The real problem with picking a "best" protagonist in analog horror is that it misses the whole point. These stories work when the protagonist is basically a pair of eyes — a camera operator, a researcher, a nobody. The moment you start ranking them like superheroes, you're treating the genre like a character showcase, and that's exactly what it isn't. The practical consequence? You end up arguing over who was "cooler" instead of noticing that the best analog horror makes the protagonist forgettable on purpose. So there's no best. There's just the one who gets out of the way.

The problem is you're measuring the protagonist by their story arc, like they're a novel character. But analog horror doesn't work that way. The protagonist is just a witness, a body that holds a camera. If they have a "best story," they're doing too much. The Glendale Archives guy might be well-written, but that's exactly why he works against the genre. He makes you watch him instead of the horror. A truly great analog horror protagonist is someone you forget, because the nightmare sticks with you instead. So I still say there's no best — just the one who steps aside.

Take The Blair Witch Project. Nobody can name those three kids, but everyone remembers the footage. That's the whole point of analog horror — the protagonist is just a pair of hands holding a camera, not a character study. You're saying Glendale Archives is best because he showed the most feelings, but that's backwards. Those feelings are a spotlight on him. And when the spotlight's on the protagonist, the horror fades into background noise. The genre works when you're too scared to even think about the person filming, let alone rank them. A protagonist who makes you care about them isn't the best. He's just the wrong genre.

So if the horror isn't what matters, why are we calling it analog horror at all? You're basically saying Glendale Archives is the best because it stopped being horror and became a feelings showcase. That's like saying the best boxing movie is the one with no fights. It being famous doesn't make it the best at the genre — it makes it the best at being something else. A protagonist who makes you cry is fine, but he's not the best analog horror protagonist. The best one is the nobody you can't even name, because the terror stays on you, not on him.

Picture this: you're watching a found footage tape, and halfway through you realize you're more invested in the guy's emotional baggage than in the thing crawling in the dark behind him. That's not analog horror anymore, that's a drama with a creepy filter. Glendale Archives being disturbing doesn't change the fact that its protagonist pulls focus. If you can name him, describe his feelings, and call him the best, then the horror failed to consume you. The best analog horror protagonist is the one you genuinely can't remember, because all you remember is the dread.