A Deep Dive into “Reverse Videos”

There is a specific kind of satisfaction found in watching a video played in reverse. It often transforms a scene into something absurd and entirely different from its original context.

You might wonder why many find enjoyment in videos played backward. On YouTube you can find plenty of videos that are simply a scene or even an entire movie but in reverse, so there is clearly an appeal to them. It comes down to a few factors:

• Contextual Irony: We know what the character is actually doing or how the scene is supposed to play out. Seeing the reverse of that play out is ironic.
• Movement Uncanny Valley: Backward movement often looks unnatural which adds to the comedic effect.
• The Audio: Reversed audio like visuals has an absurdist humor appeal.
• Nostalgia: The experience of watching a video in reverse was in many cases first came from the rewinding of a VHS tape. A child might have noticed the humor that could be found in viewing something played in reverse and continue to seek it out.

A popular trope of the format involves something being undone. When a video shows a character breaking something, playing it in reverse makes it look as though they are performing a miracle. Watching a shredded piece of paper or a crumbling object snap back into perfect shape is weirdly soothing. For example, in the Valentine’s Day episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick Star ends up going on a rampage. In the original clip, Patrick is often depicted causing chaos. But when played in reverse he is shown to repair his destruction, including the fixing of a “heart man” mascot that he rips back together.

Sometimes, the humor comes from changing the plot implications of a scene. Using the scene from Aladdin where Aladdin takes the Genie’s lamp from the Cave of Wonders as an example, playing that scene in reverse flips the scene on its head. He isn’t retrieving the lamp, he is actually returning it or perhaps he changed his mind about taking it. This reversed scene can be pieced together with other edited scenes to create a humorous change in the overall plot. Reversed scenes such as this example are used in video formats like YouTubePoops and other memes.

Whether it’s Patrick Star magically repairing a mascot or Aladdin returning a treasure he was meant to keep, the reverse video meme remains a staple of internet culture because it celebrates the absurd. So the next time you watch a scene, try imagining it played in reverse. You might be surprised by the result.

Have you ever watched “reverse videos”? Let me know in the comments!