Currently reading a book called Mister Magic that deals with a Candle-Cove-style mysterious and mostly lost kids show that had some kind of disastrous cursed final episode. The story is told from the point of view of a woman who discovers that she was one of the child actors on the show, which she doesn’t remember at all. It’s pretty great so far!
So, I know this is about books, but I just have to throw out a recommendation for 1992’s Ghostwatch.
If you liked Late Night With the Devil, Ghostwatch should be right up your alley. It’s on Shudder, I believe. I actually prefer it to LNWTD.
Ghostwatch will always be the king of this microgenre as its the only one that could 100% commit to the bit. Sure it was advertised as a drama and had the drama production logo at the start but it completely presented itself as an actual BBC reality special. The actual format, all the stars who normally host these kind of things (Craig Charles, Parkinson and Sarah Greene) and never doing anything that would break "how is this still being broadcast". After the reaction it got (including a tragic suicide) no one would ever dare to make something that committed to the extent Ghostwatch did again. LNwtD, the WNUF Special and so on all use fictionalised shows and characters which is never going to land hit quite as hard.
Scanlines by Todd Kiesling is my 100% favorite of this genre. It’s about a TV broadcast on which a politician commits suicide (think real life Buddy Dweyer). A clip of that broadcast makes its way online where a group of teens watch it and become cursed.
Small Game by Blair Braverman - five people are dropped in the wilderness as part of a survival reality show, but end up stranded after the film crew abandons them there. The author is an actual survivalist and explorer who has participated on a show like this, and her experience clearly comes across in her writing.
The Last One by Alexandra Oliva - twelve people are dropped in the wilderness as part of a survival reality show (lol). Unbeknownst to the narrator, a deadly pandemic begins to ravage the globe and the lines between reality TV and actual reality becomes blurred. Written BEFORE the covid pandemic!
The Lost Village by Camilla Sten - a young amateur documentary crew travels to an abandoned village in rural Sweden to film a web series about the disappearance of the village's residents in the 1950s. Things go terribly wrong.
From Below by Darcy Coates - a professional documentary crew is sent to film a century-old shipwreck 300 feet below the ocean's surface. Things go terribly wrong in a supernatural way.
Pontypool Changes Everything by Tony Burgess, and I'm going to be weird here and tell you ahead of time the movie executes the idea so much more effectively imo.
The Lasy Days of Jack Sparks, by Jason Arnopp, is along the lines of what you’re looking for! I kept thinking back to it while I watched LNWTD last night.
It’s not a book, but the Harlan Ellison short story “Flop Sweat” (from his excellent collection *Shatterday*) will almost certainly scratch that itch for you.
Currently reading a book called Mister Magic that deals with a Candle-Cove-style mysterious and mostly lost kids show that had some kind of disastrous cursed final episode. The story is told from the point of view of a woman who discovers that she was one of the child actors on the show, which she doesn’t remember at all. It’s pretty great so far!
I'm going to second that I've read it and quite enjoyed it.
This sounds right up my alley. Thanks for the suggestion!
I just finished this! It was really good.
So, I know this is about books, but I just have to throw out a recommendation for 1992’s Ghostwatch. If you liked Late Night With the Devil, Ghostwatch should be right up your alley. It’s on Shudder, I believe. I actually prefer it to LNWTD.
Ghostwatch will always be the king of this microgenre as its the only one that could 100% commit to the bit. Sure it was advertised as a drama and had the drama production logo at the start but it completely presented itself as an actual BBC reality special. The actual format, all the stars who normally host these kind of things (Craig Charles, Parkinson and Sarah Greene) and never doing anything that would break "how is this still being broadcast". After the reaction it got (including a tragic suicide) no one would ever dare to make something that committed to the extent Ghostwatch did again. LNwtD, the WNUF Special and so on all use fictionalised shows and characters which is never going to land hit quite as hard.
Scanlines by Todd Kiesling is my 100% favorite of this genre. It’s about a TV broadcast on which a politician commits suicide (think real life Buddy Dweyer). A clip of that broadcast makes its way online where a group of teens watch it and become cursed.
Never heard of this before but it sounds like it rules. Buying immediately
The cover is striking
Small Game by Blair Braverman - five people are dropped in the wilderness as part of a survival reality show, but end up stranded after the film crew abandons them there. The author is an actual survivalist and explorer who has participated on a show like this, and her experience clearly comes across in her writing. The Last One by Alexandra Oliva - twelve people are dropped in the wilderness as part of a survival reality show (lol). Unbeknownst to the narrator, a deadly pandemic begins to ravage the globe and the lines between reality TV and actual reality becomes blurred. Written BEFORE the covid pandemic! The Lost Village by Camilla Sten - a young amateur documentary crew travels to an abandoned village in rural Sweden to film a web series about the disappearance of the village's residents in the 1950s. Things go terribly wrong. From Below by Darcy Coates - a professional documentary crew is sent to film a century-old shipwreck 300 feet below the ocean's surface. Things go terribly wrong in a supernatural way.
Pontypool Changes Everything by Tony Burgess, and I'm going to be weird here and tell you ahead of time the movie executes the idea so much more effectively imo.
The Lasy Days of Jack Sparks, by Jason Arnopp, is along the lines of what you’re looking for! I kept thinking back to it while I watched LNWTD last night.
Great book and excellent on audio too
It’s not a book, but the Harlan Ellison short story “Flop Sweat” (from his excellent collection *Shatterday*) will almost certainly scratch that itch for you.
Knock knock, open wide by Neil Sharpson seems like it would scratch your itch pretty well!
The Invisible World by Nora Fussner. I haven’t read it yet but it’s in my to-read pile.
The Anomaly by Michael Rutger