According to Deadline, Amazon MGM Studios, United Artists, and Steven Spielberg‘s Amblin Entertainment have secured the rights to adapt “The Mandela Catalogue,” one of YouTube’s most successful horror franchises, following a competitive bidding war involving 11 studios. The feature film will be directed by series creator Alex Kister, who co-wrote the screenplay with Tyler Clifton.
What Is ‘The Mandela Catalogue’ and Why Is Hollywood Interested?
First released on YouTube in 2021, “The Mandela Catalogue” quickly became one of the defining works of the analog horror genre, attracting more than 100 million views across its official episodes. Created by Alex Kister, the series built a passionate fanbase through its unsettling VHS-inspired aesthetic, cryptic storytelling, and the countless reaction and theory videos it inspired online.
Set in the fictional Mandela County, Wisconsin, the story follows a world infiltrated by terrifying entities known as Alternates. These shape-shifting beings psychologically manipulate their victims before taking their identities, creating an atmosphere of paranoia that unfolds through found footage, emergency broadcasts, surveillance recordings, and corrupted media.
News of the film adaptation follow a growing trend of Hollywood investing in horror properties that first found success on YouTube. After the breakout performances of “Backrooms” and “Obsession,” studios have increasingly looked to online creators and digital-first franchises as potential theatrical hits. The intense competition to secure “The Mandela Catalogue” suggests the industry believes the series could become the next major crossover success for internet-born horror.
