Horror is an ever-evolving genre with countless infamous monsters and incredible effects. It strikes fear into the hearts of its viewers, making all the monsters they’ve read or heard of come to life with frightening graphic violence. For years, horror movies have been the center of attention. They have been widely regarded as the only way to create scary stories. Now all of this is changing, with the rise of something referred to as ARGs.                

The biggest platform for horror online is YouTube. Over 1.9 billion people use the video platform, with more signing up every year! YouTube’s style of video-sharing does restrict all the blood and gore of average “TV” horrors, meaning that the creators have to get more and more crafty to figure out ways to scare or surprise their audience.  Most online horror creators use psychological horror, and subliminal messaging to get that scare factor.

ARG stands for alternate reality game. They are interactive stories, usually about horrifying circumstances and containing whimsical imagery. While there are many different series online, the best example would be “POSTcontent,” a channel with 38.6k subscribers.

“POSTcontent” is a series told from the point of view of a young Danish man, named Peter. From the beginning, it is established that Peter is trapped in a strange house, that’s crawling with demonic beings intent on harming him. It becomes clear that he’s suffered some sort of traumatic event, and lashed out at another person. Now, he must deal with the loss and tragic murder of his friend. As he deals with this loss, a different plot id uncovered. No spoilers, but Peter is not who you think he is.

So what is the appeal of ARGs? Is it the fanbase, the story, or the actual effects? Most would say the story is the biggest factor. Peter is a compelling and unreliable narrator, who really weaves a good tale and makes you wonder. The demons are frightening, terrifying creatures that truly show how far homemade special effects can go.

ARGs have shaped horror as a genre, and contributed to internet culture, expanding it and allowing for more and more exposure of new creators.