ARTICLE
(...)Folklore is a term that encapsulates not only stories, but history, arts, crafts, and even ways of living among tight-knit communities in rural settings, and in some cases urban and especially in digital spaces most recently. Although we are in an age where superstitions are bowing out in favor of a hyper logical, materialistic worldview and an “always online” mindset, human curiosity still wanders to the strange and sometimes dark for entertainment. Internet commentators often dub “creepypastas”1 as a form of “internet folklore” due to their campfire story-like nature, but as of late they seem to have taken a backseat to more complex tales usually told through online video mediums—these being Analog Horror series.
I first became aware of this horror subgenre via an analysis of the series LOCAL58TV, which is composed of news broadcasts from an alternate timeline. Each episode reveals horrific truths about the world it takes place in until it ends with a terrible revelation that dooms humanity. LOCAL58 does not have a conventional cast of characters like most stories, but rather subjects the audience to the horrors just as if they were people in the world it is portraying. It is subtle, chilling and comes and goes with little announcement or fanfare—it just leaves the audience in quiet shock as they must try and piece together what they just saw. It gives enough information for viewers to get a sense of what is going on, but it never explains anything just as quality horror should. (...)
