Image Source: “The Mandela Catalogue Vol. 2”
“The Mandela Catalogue” is a psychological and surreal horror YouTube web series created by Alex Kister, conducting itself in a story-oriented manner, containing 12 videos spanning two acts, with the first being published on June 9, 2021. “The Mandela Catalogue” is set in the fictional Madela County in Wisconsin during the early 1990s to the late 2000s, focusing on Madela County’s struggles with hostile organisms known as “Alternates,” which appear to be supernatural creatures that, along with a variety of other abilities that specialize in tormenting humans, can mimic individuals they’ve hunted. “The Mandela Catalogue” tells the story of the unlucky few forced to live with the Alternates and how these organisms have affected the lives of everyone in Mandela County.
The first episode in “The Mandela Catalogue” categorizes Alternates into types based on their ability to mimic individuals, the first being the “Doppelgangers,” who can perfectly mimic humans to the extent that they gain some of their memories, and the second being the “Flawed Impersonators,” who fail to properly mimic their target, ending up with elongated, twisted, and unproportionate body parts. As the story of “The Mandela Catalogue” progresses, it starts to unravel more and more of the mysteries behind the Alternates and what secrets connect them to the characters.
Later on in “The Mandela Catalogue,” we meet the character cast, and while they don’t meet until later on in the story and some do not even get the chance to meet the others, all their actions and experiences cause ripple effects across the story, indirectly affecting the other characters involved with the Alternates. Since there are multiple stories taking place at once, there is no true main character, at least in the beginning.
While “The Mandela Catalog” episodes aren’t released in chronological order, which makes it feel a bit messy and vague, when organized properly, Alex Kister’s talent for storytelling and character building, along with their ability to entice unease into the audience, starts to shine. Our understanding of the characters doesn’t start at zero. Rather, it works backward, seeing how the characters are currently and then learning about their pasts. Alex Kister’s monsters look nearly identical to us but display uncanny characteristics that trigger a sense of disgust and fear in the viewers as something that should be familiar to us is warped and twisted beyond our expectations.
Unlike most analog horror series, “The Mandela Catalogue” doesn’t focus as much on the documentary or study of the creatures in its world and instead focuses more on the characters forced to live in that world. Focus is put on the characters by including more of the character’s perspective, and this perspective allows us to fear the monsters in “The Madela Catalogue.” The viewers are put into the characters’ perspectives. Because these characters know next to nothing about the Alternates, a shared fear of the unknown emerges and proves the effectiveness of Alex Kister’s style of storytelling.
“The Mandela Catalogue” proves that analog horror isn’t just scares and suspense but can tell stories of characters and use those characters, not always the monsters, to indirectly instill fear into the audience. The fear of the unknown and the sight of something that should be familiar suddenly being altered and defiled results in a powerful sense of unease, disdain, and disgust. These feelings won’t go away quickly, lingering in the hearts of viewers just as the Alternates lingered in the darkness of the characters’ minds. Overall, “The Mandela Catalogue” is a stunning piece of work that combines excellent storytelling, compelling characters, and nightmarish monstrosities into an endearing and memorable narrative that is sure to keep viewers on their toes.
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