Editorials
TV’s Best and Worst Moments/Episodes in 2014
Horror TV has been on a huge upswing for the past couple of years. Us horror fans are getting more shows aimed at us than we know what to do with! Try as I might, I haven’t been able to watch every genre show that airs, but I try to watch as much as I can. So take this list below as my personal analysis of my favorite (and least favorite) TV moments throughout the year. I probably missed some of your favorites (sorry Walking Dead fans!) but since I can’t watch every show on TV, feel free to list some of your favorite moments from the past year. I tried to find as many clips as I could of the scenes I was describing, but alas, not everything is available on YouTube. Needless to say, I do delve into spoilers below so you’ve been warned.
Best TV Moments
Bates Motel – Norma Kisses Norman
I’m still not 100% into Bates Motel. Don’t get me wrong, I like it just fine and accept it for what it is (a melodramatic soap opera), but I still don’t have that “I need to watch the next episode NOW” feeling that I get with other shows. It is better than I would have expected a TV prequel of Psycho to be, though. That being said, Season 2 of the drama got off to a slow start (marijuana dealers plot line, anyone?) but it ended up in a great place that I think could lead to a potentially fantastic third season. The cringe-worthy (and best) moment came after Norman decided to head into the woods and end his life with a gunshot to the head (over guild from murdering his teacher Ms. Watson). Unfortunately for Norman, his mother Norma followed him and stopped him from committing suicide, and then proceeded to kiss him in a way that was, let’s say a bit more sexual than a mother should be when she kisses her child. It probably sounds weird for me to say that I enjoyed this scene, since I’m not into incest or anything, but this was the show’s water-cooler moment if there ever was one.
Penny Dreadful – The Séance
Talk about a slow burn. Penny Dreadful has one of the most interesting narratives of any TV show I’ve ever seen. Based on the pilot alone, it is clear that the destination is not what’s important with this show, but rather the journey instead. Penny Dreadful takes its sweet time getting to the point, and at first I was a little bored but after a while I became mesmerized by how beautiful it was. That pretty much changed after t he second episode, appropriately titled Séance. If Eva Green doesn’t get an Emmy nomination next year (and let’s face it, she probably won’t) it will be a sad day for TV indeed. All of the performances are top notch, but Green nearly steals every scene she is in. Her tour de force performance in the second episode involves her character becoming possessed at the titular event and it’s phenomenal. Take a look at the clip above and tell me I’m lying.
The Strain – Bolivar Loses His Manhood
The Strain certainly had its ups and downs during its first season, didn’t it? I read the trilogy (written together by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan) and thought it was alright, if a little poorly written (I prefer Justin Cronins Passage trilogy) but definitely saw potential for a good TV show. I believe The Strain would have benefited from a 10-episode season. Just my opinion though. One thing The Strain did very well, though, was the horror. While it could never really land the personal moments or make me feel sympathetic towards some of the characters (Nora), it did horror very well. One such jaw-dropping moment was when Bolivar lost his penis in the toilet. It was darkly humorous and definitely one of the most memorable moments on TV this year.
Stalker – Pilot
I’m just going to put this out there: Stalker is infinitely better than Kevin Williamson’s other TV show, The Following. More on that particular topic later, but I can tell you that I have really enjoyed it. I’ve read countless articles calling it the worst new show of the season and I just disagree. It is not amazing, but it is certainly not terrible or misogynistic. Maggie Q is all kinds of awesome (anyone who watched Nikita knows this) and Dylan McDermott is fine. Williamson does copy himself a lot on the show (the opening scene of the pilot is very reminiscent of several different scenes from his Scream series) but it doesn’t stop it from being enjoyable. So while there isn’t really a specific moment that I can pinpoint in Stalker, I can say that it’s definitely good for a procedural on CBS and you could do a lot worse nowadays on TV.
Hannibal – Mason Verger Cutting Face Off/Beverly Katz’s Murder/Finale
I will be the first to admit that I thought making a TV series of Thomas Harris’ infamous book series was a terrible idea. I did not think there was any way in Hell that it could possibly be any good, especially since it airs on NBC. Well I’m eating my words because Hannibal has become one of my favorite shows currently (thank God!) on the air. I know this is something we have already pointed out on this site, but it is one of the most visually appealing and emotionally satisfying shows out there and it’s also insanely grotesque. I feel like every episode I am amazed at some of the violence they get away with (the man ripping his skin off while breaking away from the mural of dead bodies is one of the more memorable moments). Season 2 outdid Season 1 in every way imaginable. The first major turning point was Katz’s murder. When Crawford finds her vivisected (think the horse in The Cell), it’s definitely shocking to say the least. Then you have Michael Pitt’s Mason Verger CUTTING OFF HIS FACE on network television. Sure, it was in the shadows, but you could still see (and hear) it. Then of course you have the finale. I’m so glad we’re getting a 3rd season because that was a brutal way to end the season. Bravo NBC! Great job Bryan Fuller! You’ve won me over.
WORST TV
Rosemary’s Baby – The Whole Thing
I don’t really have much to say about this TV special except that it was completely unnecessary. It would be different if it was unnecessary and good, but it wasn’t. It wasn’t awful. It was just generic, which is something a remake of a classic should never be. A TV mini-series probably isn’t the best choice for this property though. Did NBC learn nothing from 2002’s Carrie?
The Following – Joe Is Still Alive
This show, man. I really wanted to like it. I pretty much had to force myself to make it through the first season and then I just gave up a few episodes into the second season. The Following is so dumb. It’s full of the dumbest characters I have ever seen on TV and the police force is completely inept. The villains aren’t just unlikable, they’re annoying. I get that we aren’t supposed to like the villains, but I can’t even stand to watch them and that makes for bad TV in my opinion. The biggest mistake the show made was bringing Joe Carroll back for the second season. Now, I know those of you who do like the show will cry out “it wouldn’t be ‘the following’ without Joe to follow!” but I think the show really should have reinvented itself after “killing off” Joe. That being said, it clearly has its fans so I’ve got to give it that. I just really can’t stand this show and I think it needs to be removed from TV.
True Blood – Tara’s Death
I always gave True Blood the benefit of the doubt. When it premiered in 2008 it was THE show to be watching. Season 2 was the peak of its success and Season 3 wavered a bit. I enjoyed Season 4 but that seems to be when people really started losing interest. Season 5 was terrible and Season 6 was slightly better, but not by much. Then Season 7 happened. This had to be one of the laziest seasons of TV I have ever seen in my life. I think the writers just gave up at a certain point. It was clear that this was going to be an unsatisfying ending for the once-promising series when Tara was dispatched off-screen in the opening moments of the premiere (and then we were treated to a full-season arc for her mother, Lettie Mae, a character no one cares about). Tara had some problematic characterization throughout True Blood’s seven seasons, starting as a strong, empowering character in the first season and then becoming whiny and obnoxious in seasons 2-4. Finally, the writers gave her a break and turned her into a vampire, but then chose to insult their audience by giving her about 15 seconds of screen time before killing her off screen. I know they were trying to show viewers that “anyone could die” but at least give a major character a major death. What a waste. To top it all off, the rest of the season sucked and had one of the worst finales I have ever seen. Also, sorry for the video above, but both of the YouTube videos of Tara’s death had embedding disabled by the “creator.”
Ravenswood – Pilot
I predict I’ll get a lot of flack for even including this on the list, but I assure you that it has a lot of horror elements. Ravenswood, for those of you who don’t know, is the supernatural spin-off of ABC Family’s hit TV show Pretty Little Liars. I confess, I do watch and occasionally enjoy Pretty Little Liars. It’s pure soapy fun and pays homage to horror films all the time (the second season finale is essentially the plot of Psycho and actually lifts scenes right from the film). Ravenswood was boring. And if any of you watch PLL (thought I’m betting many of you don’t so I’ll keep this short), you know it’s not boring. Ravenswood tried to be mysterious and spooky (and even killed off a main character in the second episode, only to have her stay on the show as a ghost) but just failed in all aspects.
American Horror Story: Coven – Finale
I have a love/hate relationship with Ryan Murphy (as I’m sure many of you do). I thought Murder House was alright but nothing special. I fell in love with Asylum, which I thought is the only season to embody the “horror” in the show’s title. But then Coven came along. I was so ready for it and devoured every (amazing) casting announcement made for it. The premiere was alright but that led the way to the worst season the show has ever done (I’m still not fully caught up on Freakshow so I can’t speak for that season). It just seemed like the writers didn’t have any outline written when they began the season because the plot lines when nowhere, great actresses were wasted (looking at you Patti LuPone). Characters were killed and resurrected so many times that death held no stakes whatsoever, but nothing could compare to the awful finale of Coven. I did not care who the Supreme was. I especially didn’t want it to be the mystery that the whole season was wrapped around. It ended up not even being very interesting (and it was pretty obvious it was going to be Sara Paulson’s character). Kathy Bates and Angela Basset were not really used to their full potential and the racial commentary was so over the top it was obnoxious. For some reason, people seem to like this season the best (and hate Asylum) and I will never understand why. I have just come to accept that I’m in the minority. Do you agree or disagree with me?
So that’s my thoughts on this past year of horror TV. Like I said in the beginning, I’m sure I missed one of your favorite (or least favorite) moments so feel free to comment on some of yours below!
I first heard about The Mandela Catalogue through a couple of nephews who were obsessed with the ARG’s sinister mythology. It was only after watching Wendigoon’s in-depth analysis of the series that I realized just how deep this rabbit hole goes.
In fact, I’d already been exposed to the nightmarish visuals of Alex Kister’s YouTube creation for years at that point without even realizing that it was the origin of several viral “cursed images” and spooky memes that had leaked into the wider internet – with this viral element actually being a part of the Catalogue’s overarching narrative.
Flash-forward to 2026 and the unprecedented success of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms has led to Hollywood betting on horrific internet properties with existing fanbases, which means that Kister’s unique hybrid of both religious and analog horror is finally headed to the big screen with a script written by Kister himself alongside Tyler Clifton.
While this news shouldn’t be too surprising if you’ve been keeping up with the ongoing success of The Mandela Catalogue (both myself and Wendigoon having previously predicted that the series would inevitably make the jump to theaters one day), plenty of horror fans are likely confused as to why so many folks are excited for what appears to be a Hollywood adaptation of a series of creepy .jpeg images under a VHS filter.
With that in mind, today I’d like to invite fellow readers to accompany me as I explore the origins of Alex Kister’s viral hit and attempt to explain exactly why we should all be excited about the Mandela Catalogue adaptation!
From High School Writing Project to Internet Horror Phenomenon
The first seeds of The Mandela Catalogue were sown when Kister was still in high school and developed a writing project subverting religious tropes in a world where biblical history had been altered by demonic forces. A little while later, Kister came across an analog horror contest on Reddit and decided to adapt his ideas into a standalone video where he would edit a religious kids’ cartoon –The Beginner’s Bible: The Nativity, to be specific- into something far creepier. This is how the iconic Overthrone video was born, with this viral short film taking on a life of its own as fans demanded more eerie content from Kister.
Though the video was originally meant to be a one-and-done sort of affair, with Kister actually regretting some of its primitive visuals and considering the editing amateurish and “YouTube-Poop-like” when compared to his current standards, fan reaction and free time during the COVID-19 pandemic encouraged the (then) seventeen-year-old filmmaker to continue producing content set in this same world. The Mandela Catalogue name was inspired by the Mandela Effect conspiracy theory, as the series would slowly begin to explore the subtle horror of alternate histories.
Inspired by existential dread brought on by extended periods of quarantine as well as a personal crisis of faith, Kister continued to expand his alternate timeline where the rise of Christianity had been prevented by what was presumably the Devil disguised as the Archangel Gabriel. This alternate course of fictional events led to the existence of certain paranormal anomalies that had come to be accepted as “normal” by the 1990s, which is why most of the series’ supernatural horror is presented in such a matter-of-fact manner.
Most of this background information and religious lore is delivered by increasingly cryptic broadcasts and in-universe PSAs, as well as the occasional found footage video, that often have to be decoded by clever viewers. Of course, it’s the consistently disturbing imagery that made the series so popular – much of which was originally created by Kister on a smartphone!
The Alternates: Horror’s Most Unsettling Modern Monsters
The show’s early episodes mostly take place within the fictional Mandela County in Wisconsin and depict life in a world where demonic entities are capable of using media to enter our reality. This process usually involves scaring victims into killing themselves and then repurposing their bodies as horrific doppelgangers referred to as “Alternates”. This terrifying phenomenon has become so common that local police already have specialized procedures in place to deal with the issue, though this usually consists of simply ignoring calls for help so as to avoid spreading so-called “Metaphysical Awareness Disorder” any further.
Over time, Kister would expand this mythology and incorporate different kinds of Alternates into the mix, though the story never stopped deconstructing religious concepts. The series’ second volume exponentially increased both video quality and the overall narrative scope as we began to follow the lives of characters who had already grown up in this dystopian hellscape where the government is forced to prohibit religion, television, and even mirrors in the hopes of mitigating the damage done by the ongoing invasion of otherworldly entities.
The really interesting part comes into play when you realize exactly how the Alternates make use of scary media in order to spread their demonic influence, with the analog horror of it all being a diegetic part of the story and something of a memetic trap orchestrated by the false Gabriel.
I particularly appreciate how some characters begin to suspect that there’s something wrong with their version of reality and that things weren’t meant to play out this way, especially when Mark utters the haunting line “who have I been praying to all this time?” That’s why I think The Mandela Catalogue is an effective piece of religious horror even if you don’t subscribe to the Christian worldview, as the mere idea of a world where evil has already won is a universally terrifying concept in and of itself. Not only that, but the series’ uncanny analog imagery alone is already worth the price of admission, as you’ve likely already noticed by looking at the pictures accompanying this article.
Why The Feature Adaptation Could Be Horror’s Next Big Success
It’s actually been a whole year since Kister first announced that he had been working on a feature-length screenplay for a Mandela Catalogue movie since 2022, with his proposed story following an ensemble of high-school graduates who uncover a supernatural conspiracy after the mysterious disappearance of a fellow student. This premise sounds similar to narrative elements present in the series’ second volume, but I’m pretty sure that Kister is going to go the Kane Parsons route and make the movie more of a spin-off than a re-imagining of its source material.
While notable Hollywood producers like Aaron B. Koontz, Scott Stuber, and Steven Spielberg himself are backing the upcoming project, I feel like there’s no one better to adapt this deeply personal exploration of faith and the dark side of communication than the person who first came up with it. That’s why I can’t wait to see Kister’s work on the big screen, as I have a feeling that this young filmmaker is the next one on the list about to make cinematic history – especially since this is clearly a passion project that has been in the works for years at this point!
That being said, there’s always a chance that the film could end up unleashing a fresh wave of Alternate incursions, but I guess that’s just a risk we’ll have to take.
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