Local 58

This article is about the web horror series on YouTube. For the radio station in Cleveland, Ohio, see WCLV.
Local 58
Genre
Created byKris Straub
Written byKris Straub
Directed byKris Straub
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes12
Production
AnimatorKris Straub
Original release
NetworkYouTube
ReleaseOctober 26, 2015 (2015-10-26) –
present

Local 58 is a horror web series created by cartoonist Kris Straub. The series is a spin-off of Straub's Candle Cove creepypasta.[1][2] Currently hosted on the YouTube channel LOCAL58TV, each video in the series is presented as footage of a fictional public access television channel located in Mason County, West Virginia named Local 58, with the call sign WCLV-TV, created in the late 1930s, which is continuously hijacked over a period of decades with a series of ominous and surreal broadcasts.

The series makes use of video and audio degradation to add to the realism and unsettling nature of each video.[citation needed] The series describes itself as "analog horror",[3][4][5] a term that has since been used as a name for a niche subgenre of similar VHS-themed found footage web series that were either inspired by Local 58 or use a similar style and techniques to the series.[6][7] The series has since gained a cult following.[1]

A website called local58.tv was created in September 2021 as an extension of the main storyline. The website features a "LookBack Web Archive" similar to the web archive service Wayback Machine, and features numerous Easter eggs and plot points for an associated alternate reality game that offers further detail on Local 58's continuity.

Episodes

Local 58 consists of twelve episodes. The first ten range from less than 1 minute to 5 minutes in run time, while the eleventh is nearly 30 minutes long. The episodes were originally uploaded to a separate website; however, as of late 2018, all episodes are now uploaded to YouTube.[1]

No.TitleDirected byWritten byLengthOriginal release date
1"Weather Service"Kris StraubKris Straub3:38October 26, 2015 (2015-10-26)

A programming schedule broadcast at midnight is interrupted by an Emergency Alert System (EAS) message from the County Weather Service warning viewers of a meteorological event taking place, with the alert remaining in place until sunrise. It concludes the message by warning that citizens should not view the event with the naked eye. Normal programming briefly resumes with a second schedule. One of the entries on the schedule reads "Blood of The", but is unable to finish fading in before the broadcast is cut off by a second EAS broadcast, this time upgraded to a civil danger warning. As the broadcast states that viewers should not look at the night sky, and that further information will be made available, the station is hijacked, with the hijacker claiming that the meteorological event is safe and that the warning has been lifted. They then directly demand viewers to go outside.

A struggle to gain control over the station then appears to take place between the station's staff and the hijacker. While almost being completely obscured, the first party frantically attempts to issue warnings to the viewers to not look at the Moon, while the second attempts to cut off or modify these messages through the use of visual glitches. Local 58 returns to normal programming for a few seconds before a final EAS message airs, in which it appears that the second party has been successful in gaining control of the station. The second party alters the EAS once more to present cryptic information that details how they were brainwashed by what appears to be the Moon itself. After the last message - "IF YOU ARE AFRAID, WE WILL LOOK TOGETHER" - the feed cuts to a live view of the Moon while distant sounds of people screaming are heard, before cutting to black.[8]
2"Contingency"Kris StraubKris Straub3:06January 16, 2016 (2016-01-16)

The station signs-off for the day and starts broadcasting SMPTE bars. The broadcast is then suddenly interrupted with an emergency alert from the fictional "Department for the Preservation of American Dignity" (DPAD) and a written message from President Lyndon B. Johnson set to "The Star-Spangled Banner", claiming that the military of the United States has been defeated by that of a foreign nation. The message, printed on a telop slide, states that all Americans are "called upon to ACT" to "preserve the memory of the United States clear and bright… untarnished and uncompromised."

After the message concludes, a heavily distorted rendition of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" plays as the broadcast continues. After informing viewers that local law enforcement are to "ensure your compliance" and that it is "against the law to delay", the broadcast then recommends suicide by gunshot, stating that it will repeat "until there are none to read it". They also suggest, if time allows, the "Victory Position", a ritualistic posture where at least one person lays flat on their back on their front lawn before shooting themselves.

After instructing viewers to euthanize their children and pets, referring to them as "the smallest patriots," then delivering the statement that 'THE 51ST STATE IS NOT A PLACE', the broadcast is suddenly halted. Local 58 airs a retraction claiming that the message was a hoax, and apologizes for the error. However, visible behind the message is a second slide instructing the station to claim the footage was a hoax in the event of an accidental broadcast, indicating that everything seen up to the hoax slide was a real contingency plan intended for use if such events were to ever take place.[9]
3"You Are on the Fastest Available Route"Kris StraubKris Straub2:33June 19, 2016 (2016-06-19)

A programming schedule shows the night's line-up, consisting of a midnight movie and paid programming, before the broadcast abruptly cuts to static and is replaced by footage from a dashcam recorded on 21 November 2014, involving a driver following a GPS satnav. The drive mostly consists of the GPS's directions and it informs the driver that they are "on the fastest available route." After a while, the footage cuts to the driver driving through the middle of a forest on an unpaved road, with the GPS's directions having become increasingly questionable, instructing the driver to follow the no entry signs, to continue on an "unnamed road", and to park the car and turn off the headlights.

Having followed every instruction without fail, the driver complies, bringing the car to a complete stop with its lights turned off. After a few seconds, a loud roar can be heard. The driver quickly turns the headlights back on to reveal a bipedal creature in the road. The feed suddenly cuts to the person driving away from the creature, with the GPS repeatedly telling the driver to turn around, as the 'destination' is behind them. The GPS rapidly counts down the distance in feet as the roars become louder, revealing the creature to be the destination itself. After abruptly freezing, the feed then cuts forward to the car now lying sideways with the windshield cracked. One last roar is heard as the feed glitches out, with the GPS finally announcing in a slow, distorted tone that the driver has arrived at their destination.[10]
4"Station ID"Kris StraubKris Straub0:18November 2, 2017 (2017-11-02)

Serving as the channel's trailer, the video consists of a series of cryptic messages, which read the following:

ANALOG HORROR AT 476 MHz

WE BEGIN OUR BROADCAST DAY

LOOK AWAY

IT DOES NOT MATTER

THERE ARE OTHER RECEIVERS

SAFETY IN NUMBERS

The video then abruptly cuts to black.[11]
5"Show for Children"Kris StraubKris Straub3:11July 30, 2018 (2018-07-30)

A programming schedule abruptly cuts to a bumper saying "Local 58 Show for Children", featuring a cartoon clown statue in an amusement park. The bumper transitions to a rubber hose animation cartoon titled "A Grave Mistake", which features an anthropomorphic skeleton named Cadavre. The cartoon opens with Cadavre walking through a graveyard at night with the Moon smiling overhead. He comes across an open grave, wonders if his lover may be inside, and decides to peek. Inside the grave is a realistic-looking corpse, which frightens Cadavre and causes him to run away. He finds another grave and decides to look inside, only to be frightened again by a strange birdlike creature.

As the soundtrack completely cuts out, Cadavre, now visibly tense, continues through the graveyard while the Moon stares down at him. He looks into another grave and descends into it, entering a cave. After wandering through the cave for some time, he reaches another open grave. Exhausted and unable to climb out, Cadavre lies face up on the ground. From his perspective, a giant, realistic rendering of the Moon can be seen moving over the hole of the grave. The view cuts back to Cadavre, who has seemingly died and turned into a lifeless, realistic-looking skeleton. The programming then cuts back to the cartoon clown bumper, now looking toward the viewer with its mouth outstretched.[12][13]
6"A Look Back"Kris StraubKris Straub1:03August 27, 2018 (2018-08-27)
A compilation of the history of Local 58, shuffling through the fictional channel's various past logos in chronological order, gets hijacked, and messages begin to flash on the screen similar to those shown in Station ID. The broadcast then becomes a montage of short clips from previous episodes of the series, intercut with glitched footage of normal television broadcasts. After a few more messages are shown, the station's broadcasting returns to normal.[14]
7"Real Sleep"Kris StraubKris Straub5:10December 19, 2018 (2018-12-19)
A personalized VHS recording made by the Thought Research Initiative (TRI) begins playing and starts with a simple "myth or fact" game about sleeping, claiming that dreaming is not essential to mental health. It then displays a visual of monitored brainwaves called the "Kleitman Map," implying that the video was personally designed to prevent dreams by applying an inverse of the map. The video then cuts to a segment where four sequences are introduced in a manner similar to the flashed face distortion effect. Sequence one tells the viewer to look directly at the center of the screen as faces flash at the viewer. Sequence two has two faces slowly merge until the face fades away. Then, sequence three instructs the viewer to repeat the phrase "there are no faces" several times as heavily distorted faces flash on the screen. Sequence four then begins to flash a number of ominous subliminal messages, while "there are no faces" repeats one more time, eerily slowed down. The video concludes with the viewer being told that they have now completed the real sleep program, and to avoid seeing a doctor if they experience any problems.[15]
8"Skywatching"Kris StraubKris Straub4:15November 1, 2019 (2019-11-01)
Following a broadcast schedule, an episode of Skywatching begins, but is suddenly cut out as the footage is replaced by an amateur broadcast by a man taking footage of the night sky through his camera. The man aims the camera at Orion's Belt and the Pleiades, then after changing his camera's lens, begins filming the Moon, referred to as "HIS THRONE" by onscreen text. The cameraman then shows close ups of the Moon's surface with moving clouds, seemingly organic formations, and strange artificial-looking constructions. The Moon then fades away. As the cameraman changes the lens again, a loud noise can be heard as the Moon reappears, now far larger in size. A Thunderbolt tornado siren begins to sound, and the cameraman adjusts the brightness of the camera pointing at the Moon, showing its southern hemisphere cracked open and revealing the body of a gigantic skeletal organism inside. The cameraman then places the camera down and walks towards the Moon with his hands raised as the siren abruptly cuts out. Onscreen text reads "REJOICE" before the broadcast cuts to static.[16]
9"Digital Transition"Kris StraubKris Straub3:54October 31, 2021 (2021-10-31)
On July 13, 2021, Local 58 is preparing to undergo a digital switchover at midnight. Following the conclusion of a normal airing of an episode of One Step Beyond, the channel airs a tribute bumper depicting numerous eras of the station’s 82-year history (1939–present) and its broadcasts. The end of the bumper shows Local 58's new logo, with an extended tagline "Community Digital Television." The switchover takes place, but as the clock passes midnight, the broadcast becomes increasingly corrupted, and the analog signal persists, visible behind that of the digital signal’s output, insisting that the digital switchover has been postponed. The entity controlling the analog signal broadcasts a poem in on-screen text entitled BETRAYAL. The poem concludes with "Thoughts shape in needles / They dream themself in knifes [sic]". Footage from Weather Service is shown as the entity gains full control over the station’s analog announcement signal, then alludes to its connection with the Moon through a second set of on-screen messages. A distorted face appears on screen before the broadcast cuts out entirely, hastily replaced with a legal warning from the FBI, DHS, HHS and the FCG - the fourth of these agencies being an in-universe version of the FCC - about "unauthorized analog reception".[17]
10"NSSA-3 (atypical)"Kris StraubKris Straub0:58November 7, 2021 (2021-11-07)
The video starts with static and a face is partially visible. A distorted voice speaks. The logo from "Weather Service" makes glitched appearances. The distorted face appears again followed by illegible text. The Local 58 logo appears once again before the screen cuts to static.[18]
11"Close"Kris StraubKris Straub29:43November 1, 2022 (2022-11-01)
A special presentation featuring a livestream from the C.L.O.S.E Mission (Cometary Lander Orbiter Survey Expedition) conducted by SARO (Space & Aeronautics Regulatory Oversight), a fictionalized version of NASA, begins with footage from a space probe approaching the (fictional) rapidly-rotating comet 57838 Eidolon (1P/2006 Telesky), approximately 25 minutes away from landing. The comet is nicknamed the "Face in Space" and "Comet Skull" due to its stark resemblance to a skull in instances of its rotation. As the satellite approaches the comet, the video and audio become increasingly distorted, and the comet's facial resemblance becomes increasingly apparent. As the lander approaches Eidolon's largest crater, a structure resembling a door becomes visible. When it is within seconds of touchdown, strange otherworldly noises can be heard, and the lander loses connection with mission control shortly after it lands, also severing the camera feed. After a few moments of a black screen, seemingly-recovered footage from the lander's cameras is shown. The lander observes Eidolon's door, which opens, revealing an unusual texture on the walls of the comet's interior. The footage then ends as an unseen force ejects the lander off Eidolon at great speed.[19]
12"Night Walk"Kris StraubKris Straub3:14October 31, 2024 (2024-10-31)
Set at some point in the present day, Local 58 runs through its evening lineup, then begins airing a fictional 1977 documentary film named Night Walk, detailing supernatural sightings in Mason County, West Virginia. The film introduces a mysterious figure known in urban legends as "The Woman in Profile", a shadowy being with the appearance of a human female in profile view, hence her name, who was first reported on by local newspapers in 1961. The local police department in Ichor Falls - one of the settlements Local 58 broadcasts to - had been investigating the sighting as a potential witness to the murder of a university student at the town's university, Maple Grove University. Observers of the Woman in Profile described seeing her as the silhouette of a woman staring intently into the sky, then fading away when approached. Over two dozen sightings of the Woman in Profile had been reported as of the time of Night Walk's production, all occurring around the hours of twilight. The broadcast then cuts out, cutting back to home video footage from November 24, 1996, with the Woman in Profile visible against the setting sun. The man filming the Woman zooms in, revealing the Woman to be a creature with two faces and a distorted, spiderlike body. The Woman's observer attempts to talk to it, only for its eyes to begin glowing bright yellow. It then charges him, and the man lowers his camera and begins frantically running away. The footage cuts back to the previous shot of the Woman with its eyes glowing, and on-screen text reads "A PREDATOR CANNOT DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN PREY AND ACCOMPLICE / SAFETY IN NUMBERS".

Development and themes

Straub released Local 58's first episode, Weather Service, in 2015 as an experimental standalone piece for his co-owned YouTube channel Chainsawsuit Original.[20] The piece received positive feedback, leading Straub to do two more on the same channel: Contingency and You Are On the Fastest Route.[20] The series was also hosted on the now-defunct web domain local58.info[1] in 2015 and was later uploaded onto its own YouTube channel in 2017.[8]

Straub used iMovie to create the first two episodes of Local 58 and Final Cut Pro X for the other episodes.[21] All of the assets used in the series either come from public domain stock media (for example, the "2000's" Local 58 music, a stock track called "Entering Graciously")[22] or created by Straub himself using Clip Studio,[23] Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Flash.

Straub has confirmed on Reddit that Local 58 is the same "Channel 58" referred to in his creepypasta Candle Cove, which took the form of an Internet forum thread about a bizarre children's program of the same name airing on the network.[24] The call sign WCLV is a reference to Candle Cove ("CLV = CandLe coVe").[2][25] Themes from other pieces of Straub's work appear in Local 58, such as the animated skeleton Cadavre, who appeared initially in Straub's webcomic Broodhollow[26] and then in the Local 58 episode "Show for Children."[27]

While the series does not appear to have a continuous plot, nearly every episode seems to include cryptic references related to gazing or staring at the Moon or at the night sky. Straub has identified themes of the series as "stillness, distrust of safety warnings, misuse of mass perception, parallel science that arises from unexamined bad intent, dogmatic thought."[28]

Reception

Since its initial debut, Local 58 has inspired the creation of other series with similar themes, including Channel 7, Analog Archives, Eventide Media Center, and Gemini Home Entertainment.[29] There is some difference of opinion about whether it was truly the first within its genre[30] or an early example of a style that was already developing.[20] However, critics agree the series categorically defined the conventions of the genre that would carry forward.[20][31][32] Some also speculate it has indirectly influenced feature-length films such as Skinamarink (2022) which rely heavily on analog aesthetics.[32][33]

As of December 2022, the Local 58 YouTube channel has over 558,000 subscribers and over 20 million views.[34]

A subreddit dedicated to the series was created on August 8, 2016, which as of December 2022 has 25,400 followers.[35] Straub himself has answered some questions about the series on the subreddit.[36]

The emergency alert shown in Contingency has been compared to the 2018 Hawaii false missile alert.[37]

Controversy

On July 4, 2022, YouTube marked one Local 58 episode, "Show for Children," as "for kids", which disables user comments to comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.[38] After Straub appealed YouTube's decision via in-site and other social media support avenues, it was reverted to its original settings on July 6.[38] This sparked renewed discussions about Elsagate and concerns regarding YouTube's moderation algorithms.[38]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d LaVigna, Chris (2019-07-15). "Tune in… Or Else: Kris Straub Has Created a Viral Internet Nightmare With 'Local 58'". Bloody Disgusting!. Archived from the original on 2019-07-16. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  2. ^ a b "r/local58 - Comment by u/krisstraub on "Did they ever air Candle Cove on Local 58?"" Archived 2021-12-24 at the Wayback Machine. Reddit. Retrieved 2020-06-11
  3. ^ ＬＯＣＡＬ５８ＴＶ - STATION ID, archived from the original on 2021-04-22, retrieved 2021-04-21
  4. ^ "LOCAL58TV - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  5. ^ "ＬＯＣＡＬ58 ＴＶ is creating analog horror". Patreon. Archived from the original on 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  6. ^ "Analog Horror". TV Tropes. Archived from the original on 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  7. ^ What is Analog Horror?, archived from the original on 2021-04-20, retrieved 2021-04-21
  8. ^ a b ＬＯＣＡＬ５８ＴＶ - Weather Service, archived from the original on 2021-06-05, retrieved 2021-04-21
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  13. ^ "ＬＯＣＡＬ５８ＴＶ - Show For Children - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  14. ^ "ＬＯＣＡＬ５８ＴＶ - "Ａ Ｌｏｏｋ Ｂａｃｋ" - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2020-11-02. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
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  18. ^ "ＬＯＣＡＬ５８ＴＶ - NSSA-3 (atypical) - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-11-11. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  19. ^ "ＬＯＣＡＬ５８ＴＶ - CLOSE - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2022-11-01. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  20. ^ a b c d The History of Analog Horror [ft. Nexpo, Alex Kister, NightMind, Kris Straub] | Documentary (2022), archived from the original on 2023-06-20, retrieved 2023-01-21
  21. ^ krisstraub (2019-11-19). "hi, i make local58. AMA about the technical/visual/audio process!!". r/local58. Archived from the original on 2024-05-17. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  22. ^ Entering Graciously, archived from the original on 2021-07-23, retrieved 2021-04-24
  23. ^ ＬＯＣＡＬ５８ＴＶ - Skywatching, archived from the original on 2021-04-14, retrieved 2021-04-21
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  26. ^ "Broodhollow by Kris Straub - Wednesday, February 12, 2014". broodhollow.krisstraub.com. Archived from the original on 2023-04-02. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  27. ^ ＬＯＣＡＬ５８ＴＶ - Show For Children, archived from the original on 2020-08-09, retrieved 2022-07-06
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  29. ^ Paul, Andrew (October 18, 2019). "A Good Place: The public access channel from hell". The Outline. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
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  31. ^ "This Halloween's Scariest Horror Movie Is a YouTube Series By a Wisconsin 18 Year-Old". GQ. 2021-10-29. Archived from the original on 2024-05-17. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  32. ^ a b Hoeffner, Joe (2023-01-14). "How 'Skinamarink' Uses - and Expands Upon - the Tropes of Analog Horror". Collider. Archived from the original on 2023-01-21. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  33. ^ Shuman, Sean (2022-12-07). "Shudder's Skinamarink and Analog Horror: The Explosion of a Niche Subgenre". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on 2022-12-13. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  34. ^ "LOCAL58 - COMMUNITY TELEVISION's YouTube Stats (Summary Profile) - Social Blade Stats". socialblade.com. Archived from the original on 2020-02-01. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  35. ^ "r/local58". reddit. Archived from the original on 2024-05-17. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  36. ^ krisstraub (2020-05-07). "it is absolutely to …". r/local58. Archived from the original on 2024-05-17. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  37. ^ "Wanna See Something REALLY Scary? Local 58 Contingency Emergency Broadcast". Dread Central. 2018-01-19. Archived from the original on 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  38. ^ a b c Amadeo, Ron (2022-07-05). "YouTube flags horror video as "for kids," won't let creator change rating". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 2022-08-18. Retrieved 2022-08-15.