Sleepcore

Those of a certain generation will remember late nights with cable TV.  We’d aimlessly flick through channels, hoping to find something to watch while drowsing off.  

At midnight, the national anthem and a waving flag would signal station signoff before static ruled the airwaves until morning.

Maybe you nodded off to the blue grid of the cable guide channel as it scrolled through the channel offerings.  Perhaps a scene of a strange old black and white film caught your eye and followed you into your dream.

One Canadian filmmaker is recreating this experience from our shared analog days, and the results are decidedly trippy, sometimes creepy, but always immersive.  

He calls it “media for insomnia.”

Liminal Spaces

Have you ever been in a place that was otherwise normal, probably empty, but it made your hair stand on end?  Welcome to liminal spaces, the place “in between” one thing transitioning into another.

Think empty shopping malls, cubicle farms with no humans, and yawning warehouses.  It’s comforting discomfort.

Retrofuturism

The future will have self driving cars, food delivery so Mother doesn’t have to cook, and computers that answers all our questions – or so say the largely black and white prophecies of yesterday.  

From World’s Fairs to grainy filmstrips to corporate marketing clips, we experience our not-to-distant ancestors’ future vision.  You’ll experience 1950’s versions of Elon Musk-style predictions, but in an old-timey voice that sounds like an ad for Lucky Strikes.

It’s little unsettling – perhaps it’s because as we see and hear how the future was sold to our grandparents, we realize it’s still happening to us today.

 

Just Plain Creepy As Hell

Then there are the downright weird videos that are perfect for Halloween or creepypasta lovers.  The static and staggering frames of the videos add to the overall effect of the odd images.  

It’s highly likely that your hackles will rise.   When you finally get up to get something to drink, you’ll glance at your front door to make sure it’s still locked.

What’s Your Sleepcore?

Sleepcore is to be experienced, not explained.  Here’s a  sampler to get you started:

Pleasant dreams!