The Morbid Zoo: Astounding Tales from the Media Hellscape!

On Monday, March 23rd, at 3pm in Caldwell G107, the Film Studies program and the English Department present “The Morbid Zoo: Astounding Tales from the Media Hellscape.” In 2019, YouTube creator Mariana Colín started building her film analysis YouTube channel, The Morbid Zoo, as an exercise in developing the video essay format as a legitimate mode of academic publishing. Since then, her videos have been viewed over 9 million times. YouTube is accessible and customizable, offering a way to engage directly with a non-academic audience. However, it is also isolating, biased toward particular kinds of engagement, and deeply politically fraught. In this talk, Mariana will share what she’s discovered about social media’s academic use—its successes, its failures, and its possible futures.

Mariana Colín began her YouTube channel as part of her Masters thesis in English/Film Studies at NC State. Originally meant as a video essay channel focused on horror film, its subject matter has expanded into mass media and politics. Colín is an ABD doctoral candidate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the Institute of Communications Research.

Student Film Society: 2025-2026 Screenings

The Student Film Society (SFS) at NC State is a club open to anyone who is passionate about film! SFS is dedicated to helping build a community among individuals who want to get involved in activities that range from film appreciation, discovery, discussion and production. We host FREE weekly screenings and for those looking to get super involved with the club, you will be allowed to attend our club socials, receive resources to sign up for film related opportunities and even be provided with FREE advanced screening tickets! We also host a yearly Short Film Festival.  

Follow the group on Instagram or email them with questions or to join the email list.

Anime Club

The NCSU Anime Club provides a social environment to watch anime.  Those who are interested in manga and video games are also encouraged to join.  Anime Club also strives to provide a place for people to interact with others who are passionate about niche Japanese culture.

You can follow the club on Instagram.

Video Game Development Club

The Video Game Development Club (VGDC) is a student-run organization with a mission: to provide an environment in which students can practice and grow in disciplines related to the development of video games. The club acts as a mentorship resource for those interested in video game development and the video game industry, a networking outlet for aspiring video game professionals, and as a functioning video game studio in the pursuit of hands-on experience through long-term projects.

Esports Club

The Esports Club at North Carolina State University will provide an environment for casual and competitive gamers to collaborate and compete against one another and other universities.  They also work with charitable organizations to host informative and fun events during the year.