The Mandela Catalogue

Primarily set during the early 1990s and late 2000s, The Mandela Catalogue takes place within the fictional Mandela County, located in Wisconsin, which is terrorized by shape-shifting creatures named Alternates. Alternates, led by a false depiction of the Archangel Gabriel, are nearly-immortal beings that aim to eradicate humanity by psychologically torturing them to the point of suicide. The Alternates can manipulate audiovisual media, such as televisions, personal computers, and vehicle GPS systems. == Themes ==

The series contains many biblical allusions, referencing Noah's Ark, Adam and Eve, Mary and Joseph, and the birth of Jesus. It is heavily implied that the Alternates are biblical demons, and that Archangel Gabriel is actually Satan in disguise. == Genre ==

The Mandela Catalogue is composed of 13 shorts and 6 volumes across two "Acts." The first short was released on June 9, 2021. The series belongs to a subgenre of horror dubbed analog horror. Series installments are usually presented as found footage material, or from the point of view of in-universe characters and/or their electronic devices. Nearly all the Act I installments are rendered in VHS quality, whereas most Act II installments are made in the style of old digital videos, reflecting the shift in the time period depicted. The series began to shift into mixed media following the early Act II installments.'''' == Development and production ==

The Mandela Catalogue was created by then seventeen-year-old student Alex Kister from Richfield, Wisconsin as a series of short videos he began in 2021, while in summer college. It was Kister's first filmmaking project. Kister originally created "overthrone" as a one-off video based on a high school writing project, and planned to make a series where he edited children's cartoons to be creepy. The series was also inspired by the isolation and loss of security Kister experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2024, Retro Release Video announced plans to release the first volume on VHS, though this was soon cancelled due to emerging abuse allegations against Kister. It would be re-announced in August 2024 after Kister denied most of the allegations and the allegations were proven false. ==Episodes==

Act I (2021–2022) Act II (2022–present) == Characters ==

Main characters • Thatcher Davis (portrayed by Thorne Baker) - Former Lieutenant of the Mandela County Police Department. After the death of a colleague at the hands of an Alternate, Thatcher's main goal is to defeat the Alternate who killed his colleague and stop all Alternates once and for all. • Adam Murray (portrayed by Ty Osborne) - Member of the Bythorne Paranormal Society, a club of people who investigate paranormal activity. After being abducted as a child by an Intruder/6, Adam tries to find his missing mother and discovers a life-changing secret in the process. • Sarah Heathcliff (portrayed by Rachel Ridley) - Founder of the Bythrone Paranormal Society. After losing her brother in an Alternate attack because the police did not respond to his cries for help, she seeks to find out the truth about the Alternates and bring down the police department in revenge for her loss. • Evelin Miller (portrayed by Spidey) - Ex-girlfriend of Adam Murray. She broke up with Adam because of an inexplicable personality change, for which she wants to find out the reason with the help of Sarah Heathcliff. • Mark Heathcliff (portrayed by Alex Kister) - Brother of Sarah Heathcliff. After being tricked by an Alternate into coming to his deceased friend's house, he becomes trapped in his house and is inflicted with M.A.D, causing him to go insane and commit suicide. • Cesar Torres (portrayed by Andrew Long) - Friend of Mark Heathcliff. Assimilated by an Alternate and this Alternate is responsible for Mark's death. Not much more is known about him. • Jude Murray (portrayed by Michael Vale) - The husband of Lynn and more importantly, the father of Adam. He called the MCPD for help and later fled to another precinct after losing his family. Supporting characters • Ruth Weaver (portrayed by Bee "Fruitmasseuse" L) - Thatcher's fellow officer and MCPD sergeant who was killed by the Murray House Alternate, leading Thatcher to plan to defeat them in revenge. • Jonah Marshall (portrayed by Gabriel Linan) - The third member of the BPS. Went to the house (believed to be the woman's) with Adam at 3am, not realizing it was a trap, and eventually died, leaving his quote-within-quote "friend" Adam behind. • Lynn Murray (portrayed by Lighth0use) - The wife of Jude and the mother of Adam. Committed suicide by hanging after realizing that the intruder had taken her son Adam. • Dave Lee (portrayed by Alex Kister) - Manager of MandelaTECH (2000). Helped Thatcher Davis recover supernatural-themed VHS tapes. Employee/boss of Evelin Miller at MandelaTECH. Died to Archangel Gabriel after being tricked into getting a job at the local church. Antagonists • Archangel Gabriel (portrayed by eSpeak (Overthrone), Microsoft Sam (Exhibition, Vol. 5), Kyle DeNigris (Vol. 4)) - The first Alternate and the version of Satan in The Mandela Catalogue. He managed to take control of humanity by appearing as an Alternate of the real Gabriel. He is also the leader of the Alternates. He is the main antagonist of the story. There is much mystery behind this character and many theories made by fans surrounding such. • The Intruder/6 (portrayed by Microsoft Sam (Intruder Alert, Vol. 2), Leon Rodriguez (Vol. 4)) - The humanoid anomaly. Instead of being an Alternate, he is the threat working with the Alternates and "Gabriel" against humanity. He is also responsible for the kidnapping of over three thousand innocent children (one of whom is Adam) and the suicide of their parents out of grief. • The Murray Residence Alternate - Manifested through the television of Stanley/The Intruder and Adam after he killed Ruth Weaver. It even went further and haunted Thatcher seventeen years later. • '''Cesar's Alternate''' - An alternate of Cesar. He assimilated Cesar and made his friend Mark paranoid after tricking him into going to Cesar's house (a trap that Mark was unaware of). He also drove him to suicide after probably telling him that his religion, Christianity, was a complete lie. • The Preacher - An alternate of an elderly nun. Also known as a messenger. An alternate who stalked little Adam Murray (though he is often referred to as an infant despite being 4 years old) in his home before The Intruder kidnapped him along with over three thousand other children. • N - One of the example alternates shown in the T.H.I.N.K Principle, and is the alternate that stalked and drove Jude Murray insane. Cameo appearances There were some cameo appearances from the old classic films that were only featured in Vol. 1 [RESTORED EDITION]. • Norman Kerry as Vicomte Raoul de Chagny & Mary Philbin as Christine Daaé from The Phantom of the Opera. • Freddie Bartholomew as Cedric “Ceddie” Errol Jr. & Dolores Costello as Mrs. Cedric “Dearest” Errol from Little Lord Fauntleroy. • Max Schreck as Count Orlok “Nosferatu” & Gustav von Wangenheim as Hutter from Nosferatu – A Symphony of Horror. In the cartoon ''The Beginner's Bible'', which appears in some cases, it is actually unknown which characters were dubbed, as each episode features the same voice actors in the credits without the characters' names. The only character known to have a voice actor is Adam, the first human created by God, who appears in The Mandela Catalogue Vol.2 and was voiced by Rich Swingle. == Reception ==

Audience The Mandela Catalogue grew popular due to analysis and reaction videos on YouTube and quickly gained a following. Some users criticized an over-reliance on analog horror tropes. Critical reception Dread Central praised The Mandela Catalogue as "the supreme [example] of what analog horror looks and sounds like", adding that "the sense of insecurity that comes from knowing you’ll be frightened is constantly visually manipulated". == Adaptations ==

The Indie games Maple County, Alternate Watch, and Assessment Examination are based on the series. In 2021, prior to his role on The Mandela Catalogue, actor Thorne Baker developed Maple County. The game is framed as an interactive training tape from the Maple County Police Department, in which players must determine which photos portray Alternates and which portray actual people. In Mandela Invasion, created by Broken Arrow Games, Alternates attempt to break into the player's house and must be repelled. Potential film adaptation On May 2025, Kister revealed that he had been working on a screenplay for a potential film adaptation of The Mandela Catalogue. According to Kister, the script would tell the story of a group of high-school graduates struggling to maintain their reality after the disappearance of a student sparks a chain of unexpected and unsettling events. The film would combine traditional live-action and found footage elements. == References ==