Line #83 WebVideo/WinterOf83


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fwinajjwqaapyy5.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:250:Hey, can you help me with this?]]
3
4	->''In January of 1983, most of the people living in the town of Fawn's Circle, Minnesota disappeared.\
5	In the investigation that followed, a significant number of video and audio recordings were uncovered.\
6	The recovered material had significant, irreparable damage.\
7	The most relevant recordings were assembled into what you see here in chronological order in an attempt to explain what happened to Fawn's Circle.''
8
9	''Winter of '83'' is an AnalogHorror web series produced by Creator/LewisLovhaug of ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall''. The series, which is composed of FoundFootage and audio recordings, tell the story of a mysterious event which took place in the town of Fawn's Circle, Minnesota, during a severe snowstorm in January 1983. Many of the entries involve local station [=K83FC=], the logo of which is used for the series logo.
10
11	The episodes were gradually uploaded onto Website/YouTube on April 1, 2022. It can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxCy3y2-ZD2Em9C-8pG3IDvpliemt_FmU here]] as a playlist of videos and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCwQ6XkBeak here]] as a singular video. Lovhaug also released the whole compiled series on DVD with a few segments not released on [=YouTube=] included.
12	----
13	!!''Winter of '83'' includes the following tropes:
14	* TheEighties: This series takes place in the early eighties, primarily the titular Winter of '83. Though we do get some scientific recordings from Dr. Chandler that were recorded in late December of 1982.
15	* ApocalypticLog: The series covers a set of recordings from January 3 to January 7, 1983 as the town of Fawn's Circle is struck by a mysterious event. [[spoiler:A series of recordings from December of 1982 to the day before the events occurred provide the origins of the monsters themselves]].
16	* AprilFoolsDay: Its release date. Subverted in that [[spoiler:unlike a lot of other videos Lewis has put out on past April Fools Days, which were jokes and/or comedic, the events are horror played straight. The only real thing related to the day is after the stinger, the last moments showing a card with the words "April Fools" on it.]] Ultimately played with, as it is definitely something unexpected amidst the silly and/or funny videos one would expect.
17	* ArcWords:
18	** "Hey, can you help me with this?"
19	** [[spoiler:"YOU WILL BE LIKE US."]]
20	* BaitAndSwitch:
21	** [[spoiler:Segment 9, where Carl Denby starts going through the mini-cassettes he acquired from Scott's Manor comes to an abrupt end when, after he notes the sound of a tree branch scraping against a nearby window, it abruptly shatters. It would appear he was in actuality attacked... until Segment 11 picks up shortly after that incident, where it turns out it ''was'' a branch, and that it broke through said window, forcing Carl to move to a different room to record.]]
22	** While Dr. Chandra is discussing how [[spoiler:the creature has been affecting magnetic tape and UHF frequencies]] in the 12/27/82 tape, he is interrupted [[spoiler:[[OhCrap by the utterance of "Hey, can you help me with this?"]]... [[NotSoDire except, as it turns out,]] we have just heard ''the origin'' of that saying: Chandra's colleague Dr. Matthews requesting help moving an unknown item in the lab. This is also where we get the original "Thanks for the help, bud."]]
23	* BlueAndOrangeMorality: [[spoiler:The snow bacteria seem to operate under this principle, genuinely believing that humanity would be better off becoming part of them, referring to themselves in the collective sense, akin to a cult. Dr. Chandra, for his part, assumes that they want to become like humanity with their godhood delusions, but they correct him that they want ''humanity'' to be like ''them'', and see no problem with killing people and converting their cells into more of them, thinking it to be for the best.]]
24	* BreadEggsMilkSquick: The Medicine Lake Campgrounds Informercial reveals that the campgrounds offers Ice Fishing! Stargazing! [[spoiler:Searching for Steven Millbanks! '''''BLEED!''''']]
25	* CassandraTruth: [[spoiler: In the final recording, Dr. Simmons repeatedly dismisses the already-frantic Dr. Chandra's concerns that the snow bacteria is dangerous. That is, until Chandra drops the bombshell that the bacteria can mimic their faces, and then they declare "YOU WILL BE LIKE US". Simmons starts to come around, but by then, it's too late...]]
26	* CaptainObvious: [[spoiler:"LOOK AT HIS ARMS, THEY'RE MADE OF SNOW!"]] On the other hand, [[spoiler:it's somewhat justified, as it's not so obvious to the person this is being told to, because she's too beside herself with relief to see who she thinks is her brother alive to notice the snow arms, with fatal consquences]]. Averted in the compilation, which mutes said line.
27	* ClusterFBomb: Deputy Blair dropping 3 f-bombs in his brief appearance. Especially notable in that it's Lewis Lovhaug voicing him.
28	* CreatorCameo: Lewis Lovhaug himself voices the unnamed employee of Sid's Electronics Boutique, and Deputy Blair.
29	* DeadlineNews: [[spoiler:During a winter storm warning, the weatherman is murdered and replaced by a stilted voice telling viewers to join them out in the cold]].
30	* DidntThinkThisThrough:
31	** Apparently, "Sid's Electronic Boutique" has been having a shoplifting problem. As such, Sid's method of making sure his lone employee isn't part of said problem... is to give him an expensive camera, and force him to film himself ''locking up the store during a blizzard''. And as the employee notes, if he ''was'' stealing anything, he'd hardly be filming himself while doing it.
32	** [[spoiler:Denby attempts to escape the town for help, taking a camera with him in hopes of showing others what happened. But being a creature made of snow, the monster is far more powerful outside, while Denby is vulnerable and without a vehicle (the creature even manipulating broadcasts to convince people to go outside). And despite listening to the tapes himself, he fails to realize bringing a camera with an ultra high frequency would only draw the bacteria to him like moths to a flame. Needless to say, he doesn't make it.]]
33	* DoubleMeaningTitle: The Winter of '83 means both the time of when the event happened and the last days of [=K83FC=].
34	* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:All the named characters are either killed or missing, along with most of the rest of Fawn's Circle. The only evidence of what happened are human remains discovered when the snow melts and surviving tapes that rescue workers and law enforcement encounter; the few survivors found are only able to corroborate the severity of the storm and are ultimately forced to leave the town due to severe damage; and it's revealed in a TV lineup for another network that it's going to happen all over again in another town.]]
35	* DyingTown: According to Sheriff Douglas, Fawn's Circle has been struggling with a budget crisis for well over a decade. [[spoiler:Segment 7 implies, and Segment 11 confirms outright, that the town was counting on the funding from the experiments going on in Scott's Manor before the monsters attacked. The snow monsters' massacre of its police department, city government, and many of its residents ends up putting the final nail in the coffin for the town, and the few survivors end up abandoning Fawn's Circle for good.]]
36	* EldritchAbomination: Taking inspiration from [[spoiler:''Film/TheThing1982'' (even being lampshaded by the TV lineup) the creature is actually a colony of sentient space bacteria that can manipulate snow and UHF signals. It isn't revealed exactly why the monster is killing people, aside from the fact that it seems to believe it's doing us a favor, but it has enough awareness to [[AGodAmI view itself as God]].]]
37	* EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor: The snow creatures show to have this [[spoiler: as they hijack ''Medicine Lake Campgrounds Informercial'' showing the corpse of one their victims and inviting the viewers to rent "one of our luxurious cabin".]]
38	* EvilIsDeathlyCold: PlayedForHorror with [[spoiler:the monsters, which can control and spread through snow]].
39	* FailedASpotCheck: [[spoiler:When interacting with the creature in the 12/27/82 tape, Dr. Chandra doesn't pay attention to the fact that, among the list of things it wants to know about humanity, it mentions our ''blood''.]]
40	* ForegoneConclusion: The series ''outright'' opens with a text message from the compiler, stating that the majority of the residents of Fawn's Circle had disappeared. [[spoiler:So when the blizzard hitting the town proceeds to get worse, and the presence of the {{Snowlems}} increases, one can already put the pieces together on how that transpired.]]
41	* {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler:In the Sid's Electronic Boutique commercial and Late Night Movie segments, a snowman shows up just before the characters whose perspective we see are attacked.]]
42	* AGodAmI: [[spoiler:The space bacteria consider themselves to be God.]]
43	* HauntedHouse: Scott's Manor. From what Sheriff Chris Douglas explains, the mansion used to be the mayor's home until 1968, when renovations were needed. However, budget crisis struck Fawn's Circle and delayed the renovation for over a decade until the University of Minnesota stepped in, renting the mansion out so the city can use the money to kickstart the renovation. [[spoiler:It doesn't become this trope until the bacteria escapes]].
44	* HellIsThatNoise: [[spoiler:Whenever one of the snowmen are nearby, a blaring sound akin to a radio signal begins going off. The frequency buzzing get worse when they open their mouths to kill their victims]].
45	* ItCanThink: At first, [[spoiler:the scientists at Scott's Manor are delighted that they've made contact with a colony of sentient space bacteria. They find out too late how bad this actually was, as it eventually adapts and breaks out of the facility, even learning how to mimic voices.]]
46	* JerkassHasAPoint: Mayor Daniels does not have a very high opinion of [=K83FC=], finding their programming to be of poor quality and their signal too weak to properly turn a profit or block off signal hijackings, hence his refusal to give them a stimulus, which, notably, is ''75,000 dollars'', an amount far too large for one small town to just dole out.
47	* ManipulativeEditing: [[spoiler:Tied into one of the powers of the bacteria colony. It can manipulate ultra high frequency signals and even hijack them, which allows it to control what they say and do. It can steal data from tapes, cameras and channels, and even burn information back onto them in return. Its voice mimicry works this way- it's not literally speaking, rather it's reusing the data it has consumed to sound like a human. As the segments go on, the manipulations only grow more prevalent.]]
48	** [[spoiler:The ArcWords "Hey, can you help me with this?" are the biggest example, the colony having taken the words from a scientist that was studying it before it broke out. It uses this to lure people in, as they think it's only a person asking for help.]]
49	** [[spoiler:In the broadcasts by [=K83FC=], various haunting messages are inserted into paid programming and council meetings, as well as images of the murders the monster has committed. It even says to go searching for Steven Millbanks, even though the bacteria has already killed him, to try and get people to go outside.]]
50	** [[spoiler:In the Sid's Electronics, Late Night Movie and Winter Storm Warning segments, the footage from the victims final moments are inserted in the middle of commercials and movie premieres in the two former. The monster even blatantly kills the weatherman on air in the latter. After the victims in the latter two are killed, the creature edits their voices with stilted sentence mixing, having them say things to entice people into the snow.]]
51	* MinnesotaNice: In his brief appearance in the story, Sheriff Chris Douglas speaks in a very noticeable Minnesota accent, and speaks positively of [=K83FC=] even in light of the signal hi-jacks that keep plaguing the station.
52	* MoodWhiplash: After fifteen videos of horror and TheStinger which suggests TheEndOrIsIt, we're greeted with [[spoiler:a polka rendition of ''Atop The Fourth Wall''[='s=] theme with a card reading APRIL FOOLS!]]. This was removed in the compilation.
53	* NightmareFace: [[spoiler:In the second to last analog, Denby encounters a snowman, allowing the camera to finally get an up close perspective of the creatures. While it is mostly snow, its face has already assumed Denby's visage, albeit with completely whited out eyes and grey skin. It tells him that he will become like them... before its face distorts and opens, its mouth almost like a void. There is no mention of Denby in the epilogue. One can assume what happened to the poor guy...]]
54	* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: [[spoiler: The employee of Sid's Electronic Boutique who goes to help out someone asking "Hey, can you help me with this?", and gets killed for his trouble]].
55	* NothingIsScarier: We don't see any of the antagonizing force until the final segment. There are also several segments that are just audio recordings, leaving our imagination to do the dirty work.
56	* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Mayor Daniels is a {{downplayed\|trope}} example, believing that [=K83FC=] doesn’t need the stimulus to make things better due to his view on their programming, [[JerkassHasAPoint not to mention said stimulus being an enormous sum of money the city simply doesn't have]]. [[spoiler:Segment 11 reveals that he's relying on the funding from the scientists working at Scott's Manor, though he seems to be unaware of the nature of their experiments.]] He is, however, ''not'' an UngratefulBastard. When [=K83FC=] offers one of their personal snowplows to help with the sudden burial of city hall [[spoiler:by the snow monsters]], he thanks them for their help and is more willing to negotiate. [[spoiler:Shame the monsters come in and kill everyone before he can do so.]]
57	* OhCrap: Carl Denby has two moments of exclaiming "Shit!" at the end of each of his two last analogs. The first is when [[spoiler:he realizes that it's not Darcy who entered his office, shooting at it and fleeing into the snow]]. This leads to the second moment where [[spoiler:he comes face to face with another one with his own face on it, repeating it in terror. It ends up being his last words.]]
58	* OpenSecret: Of sorts. The townsfolk obviously do not know what the team from the University of Minnesota is researching, and several of its members, such as Dr. Chandra, were reported missing...yet at the same time, the law enforcement and bureaucrats know who they are, with several townsfolk working on renovating the manor itself and seeming to know said scientists as well.
59	* PoliceAreUseless: Zig-zagged. On the one hand, the police refuse to look for Steven Millbanks, believing that he has simply eloped with his girlfriend, which Darcy is more than certain isn't the case, owing to her personal knowledge of her brother, and Denby later on can't contact them. This, however, is because they disappeared into Scott's Manor [[spoiler:where they all became victims of the monsters and thus ''can't'' help]]. The OnlySaneMan of the group is Deputy Blair, but Sheriff Douglas is also very reasonable and courteous when investigating the manor with the [=K83FC=] news crew.
60	* PreMortemOneLiner: Happens in Segment 13, where [[spoiler:the monsters clarify their motives before attacking]].
61	-->'''Dr. Chandra:''' Yes, damn it! I'm saying that these things want to be us!\
62	[[spoiler:'''The Bacteria:''' NO, DR. CHANDRA. YOU WILL BE '''[[AssimilationPlot LIKE]]''' US.]]
63	* PresentDayPast: Aside from attempts to incorporate period-appropriate stock footage and computer graphics, the show really doesn't do much to cover up the fact that it's shot on early 21st-century HD cameras.
64	* RageBreakingPoint: After managing to get inside the city counsel building, Deputy Blair is considerably tired and breathless when trying to explain that he was looking for help. But when Mayor Daniels brings up how they were unable to contact the police department for several days, Blair snaps:
65	-->'''Mayor Daniels:''': We've been trying to get in touch with the police department for ''days'', where the hell has everyone been?!\
66	'''Deputy Blair:''' (agitated) Where have they been? (audibly approaches Daniels) Where have ''they'' been?! (grabs Daniels) [[spoiler:THEY'RE AT SCOTT'S FUCKING MANOR, ''WHERE YOU '''TOLD''' THEM TO GO!'']]\
67	'''Mayor Daniels:''' (taken aback) Da- I- That was ''days'' ago!\
68	'''Deputy Blair:''' [[spoiler:''They never came back!'' Their cars are still fucking out there! I found Sheriff Douglas' badge in a snowbank covered in blood! '''YOU FUCKING SENT THEM OUT THERE TO''' '''''DIE!''''']]
69	* ReCut: The compilation movie released on May 8, 2022 fixes a few mistakes done in the original episodes.
70	* TheReveal: [[spoiler:The town of Fawn's Circle is revealed to be attacked by snowman-like monsters]].
71	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: After a certain point, having been made fully aware of [[spoiler:the origins of the {{Snowlems}} and the threat they pose]], Carl Denby states this is "beyond [his] pay grade" and decides to leave town as soon as possible, blizzard be damned. [[spoiler:This causes his death when he crosses paths with a snowman while outside.]]
72	* ShoutOut:
73	** In his third-to-last recording, [[Creator/KaiserNeko Dr. Chandra]] offhandedly mentions a colleague by the name of [[WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged Dr. Gero]].
74	** [[spoiler:The {{Snowlems}}' repeated declaration of "YOU WILL BE LIKE US" echos [[Series/DoctorWho the Cybermen]]. The bacteria also evoke the [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E8SilenceInTheLibrary Vashta]] [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E9ForestOfTheDead Nerada]], complete with crudely mimicking the voices of their victims and a BrokenRecord line. Finally, the monsters taking the form of killer snowmen brings to mind [[Recap/DoctorWho2012CSTheSnowmen the ones used by the Great Intelligence]].]]
75	** At the beginning of Segment 2, Vivian reminds Greg to check the mic is on, as it embarrassingly wasn't the last time during an interview. [[SelfDeprecation No doubt Lewis poking fun]] at the time that [[EpicFail he forgot to turn on the mic during a PO Unboxing]], so he and Viga had to do the whole thing over again, a NeverLiveItDown moment that's become a RunningGag since.
76	* {{Snowlems}}: The menace terrorizing the town [[spoiler:is a horde of evil snowmen]].
77	* SoleSurvivor: Deputy Blair is the ''only'' member of the police department who didn't disappear into Scott's Manor ([[spoiler:where Sheriff Douglas and the rest of the police were murdered by the snow monsters]]) and thus the only policeman able to help Denby during his investigation.
78	* SoundtrackDissonance: [[spoiler:Due to the monsters' ability to control UHF and magnetic media, this can happen at any time. The Medicine Park Campgrounds Infomercial is a great example as relaxing strings are played over murder scenes, decrepit houses and more]].
79	* StatingTheSimpleSolution: As the unnamed Sid's Electronic Boutique employee pointed out, ''if'' Sid was so paranoid about shoplifters, he could've just installed security cameras in the store.
80	* TheStinger: [[spoiler:We're shown a TV lineup from another channel, KSNT-74, from the following December. It quickly turns red and ominous, revealing that the theory of the monsters being unable to escape thanks to UHF signals was completely false and they moved to another town]].
81	* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Greg Semee. [[spoiler:He finds the basement in Scott's Manor. Whether or not the creatures were being held at bay by the door he opens isn't clear, given how easily they later swarm City Hall, but it certainly doesn't help matters.]]
82	** Similarly, the scientists at Scott's Manor [[spoiler:for running tests on the bacteria]], and Mayor Daniels [[spoiler:for letting said scientists use Scott's Manor in exchange for some vital city funds]].
83	* WeAreExperiencingTechnicalDifficulties: PlayedForHorror during the emergency weather broadcast (see DeadlineNews above).
84	* WhatTheHellHero: Deputy Blair point-blank accuses Mayor Daniels of [[spoiler:sending the police department out to die by having them go to Scott's Manor]].
85	* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: While we know Fawn's Circle is in Minnesota, the exact location isn't known. The sign-off segment implies that it is in Redwood County, but the first interview says it's weak transmitter signal only serves their community, but can reach Chaska "on a good day." Chaska is roughly 90 miles from the edge of Redwood County.
86	* YankTheDogsChain: A rather tragic example. The struggling [=K83FC=] is denied their stimulus request and seem doomed to go out of business, especially as some of their members fail to show up to city council meetings [[spoiler:owing to the snow monsters getting them]]. Near the end however, when the city hall building is buried under snow, they offer one of their personal snowplows to help with the blizzard, and Mayor Daniels, out of gratitude for their generosity, is willing to give them that stimulus after all...[[spoiler:then Deputy Blair breaks in, trying to warn everyone of the snow monsters, but is too late to stop them from breaking in and killing everyone in the building. From there, they proceed to attack the station itself and kill the remaining personnel, upon which they start sending messages telling people to head out into the snow.]]
87
88	----
89	->''Thanks for the help, bud.''

Context WebVideo / WinterOf83