Marble Hornets review: Episode 12 to 26 season 1 conclusion

!!!!!Warning: Mild Season 1 Spoilers!!!!!

Concluding season 1, Marble Hornets has almost reinvented itself during the second half of its debut. Our protagonist and Youtube uploader Jay is embroiled into the actions of the enigmatic Operator more frequently, leading to plenty of twists and scares to go along the way. As far as being both entertaining and horrifying, Marble Hornets is astonishing.

What elevates this half of the season above the first is the stronger emphasis on story, which in turn solidifies the force of the horror. E13 shows us an odd recurring symbol, E14 shows the Operators violent side as Alex wakes up covered in blood while E17 highlights the effects that close proximity to the Operator has on people. What's wonderful is how many of these episodes seem normal for the majority of their running time, until at the last second you realise that our faceless antagonist has been lurking in the background the entire time.

As Jay gets drawn into the mystery, the tension is ratcheted up with fierce intensity. A foray into an abandoned house at night reeks of cliché, but what is shown inside these empty rooms was one of the most genuinely scary moments I've ever witnessed. Afterwards, things become more and more strange, Jays paranoia almost identical to Alex’s as he films himself sleep, an entry that provokes fear in the viewer just as much as it does in Jay. Various plot strands are thrown around towards the season’s conclusion, from coughing fits, pill bottles and creepy dolls that litter the floor.

Season 1 has a conclusion that’s equal parts weird and scary, adding to the hopelessness of the situation of our protagonist. Sometimes cheap jumps are used thanks to some distorted audio and erratic visual artefacts, but these are no match for the real fear that brews in every new entry. New characters are introduced well, something that has proved pivotal in keeping the season fresh. The element of supernatural has been given some much needed depth, and Jay and the others involved in Alex’s Marble Hornets project. Totheark, the man in the mask, the fearsome Operator himself, the development of these characters, and the answers we gather on them, will surely be absolutely enthralling. Marble Hornets is guerrilla filmmaking executed to a level of perfection.

10