YouTube Channel of the Week #3: GloomyHouse

YouTube is probably the greatest anthropological project ever launched. It has managed to expose the multitudes of the human condition more than any other medium ever created, and allowed people to express themselves in more diverse ways than at any point in history. This weekly column is an outlet for me to share with you some undiscovered gems, as well some very well-trodden gems, and discuss just what it is that makes the chosen accounts so intriguing.

WHO: GloomyHouse
WHAT: Man narrates lists of disturbing and macabre subject matter; a visual 'creepypasta'.
HOW MANY SUBSCRIBERS AT TIME OF WRITING: 74,104
WHY SHOULD I CARE: The list format and YouTube go hand in hand. The worst things about list shows on TV were the seemingly endless cavalcades of talking heads, which ranged from comedians you've forgotten about to comedians you've never heard of. No one wants to hear an opinion about why Futurama is the sixth best cartoon of all time by a guy who just stepped off his third set at Jongleurs. On YouTube your lists are curated similarly by nobodies, but it's ok because they feel more like your equals, as opposed to people who some talent agent is trying to force into your consciousness.

GloomyHouse is an account run by Sebastian Franco, who lives in Massachusetts. The channel is an outlet for Franco to list disturbing and macabre things, some true to life, some playfully fictitious. When they're fake they're fun, spooky pictures that can easily be discredited with a couple of Google searches. Others, however, take a deeper look into the horrifying psyche of some people, and expose moments of complete and utter anguish.

One video reveals 'The 6 Most Shocking 9-1-1 Calls', according to Franco, including a child calling the police because she's found the body of her brother, and a woman being murdered by her lodger. But this is juxtaposed with more gentle and calm videos, such as this story from the drug wars, by his grandfather.

I managed to get in touch with Franco to ask him about our obsession with death, depravity and why 4Chan is such a hotbed for violent nihilism.

VICE:Why did you set up this account?
GloomyHouse: Ever since I was a kid, I was fascinated by creepy stories and Hollywood horror blockbusters. Those experiences gave me very special rush of emotions, more specifically the fear of the unknown. This same exact feeling is what pushed me to create this channel, I want my viewers to go through that same experience. Not only do I cover topics that I love, but I also get to witness the reaction of my audience.

Did you used to go on many shock sites when they were more popular?
Before my channel I always tried staying away from shock sites for my own sanity. But nowadays, my research sometimes leads me in that direction. These sites can be a great source for journalists, because the content is raw and unfiltered. So not only do they provide a dark portal to truth, but they also help us understand that reality is far scarier than fiction.

Do you think there are any moral implications of uploading audio of crying children or people being murdered?
Absolutely, that is a living person on the other side of the video clip or audio recording. Even though my channel mainly seeks to entertain, topics of sensitive nature deserve absolute respect, by presenting the story in a truthful and accurate way.

YouTube as a medium is very conducive to these kind of list-based videos, easy to consume. But in your case, the subject matter is wholly dark and troubling. Why do you think the format works so well with the content?
The format is very important and it is also key in delivering content. List-based videos, more specifically, countdown lists, provide a very unique experience for the viewers, because the topics increase in shock value as the countdown progresses. It works almost as a reward-based system that keeps the audience watching from beginning to end.

What is the most disturbing thing you've personally witnessed online?
That would probably be the Denepropetrovsk Maniacs, or the '3 Guys 1 Hammer' video. Viktor Sayenko, Igor Suprunyuk, and Alexander Hanzha, recorded the murder of several of their 21 victims, but one of these videos leaked online. We get to watch, first-hand, the murder of an elderly man. It is absolutely terrifying, very sad, and extremely hard to watch. The first two mentioned are serving life in prison; the last is serving nine years.

What do you think is the best way to combat snuff online?
It would really have to come down to authorities, now that they have the tools and resources to combat this material. The men and woman in charge of creating this content can be very dangerous, so, as an individual, the most we can do is report the case to the FBI, or the investigative branch of the country where you reside.

What role has 4Chan played in exposing the world to the secret ills of society, and do you think it's a good or bad thing?
The reason why 4Chan has been the centre of so many incredible anecdotes is in part because they offer a layer of anonymity, and anonymity behaves like a double-edged sword. On one side, 4Chan has gained a bad reputation for leaking celebrity pictures, hacking into email accounts, making death threats etc. But on the other hand, it has helped fight against laws that restrict the freedom of the internet, it has identified people responsible for animal cruelty, and it recently took part in the release of important classified documents. I can't truly say that it is either good or bad, but rather a mixture of both. At the end of the day, the majority of 4Chan's community behaves just like any other social media site, where visitors discuss the different topics listed under the sites' homepage.

Franco's interest in these subjects is clearly not just voyeuristic. Though the way he presents these videos is undoubtedly done to create atmosphere, there's a sense of responsibility and tact, too. The chintzy stuff is treated as such – mawkish ghost stories about witches and psychos – but the serious material is treated with a sensitive touch. While undoubtedly there are things online that should never be seen, perhaps we need people like Franco to swim in the murky waters and ward us off.

@joe_bish

Previously on VICE:

YouTube Channel of the Week #2: Ted Barrus

YouTube Channel of the Week #1: CustomGrow420