Content Warning for "UrbanSPOOK" Analog Horror Series
So, in recent months, a new analog horror/ARG series called UrbanSPOOK has joined Youtube, and it's even been covered by a number of indie horror exploration channels (i.e. Goose Boose, Gearisko, etc.), which I know is going to pull a lot of new viewers towards the channel. However, a number of things in the series really need to be addressed, since they're not exactly warned about in the series. This post is not a callout nor any call to harass the creator, Urbanslug; I just wanted to step in and raise a flag.
UrbanSPOOK's premise is that several VHS tapes have been found, of unknown origin, cataloguing the crimes of an unknown serial killer who leaves behind surrealist paintings of their crimes. Little clues as to what happened to their victims are dropped in the evidence, paintings, and witness testimonials, and these can be very disturbing, far more so than other indie series. A disclaimer does play at the beginning of each "tape" warning about general violence and disturbing content. However, I feel people should be aware of sexual violence when going into media of any kind. Moreover, the series's creator sells merch of all of the killer's paintings, including the ones heavily implied to be of abused children.
(Content warning for the rest of this post: references to animal abuse, child abuse, CSA, descriptions of highly violent acts. Don't say I didn't warn you; these descriptions are written only as detailed as they need to be in order to convey why new viewers should approach with caution, and why it's a little Uhhhhh how merch is being sold of these (fictional) crimes.)
At least two of the unnamed killer's victims are children. Most significantly, one painting unveiled in the first episode, "FACES", is called "Fucktoy Cory", depicting a bloated body's face. The third episode, "IN THE WALLS", reveals Cory is the name of an 11 year old, one of two twins who were both murdered, split in half, and then sewn one to the other. The creator has confirmed the painting is of the murdered boy named Cory.
In the most recent episode, "PIGS", a child's severed, eyeless head is found in an abandoned building the killer had been living in. Her painting is called "Four Holes Fiona". There has been a lot of speculation in the video's comments as to what the implications are about this title, most of them concluding that the killer was using the head for something foul.
In the same episode, Fiona's grandmother Mae is found heavily ravaged and dead from internal bleeding, along with a horse that died from heart failure after being overfed sildenafil citrate - the pharmaceutical name for Viagra. Mae's painting is called "Breeding Mount Mae". A breeding mount is a piece of farm equipment meant for stallions to mate with, so their semen can be collected for equine breeding.
The creator of the series promises that things will only get "worse" as it goes along, which is worrying, especially when the only disclaimers given are for "violent and disturbing content" and this content goes from "skinned alive" to "fucked to death by a horse" at the drop of a hat. The paintings for all of the above, along with the rest of the paintings, are sold at their official Creator-Spring shop, on t-shirts. I'm not entirely sure why you'd want to wear something knowing its original context is someone getting killed with the ole "Mr. Hands" maneuvre, but take this as a record that these images, with the same titles given in-series, were available at one point as on-demand printed merchandise.
Finally, a friend brought up to me that "spook" is a racial epithet against Black people in America. However, Urbanslug is from Sweden and likely did not know of the word's connotations other than meaning "spooky", or "scary". I will clear them on that accusation.
Again, do not go and harass the creator of this series. This post is just intended as a sort of warning label. Analog horror is more popular than ever, and with the Writer's Guild strike coming up, I anticipate a lot of people will begin looking for indie series to consume while mainstream television is put on hold. I walked into this series blind, and had no idea how grim it was going to get so soon.
You can call me a wimp, or "triggered", or whatever the hell you'd like for making a post about this, but extreme media and figuring out how far is too far is one of my big focuses in my journalism and archiving. I just finished an article about Agony in Pink that concluded with me saying it had the right to exist; with this in mind, UrbanSPOOK was so extreme and so under-warned that even I had to say something.
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I hate to ask again, guys, but... please go check out Cesar. He has a full Hazbin au and I have so much energy for him right now and very few places to direct it.
I just really want to do more things with him.
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