Tales from the Void is a Screambox Original episodic anthology series based on r/NoSleep creepypastas. Think similar to Channel Zero or Black Mirror. I have been craving something utterly frightening, and Tales from the Void got me right from the intro. Where better to start than episode one: Into the Unknown (based on r/NoSleep story “The Black Square“).
When a mysterious black square appears in the middle of an apartment complex, suspicions develop between neighbors about the horrors it may bring. As mistrust grows, they slowly learn that the square isn’t the only thing to be afraid of.
We follow our main character, Harris, as he interacts with people living in his apartment complex — as well as a vantablack, hovering square that just appeared in the complex’s courtyard. It is alluring and mysterious, but as Harris and the residents soon come to find out, it is far more than that: deadly. The longer it floats, the more strange occurrences happen: car alarms are set off, residents become more aggressive, screen-like electronic whirring noises. With every minute that passes, anxious anticipation rises until it boils over and we finally see what is inside…
… I’m not going to tell you what it is because it’s worth the watch. Beautiful imagery and characters you love to hate, the first episode of Tales from the Void is a superb marker for the rest of the series. It left me wanting more and wondering if these same mysteries could really apply to our world. In the same way that Twilight Zone episodes often teach us something about the human experience, Tales from the Void feels like a modern iteration on those stories, a more frightening way to learn a lesson.
What I liked most were two things: the cliffhanger we’re left with, and the interview between NoSleep Podcast host David Cummings and “The Black Square” writer Matthew Dymerski. It’s the cherry on top of a horror anthology sundae, and I truly appreciate the legitimacy this gives to the episode. Tales from the Void makes horror life’s greatest “what if.” And based on the artwork for each of the six episodes, I can only imagine what terrors await.
Tales from the Voidstreams exclusively on Screambox starting October 13th; Catch two episodes every Sunday between October 13th and 27th!
