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Horror Prisons: Top 13 Most Terrifying Fictional Facilities

Steph — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 17:00:54 +0000

How would you like to be jailed underground on a planet where the surface is too scalding hot to touch, or locked up in an asylum with the most depraved of criminals, where the corrupt guards are just as crazy as the inmates? Real-life prisons are scary enough, but some fictional prisons take the terror of being locked up to a whole new level. These 13 nightmare prisons from films, novels and comic books go beyond a mere lack of freedom, introducing man-eating monsters, mental manipulation and unexplained medical examinations.

Limbo – THX 1138

(images via: benjaminharlow)

A dystopian vision of the future made in 1969 by pre-Star Wars George Lucas, THX1138 takes place in an underground city where citizens are forced to use drugs that suppress emotions. The prison in THX1138 is a bizarre white wall-less ‘limbo’ world where lawbreakers languish, subjected to interrogations and mysterious medical examinations.

Fiorina ‘Fury’ 161 – Alien 3

(images via: moveedo)

In Alien 3, heroine Ellen Ripley awakens from hibernation to find that her space ship has crashed on the planet Fiorina ‘Fury’ 161, a bleak rock with blazing hot temperatures during the day and freezing temperatures at night. No life exists here – except for 22 maximum risk prisoners being held in a correctional unit, and a handful of overseers. As if that weren’t bad enough, Ripley has unwittingly brought an alien egg to this prison planet, resulting in one gory death after another.

Azkaban Prison – Harry Potter

(images via: harry potter wikia, random film stats)

You might think, Harry Potter is a kids’ story – how scary can this prison be? For starters, Azkaban is a remote fortress in the middle of a roiling sea holding the likes of Bellatrix Lestrange, a deranged murderer and torturer. Then there are all those creepy ‘dementors’ swirling around in the air beyond the prison, ready to suck out the soul of anyone who comes near.

Minority Report

(images via: screencap – dreamworks)

So-called criminals are apprehended before they have even committed a crime in Minority Report, where three psychics called ‘precogs’ warn the authorities of events which may come to pass. Not only are citizens imprisoned for acts they haven’t actually carried out, they’re tossed into a bizarre facility where they’re kept in individual pods, seemingly peaceful yet perpetually bombarded with images of the crimes of which they’ve been accused of contemplating.

Crematoria Triple-Max Prison – Chronicles of Riddick

(images via: riddick wikia)

Described as ‘hell on earth’, Crematoria is a ‘triple maximum security’ prison, reserved for the most dangerous criminals and located deep inside a planet with a surface so extreme as to be uninhabitable. It’s so blazing hot during the day and freezing at night that there’s only a 20-minute period when travel on the surface is even possible. Staying alive is a daunting enough challenge, let alone trying to escape.

The Dark City

(images via: weblo)

No sun ever rises to illuminate the shadowy world of Dark City, where inhabitants become temporarily comatose at night while mysterious beings called Strangers alter not just the city, but the identities and memories of the people. What the Dark City denizens don’t realize (spoiler alert!) is that they’re all trapped on a prison planet where they’re the focus of one big alien experiment.

Blackgate Penitentiary – Batman

(images via: comic vine)

Located on a small island in Gotham Bay, Blackgate Penitentiary is the home of Gotham City’s slightly less terrifying criminals like the Penguin and Catman spend their time (the others, of course, are held in an even more frightening and far more well known facility). Blackgate is rumored to make an appearance in the upcoming Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises.

Asylum Prison – Blindness by Jose Saramago

(images via: monsters and critics)

A sudden plague of blindness spreads across the globe in the novel Blindness by Jose Saramago (and the film based on the novel, starring Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo). All those afflicted are forced by the government into isolation in an asylum, which becomes a chaotic, gloomy and hopeless prison.

Cthon by Piers Anthony

(images via: wikimedia commons)

In this 1967 novel by Piers Anthony, the underground prison known as Cthon houses criminals that get more dangerous the further one travels beneath the surface. Somewhere in the bowels of the prison, labyrinthine tunnels are rumored to hold the one and only escape route. Too bad they’re also apparently home to a man-eating monster that kills escapees one by one.

CryoPrison – Demolition Man

(images via: wikimedia commons)

Two men – one a true criminal, the other a falsely accused police officer – are sent to ‘CryoPrison’ in 1996, where they’re cryogenically frozen and rehabilitated through subconscious suggestion, ‘implanted’ with new interests and hobbies to replace their criminal impulses. They awaken in the year 2032, when crime seems to have been abolished, and find that their minds have been manipulated in all sorts of disturbing ways.

Absolom – No Escape

(images via: imdb)

Though arguably not the greatest movie ever, ‘No Escape’ (released in some areas as Escape from Absolom) features an irrefutably terrifying prison – an island where the worst of the worst criminals engage in brutal fights… and sometimes eat each other.

Torture Prison – V for Vendetta

(images via: imdb)

Rounded up for her role in a brewing revolution headed up by a mysterious man in a Guy Fawkes mask, Natalie Portman’s character Evie is hauled into a dark prison, interrogated and tortured. While the experience isn’t quite what it seems, it’s transformative, and still utterly terrifying to anyone who has ever feared persecution by a totalitarian government.

Arkham Asylum – Batman

(images via: joystiq.com)

If you’re in Arkham Asylum, you may not be in the sort of mental state that would allow you to even notice the corruption and depravity that’s going on all around you – but not everyone at Arkham is actually crazy. This psychiatric hospital doesn’t just hold patients in need of care, it imprisons criminals that aren’t quite sane enough to be kept at Blackgate Penitentiary. In the game Batman: Arkham Asylum, fires that break out at Blackgate necessitate moving many of the Joker’s goons to Arkham which leads, of course, to utter chaos. The game allows players to virtually explore the asylum, confronting all of the horrors hidden within.

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Digging for Secrets: Arty Sandbox Holds Hidden Treasures

Delana — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:00:49 +0000

Digging in the sand is a timeless and endlessly entertaining activity. Even after we reach adulthood, the possibility of uncovering hidden treasures in the sand is such an intriguing concept that we continue to poke into it with our toes, explore it with metal detectors and joyfully dig in with bright plastic shovels. This installation puts a new spin on the gleeful discovery of buried secrets by allowing participants to hide short audio messages beneath the tiny grains of sand.

“Sandbox,” an art installation by France-based designers JC Karich, Martin De Bie and Martin Le Tiec, is a playful look at data exchange and the use of natural materials for unconventional communication. Visitors to the installation dig into the sand to reveal light-sensitive sensor modules. When they uncover a module that has already been loaded with a message, the ambient light triggers that message to play. If the uncovered module is empty, the digger has the opportunity to record a message for the next visitor.

The sand in the sandbox installation is normal, run-of-the-mill sand – but the electronics beneath the sand make this project so memorable. An Arduino microprocessor is attached to multiple control points under the sand; each control point features an LED (to indicate to the user when he’s uncovered a module), a microphone and a photocell. Under the control points are small speakers that play back the collected messages.

The fantastic concept was born in the midst of a “hybrid materials” workshop. The unusual combination of a natural material above a hidden layer of electronics creates a wonderfully fun toy for onlookers. But even more attractive than the idea of an unconventional interface is the unbridled excitement that always seems to accompany finding something unexpected. No matter what type of secret or message one might stumble across in the sandbox, we can only imagine that the heart skips a quick beat when that little red light is exposed for the first time.

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Nyanomenon: 10 Tails of an Animated Rainbow Poptart Cat

Delana — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:00:56 +0000

As far as internet memes go, there have been some pretty bizarre ones over the years. But the Nyan Cat has to be right up there with the most head-scratchingly weird of them. What started out as a cute little video on YouTube has now taken over the whole interwebs with its addictive yet intolerable music and hilariously cute 8-bit style. Who would have thought that a cat with a Pop-Tart body flying on a rainbow set to annoying music would be so attractive to so many people?

The latest incarnation of the odd Pop-Tart cat meme is NyanIt.com, a site that lets you plug in any URL and watch tiny Nyan Cats fly across the page. Let them go long enough and they’ll reproduce and grow bigger, eventually taking over your entire screen so that you can’t see anything else. Finding homework boring? Plug in the URL of the research material you’re studying, then challenge yourself to read a whole page before ridiculous rainbow-riding (or rainbow-farting, depending on who you ask) kitties fill up your monitor. You can try clicking them to make them go away, but they’ll only think you want to play and start growing even faster.

The meme was started way back in April of 2011 (ancient history in Internet time) by prguitarman, the guy behind LOL-COMICS. He drew a funny picture of a cat with a Pop-Tart body and a rainbow coming out of its bottom. YouTube user saraj00n set the cat to music and posted it for the world to share. Since then, it’s taken off in an insane way. In addition to the original and the screen-cluttering example above, there are tons of other bits of web silliness that take the eternally happy Nyan Cat to whole new heights.

If you happen to be in the mood for meme overload, try using NyanIt on the Nyan.Cat website…and then add in some Fale and some Bacon for good measure. The awesome combination is part breakfast food, part zippy music and part vaguely insulting comment. All together, the memes make for some interesting viewing – or at least an amusing way to waste a bit of time.

If the Hamster Dance and the crazy eHarmony Cat Lady had a baby (and then fed it nothing but Pop-Tarts and speed), it would look and sound like the Nyan Cat. In fact, the guys behind the Songify This app put the eHarmony Cat Lady’s kitty-centric rant to music and invited the lovable Nyan Cat to make a cameo in the video.

Of course, the citizens of the internet can never do things by halves – so there are endless variations on the Nyan Cat theme. There’s the real-life Nyan Cat, the Mexican Nyan Cat, SpeedyNyan, and the Americ-Nyan Cat, among countless other remixes, mashups and variations. Some of the most notable Nyan Cat videos are the ones that are looped over and over and over to run for hours. They aren’t for the faint of heart, however. Most humans will lose consciousness long before they can listen to that song for more than a few minutes at a time.

If you’re feeling brave, though, head on over to Nyan.cat to see how long you can nyan – then tweet your score to show off to your friends. Only the extra-brave will dare to add the additional layer of nyan with NyanIt.com.

Not everyone is a huge fan of the rainbow-riding kitty, as evidenced by the kids in this video. The majority of the reactions seem to be negative, but maybe the kids just aren’t giving Nyan Cat a fair shake. Give him long enough and he’ll burrow his way into your brain until you hear the “Nyan Nyan” song in your sleep. Maybe if they played the Nyan Cat: Lost in Space game they might develop some affection for the little cat.

(images via: Technabob, Nyan-Cat, Nyan-Cat, Geeks Are Sexy)

As with many internet memes, this one has made its way into the meatspace world as well. Nyan Cat cupcakes, scarves, toys, jewelry and art are plentiful, varied and full of awesome. Even though Nyan Cat seems to be everywhere these days, it’s entirely likely that you’ll find yourself missing the smiling cat face one day soon. When that happens, sneak over to your co-workers’ desks while they’re at lunch and use NyanIt to add some nyan to their home pages. They’ll thank you one day.

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8 Bit Revolution: Jaw-Dropping Pixel Art That Smashes Stereotypes

Marc — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 17:00:30 +0000

The phrase “8 Bit” evokes images of dusty old videogames and dank recreation rooms with shag carpeting. It’s time to blow this stereotype to smithereens, with glorious, time consuming pixel art that does nostalgia justice.

(Images via gamescenes, gamescenes, edspace-gallery)

Videogames are often a focus of pixel art, but almost always with a neat spin, giving outdated tech and dusty childhood memories a salute.

(Images via noupe, noupe, smashingmagazine, pixeljoint, techeblog)

If pixel art still seems like a joke, check out these incredibly detailed portraits of an 8 bit world. Leagues above the Mario characters of yesteryear, this artwork is fine enough to be hung on a wall.

(Images via flickriver, livbit, improbabilidade, yurikoval)

Legos are basically pixel art brought into structural form, so it’s only natural that people would use them to recreate their favorite childhood memories spent in front of a boxy television.

(Images via thisblogrules, blameitonthevoices, current, superpunch, pichaus)

Renowned pixel artist Jude Buffum illustrates a variety of subjects and has a soft spot for his favorite films. He loves taking modern movies and creating pixelated visions of video games based on them. These seem plausible enough to be real screenshots straight from the past.

(Images via whatisblik, velocityartanddesign, inadawords, shinyshiny)

Video game themes can occasionally escape the television screen and attack the walls. What better way to prove one’s nerdiness than planting a gigantic pixellated video game character on the wall?

(Images via thisblogrules, pichaus)

Not all pixelated art faces backwards in time. Some artists like to flex their 8 bit muscles and comment on modern politics. The evil Cheney bot reveals this artist’s political leanings pretty clearly.

(Images via street-art-everywhere, g33kfraffiti, gfestblog, obviouswinner)

How cool would it be to find one of these graffiti creations in a dingy alley? Bricks provide a unique opportunity for pixel fans.

(Images via sevensheaven, thelittlechimpsociety, technabob, thelittlechimpsociety)

Sevens Heaven is an artist who loves to break pixel art into a more modern dimension, by putting together awesome three dimensional images.

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Flash on the Way Out? 21 Flash Sites That Are Staying Strong

Marc — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 17:00:04 +0000

Flash sites were once the epitome of technology and creativity, and despite being much maligned by Apple in recent years, there is still plenty of life left in a high quality flash site. Whether they were created to entertain, educate, or promote a product, classic examples of flash sites can still steal hours from one’s day.

Music

(Images via burn-studios, incredibox)

Hardcore musicians will love Burn Studios, a site that allows one to have their own digital recording studio. The beautifully rendered buttons and dials lend a highly realistic feel to the entire process. For a more laid back and fun music-making session, it’s fun to try out Incredibox, a beat boxing simulator full of French charicatures.

For the Kids!

(Images via hasbro, buildyourwildself)

Most sites are not incredibly kid friendly, but Hasbro and Build Your Wild Self are exceptions. The first site lets one play classic board games on the computer, while the second allows a kid to express their creativity while learning about animals at the zoo.

Games

(Images via cdx-thegame, gettheglass)

Flash games aren’t all shooting spaceships and racing cars. CDX is a dark point and click that starts one out in a room with no apparent exit… while Get the Glass is a thinly veiled sponsorship for milk that has some surprisingly quality art.

Making Faces

(Images via flashface, mono-1)

If one fancies themselves a great portrait artist, these may be the sites for you. Flash Face is an incredibly robust face creation tool that allows one to come up with a funny portrait within minutes, or an eerily realistic one over a longer time period. Monoface is just plain fun. Created by an agency, this face shuffle mixes different parts of the agency’s employees faces into a million hilarious combinations.

Educational

(Images via wechoosethemoon, history)

Want a little more substance while browsing the internet at work? We Choose the Moon is an immersive experience that carries one through the entire moon launch process from lift off to landing. Civil War 150 celebrates the 150th anniversary of the Civil War with clean style and interestingly interactive infographics.

Decorating Help

(Images via colorschemedesigner, idecorabili)

Not many people know their way around a color wheel anymore, and now there’s no need! With the help of Color Scheme Designer, one can simply pick a color they like, and they’re presented with an entire color scheme that is perfectly complimentary. Idecorabili is a fun way to choose the color of one’s cabinet from home, before ordering it from the company. If only every online retailer made choosing colors this much fun!

Color Fun

(Images via weavesilk, flashmonkey, wonderfl, koalastothemax)

Bored for a moment, and want to add some color to the day? Try out Weave Silk, a pretty and easy way to fool around with beautiful light. Flash Monkey’s Colorwall is of an equal bent, while Wonderfl allows one to swirl colors into beautiful formations, and Koalas to the Max creates an oddly enjoyable experience that involves hovering over different circles and watching them split into a million more.

Artistic Tendencies?

(Images via jacksonpollock, zefrank, sketchswap)

In the mood to share art with the world? If one wants to splash paint around without the mess, Jackson Pollock is a great destination. In the mood to draw, but don’t have the time or the talent? Ze Frank’s Scribbler has the hook up. Sketchswap is a really fun idea – make a sketch and click submit, and someone else will receive your image, as you receive one from another random stranger.

Virtual Travel

(Images via pixelcase, theircircularlife)

Want to explore a European city without leaving the cubicle? Their Circular Life is the site for you. It allows one to watch the day go by in several spots throughout the world. If one would prefer staying in the US, take a high flying tour of New York City with the help of Pixelcase.