Wednesday, October 23, 2024

"Eternal Family," is the Weird Streaming Service I Didn't Know the World Desperately Needed

Look, I've complained about how there are too many streaming services. There are the mainstream ones that serve millions of folks like Netflix, Hulu, Prime, Disney+, Apple TV, HBO MAX/MAX, and more. There are niche ones too like, "Shudder," which focus on horror-based content or Crunchyroll with Anime. It is a lot, but I can appreciate how this variety is capable of resulting in something interesting too. Something strange. Something known as, "Eternal Family."

I was on Facebook and saw a weird ad full of random quirky clips. It said it was, "Eternal Family." It looked like the love child you'd get from the more esoteric shows on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim reproducing with the catalog of the cult movies brought back to life by Vinegar Syndrome. I did some research, and yeah, "Eternal Family is an offbeat streaming platform presenting hidden gems from the past and surreal entertainment." It has a bunch of old bizarre stuff, things the platform created with the talent involved in the service, and it is weird. The thing is, I'll always take weird over boring, so I checked it out.

Eternal Family has an app, a program you can access on Roku televisions, and a website. It offers a free 7-day trial and a subscription for $8 a month (or less if you buy a longer chunk of time). You navigate it like any other streaming service with its various genres of content. That's where it being like other streaming services ends, however.

There are old monster movies from foreign countries, strange television shows from the 90's. 80's comedies, low-budget and surreal horror movies. Short flicks, some anime, and a number of original content options, and it is all so random and entertaining. Back in the older days of the internet/Youtube/whatever you would just kind of stumble upon unique and cool things (there even was a website called, "Stumbleupon," for example). Now, of course, we go online to find something specific as quickly as possible. That is why search engines such as Google are so popular and Amazon with its nearly-infinite selection of items is massively successful. We want to find something fast and get it given to us even faster. That is all well and good, but Eternal Family evokes the feeling of just finding something cool. 


In an interview, the folks behind Eternal Family say, "It’s a bunch of weird stuff that you might not 'get' but makes me and my friends happy to watch." That's a great way to put it, but I'd argue there is enough variety to the stuff on, "Eternal Family," that anyone who tries it out will find something they get. Maybe a vintage silent film. Perhaps a T.V. movie titled, "Wishman," about a bioengineered creature featuring Linda Hamilton before she was in, "Terminator." A training video from the 90s about how to use a speed-bag could appeal too. Maybe entertainer and artist Kerwin Frost singing karaoke? What about a Latvian cartoon series for kids? These are all real options with, "Eternal Family," the strangest streaming service on the web. 

I'm unsure how Facebook knew to have a random ad for this streaming option appear to me (I mean, they probably studied my analytics and knew I'd like it, but yeah). I am happy I checked it out, however. Eternal Family is most definitely not for everyone, but it could be for anyone who wants something wild and different. Check it out, you'll be glad you did.

No comments:

Post a Comment