anyone else could do about it. If I were him I'd change the color to blue with another character, or barrow an extra blue shirt from him. That way when the unthinkable happens I would have a change to blend into the background and escape.

[@22Tesla]

@@hackman669 Yeah pretty much it seems

[@SkruRot]

A Glamorous fact about oneself: yellow is my favorite color, and *almost* always has been, and a fun fact about yellow in general: it's one of the world's least liked colors along with orange!

[@LiterallyLydia]

Orange and yellow are my favorites!

[@dramaticpotato]

The reason I'm not friggin terrified like I usually am is because her voice is so soothing that it keeps me calm

[@ammitthedevourer7316]

Seeing as yellow is to cowardice as green is to envy, I can see how it could be tied to horror.

[@runningoncylinders3829]

My guess: I'm so scared I gotta go to the bathroom. Or: Brightness can be deceptive.

[@Pandie2828]

Bathrooms are scary too do you have a death wish!!😮😧

[@runningoncylinders3829]

@@Pandie2828 And if you see writing on the mirror then run!

[@Pandie2828]

@@runningoncylinders3829 absolutely but it might be to late...

[@runningoncylinders3829]

@@Pandie2828 Good point. Better avoid the BR altogether in a horror situation and man up by just using the pants.

[@elation.e]

@@runningoncylinders3829 ewww… I’d rather go in a bush

[@Xeniarenee99]

You can't leave out the yellow that's mentioned in other books like Frankenstein, (Yellow eyes and skin) even if it's not technically a horror as we describe it now. Otherwise, I completely agree 😂

[@Nuzzling]

But hey, that's just a theory! Abitfrank theory! Thanks for watching

[@emanelghanam8781]

I NEED a collab with these two

[@bakugoscrustyhair1354]

Matpat that you?

[@Salt_Master_Queue]

You forgot the, "AAANNNDDD CUT!"

[@rodrigo-vl7bi]

OMG best comment

[@mroonicide]

I think Tomoe Mami from Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a good example as well. Her being innocently happy and overwhelmed with the realization that she'll never be fighting alone again before meeting her horrifying demise brings me the chills everytime. God i love that show

[@shinybearevidra]

Also right before meeting her end she was hopeful and happy because things were starting to go well for her.

[@angelakumar6604]

Right and she was dressed in yellow as well as her being blond

[@heyitsdarknessyouroldfrien3396]

There's an entire genre of horror called yellow, in Italian, Giallo. And a horror movie from the 70's, Alice, Sweet Alice about a girl who may or may not be a murderer wearing a yellow raincoat. Yellow is important in Silent Hill 3. A short, disturbing story called the Yellow Wallpaper. And of course, there's the Lovecraftian King In Yellow. I'd definitely love if you cover IT more.

[@SkidChill]

I read that “giallo” comes from the cheap yellow pages of lurid pulp novels. “Pulp” comes from the same place for us, the pages of cheap paperbacks where you can see wood pulp.

[@ZombieCraft-ds4bm]

There’s something about a KZbinr with a calm, sweet voice that makes horror more scary. Yet it’s so lovely

[@genesischaparro8954]

In Little Nightmares 2, Six and Mono can play with a paper boat in the heavy rain before Six finds and puts on her iconic yellow raincoat so...there's the boat-yellow connection

[@mackenziebeeney3764]

Don’t forget the king in yellow. The banned book of madness, collapse, insanity, and death.

[@keanucool6723]

Originally Alice in Wonderland, Alice's dress was yellow as it was associated with sickness or mental illness. Little Georgie was unwell at the beginning of IT.

[@OfficialROZWBRAZEL]

Cowardice, sickness, danger and caution to contrast the positive connotations

[@OfficialROZWBRAZEL]

The Yellow Wallpaper, the King in Yellow (not that everyone hasn’t already mentioned), the general utility of the color as both bright and sickly. Every color has its positive and negative connotations that are specific to cultures.

[@QueenSix811]

I love Six. She’s so mysterious. I’m obsessed with anything and everything Little Nightmares.

[@BNK2442]

Yellow in horror doesn't represent only inocence and naiveté, just think about The King in Yellow, or the Yellow Wallpaper. In fact, when I read the title, I though it would be about this type of thing, as it made me think about an interview with Thomas Ligotti: Neddal Ayad: This is verbatim from my notebook, “(...)The colour yellow.” Comment please. Thomas Ligotti: (...) I’m not aware of my use of the color yellow. Now that you mention it, yellow does feel to me like the color of disease and decay. Maybe that’s a holdover from my days as fanatic of decadent literature reading the early issues of the Yellow Book. (In the interview "Literature Is Entertainment or It Is Nothing")

[@shadowgirl_10]

Also, I’d line to point out that in Little Nightmares 2, right in front of the room/house where Six and Mono find the raincoat, there’s a paper boat in front of a sewer on the rainy street. Pretty cool detail IMO

[@EasterWitch]

I was surprised you did not mention yellow as a warning sign in nature (bees, wasps etc.) Another way to interpret yellow in my mind is anxiety. When it is surrounded by bleak and dark colours it can make you anxious, while when surrounded by bright, strong colours it makes you feel happy

[@Sb129]

When yellow is somewhere it usually means "Notice Me!" Be it a sign, light, animal or even you. If you wear something bright like yellow you usually intend to be seen so you don't get hit by a car while changing a tire or not to be shot at if you're a hunter. I also think of the "Man in the Yellow Suit" from Tuck Everlasting.

[@ifyourepeatalieoftenenough8500]

A warning sign we need to pay attention to

[@11.is.w311]

For a long time I was kinda obsessed with the yellow raincoats of coraline and six. As soon as I saw one in a store I wanted to buy it.... Guess I won't do that any time soon

[@firestarternero1819]

For study/work reasons while doing field work on remote, hard to access places, as in the mountains or desert, we often wear bright yellow or orange jackets, in case we get lost we are easy to see from far away, in case we need to be rescued or found (hopefully alive). So I associate the bright yellow clothing to someone who needs help or rescue. Nevertheless is still my favorite color n_n

[@theonetemplar9401]

Me: *thinking about the king in yellow* yes, it is everywhere, as it should be.

[@tayloredwards4968]

Can you do a video on green and why is associated with evil

[@runningoncylinders3829]

Red compliments Green which is cool because we often see red with the good guys. Green or Blue generally suits their main rival or enemy.

[@iatemycat5320]

@@runningoncylinders3829 I've always loved how red=good guy but green=guy when those colors are used as the opposite We are always shown red as wrong and green as ok

[@Besm2711]

Green dye used to be a silent killer in the early 1900's. They used a substance with high levels of arsenic, and exposure to it proved to be deadly. Yet, because it was nice to look at, it was everywhere: clothes, furniture, walls, curtains, etc. So yeah, green soon became the color of poison and venom after people discovered how deadly it was.

[@Melanie-Elisabeth]

@@Besm2711 plus counter-ads against absinthe; plus its weak place in Christian religions that pushed believers to give it to their enemies during medieval times; plus lots of reptiles and amphibians; plus undrinkable and poisonous water (think about swamps), ... the list goes on and on!

[@Besm2711]

@@Melanie-Elisabeth yes! The dreaded green fairy, and the snake that pushes to sin! Green has been treated very roughly, being the color of nature... It is sad.

[@macaque_simp]

Can you do an video about why red relates to evil?

[@morbidmacaroni]

Tends to pour out of you when you get stabbed. But in all seriousness that would be cool. I love colour theory and horror so I want more of these too!

[@runningoncylinders3829]

Fire's pretty evil normally. Amusingly, someone else was just asking about green being evil. Whichever color your good guy wears will probably be contrasted by their enemys'.

[@kidoctober3884]

The color red think of stop signs or street lights you stop when you see red red is often described as a power color it is proven that when you wear red you often win a lot in games sports or any thing else red is seen as a intense color and red gives of a certain power why do you think people stop when they see a red light or a stop sign or when they play a game red always seems to win red is a strong color it can be manipulated to good or evil thats what makes red a strong color it can be manipulated into anything you want it to be and it'll manifest itself to what you make it scientists did a lab tests on monkeys where they would have humans where red or blue t shirt and were given bananas the person would feed the monkey the banana but whenever a person came up with a red t shirt the monkey wouldn't take the banana or eat it Edit:Thank you if you read all of this

[@hackman669]

@@runningoncylinders3829 If the good guy wears green, the bad guy will wear something like purple to contrast the bright green.

[@runningoncylinders3829]

@@hackman669 Like my favorite mustachioed oddball Waluigi.

[@lisamarie06]

I remember way back in my high school AP english class, we talked about yellow signifying cowardice. At the time, we were discussing The Great Gatsby, after having watched the movie. (Robert Redford version)

[@crystal.cos_9230]

Ah yes, Little Nightmares. I, myself have a simple mind. I sees Little Nightmares, I click faster than the speed of light

[@jilliancrawford7577]

I want to also mention the yellow bv sunflowers in The Evil Within. The endless sea of player-sized sunflowers in Ruvik's flashback of how his sister died and he got his burns is haunting and creates that same terror one might have if they're afraid of the vastness of the ocean. It makes you wonder what kinds of infinite possibilities of goodies the player can find, but also what kinds of human-sized monsters could be lurking just out of view. Even if there's no danger in the scene they're in, it feels more dangerous than the actual mini boss battle that happens at the end of the scene. Likewise, the sunflowers are his sister's favorite flower and he is also helpless in her demise.

[@pikachuneoncat6480]

Love your soft, whispery voice. Perfect for horror narration.

[@Pillzpop]

Although not present in LN, LN2 has a paper boat somewhere in the Pale City that Mono can find. He can even place it in some rainwater as it floats down into a sewer drain.

[@mariatourino9545]

I'm working on a mini-comic/zine story and yellow is going to be perfect for my innocent looking but definetely dangerous protagonist. Thanks!!! Love the videos

[@Cutiemuffinz]

Also yellow: sickness, phlegm, bile, infection. Yellow isn’t just the color of innocence, it also is a warning sign that something inside is going awry. I think its symbolism can cut both ways: the cheery almost blind innocence of a victim, trusting that the world is a warm and welcoming place, and the depraved sickly illness of a predator that lurks unseen and feeds in the shadows, like jaundice or septicemia. Also calls to mind the story of the yellow king, which if I recall you did an excellent coverage of!

[@tabithalayton2001]

The Village by M Night Shyamalan is another great example of this yellow-coat theory! The first time I watched it, I couldn't help but freak out over how strongly she stood out in the woods, knowing that there was a monster lurking about.

[@colinpoo5]

When I read the title the first thing I thought about was "The king in yellow"

[@notperflisarts]

the thing about yellow is that it’s a color that makes you stand out of the background, which mean you can be easily seen by people who wanna help you just as well as people who want to harm you, yellow is used in horror because it’s double-edged, if you want to be rescued you need to be visible, but by doing so you’re also exposed to the thing chasing you

[@notperflisarts]

also since it’s usually associated with the sun and innocence and joy, you can also feel like the joy it’s showing is a trap

[@steverlfs]

At the turn of the last century there was a popular horror novel titled "The King in Yellow". In H. P. Lovecraft's "Dream Quest of the Unknown Qadath" the final entity encountered is a monarch existing at the edge of the universe dressed in yellow.

[@AlaskanBookwyrm]

Nice to see so much yellow popping up in mainstream horror, since it's been the color of madness/primordial chaos in the cosmic horror genre for a bit. In Lovecraftian mythos it's a color heavily associated with internal rot, mental illness, or a 'sickly' or toxic influence (check out the King In Yellow short story collection by Robert Chambers for some really creepy vibes)

[@Mirar25]

Early guess, likely the same reason the inspiration for a lot of Lovecraft’s horror was the King in ‘Yellow’

[@boldblues]

This was an amazing breakdown. And fitting with the theme I’d like to add to the discussion with Lord Hastur, the King of Yellow of Lovecraft fame. While It certainly contributed to the pop culture use of a yellow rain jacket, older examples of horror using yellow may point to your insinuation that yellow’s association as a warning may hold a deeper meaning hold a lot more weight. The use of color in media, and the associations people make with them is always a fun tool to analyze with.

[@yukineyoshio]

Paper boats can be found in Little Nightmares 2, around the School in the Pale City. So that really proves the point

[@Anonymous-ti8yw]

I’ve always thought the yellow raincoat thing was more about that being a classic kids raincoat, showing off their innocence plus often adding something bright to look at in a dark atmosphere.

[@dragonlord498]

i remember years ago playing a horror flash game where yellow played a big role in it some eldritch horror stuff tied to the color

[@somethingfunny5571]

Actually there are paper boats in little nightmares. Mostly in the depths DLC and Very Little Nightmares. Sorry I just freaking love little nightmares

[@mysticadriana]

also in Little Nightmares 2.... you can find it before you get her raincoat... Coincidence am I right xD

[@jupitermob]

*chuckles nervously in yellow is my favorite color*

[@StonedHunter]

I could literally listen to you talk about anything for hours and not get bored. This was a fascinating video and it really made me think in a cool way.

[@FelisTerras]

The most ironic part about all of this is that the human can't actually "see" the colour yellow. Or colour receptor consist of blue, red and green sensors. All the shades of yellow are being split off of green and translated by the brain. It is that tiny bit of extra effort that makes us alert to it. One in about four-thousand people is actually tetrachrometic, mening, can discern yellow as an individual colour. Most brids, however, are perfectly able to see yellow as it is.

[@Acidfrog475]

I feel like another creepy thing about yellow is how medical it can feel. Jaundice leads to yellowish skin and eyes, vomit is sometimes yellow, pus is white/beige/yellowish, etc. That can also be tied into the change theory.

[@TheEccentricJester]

In little nightmares I think there was a paper boat in either the DLC or the second game. I can't remember which but I remember it was there so the paper boat thing does still apply.

[@juliamay8580]

It's curious because I feel the yellow/orange combo tends to be sort of warm and calming, like a sunrise. But yellow/red is alarming (The Comedian's smiley face button stained with blood from Watchmen comes to mind). And yellow with light blue is playful and feels like daytime, but dark blue sprinkeld with yellow gives the feeling of a candle surrounded by darkness.

[@dylansimon6243]

Yeah, the bright yellow raincoat. What a classic horror trope.

[@maem7462]

My favorite color is yellow. It’ll be interesting to see the reasons why yellow is used in horror a lot. I typically think of it as a bright and happy color. Also I do know that it’s used for caution signs sometimes

[@EAKugler]

It's all echoes of the King in Yellow leaking into the sane world to drive us all to watch the play.

[@TheAquaMonster]

I have yet to read it, but when I think of yellow and horror, my mind goes to The King in Yellow. I suppose this helps provide some context as to why he is in yellow in particular

[@pastelprincess8937]

I thought yellow was like a warning to get someone's attention like yellow wet floor sighns and neon yellow vests

[@rikuhradaonthemoon]

Is it possible that one of the reasons we associate the colour yellow with horror and death is that yellow paint was originally made with lead like white paint. And a lot of yellow plants while beautiful are poisonous?

[@WhatIsThatThingDoing]

Furthermore, a paper boat has no means of control, so it can only go where the current or wind leads it without resistance of its own. Also being made of paper, it is not suited to prolonged water contact. The second it finds itself in water, it is already counting down to the moment it becomes saturated and either sinks or falls apart. Innocent youth may die, but it may also be corrupted in these environments.

[@jasperwisecarver]

yesss little nightmares!!! and franbow!! my favorites :)

[@m0bz0mb39]

Little Nightmares is definitely one of my top 5 favorite games

[@bufipitius]

What about the King in Yellow? In Lovecraftian and Gothic fiction... There is a play script about that king that drives the readers insane...

[@brittanyheaton4342]

Also there is a paper boat in Little nightmares two near a sewer when you find sixes raincoat

[@DesMuttYS]

An interesting theory, and one I can see how you came to. However, I feel like it doesn't take the use of yellow in literature fully. Like "The King in Yellow" by Robert W. Chambers, or "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. There is also how, when people call someone cowardly, they say the person is "yellow."

[@johnathan1506]

The king in Yellow is my favourite yellow wearing horror character

[@cybernetiksoul8583]

Yellow always seemed like the color of insanity to me. I've noticed that when at restaurants that have a lot of yellow have ppl falling apart the most. People say its happy and warm. Idk about that

[@crouchingidiot]

i’m really excited for this video because yellow is usually a happy color and i always wondered why it was so present in horror

[@mc_zittrer8793]

Well, it's basic duality at work. Like Two-Face in Batman, yellow is one side of any coin that could also have red, black or blue on it. Duality is a fantastic element and theme to explore in horror, because it adds a narrative depth that doesn't need a single word to describe it. Yellow is a color of innocence, tranquility and warmth. It's typically meant to put your mind at ease, which is why it can alarm you when it turns out to be a false flag.

[@actually-a-lime250]

Off topic, your pfp scares me peppa pinaj.

[@crouchingidiot]

@@actually-a-lime250 it’s supposed to 👹

[@Melanie-Elisabeth]

In fact, yellow is often quoted as the last "favourite" colour in western culture. Yellow is at both ends of the spectrum of comfort and disgust. It can be orange and warm, like the sunshine. It can also be green, dingy, "not the one you're waiting for". It can mean illness when applied to a skin. It can relates to bones. Filth. Or whatever. Because it's easy to dye in yellow, it can be seen as cheap. But it is also the colour of gold. It is a lively colour, but some peoples mourn their dead in yellow. When you see something yellow, you don't know what is happening next. And this, is when you look for evidence in what surrounds this bright coloured spot to understand the context. (I don't know if Pastoureau has already been translated into English, but his field of research is the history of colours and their cultural uses in western Europe)

[@_mici_]

Me: *gets excited about the video* Also me: *realizes I'm wearing a yellow jumpsuit* oh jeez

[@som1sauntie58]

The yellow wallpaper is a short story about mental health and a woman’s dissent into madness about the being stuck in a room with horrible yellow wallpaper.

[@lady_peri_of_nohr]

Whenever I see yellow I always think of sickness

[@tarabagel1600]

I feel like yellow can be associated with infections. Yellow pus, yellow fluid, yellow tinted critters festering in a yellow wound, yellow mucus coughed up by a dying man. It’s like some of these innocent characters are being infected by or corrupted by these dark circumstances

[@Soul_cookie]

This would've been a great time to analyse wonder egg priority it's a psychological horror and the main character wears a yellow hoodie through out the series

[@shawnshultz8601]

Surprised you didn't bring up The King in Yellow and The Yellow Sign.