The traditional film genre most often cited as a natural for virtual reality is horror. Whether you're being attacked from behind, eaten alive, or subjected to the ministrations of a lunatic surgeon, 360-degree video keeps your head in the game. Looking around, waiting for the next jump to come; that's what people are excited to feel in VR.
Despite only launching 360-degree video support last year, YouTube is already hosting a surprising amount of VR horror. Most of it is from amateurs and, unsurprisingly, most of is it pretty bad!
But, as lovers of the horror genre know, sometimes bad is so, so good.
1. Easter Bunny 360°
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There’s no way to hide from this haunted hare. The past couple years haven't been kind to the Easter Bunny, I guess. Three stars.
2. House Guest
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Tfw you’re doing yoga while bae is showering in your tiny basement apartment when things start to go horribly wrong. I won't ruin the ending, but let's just say that's why I never do yoga, or shower. Four stars.
3. The Forest
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This one legit made me say "NO, NO, NOPE, NO," and take the headphones off. I guess this one is a trailer for a "normal" film, about something called a "suicide forest". I fear Sarah is dead, y'all. Five stars.
4. Lock Your Doors
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'Ware the chip, my friend. Two stars.
5. Camp Evans Base of Terror
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This was literally incomprehensible until I realized that I was watching an ad for a New Jersey seasonal haunted house. One and a half stars.
6. Monster Hunter
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Who would bring a baby into this monster-infested municipal building? Perhaps the same people who brought the dialogue. Three stars.
7. The Ring VR
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This has everything— Conan, clip art beer— the future of fan art? Two stars.
8. 3:00 AM
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Very little happens. Perhaps that is what scares us all the most. One star.
9. Hide and Seek
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Stabby stab stab... Two stars.
10. Horror Laboratory
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Appears to be found footage from Uber SF holiday party? One star.
11. Sci-Fi Horror
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Realistic portrayal of scheduling via group text. Four stars.
12. 360° Camera In Haunted House
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Ah, invisible child, bringer of darkness and foreboding, I'll not fall for your playful footsteps and disembodied chuckle. Not this time! Four stars.
13. SLENDER MAN 360
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Stabby stab scream! Two stars.