Local 58 analog horror is a web series created by Kris Straub that is widely credited with coining the term "analog horror" and defining the subgenre. It presents itself as footage from a hijacked public access television station, using video and audio degradation to create an unsettling atmosphere that feels like a corrupted broadcast from another era.
What is local 58 analog horror?
Local 58 analog horror is a YouTube-based anthology series by cartoonist Kris Straub, presented as the ongoing hijacking of a fictional public access TV channel called WCLV-TV. The series is widely credited with coining the term "analog horror" and popularizing the VHS-themed found footage subgenre. Each video depicts the channel being continuously hijacked over decades by ominous entities that broadcast cryptic, surreal messages. The realism comes from extensive use of video and audio degradation, making viewers feel like they are watching actual corrupted archival footage.
The premise of the Local 58 channel
The series is set in Mason County, West Virginia, where WCLV-TV Local 58 has been broadcasting since the late 1930s. In the fictional lore, the station is repeatedly hijacked by unknown forces that inject bizarre and terrifying broadcasts into the signal. The videos span different decades, with the degradation of the footage changing to match the era. This premise allows the series to explore horror through familiar formats like emergency alerts, weather reports, and children's programming, all twisted into something deeply wrong.
Key episodes to start with
The first episode, "Weather Service," was released on October 26, 2015. It begins with a regular program interrupted at midnight by an EAS message from County Weather Service warning viewers not to look outside. The warning is then contradicted by a second message claiming everything is safe, encouraging people to go outside. The feed cuts back and forth as the original station struggles for control, until the hijackers take over completely and broadcast messages about being brainwashed by the moon itself.
"Contingency" shows the station signing off for the day, only to be interrupted by an emergency alert from the fictional Department for the Preservation of American Dignity. A message purportedly from President Lyndon B. Johnson plays, claiming the United States has been defeated and calling citizens to perform their "civic duty." The broadcast coerces viewers into committing terrible acts, including euthanizing pets and children, while stating "the 51st state is not a place." After the broadcast is halted, the station issues an apology claiming it was a hoax, but a hidden slide bleeds through revealing this apology is itself part of the contingency plan.
"You Are on the Fastest Available Route" starts with a dashboard camera recording from November 21, 2014. A GPS voice guides a driver through a forest on increasingly suspicious routes. The commands become more ominous until the car stops, its headlights turn off, and a roar is heard. When the lights come back on, a bipedal entity stands in front of the car. The feed cuts to show the car tipped sideways with a damaged windshield, and the GPS delivers its final line: "You have arrived at your destination."
"Show for Children" features a cartoon called "a Grave Mistake" starring an animated skeleton named Cadavre. The cartoon follows Cadavre through a cemetery at night as the moon smiles down. He finds a realistic skeleton in one grave, a bird-like creature in another, and finally a cave entrance that leads to an open grave. Exhausted, Cadavre lies face up inside the grave, and the perspective shifts to show a giant, realistic moon coming into view. The cartoon ends with Cadavre now rendered as a realistic, lifeless corpse.
"Skywatching" begins with an amateur broadcast surveilling the night sky. The feed zooms into the moon's surface, revealing moving clouds, organic formations, and strange artificial constructions. The moon then reappears significantly larger as an air raid siren blares.
"Real Sleep" plays as a personalized VHS recording from the Thought Research Initiative. It starts as a "myth or fact" game about sleeping, but grows increasingly sinister, claiming dreaming is not essential to mental health. The feed shows a "Kleitman Map" implying the video is designed to prevent viewers from dreaming. After four sequences of distorted faces, the video tells watchers they have completed the real sleep program and should avoid seeing a specialist.
"Digital Transition" announces that Local 58 will switch to digital broadcasting at midnight on July 13, 2022. When the clock hits midnight, the analog signal persists behind the digital output, insisting the switchover has been postponed. The hijacker gains full control of the digital signal and broadcasts messages themed around betrayal and the moon. A distorted face appears before the signal is interrupted by the FGC, an in-universe placeholder for the FCC.
Recurring themes and story connections
The series explores several key themes including cryptic references to the Moon, distrust of safety warnings, misuse of mass perception, and parallel science. The moon functions as a malevolent entity throughout the episodes, appearing in "Weather Service," "Show for Children," and "Skywatching" as a force that brainwashes or controls people. Emergency alerts are consistently used to manipulate viewers into dangerous actions, creating a deep distrust of official warnings. The Thought Research Initiative (TRI) appears in "Real Sleep" as an organization conducting experiments on human consciousness. This connection means the disturbing children's show from the creepypasta aired on Local 58.
Where to watch Local 58
The series is primarily hosted on its dedicated YouTube channel, LOCAL58TV, where all episodes are available for free. An official website, local58.tv, was launched in September 2021 and serves as an extension of the storyline. The site features a "LookBack Web Archive" that provides an associated alternate reality game (ARG) experience, allowing viewers to dig deeper into the lore through simulated web pages and documents that expand the world of Mason County and its hijacked television station.
