Key Highlights
- TikTok creator @saraheposts discovered a labeled VHS tape in the butler’s pantry of her newly purchased 240-year-old Maine home, which was reportedly the childhood residence of a “relatively famous politician.”
- The tape, marked “1953 to 1957, scenes from home,” remains unwatched due to the creator’s horror-movie-inspired superstition and a notable historical anachronism: the VHS format did not launch until 1976.
- Social media users flooded the comments urging her to play the footage, with some volunteering to watch it themselves or suggesting AI analysis, while skeptics pointed out the format discrepancy.
Mystery VHS Tape Surfaces in Historic Maine Home
TikTok creator Sarah, known as @saraheposts, has documented an unsettling discovery inside her recently acquired 18th-century Maine residence. In a video posted to her account, which focuses on historic preservation and “old house TikTok,” she revealed that a family member found a single VHS cassette inside a cabinet in the butler’s pantry shortly after the purchase closed but before the move-in date.
The property, which Sarah describes as “haunted” in a tongue-in-cheek manner, dates back roughly 240 years. She notes the attic contains a small room with signatures on the walls and a coat hanger, calling it “a whole separate video” she is not yet ready to film. However, the VHS tape proved an immediate curiosity. “I promised that I would show the creepiest thing in this house and I’ll clarify that that does not include the attic,” Sarah told her followers. “The attic is a whole separate video when I feel like going up there — it’s in great condition for being 240 years old but there is a tiny room in the attic; there’s signatures on the walls, there’s a coat hanger up there, don’t even get me started. I’m not going up there today.”
Horror Tropes and a Historical Anachronism
Sarah’s reluctance to view the tape stems directly from the 2012 supernatural horror film Sinister, directed by Scott Derrickson and starring Ethan Hawke. In the film, a true-crime writer discovers a box of home movies in his new attic that turn out to be snuff films, unleashing a malevolent entity. “Right before we moved in (but we’d bought the house,) my little brother was walking the house for us; opened the cabinet and found a VHS tape,” Sarah recounted. “If you’ve ever seen the movie Sinister: if you find a VHS tape in your new home, you don’t watch it! You don’t watch it. So I’m not going to, but I will read the label on this for you. It says: ‘1953 to 1957, scenes from home’. This house was the childhood home of a relatively famous politician and so it would probably be an interesting tape to watch, but it’s never gonna happen. It’s neeeever gonna happen! I’ll probably burn it some day.”
The label’s date range—1953 to 1957—immediately raised eyebrows among viewers. The VHS (Video Home System) format was developed by JVC and released commercially in 1976, two decades after the latest date on the label. This discrepancy suggests the tape is either a later recording of older film reels, a mislabeled item, or part of a staged narrative.
Internet Reacts: Curiosity vs. Skepticism
The comment section quickly filled with a mix of horror-movie jokes, genuine curiosity, and forensic skepticism. “Nothing would stop me from watching that tape,” one user wrote. Another offered: “Mail it to me. I’ll watch it and send u the cliff notes.” A third suggested a modern workaround: uploading the footage to an AI tool for summarization. Despite the engagement, Sarah has maintained her position that the tape will not be played.
Why This Matters
The incident highlights the intersection of social media storytelling, historic home ownership, and urban folklore. For owners of historic properties, discovering artifacts from previous occupants is common, though usually in the form of letters, newspapers, or photographs—not magnetic media formats that post-date the labeled content. The Sinister reference underscores how deeply horror cinema has shaped cultural reactions to found media. Additionally, the VHS anachronism serves as a real-time case study in digital media literacy: audiences quickly identified the technological impossibility, demonstrating how collective knowledge on platforms like TikTok can fact-check narrative details within hours. The identity of the “relatively famous politician” remains undisclosed, leaving a gap in the historical provenance that could authenticate or debunk the artifact’s origin.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the politician connected to the house?
Sarah (@saraheposts) has not publicly identified the “relatively famous politician” whose childhood home she now owns. She only stated the property was their childhood residence.
Why is the VHS tape considered anachronistic?
The tape is labeled “1953 to 1957,” but the VHS format was not commercially available until 1976. This means the tape could not have been originally recorded in that format during those years; it would have to be a later transfer from film reels or a different medium.
Has Sarah watched the tape or planned to?
No. Sarah explicitly stated she will not watch it, citing the plot of the horror movie Sinister as a deterrent, and joked she would “probably burn it some day.”
