Photo Creds: Analog Horror - The Tangi Virus
Preben Svitzer, Review Desk Lead to The Powderhorn
“The Tangi Virus” is a chilling analog horror series that delves into the world of an eerie viral outbreak, blending the supernatural with the terror of disease. The series is hosted on the YouTube channel Vintage Eight and consists of several 10-15-minute videos. It was first released in early 2021 and was rated favorably by the majority of viewers because of its story-building and interesting premise. Still, its execution also disappointed many viewers, as they found the visuals to be lackluster and boring.
“The Tangi Virus” is set in a near-future world ravaged by the Tangi Virus, a virus capable of causing extreme physical mutations and assuming control of its hosts, warping their minds. Through fragmented videos, broadcasts, and news reports, “The Tangi Virus” reveals an atmosphere of hopelessness and dread as people document the loss of autonomy over their bodies and minds.
Vintage Eight is known for creating interesting and unique horror stories, which is especially evident in their world-building and writing. They are extremely detailed in their descriptions of the world they’ve created for “The Tangi Virus” and illustrate a large world with surprising depth. Despite the fragmentation, the broadcasts and newspapers connect the image of a decaying world and detail the spread of the virus from its humble beginnings to world domination, including its growing control over the media. Vintage Eight is also great at writing chillingly compelling dialogue as they detail the slow and excruciatingly painful physical and mental mutations that twist people into monsters, highlighting both the effects on the virus’s host and how their infection impacts their loved ones.
While “The Tangi Virus” has an enthralling world-building, viewers found the analog horror elements lacking. It incorporated the basic elements of analog horror, such as vintage themes, atmospheric tension, and a lack of jumpscares, but it didn’t emphasize these aspects often. The series relied too heavily on text-based horror rather than anything visual or auditory, and viewers felt that without the sensory elements, their sense of terror was incredibly dampened.
Overall, “The Tangi Virus” exhibited captivating writing and world-building but failed to execute Vintage Eight’s idea effectively, with many viewers finding the series underwhelming. The series featured morbid descriptions of the virus and its effects on humanity, paying great attention to details, and while exceeding in storytelling, “The Tangi Virus” failed to effectively execute the common sensory elements popular in analog horror.
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