Gemini Home Entertainment
Analog horror series by Remy Abode
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Gemini Home Entertainment is a horror anthology web series created by Canadian YouTuber Remy Abode and periodically released on a YouTube channel of the same name. The story unfolds through a collection of deceptive, low-fidelity VHS tapes, documenting an extraterrestrial invasion and the impending apocalyptic event orchestrated by a planet-sized sentient cosmic entity, called The Iris.[1] Blending elements of cosmic horror, surrealism, parasitism, body horror, and Native American mythology,[2][3] it is widely considered one of the best and most influential analog horror series ever made.[4]
| Gemini Home Entertainment | |
|---|---|
Series logo, depicting the planet Neptune | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Remy Abode |
| Written by | Remy Abode |
| Directed by | Remy Abode |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 15 (Main episodes) 4 (Library) 1 (Deleted) |
| Production | |
| Animators | Remy Abode Swift Animations |
| Original release | |
| Network | YouTube |
| Release | November 17, 2019 – present |
The main series, also known as the Full Boxset, is ongoing. Further videos have also been released since as part of the spin-off series Library.
Plot
In the 1980s and '90s, an eponymous video distribution company named Gemini Home Entertainment compiles a mixture of educational, commercial, public service announcement, and home video VHS footage from a variety of other fictional companies,[5][3] such as Regnad Computing, Harbinge Technologies, and Optica! Video.[6][2] The videos are complete with lo-fi music reminiscent of similar real-life videos.[6]
The different episodes are superficially self contained, exploring topics such as wildlife, artificial intelligence, and the Solar System, but together they build a cohesive narrative and serve to document the impending end of the world.[7] The series includes threats such as extraterrestrial creatures ("Woodcrawlers") using humans as "vessels", a fictional infectious disease called "Deep Root Disease", and a fictional plant-like organism called "Nature's Mockery" that mutilates people with which it comes into contact.[6] Videos typically begin in a mundane way before incorporating horror elements.[7] The series' central antagonist is The Iris, a sentient planet or planet-like entity which is masterminding an invasion of the Solar System and is influencing life on Earth.[8]
Episodes
The main series of Gemini Home Entertainment began in 2019 and appears to be ongoing.[2] The episodes were later organized into a playlist on the official YouTube channel under the title Gemini Home Entertainment Full Boxset.[6] A spin-off series, Library, premiered on the same YouTube channel in 2021. Library contains shorter and "secret" episodes that do not follow the format of the main episodes and focus on exploring some of the more misunderstood and confusing concepts introduced in the main series.[7]
Full Boxset (2019–2021)
Main episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Length | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "WORLD'S WEIRDEST ANIMALS" | Remy Abode | Remy Abode | 8:09 | November 17, 2019 | |
|
An educational video detailing the behavior and habitats of animals in rural Minnesota. It gives information about the greater prairie chicken, the burrowing owl, and a third creature called the "Woodcrawler" which are described as predatory organisms that nest in large family homes. The cameraman investigates an infested house and captures a pair of their long spider-like appendages. The cameraman returns to the house at night, where "Fake People" can be seen, seemingly doppelgangers of humans which display bizarre and erratic behavior. After some time passes, a Fake Person notices the cameraman and gives chase, forcing them to flee. | ||||||
| 2 | "STORM SAFETY TIPS" | Remy Abode | Remy Abode | 4:38 | November 24, 2019 | |
|
An instructional video created by Harbinge Technologies on how to safeguard oneself and one's family during a storm. It instructs the viewer to first prepare adequately for a storm by reinforcing their home, installing an early warning system, and constructing a storm bunker. The bunker is described with specific qualities that it must satisfy, including the presence of a shortwave radio which initially said to be only turned on in an emergency. In case of a storm however, it instructs the viewer to take their family to the shelter and to immediately turn on the radio and ignore all sounds it produces. These and future instructions are accompanied by several troubling and cryptic statements. After the storm, the viewer is instructed to assess the state of their home. If the home is severely damaged, they should check for movement inside. If they hear a chime, the storm has passed; however, if they see 'lights' in the distance, they must return to their bunker. It finally instructs the viewer to listen to something crawling underneath the floor, before reverting to its original tone and concluding. | ||||||
| 3 | "ARTIFICIAL COMPUTER LEARNING" | Remy Abode | Remy Abode | 5:03 | December 29, 2019 | |
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A presentation of a new artificial intelligence system created by Regnad Computing capable of formatting short stories. Three iterations of a story about someone named Mary following Jack over a river to find a secret are shown, with brief analysis of their content. The footage distorts then presents two more discomforting iterations concerning an extraterrestrial entity that are without analysis. Two slides are then briefly shown depicting two circular objects of disparate sizes; the larger being fixated upon the smaller one and seemingly causes it to sprout appendages and grow something resembling an eye. The tape cuts back to the original presentation and concludes. | ||||||
| 4 | "OUR SOLAR SYSTEM" | Remy Abode | Remy Abode | 4:59 | January 24, 2020 | |
|
An educational video giving general information about the major bodies of the Solar System. A map of the solar system is shown displaying the Sun, the eight planets, Pluto and an additional object between Neptune and Pluto. The information given has several oddities and discrepancies compared to the actual Solar System: Earth is listed as "one of the only planets in [the] Solar System capable of supporting life" and is incorrectly stated to be 149 million miles away from the Sun (instead of 149 million kilometers). The Great Red Spot on Jupiter is described as not being an eye but an "open wound". Saturn's rings are called "the Gateway", while Neptune is said to have been "mutated", and its Great Dark Spot is called "the Lens". The planet begins turning and shows the Great Dark Spot changing to resemble an eye beginning to open. The video identifies the mysterious object as "The Iris", whose image distorts into what resembles a eye darting before focusing intently on the center of the screen. The video cuts to footage Neptune firing an intense beam of light toward the other planets. The video returns to a section on Pluto before concluding. | ||||||
| 5 | "CAMP INFORMATION VIDEO" | Remy Abode | Remy Abode | 5:19 | March 3, 2020 | |
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This tape contains an informational video on the Moonlight Acres camp, showcasing its activities, accommodations, and mythos. Over the course of the tape's runtime, it is established that Moonlight Acres is host to numerous alien and paranormal phenomena, including beings described as Skinwalkers which haunt the campground and hunt for visitors, and enigmatic 'Well-Dressed Men' that made a deal with the staff for an unspecified provision in return for human sacrifices. | ||||||
| 6 | "LETHAL OMEN COMMERCIAL" | Remy Abode | Remy Abode | 6:00 | April 10, 2020 | |
|
This tape contains a commercial for the PlayStation-esque game Lethal Omen,[a] set at the Moonlight Acres camp. | ||||||
| 7 | "WILDERNESS SURVIVAL GUIDE" | Remy Abode | Remy Abode | 7:20 | May 6, 2020 | |
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This tape contains an instructional video for how to survive in the wild, including preparations and items to bring as well as animals and plantlife to avoid. One of the plants featured is named as Nature's Mockery - a name previously used to describe the Woodcrawlers in "World's Weirdest Animals" - and is described as causing 'hallucinations, sudden muscular paralysis, body disfigurement' and 'flesh decay'. | ||||||
| 8 | "SLEEP IMAGE VISUALIZER" | Remy Abode | Remy Abode | 5:25 | June 19, 2020 | |
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This tape is a setup guide for the Sleep Image Visualizer, a device developed by Harbinge Technologies which can produce video representations of a person's dreams. The instructions are interrupted with footage of dreams recorded by other Sleep Image Visualizer users, including Levi Jacobs, a staff member at Moonlight Acres, and Jack Dean, the creator of Wilderness Survival Guide. | ||||||
| 9 | "GAMES FOR KIDS" | Remy Abode | Remy Abode | 5:36 | July 10, 2020 | |
|
This tape showcases several children's games and includes instructions for how to play, introducing hide-and-seek, freeze tag, sardines and 'Feed the Woods', a game in which the children's instructions are to wait until their parents have fallen asleep, sneak outside the house with their friends, walk until they can no longer see the lights anymore, enter the forest, and scream at the top of their lungs. Multiple images are then shown of inside the forest, with a flashing red arrow pointing at an unknown area of darkness, with an illustration of a child crying shown at the end of each one. During the episode, a police car is shown parked outside of the forest at dusk, when a woodcrawler suddenly emerges from the ground and devours it. As this happens, there is text that reads "The game ends when the forest is fed." The final image of the tape shows an image of Earth with a red arrow pointing at it, along with text that reads "Found you!" | ||||||
| 10 | "ADVANCED MINING VEHICLE" | Remy Abode | Remy Abode | 6:50 | August 7, 2020 | |
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This tape showcases the new Remote-Operated Compact Tunneller (ROCT), an advanced and camera-equipped mining vehicle. On its voyage through a cavern system deep within the Earth's crust, the ROCT encounters a 'Garden', a meat-like carpet of vegetation tended to by the 'Gardeners', giant spider-like beings similar in appearance to Woodcrawlers. The Gardeners capture the machine and trap it within the mass of plants, whereupon its cameras observe a Woodcrawler emerging from a network of 'veins' on the cavern's walls. The vehicle shakes itself free but falls to the floor of the cavern and is seemingly destroyed. | ||||||
| 11 | "DEEP ROOT DISEASE" | Remy Abode | Remy Abode | 4:44 | October 2, 2020 | |
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This tape contains an educational film on Deep Root Disease, including how the disease progresses and how to diagnose it through observation and asking questions. The disease is caused by a 'Root', a species of plant or fungus-like parasite. Though the titular disease is initially framed as one that affects plants, using horticultural terminology to describe it, it quickly becomes apparent that the roots are obligate parasites of humans, and mutate the bodies of their hosts as they grow and develop. | ||||||
| 12 | "MONTHLY PROGRESS REPORT" | Remy Abode | Remy Abode | 6:38 | October 31, 2020 | |
|
This tape contains a progress report on the development of artificial intelligence since "Artificial Computer Learning", showcasing developments in computer processing, predictive advancement, and artificial intelligence. It begins with an introduction to "Project Infrared" and lists the crew responsible for managing it. The tape then says that the purpose of the project is to prevent future technological failures for Regnad, and to assist in the advancement of technology. While informing the viewer of the capabilities of the project, it mentions an unknown client, one which has been helping Regnad. The tape then cuts to footage of a row of computers, with fleshy tendrils sprouting from each one. The monitors then display a prompt for the client to respond to, and the artificial intelligence to interpret; footage of the eye of a gardener is shown along with a satellite array pointed at the night sky, presumably to contact the client which is implied to be The Iris. The first prompt is "Earth", to which The Iris responds with, "Mary sees the Gateway die / Sleeping ones are eaten whole / The vessel floats into the maw / The jaw unhinges." The second prompt is "Moonlight", referencing Moonlight Acres, to which The Iris responds with, "New things roam the feeding grounds / The harbinger guards in vain / Mary hears a creaking sound / The Hungry Eye is welcomed/coming soon." The final prompt is "Jack" to which The Iris repeats "Jack is with us now," four times, before saying "Jack is us now," implying that Jack Dean has been infected with Deep Root Disease. The satellite array is then shown being engulfed in shadow. The tape ends with Regnad stating that they expect to meet their client in person in 7 months. | ||||||
| 13 | "CHRISTMAS EVE PARTY" | Remy Abode | Remy Abode | 4:38 | December 26, 2020 | |
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This tape contains a home video of a Christmas party at the Moonlight Acres camp. The party is interrupted by an unknown creature, resulting in the deaths of several people and the infection of Barry Johnson, the camp's assistant activity supervisor, with Deep Root Disease. | ||||||
| 14 | "HOME INVASION HELP" | Remy Abode | Remy Abode | 5:40 | March 18, 2021 | |
|
This tape contains safety tips and advice for how to prepare for, and what to do during, a home invasion. However, it turns out that the tape is actually an instruction for the Woodcrawlers to enter the victim's home, with the actual intention cleverly hidden under the pretext of 'countering home invasions'. Right after the tutorial ends, it then cuts to footage of a person entering a house. Said house has seemingly been "invaded", with red mycelium-like growths everywhere; some seemingly forming humanoid shapes, indicating that these are actually what remains of the victims of Deep Root Disease. One figure has a yellow eye which turns to face the camera. Towards the end of the tape, the person spots the shadow of a woodcrawler inside the house and attempts to flee, but falls and drops their camera. The woodcrawler proceeds to kill them as they scream in agony, and the tape ends. | ||||||
| 15 | "CRUSADER PROBE MISSION" | Remy Abode | Remy Abode | 7:00 | July 5, 2021 | |
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This tape contains documentation of the Crusader 5 mission, in which a space probe documents the outer planets and their moons, visiting Jupiter, Saturn and The Iris. While travelling through the Solar System, numerous anomalous moons, asteroids and trans-Neptunian objects (including the disproven hypothetical moons Chiron and Themis) are found by the probe, and Saturn's rings are unusually narrow. Neptune is mysteriously absent from where it should be. Upon arrival at The Iris, Crusader 5 observes the planet’s five moons, then travels into its interior, where it confirms that not only is The Iris sentient, but it is also directly responsible for the existence of the Gardeners, Roots and Woodcrawlers, as it observes a vast network of Gardens on its approach to The Iris's 'conscious mind' before being sent back rapidly towards Earth. | ||||||
Non-canonical episodes
Note: The following episodes have been removed from the series and are no longer part of the canon.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Length | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "THE DEEP BLUE" | Remy Abode | Remy Abode | 4:51 | December 6, 2019 | |
|
This tape, created by Gyneva Production Company, is an informational video about the deep ocean. The first part of the video concerns life in the ocean, although several points are incorrect, such as its citation that the blue whale often eats fish whole (the blue whale's diet consists almost entirely of krill and is incapable of consuming larger creatures), and that the stingray carries deadly poison in its tail (it would be considered venom in this case, and the venom is not necessarily deadly in all cases). The second part of the video transitions to habitats, where it mentions the Marianas Trench (erroneously displaying a photo of the Great Blue Hole off the coast of Belize), then abruptly begins describing the fictional Demisia Tunnel, an even deeper section of the trench. After on-screen text gives the ominous message 'Nothing can live in the Marianas Trench.', footage of a giant creature resembling a Woodcrawler with a single glowing eye is shown. A garbled noise begins to play as the footage begins violently shaking, before cutting to static. | ||||||
In addition to the sixteen released episodes, Abode has also released two cancelled episodes through their Patreon, "Your Best Self" (July 22, 2021) and "Basics of Broadcast" (May 17, 2022), though neither episode is considered to be canonical to the series.[9]
Library (2021–present)
Additionally, another set of episodes titled the "Library" has been released, expanding on the lore established in the Box set with specific information on the Moonlight Acres Family Camp "deal", the "Christmas Eve Party" creature, and the effects of Deep Root Disease on a person.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Length | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "WRETCHED HANDS" | Remy Abode | Remy Abode | 3:43 | December 24, 2021 (Original) March 2, 2022 (Reupload) | |
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The tape begins by showing a recording of a NOAA weather report with footage from a lake in Canada, dated on Christmas Eve, approximately '25 minutes before first attack'. An explosion is briefly visible in the background of the footage. A letter from Glenn Arthur - the administrator of Moonlight Acres Camp during the 1930s and 1940s - is shown, dated to 3 May 1946. In it, he reveals that he intends to break his deal with the Well-Dressed Men by providing a bear as a sacrifice instead of a human, and that he refuses to be the aliens' pawn any longer. A second letter with an unclear date in May 1946 is then shown, which reads 'Wretched hands tap my window. A stranger's fangs scrape the walls.' Photographs of the "Christmas Eve Party" creature are shown, revealing that it has grown to a massive size by assimilating humans into its body, and that it has 'lost all resemblance to a bear'. | ||||||
| 2 | "SHIFTING TENDONS" | Remy Abode | Remy Abode | 6:38 | March 2, 2022 | |
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This video documents the progression of Barry Johnson's case of Deep Root Disease. Over time, his body is steadily degraded by the infection over the course of 59 days, turning him into a mass of seething root-like structures while still alive, and eventually is transformed into a specimen of Nature's Mockery. | ||||||
| 3 | "OLD BONES" | Remy Abode | Remy Abode | 5:14 | June 9, 2023 | |
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An audio recording is played, discussing the nature of Deep Root Disease. It is implied that the disease has the ability to manipulate living tissue, and that it progressively transforms the flesh of those afflicted with it, rather than killing them outright, though several small portions appear to have been redacted. Excerpts from the diary of Glenn Arthur are then showcased. Glenn’s diary recounts his encounter and eventual deal with the Well-Dressed Men from "Camp Information Video", who he believes to be angels. A drawing of an energy beam emerging from Neptune (similar to the one shown in "Our Solar System") appears as part of a "vision" that Arthur received. A deal was sealed with the Well-Dressed Men in 1941 and broken in 1946, as established in "Wretched Hands". Three new iterations from Regnad Computing's AI are shown, with the third implying that the victims of the "Bear" retain consciousness, even after being assimilated by the beast: "I AM STILL IN HERE / RELIC OF THE FAITHLESS DAY / DON'T LEAVE ME YOU BASTARDS / OLD BONE GROWS". Silent footage from Moonlight Acres is shown, and the video ends after a close view of a window from inside one of the cabins shows a humanoid being with a distorted body - likely Glenn Arthur himself, now assimilated into the body of the "Bear" - appearing to speak, before it quickly moves away. | ||||||
| 4 | "OPEN MINDS" | Remy Abode | Remy Abode | 26:39 | September 19, 2026 | |
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Regnad Computing unveils their new home AI assistant 'Casey'. One Susan Harris begins using the program, and while seemingly ordinary when interacting with Susan, when used by her daughter Judy, it becomes manipulative and one day convinces her to answer the knocking of a Woodcrawler at their door. She is then attacked and soon reported missing. Some time after Judy's disappearance, Susan again uses Casey which begins to tell her about the fate of Judy. Another computer terminal in the house with Casey installed begins repeating Susan's name, luring her into the living room where she eventually discovers a Woodcrawler imitating Judy's voice. After attempting to hide from it, she is captured and infected with Deep Root Disease. The infected Susan begins leaving increasingly bizarre voicemails to her husband Paul's work phone detailing her transformation before fully succumbing to the disease. | ||||||
Video game
A horror, first-person shooter video game called LETHAL OMEN was created as a tie-in to the series. It was developed by Alpine Arts and published on September 22, 2020.[10]
The game is set in the fictional, in-universe location of "Moonlight Acres Family Camp", where the player takes a role of an unnamed protagonist armed only with a gun which can be used to kill enemies scattered around the map. There are several keys to be collected which can unlock various endings the game has to offer. There are five achievable endings.
Development
Gemini Home Entertainment was created by a semi-anonymous YouTube creator[7] under the alias Remy Abode.[5][3][6][7] Abode was driven to create analog horror since the genre was very easy to get into; it was possible to create entire short films without having to actually record footage or take photographs of their own and cheaply made visual effects could be disguised under a layer of static interference. The storyline of the series was mainly inspired by creepypastas (horror legends) on the Internet revolving around mythological creatures such as wendigos and skin-walkers. Further inspiration came in the form of classic science fiction horror films such as Alien (1979) and The Thing (1982). One of the subplots of Gemini Home Entertainment revolves around a campsite called Moonlight Acres; this portion was inspired by the more recent horror films The Endless (2017) and The Ritual (2017). Abode made the decision to largely exclude jump scares from Gemini Home Entertainment due to finding horror more effective when it did not "provide the climactic release that a jumpscare brings" and instead simply maintained prolonged tension.[7]
The series heavily makes use of stock footage, downloaded from free websites such as Pexels, for some of its location shots but also, especially in later installments, incorporates footage shot by Abode using his own camera. Abode used Hitfilm Express, a free video-editing software, to create the VHS effects of Gemini Home Entertainment, FL Studio for some of the musical cues and for the general sound design, and Sketchbook for designing and drawing the different creatures. Some of the videos contain 3D models created by Abode's friend Swift Animations. Abode has described creating the effects as a "wildly messy and complicated" process. Almost all of the music used in Gemini Home Entertainment is sourced from old music albums from the 1980s and 90s, typically sourced from YouTube playlists.[7]
Reception
Gemini Home Entertainment is regarded as one of the most iconic analog horror series[5] and is typically regarded as one of the premier examples of the genre, alongside Local 58.[11] Bailee Perkins of Hyperreal Film Club wrote in a 2022 review that Gemini Home Entertainment was her "favorite analog horror series to date" and that it was planned out and executed in a great way.[6] Nestor Kok of F Newsmagazine also praised the series in 2022, calling it "as novel as it is ambitious" and praising its horror relying on growing anxiety, unease and a slow realization of the impending end of the world, rather than gore and jump scares.[7]
Tanner Fox of Screen Rant referred to Gemini Home Entertainment in 2021 as "nearly as notorious as Local 58" and found the series to be "eerily authentic" and "an absolute much-watch for those who enjoy this sort of lo-fi horror".[2] Lacey Womack, also of Screen Rant, assessed Gemini Home Entertainment in 2022 as "excruciatingly strange", "tough to follow" and one of the best video-based alternate reality games.[8] Gemini Home Entertainment was also positively reviewed by Alicia Szczesniak of The Post, who noted that "the horror of this series comes from the helplessness experienced by the victims of the beings in this series", no one being safe in the situations depicted.[3]