5 Horror focus YouTube Channels I would recommend

Horror, for me, is more than just ghosts which scream “Boo” at the screen. Or the gruesome end of soulless characters at an even more soulless killer. It is perhaps the genre with the widest scope of potential. It is a platform to discuss social issues, or human struggles. To manifest trauma, or detail a message through fright. It is, through history utilized for cheap fright, perhaps one of cinemas greatest platforms to artistically portray abstract themes. It seems, over recent years and the emergence of A24, this potential has begun to be realized in the mainstream. Such an opinion I just previously stated has become commonplace and fairly universally understood. With it, a fascination of horror theory. Horror themes, the theoretical analysis of these tales academically.

Over the recent years, YouTube has become a brilliant resource for horror theory research. Below, I have listed five YouTube channels of which I feel are strong horror voices and provide interesting conversation regarding such themes:

In praise of shadows

339k subs

I happened upon this channel several years ago, soon following the release of his most popular video – “The Nightmare Artist”. Now, quite thankfully, this masterpiece sits near a whopping 7 million views and the channel’s creator receives the praise he so definitely deserves.

“In Praise Of Shadows” is such a wonderful channel in thanks to the passion behind it. With some videos nearing 2 and 3 hours, it’s fair to suggest that the content provided here is enough to last. Those which aren’t near feature length, sit at a median of 30 minutes with detailed, thought provoking analysis.

Each video in this impressive expanse of a catalog generally center around horror history, and sometimes the obscurity within it. The channel holds quite an interesting series entitled “Anatomy Of A Franchise” of which we dive deep into obscure horror cinema franchises. These include the “Re-Animator” series, or “Hellraiser”. The vast majority of the catalogue centres around horror cinema, particularly of the 80s and 90s, however there are some outliers. One, for which I recommend, is “Horror Books Have Lost Their Identity”. Another video I would recommend is “A World Of Gothic Horror: The Problem With Modern Batman Stories”. Whichever you choose, there is no doubt the viewer will invest several hours into quality content.

Jacob Geller

646k subs

Perhaps my favourite recent discovery, Jacob’s channel is home to several video essays dedicated to certain specific aspect of horror. His content circles horror theory to gaming, and he often cites several independent games in relation to the topic at hand. By no means is this channel solely dedicated to Horror, Jacob still uploads a heavily number of horror focused media. Even his most recent upload, regarding ‘head transplants’ fall under this umbrella.

Jacob’s videos seem like miniature episodes of television. With his unique style of narrative, he immerses the viewer with stories and eerie descriptions alongside his analysis. Jacob often approaches the narrative of his videos in a wholly unique manner. He utilises silence, and pauses for dramatic effect. He researches heavily, and holds an impressive talent for grasping the viewer to become entirely invested no matter the obscurity of his topic.

When discussing his horror content, I would initially point viewers in the direction of his video “Fear of the cold”, or its predecessor “Fear of depths”. Once more, with an open obsession of Silent Hill 2, I would also recommend his video on the “Uncanny Reality”. Or even Dead Space 2. With a general minimum of 20 minutes an episode, Jacob’s videos are long explorations of his chosen theme, rather than quick fire analysis.

Ryan Hollinger

687k subs

Ryan Hollinger is a channel I have been following for near 6 years. In the early days of my fascination with video essays, Ryan’s videos have stood tall and proud amongst the rest in regard to quality, consistency, and regularity of uploads. Ryan is dedicated, uploading a video almost every week. His videos almost exclusively centre on Horror Cinema, and he takes joy in exploring the overlooked and analysing them with explorations which often stray toward partial reviews. Ryan’s videos very rarely linger beyond 25 minutes, but almost always climb beyond 15. Each are edited with a uniformity which enhances our intrigue as we cut between general partially contextualised clips to ‘talking to the camera’ pieces.

Of the channels discussed today, Ryan’s is certainly the most popular. His channel has quite the dedicated following and, with uploaded beyond 350 videos, there is no shortage of choice regarding where to begin. If looking for recommendations, however. I would point viewers toward his analysis of “Scream”, “Possum” or the “Scooby Doo” animated movies of my childhood. With such a vast catalogue, there is a likelihood that Ryan has covered it, so definitely take a look.

Shrouded hand.

501k subs

This channel is quite separate from the others. Where other suggestions have related to horror cinema, or other media, Shrouded Hand generally gravitates toward Horror in our own reality. He highlights the horror of human history, and vividly details non fictional tales. There is something wholly terrifying about the majority of these videos knowing their close nature to our own reality. We have existed amongst the same soil as poor depraved souls within these tales. Of course, there is some horror theory highlighted on this channel which separates from the norm of non-fiction. For instance, he recently uploaded a video entitled “The Infinite Toilet Dimension”. However I would recommend to first viewers my favourite of his catalogue. This, “The Senseless Horror Of White Torture”. The details portrayed within this itch my skin to this day, and I would simultaneously recommend “The Mossdale Caving Incident”. Video length varies significantly on this channel, so within its catalogue remains quite the plethora of options.

Acolytes Of Horror

126k subs

The smallest of my suggestions, yet still standing over 100k, Acolytes is nearing the best horror theory channel I’ve ever discovered. Each video feels as though it is an instalment within a long running documentary series dedicated to horror cinema. There is a passion behind each video, and dedicated atmosphere for each film covered.

My favorite, without doubt is “The Lies Of The Lighthouse”. Though, this stands amongst the company of other masterpieces alike “How Midsommer Brainwashes You”. It seems this incredible content is a slight dynamic switch from prior approaches, so sadly the number of uploads to which I cite as recommendable in regard to this article is limited. However, I would be remise if I was to overlook his shorter uploads of early including “Night Of The Hunter – Victims Of Faith”. Needless to say, the videos about this channel are stellar to say the least.