If you grew up in the ’90s or early 2000s, you already felt it—that subtle creepiness baked into the tech of the time. VHS static that warped faces, dial-up tones that sounded like a warning from another dimension, and Tamagotchis that died at 3 a.m. for no reason at all.
Now that unease is back in style. ’90s nostalgia horror is exploding across TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and AI art circles—blending glitchcore, ghost tech, and lo-fi dread into an aesthetic that’s as eerie as it is nostalgic.
In this guide, I’ll show you how to create your own ’90s-style AI horror clips using retro-flavored prompts, editing tools, and nostalgic decor to give your digital haunt the perfect analog soul.
1. Start With the Right Prompts
The heart of any eerie ’90s-style AI horror clip is the prompt. Think lo-fi tech meets paranormal vibes—something that feels like it was pulled from a cursed VHS tape or a forgotten Y2K website.
👉 Example prompts to try:
- “VHS home video of empty suburban living room, static flicker, faint silhouette of child, grainy flicker.”
- “Ghostly Tamagotchi on cracked screen, pixelated face, glitching buttons, soft beeping in the dark.”
- “Floppy disk oozing green slime, neon glitch lines, Y2K error message on CRT monitor.”
These combinations of retro tech and subtle horror create that perfect uncanny feeling—nostalgic, yet wrong.
👉 Save time: Get my Haunted Locations Prompt Pack and Liminal Spaces Generator — both filled with adaptable prompts to give your creepy clips that perfect glitchcore edge.
2. Generate Your Clips
Once your prompt is ready, it’s time to turn it into a chilling visual. These tools help bring that cursed retro-tech vibe to life:
✅ Sora (or your favorite AI video tool) — Create short, eerie sequences with dreamlike realism
✅ Midjourney / DALL-E — Generate creepy stills that scream lo-fi nostalgia
✅ Runway ML — Add VHS overlays, analog distortion, glitch flickers, and tape warping
👉 Pro tip: Don’t just stick to one output. Layer multiple AI images or short clips together to build unsettling mini-narratives—like a haunted Tamagotchi commercial or a corrupted home movie from 1998.
3. Set the Mood: Retro Horror Decor
Bring your haunted Y2K world to life with decor that matches your creepy creations. Set the stage like it’s 1999—and something’s very wrong.
✅ RGB lights — Set them to pulsing purple, glitchy blue, or a harsh static white
✅ Cassette tape desk accessories – Nostalgia with a spooky twist
✅ Gaming chair – Bonus points for black with red or neon green trim
🕹️ Pro tip: Think haunted rec room meets old-school hacker den. Your setup should feel like the last place someone was seen on tape…
4. Showcase Your Look With My ’90s Retro Merch
If you’re building a haunted ’90s horror aesthetic, why stop at your screen? Take the glitchcore energy into your wardrobe and workspace with apparel and prints that channel everything eerie about retro tech. These pieces blend nostalgia and unease, making them perfect for creators, horror fans, and anyone who loves haunted visuals with a throwback twist.
👻 Haunted Sludge Floppy Disk (90s Retro Glitchcore) Tee – Perfect for glitchcore fans who remember old-school data storage
👻 Haunted Sludge Floppy Disk Print – Perfect for glitchcore fans who remember old-school data storage
👻 Phantom Pixel Pet (Ghostly Tamagotchi) Tee – A ghostly tribute to Tamagotchis that never quite rested in peace
👻 Phantom Pixel Pet Print – A ghostly tribute to Tamagotchis that never quite rested in peace
👻 Glitch Slime Floppy Disk Tee – Neon green meets Y2K corruption
👻 Glitch Slime Floppy Disk Print – Neon green meets Y2K corruption
👻 Pixel Haunt Tamagotchi Tee – Pixelated terror with soft pastel dread
👻 Pixel Haunt Tamagotchi Print – Pixelated terror with soft pastel dread
Frame the prints in black or neon frames, or wear the tees while streaming, creating, or haunting your local arcade.
5. Edit + Post for Maximum Impact
Once you’ve created your haunted visuals, it’s time to edit and post with intention. The right effects and structure can turn a cool clip into a viral horror moment. Use editing tools like CapCut (perfect for mobile and quick edits) or Adobe Premiere Pro (ideal for layering effects and sound) to bring your visuals to life. Add VHS-style filters, analog distortion, tape hiss, and flickering frames to replicate a lost broadcast or corrupted memory.
Overlay eerie text like:
📼 “Lost footage, recovered 1999.”
🖥️ “This file shouldn’t exist…”
💾 “Found on an old floppy disk. I shouldn’t have opened it.”
🌀 Keep your video short—15 to 30 seconds is ideal for TikTok, Reels, or Shorts—and loop it cleanly so it feels like a glitch in time.
Final Thoughts: Your Haunted Y2K Playground
Creating AI horror inspired by the ’90s and early 2000s isn’t just a creative trend—it’s a full-on experience. This aesthetic blends the eeriness of outdated tech with the comfort of childhood nostalgia, turning floppy disks, Tamagotchis, and VHS tapes into conduits for digital nightmares. By combining vivid prompts, eerie AI tools, and glitchcore editing, you’re not just making art—you’re crafting cursed memories that feel disturbingly real.
When your workspace is lit like an analog afterlife and you’re rocking a haunted Tamagotchi tee, it reinforces the entire creative mood. This isn’t just horror—it’s storytelling with a ghost in the machine.
👉 Shop my full ’90s horror collection
👉 Explore my AI prompt packs to spark your next spooky clip
Now go make something the internet wishes it could forget. 📼👁️
