Gemini Home Entertainment

Last updated
Gemini Home Entertainment
Gemini Home Entertainment logo.png
Genre
Created byRemy Abode
Written byRemy Abode
Directed byRemy Abode
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes19
Production
Animators
  • Remy Abode
  • Swift Animations
Original release
Network YouTube
ReleaseNovember 17, 2019 (2019-11-17) –
present

Gemini Home Entertainment is a horror anthology web series created by Remy Abode and periodically released on a YouTube channel of the same name. It is regarded as a foundational analog horror series. The main series, also known as the Full Boxset, is ongoing. Further videos have also been released since as part of the spin-off series Library.

Contents

Premise

The series, taking place in the 1980s and '90s, is presented as a collection of clips from VHS tapes produced by a number of fictional companies and distributed by the eponymous company Gemini Home Entertainment. It combines elements of cosmic horror, surrealism, body horror, and Native American mythology. The clips tell an overarching story of extraterrestrial invasion and an impending apocalyptic event.

Overview

The story is told through a series of clips presented as VHS tapes [1] distributed by the fictional company Gemini Home Entertainment. [2] The tapes are a mixture of educational clips, commercials, public service announcements, and home videos, [3] produced by various fictional companies such as Regnad Computing, Harbinge Technologies, and Optica! Video. The motivations, morals, and content varies between the companies. [4] The videos are complete with lo-fi music reminiscent of similar real-life videos. [4]

The different episodes are superficially self contained, exploring topics such as wildlife, artificial intelligence, and the Solar System, but together they build a cohesive narrative and serve to document the impending end of the world. [5] The storyline of Gemini Home Entertainment features extraterrestrial invasion and parasitism [1] and combines elements of cosmic horror, body horror and Native American mythology. [3] The series includes threats such as extraterrestrial creatures ("Woodcrawlers") using humans as "vessels", a fictional infectious disease called "Deep Root Disease", and a fictional plant or fungus called "Nature's Mockery" that mutilates people with which it comes into contact. [4] Videos typically begin in a mundane way before incorporating horror elements. [5] The series' central antagonist is The Iris, a sentient planet or planet-like entity which is masterminding an invasion of the Solar System and is influencing life on Earth. [6]

Episodes

The main series of Gemini Home Entertainment began in 2019 and appears to be ongoing. [1] The episodes were later organized into a playlist on the official YouTube channel under the title Gemini Home Entertainment Full Boxset. [4] A spin-off series, Library, premiered on the same YouTube channel in 2021. Library contains shorter and "secret" episodes that do not follow the format of the main episodes and focus on exploring some of the more misunderstood and confusing concepts introduced in the main series. [5]

Full Boxset (2019–2021)

  1. ↑ Lethal Omen was later made into a real playable short video game by the developer Alpine Arts; the multiple endings of the game serve to together build on the narrative of the series and hold keys to understanding its central mystery. [5]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Fox, Tanner (2022-05-06). "The 10 Scariest Analog Horror Series On YouTube". Screen Rant . Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  2. 1 2 3 Lee, Seira (2022-03-06). "The Rise of YouTube Analog Horror Series". Orange R. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Szczesniak, Alicia (2022-01-13). "A look into analog horror". The Post. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Perkins, Baillee (2022-02-28). "The Tapes of Wrath: Long Live Analog Horror". Hyperreal Film Club. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Kok, Nestor (2022-02-15). "Ghosts in the Machine: Archiving the End of the World with "Gemini Home Entertainment"". F Newsmagazine. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  6. 1 2 Womack, Lacey (2020-05-03). "15 Of The Best Video-Based ARGs On YouTube". Screen Rant . Retrieved 2022-06-10.
  7. ↑ Abode, Remy. "Remy Abode is Creating Analog Horror". Patreon . Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  8. ↑ Powell, Elora (2021-10-31). "What Makes Analog Horror Scary (Homeworld Sun 10/31/21)". Homeworld Zine. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
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No.TitleDirected byWritten byLengthOriginal release date
1"WORLD'S WEIRDEST ANIMALS"Remy AbodeRemy Abode8:09November 17, 2019 (2019-11-17)
This tape, serving as the pilot episode, is an informational video chronicling several animals in rural Minnesota. Information is given about the first two animals (the greater prairie chicken and the burrowing owl), mainly about their habitats and behaviors. The tone noticeably changes, however, with the third animal, named as a "Woodcrawler." According to the video, they are found all over North America, are excellent hunters, and "prefer the homes of large families, where large swarms can adapt more easily." The video then presents further information, telling the viewer that they will "hear screaming; they stole their voices," and that they should "burn the bodies, lest they stand up again." A Woodcrawler is then shown: it is a large, spider-like creature, which kicks down a door, revealing its long legs. The tape then shifts to footage of "Fake People", doppelgangers of human beings which seem to be related to the events concerning the Woodcrawlers. As the cameraman approaches a house, he finds it infested with Fake People, who are attempting to replicate human behaviours with some difficulty. After some time passes, one of the Fake People notices the cameraman and gives chase; the cameraman stops aiming the camera and begins frantically running away as the tape ends.
2"STORM SAFETY TIPS"Remy AbodeRemy Abode4:38November 24, 2019 (2019-11-24)
This tape, created by one Harbinge Technologies, is an instructional video for how to safeguard oneself and one's family during a "severe storm". The first section describes how to prepare adequately for a storm: reinforce the home, install an early warning system (an example of which just so happens to be sold by Harbinge Technologies), and construct a storm shelter, which, according to the company, should be 18 feet square and 10 feet in height, with an aluminium hemisphere about 4-5 feet in diameter installed at its center, and a shortwave radio placed next to it. The second section instructs the viewer to bring their family to the shelter during a storm, though the instructions are interspersed with unusual statements such as "your home does not belong to you now" and to ignore sounds from the shortwave radio, as these are "auditory hallucinations." After the storm, the viewer should leave the shelter and assess the state of their home. If the home is severely damaged, they should check for movement inside. If they hear a chime from their early warning system, the storm has passed and it is safe; however, if they see 'Lights' in the distance, they should return immediately to their bunker. This scenario is then seen through footage of numerous bright lights appearing in a field. Another message then briefly appears, stating to 'listen, under your feet, crawling through the floor', before footage of a Harbinge Technologies Albedo Alarm sounding is shown. The video concludes with the message that the viewers are now "well-equipped to defend [you] and [your family] against storms."