Is Any Part Of Archive 81 Real? Kaelago Cult, Visser, Comet?

Netflix’s Archive 81 is a truly eery series—but how much of the story is real? From secret cults in the heart of New York City to world-opening comets, Archive 81 is packed to the brim with supernatural elements that would be truly terrifying to experience in real life. Here is a breakdown of the truth behind this horrifying series.

Archive 81 is the latest project from the iconic horror creator, James Wan, and Rebecca Sonnenshine. Based on the podcast of the same name, Archive 81 is a found-footage horror series about a video archivist named Dan Turner (Mamoudou Athie) who uncovers a century-old murderous cult after he was hired by the shady Mr. Davenport (Martin Donovan) to restore old VHS tapes. As Dan restores these tapes, he falls down a rabbit hole of mysteries surrounding Melody Pendras (Dina Shihabi) and the tenants of the supernatural Visser Apartments.

Archive 81 is not—unsurprisingly—a true story. However, some of its material is drawn from real-life inspiration. The Vos Society, while itself not real, has endless inspiration to draw from. NYC, and the state of New York as a whole, has been a hotbed of mysticism and supernatural spirituality for decades, providing a home for practices such as seances, tarot reading and, over the years, multiple cults and secret societies as well. The Vos Society’s beliefs surrounding the Comet Kharon also closely mirror the beliefs of the Heaven’s Gate cult, who committed mass suicide in 1997 under the belief that the Comet Hale-Bopp would free them from their bodies and take them to a new world. Comet Kharon is not a real comet that orbits the earth, though its name is derived from the Greek deity Charon, who serves to ferry the souls over the River Styx into the afterlife, earning it its role as the Ferryman in Archive 81.

Many elements of Netflix’s Archive 81 are entirely fictional. The Visser Apartment is not a real apartment building in New York City, nor does there seem to be any record of a haunted apartment burning to the ground in the 90s. The real building that served as the Visser’s exterior, however, is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Kaelego, the half-god half-demon, is entirely based on fiction, according to showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine; “It is not [based on] anything except my head” (via TheWrap). There is no record of the Baldung coven, which fights against the Vos Society to keep Kaelego at bay. The name is likely derived from the artist Hans Baldung, who frequently portrayed witches and spiritualism in his artwork. Though there is little to no evidence of Dutch witchcraft in New York, the area did serve as a refuge for those who fell victim to New England’s witch trials, which could have served as an inspiration for the Baldung’s presence in New York.

Though Archive 81 isn’t based on a true story, this fact doesn’t make the new horror series any less eery to watch. The series has received rave reviews—currently sitting at a 94% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes—and its combination of traditional TV format and found footage makes the series feel incredibly real despite its fictional origins. For those who are hesitant to sleep with the lights off after watching Archive 81, fans can sleep easy knowing Kaelego won’t be ferried into our world any time soon.

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