This is completely unrelated to the content/discussion of HIMM here in the comments; I am addressing those with concerns about a different argument raised surrounding my content and approach for those were part of it: 1) No more in-fighting. Even though I did have problems with the accusation made about my work ethic and someone's complete inability to truly comprehend the purpose and mission of Night Vision and my approach with it, the issue lies between myself and the individuals who feel the way they expressed. *There will be no more ganging up on specific individuals in my defense. Leave them alone.* 2) Despite my absolute disagreement with the opinions expressed about my approach to Night Vision, I do understand why people feel this way. Everything I cover in-depth usually goes under a Case File or Cat's Eye header--the other "shows" I have on the channel. It has, admittedly, been way too long since I've made a Case File or an exhaustive Cat's Eye video. I can't count The Cry of Mann, because that's extremely fresh. This is not for lack of interest. I've been so tied up in the insanity of this year--some truly great things, some truly horrible, all of them stressful in one way or another--and getting to Case Files or exhaustive, in-depth dives has been very difficult. Not to mention that creating a Case File type of video requires much more time than most videos, and as a Patreon-supported creator doing this full-time, now, I feel a constant responsibility to get content to you guys in a timely fashion as often as possible, serve creators, and fulfill the promises of my mission statement. It's been a bad year for balance. I'll admit that and agree entirely. There hasn't been true, exhaustive dives of online material in early Night Mind fashion since my Cabin Fever Dreams videos. *This is going to be corrected. I've already been looking this month for my next Case File.* If it doesn't happen this month, then we kick off 2018 with something exhaustive. So, I'm sorry I haven't been the full, well-rounded Nick that you guys as a total audience expect of me. I understand why you feel this way, and I'm looking to get back to form on it immediately. I miss being the overly-analytical internet detective digging up digital corpses, too. It's time to go back to the cemetery. Thank you, everyone.
I love your content, Nick. But I am sorry that you are surrounded by a lot of classless people who have the nerve to act like they know how you think and feel. It's extraordinarily unfair on you.
Honestly the very fact that nick has to go out of his way to tell people to stop viciously attacking a person for posting some criticism on a youtube video is just absolutely fucking sad. Y'all should seriously take a time out in a corner and rethink just where all of your lives went wrong.
Yeah, adding the clip where it just keeps going through the night really sells it for me, and nicks interpretation of the monster laughing at her adds another nice level to it
Something special this series does is show the monster for an extended period of time, instead of glitchy flashes. It really doesn't ruin the effect, it makes the effects look better and feels more effectively scary.
That was my thought exactly i kept feeling like i wanted the jump scare to be over and the monster to go off screen as media has accustomed me too and the longer that expectation was defied the more Erie and unsettling the whole scene became.
not gonna lie, that mirror scare was the most effective mirror scare I’ve ever seen. I have a legit fear of certain mirrors because that’s exactly the kind of thing i’m afraid of seeing, and the fact that it lasted so long made it so much more than the usual jump scare.
i would have loved it if the laughter would have been louder and unedited, i mean it wants to give off a "live" vibe but for me i didn't work because of the edited laugh.
Right? Mary’s feelings on her looks are very relatable and it really made the mirror scare really creepy. It makes it feel more like she’s loosing her mind.
That kind of mirror effect is usually so short and jump scare-like, the amount of time this one dragged out for made it so much more effective. This looks like the webseries equivalent of a horror game with a day/night cycle and I'm all for it
I dunno, the longer you get to see the effect and hear the laughter, the more comical and ineffectual it becomes. It doesn't matter if it's justified in story somehow if the effect is still something mood shattering (dumb or funny instead of terrifying)
If you check out Mary's Twitter, you'll find that it's a real thing she deals with every few nights, too--the mirror monster appears in different reflective surfaces and cackles for hours.
I love the implication of it sticking around and laughing for a while - possibly hours. Even if the effect gets a little... easy to poke holes in after a while, I like what she's going for and it's waaaaaay better than a peekaboo jumpscare.
Normally I find it annoying and cowardly to disable comments on UA-cam videos but on Mary's channel it further implements the idea that she can communicate to us but we can't communicate to her it's brilliant. And thanks night mind for introducing us to another promising web series.
It sounds like some kind of purgatory. The way she sees herself and kinds of monsters she stumbles across gives depression and low self-esteem issues. The House is a metaphor of her life, her mind she cannot escape, all the bad things she is fighting with. I wish it wasn't so late here, I'd watch all of it
[spoilers] Yeah I picked up on those sorts of themes as well; the fact that she becomes increasingly extroverted as things progress really drives this home. I also think there's a chance the different entities that confront her represent some member of her family (the cloaked figure berating her for "existing" in particular gives me regretful motherhood vibes), but time will tell if that's developed on, or if they really are just manifestations of her innermost flaws as a person. Would also like to imagine the garden segment wasn't just in her head. The aftermath of her being sent straight back to the house, and then reminiscing about how lovely it was, is such an emotional gut punch for me personally.
Why is this symbolic of Depression/Anxiety? Feeling like you're trapped in your own home, hating your own image, personal demons, not knowing who you actually were before it struck, insomnia at night/sleeping during the day, feeling like you're isolated/all alone, not feeling like it will get better, not starving (but everything is repetitive), etc. Just a thought, but as someone WITH those things, this hit me HARD. Or maybe I'm just projecting and looking for symbolism that isn't there like an over-enthusiastic English teacher :P
Yeah I'm pretty sure it's about self hate and the depression that comes with it. It's spelled out pretty hard with the constant "I'm so stupid", "How could I let this happen", the entity frequently calls her a coward, stupid, etc. The house is her mind. The entities are a personification of that voice of doubt in your mind that tells you that you aren't good enough, you aren't beautiful enough, etc. This is the reason why when she makes it outside of the house briefly, she comments that its "so beautiful and quiet", because she's momentarily free of the constant criticism from her inner self. I think the day/night thing is a metaphor for how, during the day, we have responsibilities that can help take our minds off of our constant self criticism (although never completely gone as shown). At night though, especially when going to sleep, you have all the time in the world to focus solely on your faults; this is when its normally at its worst. The laughing mirror girl is how she thinks other people see her; she imagines that they're all perfect and all laughing at her for being imperfect. It was never meant to be purely scary and people who think that are totally missing the point. If you have this sort of self esteem problem, you imagine that every laugh in a room is about you. That's why its so drawn out, because obviously if you're at a casual place, a lot of people are laughing all the time and thus the "ridicule" can seem unending. The length also illustrates how much a simple tease directed towards a low self esteem person might be blown up and viewed as scathing criticism that they mull over for a long period of time. I think the last episode where she asks it questions spells it out pretty thick as well. "You made us, and you deserve what's happening". People with bad self esteem normally recognize at least on some level that how they see themselves is not reality, but at the same time they also feel like they "deserve" to feel this way and thus do not try to avoid negative thoughts. They welcome them as the punishment they deserve for either something wrong they feel they've done in life, or simply because they are imperfect (see the madness yet?). This is why when the entity catches her, instead of harming her, it simply insults her and lets her run away. Mary herself doesn't actually want this to end because she's addicted to these thoughts. This is also why she can't contact anyone; people like this reject any notion from others that they are anything other than what they see themselves as: worthless. Trapped in a house is simply a metaphor for being trapped in your own mind by negative thoughts. Anyone that's experienced this can very easily relate to and understand the themes in this series.
I have depression on and off and a touch of anxiety too so if you're projecting so am I, but I did have the same thought while watching it. I think she can see the comments and Tweets now because symbolically, she's realized she's not alone and there are people who love and care about her.
Yeah, I was thinking that too. But Isn't there a more specific word for when you hate how you look? And the reason she doesn't want to go outside/is "trapped" in the house is because she hates how she looks and doesn't want other people to see her. But then what the hell is the loss of identity/memory about? Is it supposed to be that she hates herself so much that she forgot who she was? And to that other dude, I would characterize depression as a monster that drains your life, but that never really shows itself. I don't think this is depression.
I absolutely cannot BELIEVE she managed to do that mirror effect and not only walk in front of it, but have her HAIR PASS IN FRONT OF THE MIRROR AND HAVE THE EFFECT LINE UP FLAWLESSLY. Hair is the one thing that I was thinking would be completely impossible to have pass in front of it, but by some sort of black magic, she managed to do it. It’s that sort of thing that unknowingly grounds the effect in the world.
Every time Nick talks about a “gold star” series, I keep wondering which ones gonna be his. And so far, with how he’s explaining it, this is as close as Catghost in terms of his praise.
I'm pretty sure he's going to be extremely careful to not give any clues as to which baby is his. He's made quite clear that he will cover his tracks, and he damn well knows how to do that.
I'm betting on 2:32, just seems to be the kind of thing Nick loves. I mean, his very first Night Vision was on a Jack Torrence where he told about how important it is for these kind of "collection of weird clip" series to have an underlying plot... Which he made sure to praise 2:32 for having. I don't know, it seems to me like this is his jam. Also I doubt Nick would give himself a gold star, would be too on the nose and quite frankly he's a very humble guy.
Hey i dunderstand your concern, but this is a night vision video, not an explanation. Night vision mostly just gives exposure to the series, and if it were explained he would be thorough and make sure you know whats going on
I don't know why i watch you. I hate horror. I've never watched a full horror movie. The scariest game i've played is Dead by Daylight. But I watch you. and I bingewatched this series. I love it. I'm also now afraid of my dog.
The mirror thing reminds me of modern Yokai stories. You usually see that kinda stuff inspired by Japanese folklore and horror tropes. P.T/Silent Hills (Rest in peace) kinda did this with the character's wife, or the ghost I guess. The unnatural twitching combined with the glitchiness of the order of said twitching. It's one of my favourite effects, probably because it's very reminiscent of Stop Motion animation. Which reaches uncanny valley levels of creepy.
Damn, every time I'm reminded of P.T. I get sad. Still have yet to be as captivated by a playing experience. Maybe it's better this way....maybe the actual game wouldn't have lived up to the hype of its teaser. But boy, what a tease it was.
Yeah, but plenty of horror movies have done similar things. It's really trope at this point. Still, I have nothing against tropes if they are done right.
honestly, whenever you offer a series to watch, i typically dont watch them. i'm not big on possible jumpscares and while i enjoy creepy stuff, im too much of a baby to get creeped often. but im going to watch this, primarily because hiimmarymary has that part with the mirror. i have issues with my body image, and there being a series where the character in that does have that same feeling it just, makes me want to watch it. im super pumped to binge this now.
HaddiEtana This series seems to deal a lot with self image problems and people who suffer from it will relate a lot with Mary (i did) think outside the box and see beyond whats being presented. These "monsters",the house,her memory loss,everything that happens to her and the way it happens, nothing is what it seems.
I'm not sure if you noticed, but in the first video, some of the text disappears for a tiny bit. When she says, "I don't know who I am, or how I got here." The words, "Who am I?" flash in that order.
In the video "goodnight?" the song she's playing on the piano in the beginning is "Runs in the family" by Amanda Palmer and it ties in so well to the series
HOLY SHIT NICK YOU HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA HOW HAPPY I AM THAT YOU ARE COVERING HIMM. LEGITIMATELY HAPPY AS FUCK OH GOD. The creator has a Tumblr, it's an ooc bts type thing and it is so worth it to follow. She's in school for video production and is using techniques she's learning in class. It's fucking amazing and we love her so much. ❤❤❤
Thanks so much for mentioning this! I love that it's a student practicing techniques, because you can definitely see, through the videos, how much mastery of the medium she's gaining every video. Great, great stuff.
We need more web series like this. I get so bored with the series that are just abstract videos. Some of us have kids and jobs and donr have time to decode every frame (no shade against you who do have the time) just nice to put on something that I can take at face value.
Okay, I have only ever edited audio seriously. In terms of video editing, the most I've ever done is throw an image on-screen to censor another (for school) for a few seconds. That shadow person effect had me absolutely stunned. Like, I have a couple ideas as well, such as a green screen suit to cut out all of the color, but that still stuns me. Even before Nick pointed out it's incredible nature, I felt it. I'm definitely checking this series out
Thanks to someone recommending it on the subreddit, I actually knew about this one before Nick did! I saw the title, and I was all "It's about time!" I couldn't agree more. Hi I'm Mary is amazing.
It's gotta be said, it's a stellar series so far... really looking forward to seeing what else the creator has in store for us. Thanks for reminding me to actually watch this gem of a series catdad :D
I'm about to go watch your more recent video on this series. I adore this series. I am hugely passionate about psychology, and I feel this series is one of the best representations of it imaginable. Just an interpretation, but it seems to take an approach to psychology and mental health that is so rarely pulled off, and never as well as this, as far as I know. The monsters seems to be various manifestations of Mary's internal struggles, which not only offers some much-needed representation of mental illness, and the distress it causes, but gives Mary herself a much deeper character development beyond the all-too-common "one-dimensional protagonist randomly thrust into a spooky scenario" approach that has been done to death and is, in my opinion, lazy writing. Like you said, Nick, you immediately empathize with Mary, and that empathy only builds as it goes on, you encounter the different creatures, and learn more about the struggles Mary faces both internally, and now externally being in this house. With the two creatures covered here, the faceless woman, the garden... I could not have hoped for a better representation of mental illness, and how nearly-impossible it is to escape it. The house symbolizes Mary's mind - an inescapable place filled with monsters whose torment she has no control over, and her only escape is the garden. Escapism. But while she's there, it angers the monsters, representing the fact that running from the hyperbolic monsters in your kind won't make them go away, and they could very well come back with a vengence once you're forced back into the dark recesses of your mind. Sorry to write a novel. I just adore the undertones of mental health and the manifestation of that struggle in this story. Absolutely incredible writing, editing and cinematography.
Just wanted to leave a comment and say that I really respect what you do with Night Vision and your channel as a whole. Even though I didn't have strong opinions on hiimmarymary, I'm still glad that you allowed the channel some exposure. Everyone's bummed out over how UA-cam's environment has slowly turned into a TV program with little encouragement for lesser known channels. Hell the entirety of media has resulted in discouraging creativity through formulas nowadays. For someone like you to have gained traction and to gather such a large fanbase and direct them towards inventive channels with less than 10,000 views is like a miracle. Even if the response for the channel you featured isn't that great, at least these lesser known channels can have more viewers to give them feedback. Maybe they'll hone their craft and work on even greater projects that the majority can enjoy. I'm glad that a channel that can successfully promote art and creativity exists for younger content creators out there.
I found HIMM after reignbot covered it in a spooky UA-cam list, the editing was so interesting and yet familiar I felt compelled to check it out, and I agree it's worth the watch. I'm still filled with questions and nothing makes sense, yet there are rules! It feels so nice to see a series be a mystery without ignoring it's own continuity.
Everyone loves to joke "this or that is my sleep paralysis demon", but that bed shadow monster is genuinely the sleep paralysis demon I've had since childhood
I am obsessed with himm. You were right, this webseries is amazing and beautifully orchestrated. I haven't been really hooked on one since TribeTwelve, and now I have a true reason to keep up with one. Thank you sooo much.
i binged himm in one day. it was scary and heartbreaking. as someone who deals with depression this show made me feel so connected to mary and her struggles.
I think I'm just gonna read the Twitter posts. I got paranoid enough from this video alone. One thing I want to comment on is the fact that she soon becomes nocturnal. That makes a lot of sense, and it seems like more characters in series like these should do that.
Wow. I struggle with some body image issues, and scene with the mirror and the photograph reaaaallly resonated with me. It wouldn't shock me if the young lady behind these videos has personal experience with those feelings too. Like, holy shit man.
can you do a bit more coverage on these series? I understand why you want me to go watch the series, but I really prefer to watch the series with you, so to speak
hiimarymary is such a good series, everyone over in the r/NightMind discord freaked when they found out that was what this video was about! Such an amazingly well-done series, the editing is original and damn near perfect. Let's not forget the subtle bits of comedy! "Is this a fucking fork?!" XD I legit laughed out loud at that because it eased a bit of the tension I was experiencing from binging all the videos. With her new GoPro, I can't wait to see what more we'll get to experience! And, oh, the editing of the camera swooshing about was very interesting, loved the sound effect for it too! Hey, you're the one who told me to geek out over this series in the comments.
Also, you were that thermometer for these artists too! I'd be watching your opinions and critiques before I even hit record! I'm not an artist, just a humble consumer/lover of the craft!
While it is a novel and not a webseries, i would be really interested to see you make a video on House of Leaves. I know several well known series have pulled from it (Everyman Hybrid especially so) and think it would be cool to see your thoughts on both the book itself and how it's been used for inspiration for a lot of horror web content
I would also love to see Nick make a video on House of Leaves. It's definitely one of my favorite books. I never would've found out about it if it weren't for Circa Survive.
As someone who plays video games instead of reading, I have a different name for the potato chip effect. “One More Quest” Syndrome. You’re playing a video game and need to log off. “One More Quest,” you tell yourself… And then you proceed to waste 4 hours you could’ve used sleeping,
I haven't slept in days, and this entire time I've been listening to NM videos in the background of my other things- your little monster cat voice is so soothing that it induces a trance-like state that negates any need for proper rest while allowing my fingers to continue typing away at the keyboard
I think the laughing mirror went on a bit too long. It was awesomely disturbing at first glance, but the longer it stretched on, the less scary it was, and the more unbelievable her reactions became.
Ayla Pants I know! That scene with the bathroom mirror would've worked if it didnt drag on for 40 seconds and if Mary were to react in a realistic way. I don't know about you but if I saw a manifestation of my low self esteem suddenly take form on my mirror my ass would be out of that room in 2 seconds flat LMAO
That's kind of the point of the monsters though, with each new episode, she acts less and less afraid of them. The Sleepwalker episode is a good example. She tries to find humor in her situation the same way someone playing a horror game would. But as she becomes desensitized, the hauntings escalate, and it becomes a cycle. She learns to live with her demons, in a way.
This. Redundantly showcasing that beautiful effect was a mistake. Remember Alan Tutorial? People still speculating on whether those spinning things in his cell were human legs or something else. The very fact that it's impossible to discern makes it all the more effective. Also while the mirror scene drags on at the certain point the masking on the mirror-monster layer gets offset a little, and you can see the original layer (Mary's reflection) coming through at its edges. A minor complaint really for an overall great effect, but enough to ruin the immersion. It would've been very easy to fix actually, so I think the creator just missed it somehow.
Grape Fruit, sure, but you can't really justify editing with the story. The problem is not that the scene itself is dragging, it's that the particular SHOT is dragging. A good example of how it could've been done is various scenes from The Shining like the one with axed twins or rotting lady. They are cleverly and harshly intercut with other shots from other scenes, giving the audience just enough time to make sense of what's happening. The pacing suddenly increases and naturally the tension rises. It's the opposite of what's happening here. And the funny thing is the mirror scene actually tries to do this exact thing! Albeit too late for it to have the desired 'punch'.
I respect that the laughter continued even after she left the room. The shot of her in bed trying to block out the sound was such a great choice. It seems to me that this type of "monster" reveal is run like a routine. (Bam! goes the lighting or sound, minor jump scare, plot clue revealed, and...monster politely fucks off once scene ends). This is great.
A Night Vision video is what introduced me to your channel and have been my favorite segments besides your main ones since then. I'm glad you have fun making them!
It's days like this where Nick tells us all about a new web series and I have the entire office to myself at work that I really treasure. Thank you for the recommendation, subscribing and watching right away.
This didn't really do it for me. I think Petscop is far more interesting and engaging. Although I appreciate the time and effort that was put into the making of the HIMM videos.
Petscop is genius. This is a good freshman effort. Got a lot of the basics down, but its been getting overblown and cheesy. Its got a few great moments, but some equally bad ones as well.
I just watched the whole HIMM videos, and I think it's amazing. I like how it flirts with red path ideas in that the black figure, the masked girl, and the one with the coth over her head all seem to represent aspects of Mary's psyche. The one with the cloth over her head says in the latest video that this is all Mary's fault and that she created them.. She says how pretty the masked girl is, much prettier than her, just after she said she won't show her face because she's shy. I wonder what do the other figures represent.
First off. Nick, this an amazing little series. Amazing to the point I am dying to reach out to Mary. I want her to know we're here! She isn't alone and is not as stuck as she thinks she is. I have three theories of what's going on and I hope 1 is true and the others are not. This really hit home as I have family that struggles with very similar (as in scary similar) thoughts and feelings. Possible spoilers ahead for anybody willing to discuss. Theory 1- (the one I hope is true) Mary is in a deep depression. Run down from the public's view of beauty and the standards put out by the world. She's not really trapped in the house but within her own mind. Haunted by the various ways she views herself. To the point were she even considers a "doll" mask more beautiful than herself. Another just a black void, possibly how she thinks people see her. As nothing, just a thing that's there. Then there is the figure with a body but the face is always covered. Feelings of being only considered good looking for her body and not who she is. The "shapeless" blob could be how she views herself in the world. Nothing special, nothing that anybody would take any real notice of. Just a shape in the world. Her only way out of her head would be to overcome her fears. To know she is not the monster she thinks she is. But she has blocked us out. She's afraid we'll hurt her further. She wants to know she's not alone but is afraid to find out what we'll say. Theory 2-Much like the first theory except her depression comes from being compared. To who? A twin sister maybe? I the glitched picture I only saw 2 young girls. (I could be wrong here) The thing wearing the mask that's considered "more beautiful" seems to be a representation of Mary. But looking closer, the hair in darker. This creature seems only be around to mock Mary. Showing of her superior features and pointing out Mary's flaws. Even when Mary tries to change her appearance, it makes no difference. The sister is still the beautiful one. The other creatures I believe still function as mentioned in theory 1. How she sees herself. Theory 3- (and dear god let me be wrong) Much like the first theory she suffered from depression. Only she isn't stuck in the house or even her own head. That part is over. She let the pressure of society get the better of her. She couldn't take it anymore! She couldn't live with the monster she saw in the mirror every day! So she ended it. She took her own life. But instead of being released from the harsh judgmental world, she's in her own personal hell. Now having to live (for the lack of a better term) with the embodiment of her personal demons. The thoughts she feared are now with her forever and there is no way out. She allowed the world to get to her. She shut herself out from it permanently and now she wants the world back but there is no way back. No matter what we do Mary is gone and will forever be at war with her personal demons. Please let it be theory 1 as it brings some hope to a happy ending. There is a chance that we may be able to help her. Let her know that the world is not as cruel as she thinks. She is not a monster! She is a person that can be and is accepted by society.
I saw this in my feed this morning, watched all the vids (after having a hard time searching for it), and now realizing that I've seen the size of Mary's channel grow by 3x over the course of this day. Awesome stuff Creatures of the Night!
Could it be possible that this is Mary's mind constructing some form of house? I think back to that Black Mirror episode were they explored a guys mind for a "game". Her mind would know what her parents house would look like and would explain why there is constantly food, its her mind resetting the house to the original position once something is changed. The brain theory also would shed some light on the "paranormal"aspects. Everyone has demons in their mind,in Mary's case it looks like self image is a big one, and they often hide in the back of our memory. Which could be reflective of the difference between day and night. My explanation might not be the best sorry!
I really wish the Marble Hornets guys hadn't left UA-cam for film. I feel like them doing that at UA-cam horror off on a bad path where most channels are just looking to get a break for the next stage in there career instead of creating a great web series.
They didn't leave for film. They left because they wanted to start a production company that did mainly comedy with some horror/sci-fi, and then they brought someone on board who broke 'em up.
They didn't leave to do film, they just allowed people to make a shitty movie about their property. They all stayed on youtube until the group broke up. Troy is still doing stuff slowly, it's just hard to make a webseries when you have a life and kid to take care of
Yes, Nick. A friend of mine introduced me this web-series a year ago, and I totally love it. Everything is just flawless, and pretty much addictive, the "one more" effect works really well. I wonder what do you think about the last two episodes.
I like videos like this. Don't listen to the haters they don't get in as deep as the rest of us. I'd rather you point me in the right direction on new projects instead of completely spoiling them. Stuff like marble hornets is "complete" and worthy of an explained but a new IP like this deserves a highlight.
Found the series awhile back. I was so happy to see it and honestly was surprised by how little attention it had. This'll definitely give HIMM the attention it needs
Are you going to do a full analysis? Those are my favourite kind of videos that you make, but most of what you've put out lately has been more about promoting content than analyzing it (which is great! But, I'm curious if you plan on doing a follow up where you fully analyze things?)
This video review kept me engaged every second. I'm excited to view this web series. Thank you for the recommendation NM. I look forward to seeing where this project is headed.
Unfortunately I can't agree with his Night Vision. It had some good ideas but I just can't get past the cheese factor. Especially her acting in more recent videos. A shame, because I always long for more female creators in this scene, but I just can't get into it.
I still like it, but her acting in the recent ones def broke the immersion a bit. I like her Twitter tho, & the little bits of comedy. They seem very natural for a teenager like her.
Nothing elicits the kind of pure, unadulterated joy like a happy Nick Nocturn does. I was smiling through the whole video just because your energy and excitement was simply infectious, Nick. I'm a wimp when it comes to this kind of things (overactive imagination + horror content / anxiety = nightmares), but I honestly think I'm going to give this a watch. Thanks for the rec, Nick
Compare this to something like alantutorial and that series did everything this does without the need for editing, subtitles, and cheesy "scares". This series could have been a lot better if everything had been WAAAY more subtle, cause my god subtly is really important in these kinds of web series. It's a really smart idea I just wish it was done better, it ruins the immersion too many times.
What do you mean by that? If the main character needed help urgently, then why the fuck would she spend all that time making subtitles and editing all these shots of herself. alantutorial did the same weird and unnerving mystery but in a way that actually had you feel like you were part of it. This feels like a scripted series, which is not what a web series should feel like. I really really don't understand how anyone can enjoy watching this, it feels so forced. The way she hardly reacts to anything at all is fucking stupid and doesn't make any sense, in reality she'd be losing her fucking mind.
I'm rewatching this, again. Your enthusiasm is so.... refreshing and cringe but a perfect Buddha balance of the two. I appreciate you and your works !!
Do you plan on doing a Hi I'm Mary Mary: Explained later on when there is more videos? Also I love the black cat character look you use it reminds me of my black cat, Inky.
How so? If you're talking about the night vision series, then that's really not an explain series, more or less a promotion series. Sure he doesn't do much explanation channels. But I would have to say that that's more because there are so many series out there that die out without any resolution. Or are still short and underway that doing a full-scoop analyses of a series would be speculation at best. Also let's face it. The golden age of long going arg's like Everyman Hybrid, Tribe Twelve and Marble Hornets has pretty much come to pass. You have your, Don't Hug Me I'm Scared or This House has People In It. But they tend to be pretty few and far between. There spirits still there, the effort is still there. I would have to respectfully disagree that it's over some sort of spiteful refusal. Would I like some more explain series. Definetly, but those do take time, and it doesn't solve anything by just rushing it through the door. Besides, he's not the only one who makes these speculation and explanation videos. I encourage to check out, Fredrik Knudson's Channel. He has a great series called, Down the Rabbit Hole, and is working on another series called the Grim Archives which goes into creatures of various myths and legends. Maybe even, Inside A Mind, though bare in mind that I haven't watched much of her stuff yet, but from what I am seeing so far. I'm liking it. Nick is a great content creator. Even though I don't always agree with some of his critiques and analysis. But he's one voice in a whole genre filled with people giving their own say on the matter and I think it's a better experience having more than one output. Ugh, sorry for the long comment. Hope you don't mind it.
I am only asking because I love the way Nick explains the event happening in the videos. I watched storytelling videos from Mr. Nightmare, Mr. Creepypasta, and Madame Macabre, but to me Nightmind is the best. My first video that I watched here was Tribetwelve: Explained and I ignored my boyfriend for two whole weekends just so I could watched the videos and understand them. My boyfriend has introduced me to different youtube channels and Nightmind is number one on my favorite channels list. I go check the Tribetwelve twitter every so often and now I am the one begging my boyfriend to sit down and watch the video that is posted lol. I am now subscribed to CATGHOST and Hiimmarymary and I love both of them so much.
excellent recommendation, nick. saw the concept and immediately sat down to marathon the series. definitely one of the most well-made and consistently punchy web-series i've seen in a while. definitely agree with you that the main concepts in play are not overly in your face, but are definitely apparent if you pay attention. very well-written.
There's a reason it went on longer than expected. It's essentially an upgraded version of a jump scare. Jump scares in almost all forms of horror media utilize the anxiety that's been built up inside the audience for a big shock, then they comfort you so that the anxiety builds up again and the process is repeated until the climax. In this case, though, it skips the comfort and build up part, and it worsens the anxiety, because you expect the scene to be over, but it's not, and that uncertainty makes it all the more creepier. It sticks with you and makes you think that anything really goes in the series if it doesn't use some of the more conventional tricks in the book when it comes to media like this.
Thank you so much for covering Hiimmarymary! It's one of the best series I watch (and I thank the r/NightMind Discord for recommending it!). Also, thank you for the links to the series in the description - so many reviewers skip this simple step and it really shows how much you want to support the series you are introducing. Wonderful introduction to a great series!
I absolutely loved marymary and i beleive it can go great places. Im extremely excited to see where it goes and would love to havemore discussions and stuff for future episodes.
![Hi I'm Mary Mary: Taking Back the Home [Series End]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/jMga3o8cRxE/mqdefault.jpg)
![Hi I'm Mary Mary: Taking Back the Home [Series End]](/img/tr.png)
This is completely unrelated to the content/discussion of HIMM here in the comments; I am addressing those with concerns about a different argument raised surrounding my content and approach for those were part of it:
1) No more in-fighting. Even though I did have problems with the accusation made about my work ethic and someone's complete inability to truly comprehend the purpose and mission of Night Vision and my approach with it, the issue lies between myself and the individuals who feel the way they expressed. *There will be no more ganging up on specific individuals in my defense. Leave them alone.*
2) Despite my absolute disagreement with the opinions expressed about my approach to Night Vision, I do understand why people feel this way. Everything I cover in-depth usually goes under a Case File or Cat's Eye header--the other "shows" I have on the channel. It has, admittedly, been way too long since I've made a Case File or an exhaustive Cat's Eye video. I can't count The Cry of Mann, because that's extremely fresh.
This is not for lack of interest. I've been so tied up in the insanity of this year--some truly great things, some truly horrible, all of them stressful in one way or another--and getting to Case Files or exhaustive, in-depth dives has been very difficult. Not to mention that creating a Case File type of video requires much more time than most videos, and as a Patreon-supported creator doing this full-time, now, I feel a constant responsibility to get content to you guys in a timely fashion as often as possible, serve creators, and fulfill the promises of my mission statement.
It's been a bad year for balance. I'll admit that and agree entirely. There hasn't been true, exhaustive dives of online material in early Night Mind fashion since my Cabin Fever Dreams videos.
*This is going to be corrected. I've already been looking this month for my next Case File.* If it doesn't happen this month, then we kick off 2018 with something exhaustive.
So, I'm sorry I haven't been the full, well-rounded Nick that you guys as a total audience expect of me. I understand why you feel this way, and I'm looking to get back to form on it immediately. I miss being the overly-analytical internet detective digging up digital corpses, too. It's time to go back to the cemetery.
Thank you, everyone.
Nick, you make excellent content. I'm willing to be patient for it.
I love your content, Nick. But I am sorry that you are surrounded by a lot of classless people who have the nerve to act like they know how you think and feel. It's extraordinarily unfair on you.
I'll always be excited to see anything you post
love ya Nick
Honestly the very fact that nick has to go out of his way to tell people to stop viciously attacking a person for posting some criticism on a youtube video is just absolutely fucking sad. Y'all should seriously take a time out in a corner and rethink just where all of your lives went wrong.
At first I thought the mirror was cheesy and dragged a bit but it's the fact it kept going through the night, that's what got me
JKPancake yeah that's freaky
Yeah, adding the clip where it just keeps going through the night really sells it for me, and nicks interpretation of the monster laughing at her adds another nice level to it
Something special this series does is show the monster for an extended period of time, instead of glitchy flashes. It really doesn't ruin the effect, it makes the effects look better and feels more effectively scary.
That was my thought exactly i kept feeling like i wanted the jump scare to be over and the monster to go off screen as media has accustomed me too and the longer that expectation was defied the more Erie and unsettling the whole scene became.
@@DeagleGamesTV Eerie*
@@yt_wildash7651 Get fucked.
not gonna lie, that mirror scare was the most effective mirror scare I’ve ever seen. I have a legit fear of certain mirrors because that’s exactly the kind of thing i’m afraid of seeing, and the fact that it lasted so long made it so much more than the usual jump scare.
Murphy Leigh Same, I 100% relate
i would have loved it if the laughter would have been louder and unedited, i mean it wants to give off a "live" vibe but for me i didn't work because of the edited laugh.
Right? Mary’s feelings on her looks are very relatable and it really made the mirror scare really creepy. It makes it feel more like she’s loosing her mind.
Murphy Leigh I seen worst Mirror effects but this one was ok
im thinking of making my own arg someday and it's inspired by that fucking mirror
Nightmind is the epitome of the potato chip effect
Bob Preston The what?
Eradical and another
and another
and another
and another
That kind of mirror effect is usually so short and jump scare-like, the amount of time this one dragged out for made it so much more effective. This looks like the webseries equivalent of a horror game with a day/night cycle and I'm all for it
This series was inspired by P.T
The shot of her in the bed while this laughing was still going on is legitemately terrifying!
I dunno, the longer you get to see the effect and hear the laughter, the more comical and ineffectual it becomes. It doesn't matter if it's justified in story somehow if the effect is still something mood shattering (dumb or funny instead of terrifying)
If you check out Mary's Twitter, you'll find that it's a real thing she deals with every few nights, too--the mirror monster appears in different reflective surfaces and cackles for hours.
I love the implication of it sticking around and laughing for a while - possibly hours. Even if the effect gets a little... easy to poke holes in after a while, I like what she's going for and it's waaaaaay better than a peekaboo jumpscare.
Normally I find it annoying and cowardly to disable comments on UA-cam videos but on Mary's channel it further implements the idea that she can communicate to us but we can't communicate to her it's brilliant. And thanks night mind for introducing us to another promising web series.
Maybe they are being harassed. "Cowardly"?? Stfµ!!
It sounds like some kind of purgatory. The way she sees herself and kinds of monsters she stumbles across gives depression and low self-esteem issues. The House is a metaphor of her life, her mind she cannot escape, all the bad things she is fighting with. I wish it wasn't so late here, I'd watch all of it
[spoilers] Yeah I picked up on those sorts of themes as well; the fact that she becomes increasingly extroverted as things progress really drives this home. I also think there's a chance the different entities that confront her represent some member of her family (the cloaked figure berating her for "existing" in particular gives me regretful motherhood vibes), but time will tell if that's developed on, or if they really are just manifestations of her innermost flaws as a person.
Would also like to imagine the garden segment wasn't just in her head. The aftermath of her being sent straight back to the house, and then reminiscing about how lovely it was, is such an emotional gut punch for me personally.
Seems like a pocket dimension
Why is this symbolic of Depression/Anxiety? Feeling like you're trapped in your own home, hating your own image, personal demons, not knowing who you actually were before it struck, insomnia at night/sleeping during the day, feeling like you're isolated/all alone, not feeling like it will get better, not starving (but everything is repetitive), etc. Just a thought, but as someone WITH those things, this hit me HARD. Or maybe I'm just projecting and looking for symbolism that isn't there like an over-enthusiastic English teacher :P
I love this interpretation alot actually
Yeah I'm pretty sure it's about self hate and the depression that comes with it. It's spelled out pretty hard with the constant "I'm so stupid", "How could I let this happen", the entity frequently calls her a coward, stupid, etc. The house is her mind. The entities are a personification of that voice of doubt in your mind that tells you that you aren't good enough, you aren't beautiful enough, etc. This is the reason why when she makes it outside of the house briefly, she comments that its "so beautiful and quiet", because she's momentarily free of the constant criticism from her inner self.
I think the day/night thing is a metaphor for how, during the day, we have responsibilities that can help take our minds off of our constant self criticism (although never completely gone as shown). At night though, especially when going to sleep, you have all the time in the world to focus solely on your faults; this is when its normally at its worst.
The laughing mirror girl is how she thinks other people see her; she imagines that they're all perfect and all laughing at her for being imperfect. It was never meant to be purely scary and people who think that are totally missing the point. If you have this sort of self esteem problem, you imagine that every laugh in a room is about you. That's why its so drawn out, because obviously if you're at a casual place, a lot of people are laughing all the time and thus the "ridicule" can seem unending. The length also illustrates how much a simple tease directed towards a low self esteem person might be blown up and viewed as scathing criticism that they mull over for a long period of time.
I think the last episode where she asks it questions spells it out pretty thick as well. "You made us, and you deserve what's happening". People with bad self esteem normally recognize at least on some level that how they see themselves is not reality, but at the same time they also feel like they "deserve" to feel this way and thus do not try to avoid negative thoughts. They welcome them as the punishment they deserve for either something wrong they feel they've done in life, or simply because they are imperfect (see the madness yet?). This is why when the entity catches her, instead of harming her, it simply insults her and lets her run away. Mary herself doesn't actually want this to end because she's addicted to these thoughts. This is also why she can't contact anyone; people like this reject any notion from others that they are anything other than what they see themselves as: worthless.
Trapped in a house is simply a metaphor for being trapped in your own mind by negative thoughts. Anyone that's experienced this can very easily relate to and understand the themes in this series.
This Interpretation is very accurate actually!
I have depression on and off and a touch of anxiety too so if you're projecting so am I, but I did have the same thought while watching it. I think she can see the comments and Tweets now because symbolically, she's realized she's not alone and there are people who love and care about her.
Pretty sure you nailed it!
so this is an allegory for life as a shut-in with low self-esteem
I think so too...
Yeah, my first thought was “the House is her depression”.
Yeah, I was thinking that too.
But Isn't there a more specific word for when you hate how you look? And the reason she doesn't want to go outside/is "trapped" in the house is because she hates how she looks and doesn't want other people to see her. But then what the hell is the loss of identity/memory about? Is it supposed to be that she hates herself so much that she forgot who she was?
And to that other dude, I would characterize depression as a monster that drains your life, but that never really shows itself. I don't think this is depression.
The concept of being trapped is more accurate to anxiety than depression. But paired with the memory loss, maybe she feels trapped by her amnesia?
That actually makes way too much sense.
I absolutely cannot BELIEVE she managed to do that mirror effect and not only walk in front of it, but have her HAIR PASS IN FRONT OF THE MIRROR AND HAVE THE EFFECT LINE UP FLAWLESSLY. Hair is the one thing that I was thinking would be completely impossible to have pass in front of it, but by some sort of black magic, she managed to do it. It’s that sort of thing that unknowingly grounds the effect in the world.
Night Mind is the gift that keeps on giving.
Yes.
Herpes?
flurpies.
Three videos within a few weeks? This is a Christmas miracle.
I know right! :)
Every time Nick talks about a “gold star” series, I keep wondering which ones gonna be his.
And so far, with how he’s explaining it, this is as close as Catghost in terms of his praise.
colorfiction Same here. No clue which it is.
I'm pretty sure he's going to be extremely careful to not give any clues as to which baby is his. He's made quite clear that he will cover his tracks, and he damn well knows how to do that.
I'm betting on 2:32, just seems to be the kind of thing Nick loves.
I mean, his very first Night Vision was on a Jack Torrence where he told about how important it is for these kind of "collection of weird clip" series to have an underlying plot... Which he made sure to praise 2:32 for having.
I don't know, it seems to me like this is his jam.
Also I doubt Nick would give himself a gold star, would be too on the nose and quite frankly he's a very humble guy.
Yeah, I knew none of the gold stars would be his due to his lack of an ego, at least not a huge one. 2:32 is my top guess too.
Hey i dunderstand your concern, but this is a night vision video, not an explanation. Night vision mostly just gives exposure to the series, and if it were explained he would be thorough and make sure you know whats going on
It’s so cool seeing my name as a Patreon supporter at the end. I even paused and screenshot where I appear as a nocturnal creature
Alright, good, I'm not the only one doing that...
"First name" "'Mary" "last name" "Mary" "You're name" Luigi" "last name" "mary" see it's Mary mary and Luigi Mary.
Dang it, you nabbed the joke I was going to make, good going!
*your
I got that reference
And I'm Mario Mario, full name Mario Jumpman Mario.
And Mario Mario
I don't know why i watch you. I hate horror. I've never watched a full horror movie. The scariest game i've played is Dead by Daylight. But I watch you. and I bingewatched this series. I love it. I'm also now afraid of my dog.
tdmcnally why your dog? What did it do?
Multi FemScouts it spooked me
tdmcnally while you were watching?
Multi FemScouts I walked up stairs and he popped out from behind a corner
tdmcnally o. Ok
Nightyboy can't even do his scary voice, he's so happy. Love to see a UA-camr, or anybody really, get real passionate about their media of choice.
The mirror thing reminds me of modern Yokai stories.
You usually see that kinda stuff inspired by Japanese folklore and horror tropes.
P.T/Silent Hills (Rest in peace) kinda did this with the character's wife, or the ghost I guess.
The unnatural twitching combined with the glitchiness of the order of said twitching.
It's one of my favourite effects, probably because it's very reminiscent of Stop Motion animation. Which reaches uncanny valley levels of creepy.
Damn, every time I'm reminded of P.T. I get sad. Still have yet to be as captivated by a playing experience. Maybe it's better this way....maybe the actual game wouldn't have lived up to the hype of its teaser. But boy, what a tease it was.
That shadow creature made me think of the rake the way is crawled onto her bed like that
oh hey!!! yeah it does!!!
Yeah, but plenty of horror movies have done similar things. It's really trope at this point. Still, I have nothing against tropes if they are done right.
honestly, whenever you offer a series to watch, i typically dont watch them. i'm not big on possible jumpscares and while i enjoy creepy stuff, im too much of a baby to get creeped often. but im going to watch this, primarily because hiimmarymary has that part with the mirror. i have issues with my body image, and there being a series where the character in that does have that same feeling it just, makes me want to watch it. im super pumped to binge this now.
HaddiEtana This series seems to deal a lot with self image problems and people who suffer from it will relate a lot with Mary (i did) think outside the box and see beyond whats being presented. These "monsters",the house,her memory loss,everything that happens to her and the way it happens, nothing is what it seems.
How was it?
I'm not sure if you noticed, but in the first video, some of the text disappears for a tiny bit. When she says, "I don't know who I am, or how I got here." The words, "Who am I?" flash in that order.
Holy shit, I think this is the first time I've watched the series before Nightmind did a video on it.
Same here, I've been following the twitter too trying to track it.
In the video "goodnight?" the song she's playing on the piano in the beginning is "Runs in the family" by Amanda Palmer and it ties in so well to the series
HOLY SHIT NICK YOU HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA HOW HAPPY I AM THAT YOU ARE COVERING HIMM. LEGITIMATELY HAPPY AS FUCK OH GOD.
The creator has a Tumblr, it's an ooc bts type thing and it is so worth it to follow. She's in school for video production and is using techniques she's learning in class. It's fucking amazing and we love her so much. ❤❤❤
Nice, can I get a link?
Same here. Need that link!
It took me a hot minute of digging, but here it is. It’s whyhellomynameismary.tumblr.com/
Gwendywook Plays I
Thanks so much for mentioning this! I love that it's a student practicing techniques, because you can definitely see, through the videos, how much mastery of the medium she's gaining every video. Great, great stuff.
The best part of this series, other than how well it was done, was that it had a clear ending that didn't leave you guessing.
I still haven't finished watching the last two Night Mind videos yet!! They're so long! (I mean that in a good way)
JedDraws p
When is long not good?
Same my friend, imma watch them after this
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Louis Gregoire When its a dolphin
I really love these webseries videos. Need to just go through all of these again.
That mirror effect is so good, holy crap. Right in the uncanny valley.
We need more web series like this. I get so bored with the series that are just abstract videos. Some of us have kids and jobs and donr have time to decode every frame (no shade against you who do have the time) just nice to put on something that I can take at face value.
Okay, I have only ever edited audio seriously. In terms of video editing, the most I've ever done is throw an image on-screen to censor another (for school) for a few seconds. That shadow person effect had me absolutely stunned. Like, I have a couple ideas as well, such as a green screen suit to cut out all of the color, but that still stuns me. Even before Nick pointed out it's incredible nature, I felt it. I'm definitely checking this series out
Thanks to someone recommending it on the subreddit, I actually knew about this one before Nick did! I saw the title, and I was all "It's about time!" I couldn't agree more. Hi I'm Mary is amazing.
It's gotta be said, it's a stellar series so far... really looking forward to seeing what else the creator has in store for us. Thanks for reminding me to actually watch this gem of a series catdad :D
I'm about to go watch your more recent video on this series. I adore this series. I am hugely passionate about psychology, and I feel this series is one of the best representations of it imaginable. Just an interpretation, but it seems to take an approach to psychology and mental health that is so rarely pulled off, and never as well as this, as far as I know. The monsters seems to be various manifestations of Mary's internal struggles, which not only offers some much-needed representation of mental illness, and the distress it causes, but gives Mary herself a much deeper character development beyond the all-too-common "one-dimensional protagonist randomly thrust into a spooky scenario" approach that has been done to death and is, in my opinion, lazy writing. Like you said, Nick, you immediately empathize with Mary, and that empathy only builds as it goes on, you encounter the different creatures, and learn more about the struggles Mary faces both internally, and now externally being in this house. With the two creatures covered here, the faceless woman, the garden... I could not have hoped for a better representation of mental illness, and how nearly-impossible it is to escape it. The house symbolizes Mary's mind - an inescapable place filled with monsters whose torment she has no control over, and her only escape is the garden. Escapism. But while she's there, it angers the monsters, representing the fact that running from the hyperbolic monsters in your kind won't make them go away, and they could very well come back with a vengence once you're forced back into the dark recesses of your mind.
Sorry to write a novel. I just adore the undertones of mental health and the manifestation of that struggle in this story. Absolutely incredible writing, editing and cinematography.
Just wanted to leave a comment and say that I really respect what you do with Night Vision and your channel as a whole.
Even though I didn't have strong opinions on hiimmarymary, I'm still glad that you allowed the channel some exposure. Everyone's bummed out over how UA-cam's environment has slowly turned into a TV program with little encouragement for lesser known channels. Hell the entirety of media has resulted in discouraging creativity through formulas nowadays. For someone like you to have gained traction and to gather such a large fanbase and direct them towards inventive channels with less than 10,000 views is like a miracle. Even if the response for the channel you featured isn't that great, at least these lesser known channels can have more viewers to give them feedback. Maybe they'll hone their craft and work on even greater projects that the majority can enjoy. I'm glad that a channel that can successfully promote art and creativity exists for younger content creators out there.
I found HIMM after reignbot covered it in a spooky UA-cam list, the editing was so interesting and yet familiar I felt compelled to check it out, and I agree it's worth the watch. I'm still filled with questions and nothing makes sense, yet there are rules! It feels so nice to see a series be a mystery without ignoring it's own continuity.
Everyone loves to joke "this or that is my sleep paralysis demon", but that bed shadow monster is genuinely the sleep paralysis demon I've had since childhood
I am obsessed with himm. You were right, this webseries is amazing and beautifully orchestrated. I haven't been really hooked on one since TribeTwelve, and now I have a true reason to keep up with one. Thank you sooo much.
I got a notification for this video right after I suggested that my friend should watch this
Thats spoopy my dood
Was there hyper-realistic blood?
I'm reminded of a quote from the game Max Payne.
"Nothing is a cliche when it's happening to you."
I can't read the title without hearing Mr. Moseby say, "Do you want Aaaam or FMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM?!"
Okay, now to buckle up and press play.
i binged himm in one day. it was scary and heartbreaking. as someone who deals with depression this show made me feel so connected to mary and her struggles.
I think I'm just gonna read the Twitter posts. I got paranoid enough from this video alone. One thing I want to comment on is the fact that she soon becomes nocturnal. That makes a lot of sense, and it seems like more characters in series like these should do that.
I loved those 11 videos so much that I'm definitely going to be drawing fanart for it.
I made the mistake of being in my bed in the dark around 2:00 AM while seeing the scene with that shadow thing
its 2 AM here when i read that comment, spooky
A part of me wants to hear you break down horror games like this, I could probably listen to you break down the most mundane content honestly.
I have been waiting so long for a video like this. Also I loved this video but can you leave your praise to the end? We know it's amazing
Wow. I struggle with some body image issues, and scene with the mirror and the photograph reaaaallly resonated with me. It wouldn't shock me if the young lady behind these videos has personal experience with those feelings too. Like, holy shit man.
can you do a bit more coverage on these series? I understand why you want me to go watch the series, but I really prefer to watch the series with you, so to speak
I'm going back through a whole bunch of NM's videos not really because of the plot or theories, but because his voice is eargasm-inducing.
hiimarymary is such a good series, everyone over in the r/NightMind discord freaked when they found out that was what this video was about! Such an amazingly well-done series, the editing is original and damn near perfect. Let's not forget the subtle bits of comedy! "Is this a fucking fork?!" XD I legit laughed out loud at that because it eased a bit of the tension I was experiencing from binging all the videos. With her new GoPro, I can't wait to see what more we'll get to experience! And, oh, the editing of the camera swooshing about was very interesting, loved the sound effect for it too!
Hey, you're the one who told me to geek out over this series in the comments.
Also, you were that thermometer for these artists too! I'd be watching your opinions and critiques before I even hit record! I'm not an artist, just a humble consumer/lover of the craft!
While it is a novel and not a webseries, i would be really interested to see you make a video on House of Leaves. I know several well known series have pulled from it (Everyman Hybrid especially so) and think it would be cool to see your thoughts on both the book itself and how it's been used for inspiration for a lot of horror web content
Crowleys Angels It's my favorite novel. What are your thoughts on his latest work, The Familiar?
I would also love to see Nick make a video on House of Leaves. It's definitely one of my favorite books. I never would've found out about it if it weren't for Circa Survive.
circa off juturna meet me in montauk has an extra track called house of Leaves. It's really good, definitely check it out
The writing of this series is marvelous and plain simple genius. I’m very inspired
As someone who plays video games instead of reading, I have a different name for the potato chip effect.
“One More Quest” Syndrome.
You’re playing a video game and need to log off. “One More Quest,” you tell yourself…
And then you proceed to waste 4 hours you could’ve used sleeping,
I haven't slept in days, and this entire time I've been listening to NM videos in the background of my other things- your little monster cat voice is so soothing that it induces a trance-like state that negates any need for proper rest while allowing my fingers to continue typing away at the keyboard
I think the laughing mirror went on a bit too long. It was awesomely disturbing at first glance, but the longer it stretched on, the less scary it was, and the more unbelievable her reactions became.
Ayla Pants I know! That scene with the bathroom mirror would've worked if it didnt drag on for 40 seconds and if Mary were to react in a realistic way. I don't know about you but if I saw a manifestation of my low self esteem suddenly take form on my mirror my ass would be out of that room in 2 seconds flat LMAO
That's kind of the point of the monsters though, with each new episode, she acts less and less afraid of them. The Sleepwalker episode is a good example. She tries to find humor in her situation the same way someone playing a horror game would. But as she becomes desensitized, the hauntings escalate, and it becomes a cycle. She learns to live with her demons, in a way.
This. Redundantly showcasing that beautiful effect was a mistake. Remember Alan Tutorial? People still speculating on whether those spinning things in his cell were human legs or something else. The very fact that it's impossible to discern makes it all the more effective.
Also while the mirror scene drags on at the certain point the masking on the mirror-monster layer gets offset a little, and you can see the original layer (Mary's reflection) coming through at its edges. A minor complaint really for an overall great effect, but enough to ruin the immersion. It would've been very easy to fix actually, so I think the creator just missed it somehow.
it dragging on is the point. that monster is there all night long and it never stops screaming
Grape Fruit, sure, but you can't really justify editing with the story. The problem is not that the scene itself is dragging, it's that the particular SHOT is dragging.
A good example of how it could've been done is various scenes from The Shining like the one with axed twins or rotting lady. They are cleverly and harshly intercut with other shots from other scenes, giving the audience just enough time to make sense of what's happening. The pacing suddenly increases and naturally the tension rises. It's the opposite of what's happening here.
And the funny thing is the mirror scene actually tries to do this exact thing! Albeit too late for it to have the desired 'punch'.
I respect that the laughter continued even after she left the room. The shot of her in bed trying to block out the sound was such a great choice. It seems to me that this type of "monster" reveal is run like a routine. (Bam! goes the lighting or sound, minor jump scare, plot clue revealed, and...monster politely fucks off once scene ends). This is great.
It's so nice to see a webseries doing this stuff! Definitely going to be keeping my eyes on this one in the future for sure!
I love you night mind for bringing these amazing artist to the center stage. Giving them a spotlight a a good way
This hits different in quarantine lol
A Night Vision video is what introduced me to your channel and have been my favorite segments besides your main ones since then. I'm glad you have fun making them!
it looks like the effect in goodnight had someone in a full green bodysuit and then they chroma keyed it
That's what I thought too. You can see the blur which usually appears in a chroma key
After you recommend watching the entire series I did and I agree. Well made excellent content! I loved it 🖤💜
I thought this was referring to Mary Mary from the anime ghost stories, I was excited for more of her adventures to the cigarette store
It's days like this where Nick tells us all about a new web series and I have the entire office to myself at work that I really treasure. Thank you for the recommendation, subscribing and watching right away.
This didn't really do it for me. I think Petscop is far more interesting and engaging. Although I appreciate the time and effort that was put into the making of the HIMM videos.
ThatLonelyGoat Petscop is a damn lets play.... not scary
Nicholas Gurrs Well that's like your opinion man
Nicholas Gurrs petscop isn’t scary but it’s incredibly captivating, I don’t really think petscop is something that’s supposed to scare you tbh
Petscop is more depressing and eerie than blatantly scary like many things NM normally covers.
Petscop is genius. This is a good freshman effort. Got a lot of the basics down, but its been getting overblown and cheesy. Its got a few great moments, but some equally bad ones as well.
I just watched the whole HIMM videos, and I think it's amazing.
I like how it flirts with red path ideas in that the black figure, the masked girl, and the one with the coth over her head all seem to represent aspects of Mary's psyche. The one with the cloth over her head says in the latest video that this is all Mary's fault and that she created them.. She says how pretty the masked girl is, much prettier than her, just after she said she won't show her face because she's shy. I wonder what do the other figures represent.
these uploads are off the charts daddy nightmind, cant wait for whats over the horizon.
Theres always that sense of validation seeing you cover something ive been interested in for a while, HIMM has ABSOLUTELY ENTHRALLED ME!!!
First off. Nick, this an amazing little series. Amazing to the point I am dying to reach out to Mary. I want her to know we're here! She isn't alone and is not as stuck as she thinks she is. I have three theories of what's going on and I hope 1 is true and the others are not. This really hit home as I have family that struggles with very similar (as in scary similar) thoughts and feelings. Possible spoilers ahead for anybody willing to discuss.
Theory 1- (the one I hope is true) Mary is in a deep depression. Run down from the public's view of beauty and the standards put out by the world. She's not really trapped in the house but within her own mind. Haunted by the various ways she views herself. To the point were she even considers a "doll" mask more beautiful than herself. Another just a black void, possibly how she thinks people see her. As nothing, just a thing that's there. Then there is the figure with a body but the face is always covered. Feelings of being only considered good looking for her body and not who she is. The "shapeless" blob could be how she views herself in the world. Nothing special, nothing that anybody would take any real notice of. Just a shape in the world. Her only way out of her head would be to overcome her fears. To know she is not the monster she thinks she is. But she has blocked us out. She's afraid we'll hurt her further. She wants to know she's not alone but is afraid to find out what we'll say.
Theory 2-Much like the first theory except her depression comes from being compared. To who? A twin sister maybe? I the glitched picture I only saw 2 young girls. (I could be wrong here) The thing wearing the mask that's considered "more beautiful" seems to be a representation of Mary. But looking closer, the hair in darker. This creature seems only be around to mock Mary. Showing of her superior features and pointing out Mary's flaws. Even when Mary tries to change her appearance, it makes no difference. The sister is still the beautiful one. The other creatures I believe still function as mentioned in theory 1. How she sees herself.
Theory 3- (and dear god let me be wrong) Much like the first theory she suffered from depression. Only she isn't stuck in the house or even her own head. That part is over. She let the pressure of society get the better of her. She couldn't take it anymore! She couldn't live with the monster she saw in the mirror every day! So she ended it. She took her own life. But instead of being released from the harsh judgmental world, she's in her own personal hell. Now having to live (for the lack of a better term) with the embodiment of her personal demons. The thoughts she feared are now with her forever and there is no way out. She allowed the world to get to her. She shut herself out from it permanently and now she wants the world back but there is no way back. No matter what we do Mary is gone and will forever be at war with her personal demons.
Please let it be theory 1 as it brings some hope to a happy ending. There is a chance that we may be able to help her. Let her know that the world is not as cruel as she thinks. She is not a monster! She is a person that can be and is accepted by society.
I saw this in my feed this morning, watched all the vids (after having a hard time searching for it), and now realizing that I've seen the size of Mary's channel grow by 3x over the course of this day. Awesome stuff Creatures of the Night!
Could it be possible that this is Mary's mind constructing some form of house? I think back to that Black Mirror episode were they explored a guys mind for a "game". Her mind would know what her parents house would look like and would explain why there is constantly food, its her mind resetting the house to the original position once something is changed. The brain theory also would shed some light on the "paranormal"aspects. Everyone has demons in their mind,in Mary's case it looks like self image is a big one, and they often hide in the back of our memory. Which could be reflective of the difference between day and night. My explanation might not be the best sorry!
Watch film theory. He explained it
Thanks for doing a piece on this series. I've watched HIMM up to the current episode and can't wait for more.
HOW DID I GET HERE SO EARLY. I JUST RANDOMLY CLICKED UA-cam ON ACCIDENT. Rip class work
r/oopsdidntmeanto?
Was having a shitty night but now I get to hear Nick's voice and holy crap does it bring my mood up.
I really wish the Marble Hornets guys hadn't left UA-cam for film. I feel like them doing that at UA-cam horror off on a bad path where most channels are just looking to get a break for the next stage in there career instead of creating a great web series.
They didn't leave for film. They left because they wanted to start a production company that did mainly comedy with some horror/sci-fi, and then they brought someone on board who broke 'em up.
Kyle, I have no idea what you think happened to THAC; they continued to use UA-cam until they broke up, and Troy continues to use it for ECKVA.
Troy is still going. search eckvanet, and also "grampo co"
They didn't leave to do film, they just allowed people to make a shitty movie about their property. They all stayed on youtube until the group broke up. Troy is still doing stuff slowly, it's just hard to make a webseries when you have a life and kid to take care of
Troy is still running THAC but Joseph and Tim left.
not only is it a gift getting videos from you but it's a gift you showing us treasures like this
Yes, Nick. A friend of mine introduced me this web-series a year ago, and I totally love it. Everything is just flawless, and pretty much addictive, the "one more" effect works really well.
I wonder what do you think about the last two episodes.
Oh man thank you Night Mind for showing and introducing us to this series. It clearly deserves more attention--and it looks fking amazing!
I like videos like this. Don't listen to the haters they don't get in as deep as the rest of us. I'd rather you point me in the right direction on new projects instead of completely spoiling them. Stuff like marble hornets is "complete" and worthy of an explained but a new IP like this deserves a highlight.
Found the series awhile back. I was so happy to see it and honestly was surprised by how little attention it had. This'll definitely give HIMM the attention it needs
Are you going to do a full analysis? Those are my favourite kind of videos that you make, but most of what you've put out lately has been more about promoting content than analyzing it (which is great! But, I'm curious if you plan on doing a follow up where you fully analyze things?)
This video review kept me engaged every second. I'm excited to view this web series. Thank you for the recommendation NM. I look forward to seeing where this project is headed.
Unfortunately I can't agree with his Night Vision. It had some good ideas but I just can't get past the cheese factor. Especially her acting in more recent videos.
A shame, because I always long for more female creators in this scene, but I just can't get into it.
nefariousgrey I dunno, it's no less cheesy than Everyman Hybrid.
Confession: wasn't the biggest fan of EveryMan Hybrid either, lol. Maybe this style of youtube horror just isn't for me.
I still like it, but her acting in the recent ones def broke the immersion a bit. I like her Twitter tho, & the little bits of comedy. They seem very natural for a teenager like her.
Thank you so much for covering this! I've wanted someone to cover the series in depth for a while now so I am very thankful!
"You see, it's not hokey and bad because-"
I love the way you talk when you're excited about something! It makes your excitement contagious!! See y'all later, going to watch HIMM 😄
"the potato chip effect" i swear am i the only one to think of that one scene from that one anime. ya know.... ;3
I'll take a potato chip, AND EAT IT
Nothing elicits the kind of pure, unadulterated joy like a happy Nick Nocturn does. I was smiling through the whole video just because your energy and excitement was simply infectious, Nick.
I'm a wimp when it comes to this kind of things (overactive imagination + horror content / anxiety = nightmares), but I honestly think I'm going to give this a watch. Thanks for the rec, Nick
Compare this to something like alantutorial and that series did everything this does without the need for editing, subtitles, and cheesy "scares". This series could have been a lot better if everything had been WAAAY more subtle, cause my god subtly is really important in these kinds of web series. It's a really smart idea I just wish it was done better, it ruins the immersion too many times.
Why would someone that needs help do subtle things though
I mean you would be yelling that you need help right
What do you mean by that? If the main character needed help urgently, then why the fuck would she spend all that time making subtitles and editing all these shots of herself. alantutorial did the same weird and unnerving mystery but in a way that actually had you feel like you were part of it. This feels like a scripted series, which is not what a web series should feel like. I really really don't understand how anyone can enjoy watching this, it feels so forced. The way she hardly reacts to anything at all is fucking stupid and doesn't make any sense, in reality she'd be losing her fucking mind.
I'm rewatching this, again. Your enthusiasm is so.... refreshing and cringe but a perfect Buddha balance of the two. I appreciate you and your works !!
Do you plan on doing a Hi I'm Mary Mary: Explained later on when there is more videos? Also I love the black cat character look you use it reminds me of my black cat, Inky.
katelyn pillar Keep waiting. Nick apparently refuses to explain anything anymore.
How so? If you're talking about the night vision series, then that's really not an explain series, more or less a promotion series. Sure he doesn't do much explanation channels. But I would have to say that that's more because there are so many series out there that die out without any resolution. Or are still short and underway that doing a full-scoop analyses of a series would be speculation at best.
Also let's face it. The golden age of long going arg's like Everyman Hybrid, Tribe Twelve and Marble Hornets has pretty much come to pass. You have your, Don't Hug Me I'm Scared or This House has People In It. But they tend to be pretty few and far between. There spirits still there, the effort is still there. I would have to respectfully disagree that it's over some sort of spiteful refusal.
Would I like some more explain series. Definetly, but those do take time, and it doesn't solve anything by just rushing it through the door. Besides, he's not the only one who makes these speculation and explanation videos. I encourage to check out, Fredrik Knudson's Channel. He has a great series called, Down the Rabbit Hole, and is working on another series called the Grim Archives which goes into creatures of various myths and legends. Maybe even, Inside A Mind, though bare in mind that I haven't watched much of her stuff yet, but from what I am seeing so far. I'm liking it.
Nick is a great content creator. Even though I don't always agree with some of his critiques and analysis. But he's one voice in a whole genre filled with people giving their own say on the matter and I think it's a better experience having more than one output. Ugh, sorry for the long comment. Hope you don't mind it.
I am only asking because I love the way Nick explains the event happening in the videos. I watched storytelling videos from Mr. Nightmare, Mr. Creepypasta, and Madame Macabre, but to me Nightmind is the best. My first video that I watched here was Tribetwelve: Explained and I ignored my boyfriend for two whole weekends just so I could watched the videos and understand them. My boyfriend has introduced me to different youtube channels and Nightmind is number one on my favorite channels list. I go check the Tribetwelve twitter every so often and now I am the one begging my boyfriend to sit down and watch the video that is posted lol. I am now subscribed to CATGHOST and Hiimmarymary and I love both of them so much.
That mirror affect is incredibly simple. I don’t see why you’re giving it such high praise.
Man that part with the mask was dumb. Just made me laugh. The shadow monster thing was pretty cool though.
excellent recommendation, nick. saw the concept and immediately sat down to marathon the series. definitely one of the most well-made and consistently punchy web-series i've seen in a while. definitely agree with you that the main concepts in play are not overly in your face, but are definitely apparent if you pay attention. very well-written.
That mirror scene when on for way way too long, pulled me right out of the story.
Yeah, i was thinking the same thing. It should have been one frame long without Mary noticing it.
No scratch that, she should have freaked out at the sight of the mirror, the audience unable to see what Mary sees. That would be better.
There's a reason it went on longer than expected. It's essentially an upgraded version of a jump scare. Jump scares in almost all forms of horror media utilize the anxiety that's been built up inside the audience for a big shock, then they comfort you so that the anxiety builds up again and the process is repeated until the climax. In this case, though, it skips the comfort and build up part, and it worsens the anxiety, because you expect the scene to be over, but it's not, and that uncertainty makes it all the more creepier. It sticks with you and makes you think that anything really goes in the series if it doesn't use some of the more conventional tricks in the book when it comes to media like this.
blehh blehh ...or they just let it go on too long
Or that too, I guess. Eh, depends on anybody's perspective, really.
Thank you so much for covering Hiimmarymary! It's one of the best series I watch (and I thank the r/NightMind Discord for recommending it!). Also, thank you for the links to the series in the description - so many reviewers skip this simple step and it really shows how much you want to support the series you are introducing. Wonderful introduction to a great series!
14:01 Absolutely effing not.
I absolutely loved marymary and i beleive it can go great places. Im extremely excited to see where it goes and would love to havemore discussions and stuff for future episodes.