What do a black and white photo, a children's puzzle, and a repeatedly folded house plan have in common?
We know the solution is not easy, but think for a moment.
Nothing? Don't worry, you'll find out soon. The short answer is that, in the hands of Uketsu, they are the perfect ingredients for a terrifying cocktail.
In short, Uketsu is an enigmatic figure emerging from the depths of the internet. Something like the Loch Ness Monster of social media. Well, let's not exaggerate: his success started on YouTube, where he uploaded short videos on... strange topics. Clad in black clothing, gloves, and a paper mache mask, Uketsu is an absolute mystery to millions of followers.
Only about twenty people know his real name, gender, age, and of course, his voice behind the distortion filter. The rest of us only have the privilege of knowing two things: that he lives in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, and that before becoming a global phenomenon, he worked in a supermarket. "If my viewers or readers were to discover my identity, they would be very disappointed to see that I am just a regular person," says Uketsu in an email conversation with EL MUNDO. "So, for now, I will remain silent."
Now let's delve into the longer version of the story. The first video that this Japanese YouTuber hit it big with four years ago, titled The Strange House, described in great detail a house whose main room was designed as a prison. The video, which currently has 24 million views, first became a bestselling novel and, in 2023, a movie that grossed the equivalent of almost 30 million euros at the Japanese box office.
"When thinking about the theme for the second book, I concluded that to create a terrifying and mysterious story, it would be interesting to use paintings, as they more easily reflect the deepest side of human beings," explains Uketsu.
From that idea came Strange Pictures, a new bestseller translated into 30 languages. Published in Spain by Reservoir Books, it is a collection of psychological horror stories with a surrealistic approach. The book brings together several short stories, each focused on everyday situations that become distressing due to the presence of inexplicable elements.
"I am very interested in that element of 'hidden anomaly within the seemingly normal'", clarifies the author. "I have consulted many books on the 'drawing test,' which involves having a criminal draw a tree, a house, or a human figure and then analyzing their psychology based on those illustrations. By looking at them closely and reading the explanations, one can find some truly unsettling details."
Indeed, the common thread in Strange Pictures is the idea of how observing images, whether photographs, doodles, plans, diagrams, or dream visions, can alter one's perception of reality. "Younger people are capable of discovering the original charm of old objects, something that adults have long forgotten," he says. "I think the same happens with art. Screens have made us particularly sensitive to contemplating a painting. We can notice certain aesthetic aspects that would otherwise go unnoticed."
"Screens have made us particularly sensitive to art. We notice aesthetic aspects that would otherwise go unnoticed."
The Japanese creator plays with the concept of the familiar turned sinister, using minimalist elements and seemingly simple settings—like an empty hallway, an urban landscape, or an old bedroom—to evoke a progressive sense of discomfort. Additionally, many of the stories remain unresolved or present ambiguous endings, creating a latent unease in the reader.
He asserts that this is precisely what makes a genre as hypnotic as horror: "People tend to be drawn to what is closest to them, but many purchase psychological horror works in hopes of exploring the reasons for those anxieties they have in their daily lives. As a result, they end up discovering the pleasure of experiencing fear of the supernatural."
Uketsu, whose main inspiration is the Japanese suspense writer Ranpo Edogawa, maintains that one of his main goals is for his works to be accessible to the new generations, more accustomed to manga comics, video games, and social media than literature. Thus, in the pages of Strange Pictures, some elements of digital culture and YouTube-style entertainment converge. "All content creators share certain common characteristics: communicating clearly, conveying something as attractive in a few seconds, and finding creative ways not to bore the audience. I write my books with that same attitude," he says.
His popularity is such that he has even appeared in one of the famous special horror episodes of the Shin-chan anime as an animated cameo. On Halloween, hundreds of Japanese children dress up as him: his paper mache mask is another icon of popular culture.
"I write my books with the same attitude with which I record my videos."
But Japanese horror has a very different approach from Western horror. Despite the colorful and expressive nature of manga... is their culture more prone to darkness? For Uketsu, what sets Japanese society's fear apart from that explored in other cultures has much to do with its insular nature, which has given it "a closed character and a natural caution" towards the outside world. "There is a subconscious perception that the strange comes from the ocean. Japanese horror abounds in representations where the terrifying slowly approaches everyday life, floating as if adrift in the waves. Or suddenly appears near us, as if something washed ashore by the sea," he explains.
Nevertheless, he believes that the European audience will connect as well as the Asian audience with the visual puzzles proposed in Strange Pictures: "The enigmas that appear in my stories are strongly influenced, almost unconsciously, by the great mystery works that were transmitted from Europe to Japan."
After all these enigmas, one question remains in the air. What is Uketsu afraid of? Is there something he cannot capture because it is too disturbing? "There are several things that terrify me, but that's precisely why I prefer to leave it as 'no comments.' If you ever visit Japan, I promise I will tell you in secret."