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The Mandela Catalogue

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The Mandela Catalogue is an analog horror web series created by American YouTuber Alex Kister in 2021. It is set in the fictional Mandela County, Wisconsin that is invaded by demonic, otherworldly entities called "alternates" that psychologically torture their victims with the ultimate goal of assuming their identities as "doppelgängers". The series became popular online, in part due to reaction videos and story analyses of it by internet users and YouTubers.

The Mandela Catalogue
The series' logo
Genre
Created byAlex Kister
ShowrunnerAlex Kister
Written byAlex Kister
Thorne Baker ("every day gets brighter")
Directed byAlex Kister
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes17 (Canon)
Production
AnimatorAlex Kister
Original release
NetworkYouTube
ReleaseJune 9, 2021 (2021-06-09) –
present (present)
Related
Mystifying Oracle

Setting and genre

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Primarily set during the early 1990s and late 2000s, The Mandela Catalogue takes place within the fictional Mandela County, located in Wisconsin, which is terrorized by shape-shifting creatures named "Alternates". Alternates, led by a depiction of the archangel Gabriel, are nearly-immortal beings that aim to eradicate humanity by psychologically torturing them to the point of suicide. The Alternates can manipulate audiovisual media, such as televisions, personal computers, and vehicle GPS systems.[1][2]

The series contains many biblical allusions, referencing Noah's Ark, Adam and Eve, Mary and Joseph, and the birth of Jesus. It is heavily implied that the Alternates are biblical demons, and that Archangel Gabriel is actually Satan in disguise.[2][3][4]

The Mandela Catalogue is composed of 10 shorts and 5 volumes across two "Acts." The first short was released on June 9, 2021. The series belongs to a subgenre of horror dubbed analog horror.[3] Series installments are usually presented as found footage material, or from the point of view of in-universe characters and/or their electronic devices. Nearly all the Act I installments are rendered in VHS quality, whereas most Act II installments are made in the style of old digital videos, reflecting the shift in the time period depicted. The series began to shift into mixed media following the early Act II installments.[1][2]

Development and production

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The Mandela Catalogue was created by then seventeen-year-old student Alex Kister from Richfield, Wisconsin as a series of short videos he began in 2021, while in summer college. It was Kister's first filmmaking project.[1][5] Kister originally created "overthrone" [sic] as a one-off video based on a high school writing project, and planned to make a series where he edited children's cartoons to be creepy.[5] However, due to the popularity of the video, Kister decided to continue making videos following the universe of "overthrone" into the modern day.[5] He named the series after the Mandela Effect.[citation needed]

Kister had a low budget and used basic editing: scenes are shot in his home and characters are portrayed by his friends through still images and voiceovers. Kister's mother once played an alternate. In an interview with GQ, Kister said he wanted to develop his horror from "jump-scares that [...] cause a physiological reaction rather than a psychological reaction."[1]

Kister had said the series originally began as a creative outlet for the existential crisis he was dealing with, especially when it came to the subject of religion and Christianity.[5][6] The series was also inspired by the isolation and loss of security Kister experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]

In October 2022, Kister worked with Makeship, a crowdfunding plushie company, to release merchandise for the series.[7] In March 2024, Retro Release Video announced plans to release the first volume on VHS, though this was soon cancelled, but was re-announced in August 2024.[citation needed]

Episodes

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Act I (2021–2022)

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No.TitleDirected byWritten bylengthOriginal release date
1"overthrone"Alex KisterAlex Kister4:01June 9, 2021 (2021-06-09)
A corrupted tape recording of The Beginner's Bible. It depicts an alternate version of the Nativity of Jesus wherein Satan, masquerading as Gabriel, deceives Man during the annunciation to the shepherds, declaring that he is their "true savior". The episode ends with a monologue from an unknown figure, who says that they have been shackled within a tomb of sand and pleading, 'If there is a God... please help me.'
2"The Mandela Catalogue Vol.1"Alex KisterAlex Kister15:09 (Original)
17:29 (Restored)		August 9, 2021 (2021-08-09) (Original)
April 4, 2023 (2023-04-04) (Restored)
A collection of four tapes related to the Alternate takeover. These tapes consist of a PSA about how to identify and avoid Alternates, an evidence reel regarding the death of 17-year-old Mark Heathcliff, a training video for 911 operators instructing them on how to handle calls about Alternates, and a video meant for testing the reaction of young children to specific audio and visual stimuli.
3"intruder alert"Alex KisterAlex Kister5:47August 18, 2021 (2021-08-18)
The video opens with a public service announcement about the dangers of leaving unsupervised children to watch TV, due to harmful content on numerous channels. An example is shown, where a woman hears her child crying in front of the television. She enters the room while the child can still be heard, which the broadcast warns against doing. Upon entering the room, the woman finds the child missing. A face on the TV smiles at her and she subsequently commits suicide. This is followed by an emergency alert regarding this threat and a collection of police evidence regarding the incident, in which the possibility of the threat being an Alternate is ruled out.
4"exhibition"Alex KisterAlex Kister8:32October 30, 2021 (2021-10-30)
An evidence reel from the Heathcliff case reveals that Mark Heathcliff had been stalked by Alternates for weeks before his death, leading an investigator, Thatcher Davis, to conclude that Mark had been in a prolonged "paranoid" state. Another Beginner's Bible tape depicts an alternate version of the Genesis flood narrative in which Satan/"Gabriel" punishes Noah for "resisting [his] message" and tells him that he will bring another creature onto the Ark, which will bear his "last message".
5"The Mandela Catalogue Vol.2"Alex KisterAlex Kister20:34January 18, 2022 (2022-01-18)
Amateur paranormal investigators Adam Murray and Jonah Marshall, who are both wanted by the FBI, investigate a lady's report of a ghost cat at her home. Adam goes inside the empty home and finds nothing unusual besides a locked door. Jonah contemplates leaving before a scream is heard from inside. Adam continues to search and falls asleep on a couch. While he sleeps, an Alternate whispers to him through his walkie-talkie, telling him to wake up, before one appears in front of him. Upon waking, Adam finds the door unlocked and hears the "ghost cat" meowing from inside. Jonah insists that Adam should not go in, telling him they are not going to find someone important to Adam, whose name is censored. Adam enters anyway to find an analog TV, where the face from "intruder alert" has an ominous message for him. Finally, dashcam footage shows Jonah driving away as another Alternate invades his GPS, taunting him for abandoning Adam. Jonah parks the car on the side of the road and is presumably killed.
6"The Mandela Catalogue Vol.333"Alex KisterAlex Kister26:41June 3, 2022 (2022-06-03)
A woman named Lynn Murray calls her ex-husband, Jude, about her young son, who will not stop crying. Jude agrees to come over and help her figure it out. Two police evidence reels play. The first is for the case of Mark Heathcliff's death, in which an Alternate of Mark's best friend (Cesar Torres) is labeled as the perpetrator. Mark's notebook presents his spiral into madness during his final days. The second evidence reel concerns Jude, Lynn, and their son, implied to be a young Adam Murray. A recovered tape shows a TV broadcast intended for children, depicting a crude puppet face named Stanley, who tells children how to create an "imaginary friend" that will appear somewhere in their house. Immediately afterward, a 911 call plays of Jude Murray frantically begging Thatcher Davis to help him with a home intruder. Thatcher and his partner Ruth Weaver go to the house, where the "imaginary friend" kills Ruth off-screen. The creature (a different form of Alternate)[clarification needed] reveals itself and attacks Thatcher.
7"every day gets brighter"Alex KisterThorne Baker2:26June 6, 2022 (2022-06-06)
In a tape recording addressed to Ruth Weaver, Thatcher Davis expresses his hidden fears and promises he will kill the alternate from Vol. 333 who has since impersonated him.

Act II (2022–present)

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No.TitleDirected byWritten bylengthOriginal release date
8"interlude"Alex KisterAlex Kister3:22September 5, 2022 (2022-09-05)
A report for Mandela County shows the county population dropping from 15,000 in 1992 to barely 1,000 in 2009. A video from "BPS Productions 2007", sent to Adam Murray by Sarah Heathcliff, Mark's younger sister, contains a propaganda tape from the USDTP which congratulates the public and law enforcement for helping eliminate "an unforeseen threat". The tape cuts to a guide on three types of Alternate "assimilations": Flawed, Complete, and Overdriven. The video cuts to an image of Mark's house and the church from Exhibition with ambient screaming.
9"The Mandela Catalogue Vol.4"Alex KisterAlex Kister40:53November 25, 2022 (2022-11-25)
The video begins with an altered retelling of the Book of Genesis, in which Gabriel gives Adam an apple from the Tree of Knowledge. In 2009, Adam's ex-girlfriend, Evelin Miller, is working for Dave Lee at MandelaTECH. She finds a tape (the "Child Stress Assessment" video from Vol. 1) and watches it on Dave's hidden CRT TV. In July 2007, Adam takes Sarah Heathcliff to a supposedly abandoned house and lures out alternates on camera. Two years later, immediately following Vol. 2, Adam gets into an argument with Sarah on a messaging app about his response to Jonah's death. Thatcher Davis mourns Ruth Weaver and sees the alternate from Vol. 333 watching and mocking him. Adam makes a memorial video for Jonah, but the video glitches to show Evelin discussing Adam's concerning behavior and dashcam footage from the end of Vol. 2. A promotional video for "Face Studio 2" explains how users can make a 3D head based on photos of their own face. The video glitches to show Lynn Murray's hanging corpse. Dave Lee visits the local cathedral to find his friend O'Brien, who previously offered him a job at the church. The sky darkens and O'Brien reveals himself to be Gabriel, calling Dave a fool for "following the shepherd". He reveals that Dave "has already done all of his bidding" and kills him. Evelin, fired by Dave for finding his TV, goes to the empty MCPD station to get a job there. She finds paperwork revealing that Adam, as a toddler, failed to respond to any stimuli in a Stress Assessment test. After finding this, the power in the station cuts. Alarms go off and a pair of hands appear above Evelin. Adam is contacted by an unknown user on his messaging app. The user reveals himself as the Intruder, as well as Stanley and the face on the TV. The Intruder reveals to Adam that he is an Alternate. The video ends with text proclaiming the deception of "the Mandela prophet" and that "it begins today" as pictures of Adam's face (in the format of Face Studio 2) appear on the screen.
10"THE BEGINNER'S BIBLE "THE STORY OF EASTER" CLIPS CIRCA1995"Alex KisterAlex Kister2:00April 8, 2023 (2023-04-08)

(This video comes from the other YouTube channel "GENESIS APOCRYPHON" which is officially part of the series.)

Mary Magdalene, a biblical figure, is depicted in a video where guards and nuns, representing her biblical figures Joanna and Martha, encounter a cave where they discover 'Gabriel', implying Jesus is in the tomb.
11"mandela catalyst"Alex KisterAlex Kister7:49April 16, 2023 (2023-04-16)
A news report on Dave's death glitches to reveal text reading "NO MORE RUNNING AW[AY]". Sarah and Evelin discuss Adam's behavior. A darkly lit bedroom is seen; a lamp is turned on to reveal an alternate in the doorway. Audio from Dave's autopsy reveals both of his eyes are missing and his brain is behaving abnormally. Gabriel, standing atop Thatcher's home, asks him if he "hears the screaming" and that he should "go and see". Thatcher drives to Adam’s home and he finds the house to be in disarray. A radio turns on and some distorted audio plays before a masculine voice can be heard speaking an ominous, cryptic message. Thatcher walks into Adam’s bedroom and finds him leaning motionless against his bedside table. The camera zooms in and an image reading “suspect identified” scrolls, but Thatcher drops the camera as Adam begins screaming in pain and begging Thatcher to kill him. The video ends on a white screen with a pixelated smiley face in the corner while Adam’s muffled screaming is still heard.
12"Presto"Alex KisterAlex Kister6:19August 12, 2023 (2023-08-12)
A television spot advertises MandelaTech's going-out-of business sale. Evelin and Sarah hack into the store's security cameras to try and find Dave. While the two speak on a call, Sarah is disconnected, and her computer connects to the security cameras at the police station. The security camera footage shows Thatcher and Adam talking at the station about Adam's experiences, in which Adam claims to have been told he’s “paying the price” for Jonah’s death. Thatcher asks who told him, and Adam says it was God.
13"1_19_09 221a"Alex KisterAlex Kister0:29August 22, 2023 (2023-08-22)

(This video comes from the other YouTube channel "GENESIS APOCRYPHON" which is officially part of the series.)

The video begins with an "ON AIR" sign, gradually deteriorating to a low-quality view of the wall, ground, and window. The screen then turns black, and Adam's drawings of 'Gabriel' and The Intruder are shown. The video ends with a picture of St. Gabriel's Church and the text "answers lie beneath."
14"2:38"Alex KisterAlex Kister5:57February 8, 2024 (2024-02-08)
The video starts with a compilation of funny Vine videos from 2015, but during a clip of someone dressed as Pennywise the clown, the footage cuts to a dark room, where the only light is from behind a door. Once its doorknob begins to turn, the video cuts back to the vine compilation.
15"The Mandela Catalogue Vol.5"Alex KisterAlex Kister33:07June 24, 2024 (2024-06-24)
In 1992, a man, later revealed to be Jude Murray (Adam Murray's father), attempts to use a service called "Midwestern Relocation Services" to start a new life in British Columbia. As he is in the safe house waiting to be picked up, he is attacked by an Alternate known as N, who has already appeared in “The T.H.I.N.K. Principle” segment of Volume 1. This plot is interwoven with a stop-motion animation about a shepherd attempting to communicate with the Holy Spirit, but having encounters with Alternates. It is revealed around halfway through that this shepherd is presumably the one speaking at the end of “overthrone”, with the similarities of the area around the shepherd and the lines.
16"Unraveling, Pt.1"Alex KisterAlex Kister4:17August 14, 2024 (2024-08-14)
A screen recording of a "get ready with me" TikTok short that loops, becoming progressively more corrupted each time.
17"Unraveling, Pt.2"Alex KisterAlex Kister10:48October 30, 2024 (2024-10-30)
Dave Lee testing the recursive generation loss of VHS tapes, with the copies of the original tape very quickly deteriorating before an [most likely] alternate attack.

Characters

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Main characters

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  • Thatcher Davis (portrayed by Thorne Baker) - Former Lieutenant of the Mandela County Police Department. After the death of a colleague at the hands of an Alternate, Thatcher's main goal is to defeat the Alternate who killed the colleague and stop all Alternates once and for all... even though he is just one man.
  • Adam Murray (portrayed by Ty Osborne) - Member of the Bythorne Paranormal Society, a club of people who investigate paranormal activity. After being abducted as a child by an unknown entity unrelated to Alternates, Adam tries to find his missing mother and discovers a life-changing secret in the process.
  • Sarah Heathcliff (portrayed by Rachel Ridley) - Founder of the Bythrone Paranormal Society. After losing her brother in an Alternate attack because the police did not respond to his cries for help, she seeks to find out the truth about the Alternates and bring down the police department in revenge for her loss.
  • Evelin Miller (portrayed by Spidey) - Ex-girlfriend of Adam Murray. She broke up with Adam because of an inexplicable personality change, for which she wants to find out the reason with the help of Sarah Heathcliff.
  • Mark Heathcliff (portrayed by Alex Kister) - Brother of Sarah Heathcliff. After being tricked by an Alternate into coming to his deceased friend's house, he becomes trapped in his house and is inflicted with M.A.D, causing him to go insane and commit suicide.
  • Cesar Torres (portrayed by Andrew Long) - Friend of Mark Heathcliff. Assimilated by an Alternate and this Alternate is responsible for Mark's death. Not much more is known about him.
  • Jude Murray (portrayed by Michael Vale) - The husband of Lynn and more importantly, the father of Adam. He called the MCPD for help and later fled to another precinct after losing his family.

Supporting characters

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  • Ruth Weaver (portrayed by Bee "Fruitmasseuse" L) - Thatcher's fellow officer and MCPD sergeant who was killed by the Murray House Alternate, leading Thatcher to plan to defeat them in revenge.
  • Jonah Marshall (portrayed by Gabriel Linan) - The third member of the BPS. Went to the house (believed to be the woman's) with Adam at 3am, not realizing it was a trap, and eventually died, leaving his quote-within-quote "friend" Adam behind.
  • Lynn Murray (portrayed by Lighth0use) - The wife of Jude and the mother of Adam. Committed suicide by hanging after realizing that the intruder had taken her son Adam.
  • Dave Lee (portrayed by Alex Kister) - Manager of MandelaTECH (2000). Helped Thatcher Davis recover supernatural-themed VHS tapes. Employee/boss of Evelin Miller at MandelaTECH. Died to Archangel Gabriel after being tricked into getting a job at the local church.

Antagonist

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  • Archangel Gabriel/The Holy Spirit (portrayed by Fasthub (Overthrone), Microsoft Sam (Exhibition, Vol. 5), Kyle DeNigris (Vol. 4)) - The first Alternate and the version of Satan in The Mandela Catalogue. He managed to take control of humanity by appearing as an Alternate of the real Gabriel. He is also the leader of the Alternate. He is the main antagonist of the story.
  • The Intruder/6 (portrayed by Microsoft Sam (Intruder Alert, Vol. 2), Leon Rodriguez (Vol. 4)) - The humanoid anomaly. Instead of being an Alternate, he is the threat working with the Alternates and "Gabriel" against humanity. He is also responsible for the kidnapping of over three thousand innocent children (one of whom is Adam) and the suicide of their parents out of grief.
  • The Murray Residence Alternate - Manifested through the television of Stanley/The Intruder and Adam after he killed Ruth Weaver. It even went further and haunted Thatcher seventeen years later.
  • Cesar's Alternate - An alternate of Cesar. He assimilated Cesar and made his friend Mark paranoid after tricking him into going to Cesar's house (a trap that Mark was unaware of). He also drove him to suicide after probably telling him that his religion, Christianity, was a complete lie.
  • The Preacher - An alternate of an elderly nun. Also known as a messenger. An alternate who stalked little Adam Murray (though he is often referred to as an infant despite being 4 years old) in his home before The Intruder kidnapped him along with over three thousand other children.
  • N - One of the example alternates shown in the T.H.I.N.K Principle, and is the alternate that stalked and drove Jude Murray insane.

Cameo appearances

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There were some cameo appearances from the old classic films that were only featured in Vol. 1 [RESTORED EDITION].

In the cartoon The Beginner's Bible, which appears in some cases, it is actually unknown which characters were dubbed, as each episode features the same voice actors in the credits without the characters' names. The only character known to have a voice actor is Adam, the first human created by God, who appears in The Mandela Catalogue Vol 2 and was voiced by Rich Swingle.[8]

Reception

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Audience

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The Mandela Catalogue grew popular due to analysis and reaction videos on YouTube and quickly gained a following. Some users criticized an over-reliance on analog horror tropes.[1] Vol. 4 received particular criticism for its use of live-action segments filmed with green screens. Some viewers disliked the scenes' lack of realism. However, Kister said the lack of realism was purposeful and an attempt to give the segments an uncanny valley quality.

A TikTok trend based on The Mandela Catalogue became popular in 2023. In these videos, which often have a similar VHS aesthetic, a person realizes they are being hunted by their "Alternate" when a soundbite plays, saying: "If you see another person that looks identical to you, run away and hide".[9]

Critical reception

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Dread Central praised The Mandela Catalogue as "the supreme [example] of what analog horror looks and sounds like", adding that "the sense of insecurity that comes from knowing you’ll be frightened is constantly visually manipulated".[3] Ohio University student newspaper The Post favorably compared its use of the uncanny valley as a horror technique to The Walten Files.[4] It was also praised by GQ.[1] While TLK Magazine praised the series' worldbuilding, it criticized the "monotone" voiceover acting, saying it detracted from The Mandela Catalogue's tone.[2]

Adaptations

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The Indie games Maple County, Alternate Watch, and Assessment Examination are based on the series.[10] In 2021, prior to his role on The Mandela Catalogue, actor Thorne Baker developed Maple County.[5][10][11] The game is framed as an interactive training tape from the Maple County Police Department, in which players must determine which photos portray Alternates and which portray actual people.[12] In Mandela Invasion, created by Broken Arrow Games, Alternates attempt to break into the player's house and must be repelled.[10][13]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Levesque, Eamon (October 29, 2021). "This Halloween's Scariest Horror Movie Is a YouTube Series By a Wisconsin 18 Year Old". GQ. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Dyer, Alex (March 30, 2022). "Manufactured Fear/Organic Dread: Mandela Catalogue and the Allure of Analog Horror". TLK Magazine. Archived from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Pfister, Elizabeth (October 3, 2022). "Analog Horror and Its Blueprints for Horror's Future". Dread Central. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Szczesniak, Alicia (January 13, 2022). "A look into analog horror". The Post. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e SHOW BOYS. "Ep. 74 - What's The Mandela Catalogue?". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
  6. ^ Kok, Nestor (2022-01-16). "Ghosts in the Machine: The Fearful Symmetry of Alex Kister's "The Mandela Catalogue"". F Newsmagazine. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
  7. ^ "Makeship Launches Vinyl Figures, Offering Content Creators a New Way to Express Themselves and Connect With Fans". Yahoo! News. 2022-10-14. Archived from the original on 2023-01-17.
  8. ^ Rich Swingle (2015-02-14). Rich Swingle voices for the Beginners Bible. Retrieved 2024-08-04 – via YouTube.
  9. ^ Rushton, James (February 13, 2023). "Doppelgängers are TikTok's latest horrifying trend". Indy100. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  10. ^ a b c Wilds, Anastasia (July 15, 2022). "10 Best Found Footage Horror Games". Screen Rant. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  11. ^ Seidlinger, Michael J (2022-01-17). "The Eerie World of Analog Horror". The Lineup. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  12. ^ Green, Meriel Kate Sedgwick (2022-09-30). "10 Best Analog Horror Games". TheGamer. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  13. ^ "Mandela Invasion by Broken Arrow Games". itch.io. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
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