This episode explores how independent horror filmmaking is reshaping the future of machinima and virtual production. Ricky reflects on his experience at StokerCon, discussing the remarkable quality and originality of contemporary short horror films, the growing influence of YouTube creators such as the makers of Backrooms and Obsession, and why horror remains one of the most effective genres for expressing contemporary anxieties. The panel considers what these developments mean for machinima creators as Hollywood increasingly looks to online filmmakers for fresh ideas and talent.

The featured film is Anthem (2001) by Julien Vanhoenacker, an early real-time animated short created using the Phoenix3D engine. Rather than relying on graphic violence, Anthem presents a haunting, poetic meditation on suffering, memory and loss through the story of a mysterious humanoid subjected to mechanised torture. Phil, Ricky and Damien examine the film’s handcrafted production, its visual and sonic influences, including echoes of Nine Inch Nails and industrial horror aesthetics, and discuss how suggestion, mood and restraint often create more powerful horror than explicit gore. The conversation also highlights the extraordinary technical achievement of producing such an ambitious work with the limited tools available in 2004, making Anthem an overlooked but significant landmark in early independent machinima.

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Show Notes & Links

Film Anthem by Julien Vanhoenacker was released in 2001 and is available on Vimeo here –

with more information on his website, link here.

You can also find the film in the Internet Archive machinima collection, link here.

For Julien’s more contemporary work, you can find him on YouTube here.