Anyone who engaged with the horror community in the early 2000s knows about the “weird side of YouTube”. Some outside of this network were aware of it but tended to stay away and only happen upon it by pure accident. The “weird side of YouTube” is exactly what it says: an entire selection of videos deemed too eerie, disturbing, or downright confusing for the general public. Several infamous videos came out of that, along with YouTubers quick to analyze what the videos could possibly mean. I vividly recall a majority of them being little more than art projects, but they were still quite the watch.
The typical factor around the weird side of YouTube that made it so notorious across the internet was the involuntary engagement with the videos in question. More often than not, these videos weren’t searched for. YouTube’s algorithm would recommend them to people trying to watch cat videos or fail compilations. Drawn in by sheer curiosity at the thumbnails presented to them, audiences would click on the video and suddenly enter a vastly different part of the site. The confusing and disturbing nature of the videos, combined with the fact that they were nothing similar to the videos originally being watched, were what made the weird side of YouTube popular.
With the constant updates of YouTube and massive influx of videos over time, accessing the weird side of YouTube has never been easier. Users have created plenty of playlists highlighting the perplexing, shocking, and terrifying videos they encounter, sharing the weird side of YouTube with anyone willing to look it up. One playlist I discovered was made by The Velvet Carpet, with 86 videos in total. Unfortunately, because of the deleted videos in the playlist, the actual total came to 78 videos. After watching every single one, I decided to rank them based on my own personal thoughts.
The Rules
One thing that I wanted to do for my audience was expose them to media that actually fit the definition of obscurity. Many videos on the playlist were ones that I and many other people have known for a while now. While this may not be a bad thing, it does mean that the videos have been covered time and time again by other creators over the years. For that very reason, I decided to sort through videos by view count in an attempt to better introduce content that they most likely haven’t been exposed to.
Another guideline I set was to avoid series on the playlist. There were multiple entries that were episodes of a larger project, so I decided to weed them out and focus instead on single videos. In doing this, I hoped to give an opportunity to myself to cover these series as they are. They deserve their own separate analysis as opposed to being limited to the playlist.
Lastly, I specifically refrained from looking at Obey the Walrus. This video was also a popular one, giving me another reason not to cover it. However, the real reason I refused to cover it was simply because it seems offensive. The woman depicted in the video is Sandi Crisp, a drag queen known as “Goddess Bunny”. She had no personal involvement with this video, but her physical appearance was used distastefully for “shock value” due to her having polio. The video is purposelessly cryptic and not particularly worth the watch.
With those guidelines in mind, below I have listed my top choices for the five best videos from The Velvet Carpet’s obscure videos playlist.
5. Haunt by GRZ
According to the video description, Haunt is a stop motion college project. Created by Glenn Zimmatore, the tale depicts a ghost story akin to one of a dream. The music used is fairly nostalgic in the beginning, offering a haunting yet calming backing track that makes the sudden silence during the tension build all the more eerie.
The tale follows a girl as she gets ready to go to bed, only to spot a malicious being outside. She finds herself helpless, unsure what to do as the threat keeps getting closer to her. Haunt is a beautiful art piece with a great atmosphere and a concept to send chills down anyone’s spine.
Though not on the playlist, another work I would recommend by Glenn Zimmatore is Singalong, which is also based on a dream.
4. The Baron, Queen, Whorce, and Magician Animatic by Marquess Belial
The Baron, Queen, Whorce, and Magician is a work by Nicholas Rubatino, an artist from Washington. Though the video is only a storyboard for what could have been a larger 3D work, it does rather well on its own to entice the audience. The plot seems to depict a relationship that had soured, leading to vengeance.
The art style is detailed and similar to a series of watercolor paintings and graphite drawings, with creative character designs and symbolism speckled throughout. The backing track is also pleasant to listen to, providing an interesting contrast to the scenes playing out in front of the audience. This storyboard pulls no punches in terms of gore, offering a fine blend of the beautiful and the grotesque.
3. a Kỳ) NẤU ĂN IDOL by nana825763
This video is a work of comedy disguised as horror. Another stop motion film, it depicts what looks to be a shrine doll shrouded in a deep red room. The doll proceeds to walk the audience through cooking a certain tomato dish, giving rather helpful advice on not hurting oneself while doing so.
The hectic nature of the doll combined with the creepy atmosphere generate a wonderful concoction of chaos, both amusing me with the personality of the guide and leaving me on the edge of my seat to await the next sudden jump.
2. The Crow and the Raven by Marquess Belial
Another work by Nicholas Rubatino, The Crow and the Raven tells a sad story of betrayal and greed. The tale is narrated by a rather gruff and scratchy voice, captivating the audience with the strangeness of it. In a similar sense to “The Baron, Queen, Whorce, and Magician, the art style is pretty, but in a macabre way.
The visuals provided by the piece are truly disturbing, and the symbolism leaves a lot to be interpreted. The work is definitely one worth looking into, and I will certainly pay mind to Rubatino’s other videos in the future.
Honorable Mentions
Passing by abstractions
Passing is a visual poem, both using visuals and distorted audio to highlight the confusion of what has transpired in the plot. Abstractions makes plenty of material with the same overall aesthetic, so their other works are certainly worth looking at.
Two Horses by Doug Garth Williams
Two Horses is an advertisement for a tattoo parlor and barber shop in Montreal. The concept of the commercial is unnerving, walking a fine line between familiarity and obscurity. The commercial seemed to be made with the intention of being funny (at least I think so), but the final production seems to be more shocking and confusing than anything else. Despite this, the commercial is well worth the watch simply for the “what just happened” factor.
Girls See Ghost and Run by Angel Ruiz
Girls See Ghost and Run is a very short prank video posted by Angel Ruiz. The video depicts a mother filming her two daughters sitting at a play table and talking between each other. However, one girl sees something in the darkened hallway behind her and begins to panic and cry. The second girl laughs, as if her sister is simply being cowardly, before turning to look into the hallway and emitting the most spine-chilling scream I have ever heard.
Though the video seems innocent enough and the girls were in no real harm, the fear they expressed combined with our inability to see what exactly is in the hallway left a very real and lasting effect.
1. Metalosis Maligna - An Extraordinary Disease by Koen Van Roy
Metalosis Maligna, made by Floris Kaayk, offers insight to the dangers of medical implants in a futuristic world where they seem to take on a biological form. This mockumentary is on par with typical educational videos shown in science classrooms in terms of production, leading to the overall shock value of the patients exhibiting the disease amplifying midway into the video.
The special effects in this video are also incredible for their time, to the extent that it managed to trick many people that it was actually real. This, combined with the seemingly reasonable explanation for “metalosis maligna”, implements a sense of realism that ultimately leaves a lasting impression on anyone who sees this video. Anyone who is a fan of body horror will love this mockumentary.
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