On Psychotronic GIFs

August 5th's installment of IMG MGMT brought us Mr. Moody's visual essay on Psychotronic GIFs. Here Moody explains his interest in animated GIFs in general and his personal attraction to those of the "psychotronic" persuasion, these are images, films, etc. that "range from sincere social commentary to degrading trash. They concern teenagers, rock and roll, juvenile delinquents, monsters, aliens, killers, spies, detectives, bikers, communists, drugs, natural catastrophes, atomic bombs, the prehistoric past, and the projected future" (quote borrowed from the essay); it's a bit kitsch and a bit schlock. The aesthetic has been around for ages — questioned and celebrated — and the internet is indeed full of it.

Moody's choices (some are his own, while others are found) are nice and to the point, they are, as he said, "the money shots." They also reminded me of another GIF birthed from the great minds of a community I've quoted before: the Nom-wall.


It's a remix of a gruesome and sophomoric video from YouTube. The video itself borderlines on horror (just the idea!!) but the animation is pure hilarity. It is the money shot. As an animation it ticks off more boxes than the film itself: it concerns teenagers, rock and roll, juvenile delinquents, monsters, and catastrophes, but it is also a commentary on the shear absurdity of youthful delinquent behavior. You no longer feel bad for the kid, but laugh at the Nom-wall's insatiable appetite. Warning: Don't get too close to the Nom-wall!