Marble Hornets

What Marble Hornets is: A series about college kids who get caught up into some really, really weird stuff. Its slow, its confusing, but not just to us, to the characters to. We see what they see. We only know what they know. Thats /the point/.

What Marble Hornets is to people with no patience or understanding: Slow, boring, uninteresting, unfun.

Marble Hornets lost a bit of magic when it ended because - now for new viewers, you didn't get to see it progress. A lot of this series to me was waiting and watching for updates, eager to see what was next. At the height of this, I would say in 2012, it really was a community series. I remember staying up all night with friends, talking about theories, discussing new tweets and watching the entries together. Now you really can't do that, and its not the fault of THAC that it just lost that bit of magic.

But I digress. This series is slow at the beginning, weird at the middle, and absolutely insane at the end. I would absolutely recommend this series to anyone with a patience and maybe, you know, a love for seeing how the slenderverse started. Because this series freakin' pioneered it, lads.

A YouTube serial (with "Entries" serving as one episode), based on the urban legend from SomethingAwful forums, Slender Man. This is another type of movie/series like the Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield... but this title is much more superior than those mentioned as the atmosphere is much more different... and arguably much better.

First, close to the experience to playing Slender: The Eight Pages, the cast and crew create an atmosphere of fear in quite a lot of entries. Also, they don't overdo the fear in every entry, as they have a created a perfect balance in intensity in the series. The shaky camera adds to the fear and anxiousness as the viewer watches every entry. Some may see this as a negative, but I believe the same effect would not work if it was filmed with professional shots, so it actually works well. The acting has also found a great balance of naturalistic acting with believable characters and good portrayal. The portrayal of Slender Man is also excellent and how he appears unknowingly in a lot of entries make this series really worth watching.

The only downside to the series is that there is quite a long waiting time before another entry is posted. Which again is also a good thing, it's so good you want some more. It definitely keeps you hooked.

Also, this another series where I have not felt tired of any episode or actually have favourites.

If you have some time, definitely check out the series and make sure he's not watching ;)

I am a big fan of all things horror. Ever since I was a small child I've been watching, reading, and even creating horror. I've been so de-sensitized to it that absolutely NOTHING scares me anymore...except this film. Marble Hornets has got to be one of the scariest movies of all time. It is a low budget film, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth seeing. It definitely does it's job. The acting may not be "professional" and the camera isn't always focusing on the action, but that's, interestingly enough, a good thing for this film. I would recommend this film to any horror buff- maybe not people who are easily frightened, and DEFINITELY not small children (only for the reason that it would probably require therapy for them to get over their fear). I enjoyed (rather nervously) every minute of it. The best thing about it is that it isn't one of those "jump out and get you" types. Your fear stems from the paranoia you will most definitely feel throughout the entire film. You'll find yourself looking over your own shoulder countless times. A Definite MUST SEE!

A long-running web-series, "Marble Hornets" is something of an odd beast. On one hand, it's concept is great, and it's generally a well-executed example of the "found footage" sub-genre of horror.

On the other hand, I do find there to be many problems with the execution, holding it back from reaching the perfection it is capable of reaching.

But still, for fans of horror, this is definitely a must-see.

The series seems to predominately follow Jay, as he tries to solve the mystery of what happened to his friend Alex that caused him to seemingly lose his mind and withdraw from society. Told from a "found footage" perspective, the early episodes alternate between footage shot by Alex some time earlier that Jay is reviewing (during production of a student-film he was working on) and newer footage shot by Jay as he investigates the matter. Little does Jay know that the mystery of what happened may be linked to a twisted, possibly-supernatural figure known as "The Operator." (Based heavily on the "Slender Man" mythos from the internet.)

I'm quite torn by what to give the series for a score. As I said above, it's a series of strengths and weaknesses. And I fear that my decided on score of 7 may be misleadingly low, despite being a decent score. Because I do genuinely love the series. (Well, at least what I've seen so far.) And in terms of entertainment value, it's great for a free series.

I think the biggest strength of the series is atmosphere, and wonderful use of the "found footage" style. If you're in the correct mindset, this series will definitely creep you to the bone. While the quality might not be great, it comes across as generally "true to life", and there's a wonderful sense of pacing, build-up and payoff as the episodes continue. Technical aspects like composition are also well-handled. And I find the storyline incredibly intriguing, and definitely one that makes me want to continue watching.

That being said, I have some big issues. First, (and I hate to say this), the acting can be pretty bad at times. At least early on. It does rob some of the suspension-of-disbelief that is required for a "found footage" series. I also find the episodes to meander a bit too much. I feel like there is a lot of room and time that could be condensed and make for a more compelling experience. It can almost get boring here and there. Which makes it harder to want to sit through the episodes.

Thankfully, despite those weaknesses, I feel that the strengths make the series one that fans of horror (and especially "Slender Man" fans) certainly must at least try out. I think it's great fun. It has a good story. And it has some absolutely, positively spine-tingling scares.

I give it a pretty-good 7 out of 10. Frightening and fun, but not without its flaws.

Only yesterday did I find the you-tube show "Marble Hornets". It was recommended to me by a friend because I love psychological horror and mystery. These two words perfectly describe this show.

The show follows Jay, a young man who's best friend encountered a tall, blank faced creature in a business suit by the name of the Operator (or Slender Man) while filming his student film "Marble Hornets". Jay goes through the tapes in an attempt to figure out more about the creature, and is eventually forced to run from the seemingly unstoppable force as he begins to unravel the mystery.

Continuity is highly important and very well done in this series. Tiny things in the first few episodes come into play in later episodes. If you are like me and LOVE connecting the dots and consuming every detail, this show rewards your hard work.

The acting is a little spotty in season one (Entries 1-26), but does not detract from the story or experience. As season two hits the midpoint, the acting improves, and the story begins to unfold.

The shaky hand-held camera quality is really effective in adding to the disturbing atmosphere. The creators do an incredible job of building tension and giving you a sense of dread. I found myself searching every pixel on the screen for a glimpse of Slender Man.

One more small thing that I appreciated was the fact that there was close to no profanity, no sexual content, and very little actual gore. By throwing those factors out, the creators took on the challenge of making their series strong with good writing and editing, which really pays off.

Overall, this show scared me more than any modern day horror film has, and is highly reminiscent of Christopher Nolan's "Memento". If you want to be scared out of your wits, enjoy playing Sherlock Holmes and solving mysteries, or both, this is a must watch.

9/10