The Boiled One Phenomenon is another new addition to the wave of popular analog horror content on the YouTube platform. The video is a deeply disturbing tale which involves biblical references as well as real-life events within its narrative. Combine that with the disturbing imagery and audio design, the youtube creator Doctor Nowhere managed to capture the attention of horror enthusiasts, perhaps due to the blend of surrealism and terror. The story revolves around a mysterious broadcast that devastated a local community. It is a broadcast that should never have aired in the first place. The broadcast gave negative effects to those who watch them, even death in some cases.
The video begins with a warning that the content that you’re about to watch may cause severe cognitohazardous effects. If you’re familiar with the SCP Foundation, you would know that cognitohazard can be defined as information that when encountered will harm the viewer in one way or another. It is a knowledge that can hurt you both physically, and mentally upon knowing it. To mitigate the risk, the video instructed the videwers to follow certain protocols, such as reciting a Bible verse and grounding themselves with odd and disturbing mantras. These mantras are “I can see my hand” and “I can’t hear the screaming of thousands.” The video warns you that the contents of it will affect you, and past this section is the point of no return.
Just like the previous analog horrors we have discussed in this blogspot, the narrative unfolds through a series of VHS tapes curated by an organization who called themselves the Ephrata branch. They presented themselves as a group that is dedicated to handling fallout from strange events: such as the airing of Broadcast 813 an episode of an educational documentary that aired out of nowhere in 2003. The documentary started normally, discussing local plants and animals. But then, the broadcast is hijacked by an ominous red-faced creature, labeled “Phen-228” by the Ephrata Branch, and is also known as “The Boiled One”, aside from the creepy voice and appearance, it carries a horrifying presence. “The Boiled One” is capable of paralyzing anyone and everyone who watches it, regardless of language.
“The Boiled One” speaks directly to the audience, with a reversed audio. Upon reversing the video, we can understand what it’s saying. “The very memory of my face will cause a manifestation of my being in the future.” Within twelve days after the broadcast aired, over 500 people who witnessed it fell into a paralysis that is named as “locked-in syndrome” a condition where victims are conscious yet unable to move, speak, or react to anything. The only thing the victims can control is their eye movements. Patients of the “locked-in syndrome” are prisoners within their own bodies. As if it’s not bad enough, through a series of investigations, they found out that the patients are seeing the very face of “The Boiled One” no matter where they look. Even if they close their eyes, the image of “The Boiled One” will still appear clearly in front of them, alongside voices of trumpets.
I personally think that the main aspect of the video that makes it as terrifying as it is is the iconic image of “The Boiled One.” Even just staring at it before I know the broader context of the narrative surrounding it, fills me with an uncomfortable feeling. The instinct to look away, followed by the desire to continue staring. Doctor Nowhere managed to create a horrifying piece of art that stands on its own. Adding narratives, sound design, and animation allows The Boiled One Phenomenon to be as amazing as it is.
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