Narrative String Theory — The Vault of Culture

A post-apocalypse investigation board appears in Forgive Us All (dir. Jordana Stott, 2025).

A map with string connections appears in the background of Ultimate Spider-Man #22 (Marvel, December 2025).

A classic whiteboard variant appears Homeland s07e08 (Showtime, 2018), continuing the show’s attention to expansive walls and boards.

An abstract string board appears in The Outer Worlds 2 (Obsidian/Xbox Games, 2025).

A classic string board appears in Texas Killing Fields (dir. Ami Canaan Mann, 2011).

A classic red-string map is assembled through the opening credits of Operation Finale (dir. Chris Weitz, 2018).

A classic red-string board appears in The Man with the Black Umbrella (dir. Ricky Umberger, 2025).

An investigation wall with string appears behind some techs in Monsters of Man (dir. Mark Toia, 2020).

A classic paper pile gets put in order in Helloween (dir. Phil Claydon, 2025).

Charlie Brown tries to figure out War and Peace of his book report via a classic red-string solution in The Peanuts Movie (dir. Steve Martino, 2015).

A classic investigation board is assembled through the first season of Ludwig (BBC One, 2024).

Two characters are trapped in a cave with obsessive photo walls in Smiling Friends s03e03 (Adult Swim, 2025).

An expansive two-wall string board appears in the Tornado Shelter portion of the “Freedom Fighters” mission in Hitman (IO Interactive/Square Enix, 2016).

Liz becomes suspicious of her neighbor after seeing his string maps, which turn out to be for an Amazing Race audition tape, in 30 Rock s02e06 (NBC, 2007).

A true classic string wall appears at the end of Alan Becker’s “Animator vs. Animation” episode 11 (14 December 2024).

Classic string appears in Rubine’s Look Into My Eyes #2 (Mad Cave Studios, 2025).

At least one classic string board appears in Lost & Found Agency (AviGames, 2023).

A classic investigation wall, hiding a secret, is assembled throughout The Canal (dir. Ivan Kavanagh, 2014).

A classic conspiracist and a couple of conspiracy boards appear in Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’s Houses of the Unholy (Image, 2024).

A tiny amount of string appears in Pizza Boy Rick (dir. Jason Park, 2024).

Batman: Dark Patterns #11 (DC, Dec 2025) contains a classic obsessive wall.

A classic string board appears in both the film and advertising for God's Crooked Line [Los renglones torcidos de Dios] (dir. Oriol Paulo, 2022).

Promotional materials for Taken in Plain Sight (dir. Cat Hostick, 2024) rely on an investigation/obsession wall motif.

A classic string board appears in Night of the Reaper (dir. Brandon Christensen, 2025).

Looking into the mystery of capuchin behavior, one of the hosts of the Smithsonian’s podcast “Monkey Mystery: The Case of the Capuchin Kidnappers” (1 October 2025) invokes string boards: “Zoë began crazed detective work, with her board of pictures of monkeys and red yarn, bordering on conspiracy theory…”

Classic red string appears in Sarah Pearce’s lead illustration for Gwen Howerton’s “There’s no Houston serial killer. But there’s a reason you think there is.” at Chron.com (27 September 2025).

Digital red string as a shrug emoticon appears in Paul Spella’s lead illustration for Charlie Warzel’s “The Dumb Truth at the Heart of the Epstein Scandal” at The Atlantic (13 November 2025).

A classic investigation board appears in Resident Alien s04e06 (SyFy, 2025).

A classic string board appears in Haunted Hotel s01e06 (Netflix, 2025).

As with prior Ghostbusters games, Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed (IllFonic, 2022) contains some classic variants with various clippings and notes.

Travel transitions in Afterburn (dir. JJ Perry, 2025) are presented as digital maps nodding to Indiana Jones, but with digital pins and connections.

A classic whiteboard variant, asking “Where-Wolf!?,” appears in Haunted Hotel s01e04 (Netflix, 2025): “I didn’t know we had a whiteboard…good for us…”

Paul Cornell and Rachael Smith’s Who Killed Nessie? (2025) contains a couple of classic string variants.

The tabletop RPG Midnight of the Century (2025), written and designed by Colin Le Sueur, contains at least one classic string wall image.

A classic investigation wall is assembled throughout Confess (dir. Stefan C. Schaefer, 2005).

Maps tracking various bee swarms with string appear in The Bees (dir. Alfredo Zacarías, 1978).

A couple of classic walls appear in Ghostwire: Tokyo (Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks, 2022).

A couple of strategic maps with string appear in Captain America: The First Avenger (dir. Joe Johnston, 2011).

An obsessive wall appears in I Heart Willie (dir. Alejandro G. Alegre, 2025).

A classic string map appears in Bambi: The Reckoning (dir. Dan Allen, 2025).

Various social media ads and videos for Revival (SyFy, 2025) feature a classic investigation wall and one character asking another, “Why do we have the same murder board?”

An extensive exploration of string boards, their meaning, and their relevance—including an interview with Vault of Culture editor Shawn Gilmore and references to the Narrative String Theory archive—can be found in Slate’s Decoder Ring podcast episode, “The Red String Board Conspiracy” (22 October 2025), hosted by Willa Paskin.

A classic string board briefly appears in The Naked Gun (dir. Akiva Schaffer, 2025).

As promised by its trailer, The Thursday Murder Club (dir. Chris Columbus, 2025) features a classic string board in two states and a police investigation board.

String and ribbon measure various radii on a world map, creating a classic variant, in Doomwatch (dir. Peter Sasdy, 1972).

A classic little string wall, with a nod to The X-Files, appears in The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (dir. Pete Browngardt, 2024).

Poirot’s mental connections fit the NST motifs in Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express (Microids Studio Lyon/Microids, 2023).

String and thread appear throughout Sew Torn (Freddy Macdonald, 2024), but closely resemble conspiracy patterns at the opening and close of the film.

A classic string board appears in Superman (dir. James Gunn, 2025), which then gets to take a ride with the Daily Planet crew in Mister Terrific’s T-Ship.

A truly classic string board appears in The Bad Guys 2 (dir. Pierre Perifel, 2025).

Nicole Hoehn has created adorable, detailed conspiracy board crafts (shared on facebook, 13 August 2025).

A classic obsessive variant appears in Descendent (dir. Peter Cilella, 2025).

Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (Frogwares, 2023) contains a classic string wall early in the game.

A truly classic string board appears in Site (dir. Jason Eric Perlman, 2025)

Digital connections are made late in War of the Worlds (dir. Rich Lee, 2025).

A variant cover for Lois Lane #9 (DC, 2020) by Bilquis Evely and Mat Lopes uses a classic string motif.

A classic investigation board is assembled and then discussed in Cold War [寒戰] (dirs. Longman Leung & Sunny Luk, 2012).

Stringboard elements appear during the credits of The Pickup (dir. Tim Story, 2025).

Classic string boards appear in RoboCop: Rogue City (Teyon/Nacon, 2023).

A lovely room full of string appears in the satire Guy Manley: Super Spy (dir. David Andersson, 2024).

Classic obsessive and string boards appear in King of the Hill s13e12 (Fox, 2008).

An obsessive wall appears in I Know What You Did Last Summer (dir. Jim Gillespie, 1997).

The Painscreek Killings (EQ Studios, 2017) features a classic investigation board in its key advertising and in gameplay.

A moon-shaped swirl of investigative photos appears in Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu #10 (Marvel, September 2025).

A couple of string maps appear in Cannibal Apocalypse (dir. Antonio Margheriti, 1980).

A classic conspiracy wall is assembled in Dark Sense (dir. Magnus Wake, 2019).

A character discovers the script for the film she lives inside, presented as an obsessive wall, in Dead Teenagers (dir. Quinn Armstrong, 2024).

A classic string board appears in The Rise of the Golden Idol (Color Gray Games/Playstack, 2024).

A classic string board appears in Grace Point (dir. Rory Karpf, 2023).

A classic variant appears in Pet Sematary: Bloodlines (dir. Lindsey Anderson Beer, 2023).

Classic string imagery appears in the trailer for 50 Ways to Catch a Killer with 50 Cent (Fox Nation, 2025).

Dale has a classic string board in the trailer for King of the Hill season 14 (2025).

A classic (and anachronistic) multi-panel string board appears in “The Ripper Room” in Jack the Ripper: The London Slasher (dir. Sebastian Niemann, 2016).

Afua Richardson’s promotional poster for Cloak & Dagger s02e03 (Freeform, 2019) illustrates that season’s classic string wall.

One of Realtor.com’s “Nearly Home” (2025) ads features a classic string wall in the background.

A surreal space, constructed from obsessive photograph surfaces, appears throughout Myth of Man (dir. Jamin Winans, 2025).

A classic string investigation wall appears in The Anomaly (dir. Noel Clarke, 2014).

A classic stringboard is assembled throughout The Freeway Killer: Lost Murder Tapes (dir. Anna Keel, 2022).

The miniseries Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders (Netflix, 2025) contains a number of investigation boards and maps with pins.

A small string board appears in Secret Empire #4 (Marvel, August 2017).

In addition to boards in the Batcave, a number of string boards appear in the Gotham City PD headquarters in Batman: Arkham Origins (WB Games Montreal, 2013).

Classic connections appear in Yuichiro Chino/Moment (via Getty Images)’s lead illustration for Nicole M. Bennett’s “When the government can see everything: How one company – Palantir – is mapping the nation’s data,” in The Conversation (27 August 2025).

An upcoming edition of Pierre Bourdieu’s Imperialisms: The International Circulation of Ideas and the Struggle for the Universal (Polity, 2025), translated by Peter Collier, features a string-like network of linked nodes on its cover.

In addition to a memory wall, a couple of classic string maps appear in Jurassic World Dominion (dir. Colin Trevorrow, 2022).

A classic variant appears in Predator vs. Spider-Man #3 (Marvel, August 2025).

Nûde Tuęsdäy (dir. Armağan Ballantyne, 2022) contains a trippy variant with yellow yarn in a forest.

Lauren Knight’s cover for Golden Rage: Mother Knows Best #4 (Image, 2025) evokes the classic “Pepe Silvia” rant from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia s04e10 (FX, 2008)

Trailers for Murders on the Yangtze River (Omegames Studio, 2024) contain classic red-string motifs, which also appear in-game.

A classic board appears in Clown in a Cornfield (dir. Eli Craig, 2025), echoing a memory board earlier in the film.

The Kickstarter campaign for Cörk Børd (2025), a “Nordic Noir investigative Role-Playing Game,” compatible with MÖRK BORG, contains a number of string elements.

A classic investigation wall appears in various states throughout The Accountant 2 (dir. Gavin O’Connor, 2025).

The numbers are all connected in The Accountant (dir. Gavin O’Connor, 2016).

Classic string boards appear on the title screen and in the advertising for Duck Detective: The Secret Salami (Happy Broccoli Games, 2024).

Various menus and level completion screens in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed (Aheartfulofgames/Outright Games, 2024) contain pins and string.

Digital red string appears in Rebecca Zisser’s lead illustration for Katie Notopoulos’s “AI can make a video of your ‘manifested’ dream life. I say: Don't do it!” at MSN (30 July 2025).

FD Signifier’s long-form YouTube explainer, “You don't even know what a "Hotep" is so maybe you should shut the f*ck up” (2025) contains red string throughout its opening credits.

A classic string board appears in the reveal trailer for Resident Evil Requiem (Capcom, 2026).

The LEGO Icons Sherlock Holmes Book Nook (10351), released in 2025, contains a classic string board.

A classic investigation board with light string elements appears in Wynonna Earp s03e10 (SyFy, 2018).

A classic investigation wall appears in The Gap (Label This/Crunching Koalas, 2023).

A classic string wall appears in the credits of Outpost: Black Sun (dir. Steve Barker, 2012).

Digital red string overlays hands holding a smartphone in Fei Liu’s lead illustration for Sam Biddle’s “U.S. Spy Agencies Are Getting a One-Stop Shop to Buy Your Most Sensitive Personal Data,” in The Intercept (22 May 2025).

A classic string board appears in the “Missing Minute” segment of the 31 July 2025 episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC): “I bought a bunch of red string to connect all the players, but it turns out I only need a little tiny piece because my conspiracy board only has the one picture on it…”

A classic string board appears in the final episode of Around the Horn (ESPN, 23 May 2025).

John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) maintains a table-top “Wall of Oscar” in The Rookie s07e18 (ABC, 2025), “only it’s not up on a wall, because then it would a Crazy Wall…”

A variety of investigation boards are promised in the trailer for the series Nine Puzzles (Hulu, 2025).

The menus of Felix the Reaper (Kong Orange/Daedalic Entertainment, 2019) rely on string motifs.

A classic string board burns (in reverse) throughout the opening credits of Sunray: Fallen Soldier (dirs. James Clarke & Daniel Shepherd, 2024).

Conspiracy walls and notebooks appear throughout Project MKHEXE (dir. Gerald Robert Waddell, 2025).

Conspiracy: The Solomon Gambit (Restoration Games, 2019) features some classic string imagery.

Bunkey Jonesy, a character in Fortnite (Epic Games, 2017), maintains a classic corkboard variant.

The “Conspiracy Board” supplement (2025) for the CHEW role-playing game trades on familiar string tropes.

The trailer for The Thursday Murder Club (dir. Chris Columbus, 2025) features a classic string board.

Stephen Colbert constructs a digital string board as part of a “Trump to MAGA” segment on The Late Show (CBS, 16 July 2025).

The NBC 5 investigation “Who killed Momo?” (14 May 2025) relies on string motifs in its opening and closing graphics.

Red connections form a cage in Martin O’Neill’s lead illustration for Eliane Glaser’s “Our Narrative Prison,” in Aeon (13 May 2025).

A classic investigation board appears in The Devil’s Dolls (dir. Padraig Reynolds, 2016).

A classic obsessive shrine appears in The Gallows (dir. Chris Lofing & Travis Cluff, 2015).

A small variant appears in Screamboat (dir. Steven LaMorte, 2025).

A character discovers a classic obsessive wall of photographs in The Silent House [La casa muda] (dir. Gustavo Hernández, 2010).

The cover of Life in the Posthuman Condition (2023), edited by S. E. Wilmer and Audronė Žukauskaitė, uses the connection-based work by Tomas Saraceno, Algo-r(h)i(y)tms (2018).

A classic string board appears in Groupers (dir. Anderson Cowan, 2019).

A classic investigation wall appears in Christmas Blood [Juleblod] (dir. Reinert Kiil, 2017).

The ongoing comics series String by Paul Tobin and Carlos Javier Olivares employs (according to Mad Cave’s description) “two types of ‘strings’ connecting various people. The first is blue and stretches between sexual partners. The second-dark black-connects murderers and their victims.”

Marcus Kliewer’s We Used to Live Here (2024) contains a classic conspiracy wall.

A classic string board appears in Bob’s Discount Furniture’s “Spring: Envy Mattress” commercial (2025).

A classic planning wall appears in Gun Woman [女体銃　ガン・ウーマン, Nyotaiju Gan Ūman] (dir. Kurando Mitsutake, 2014).

A world map with string appears in Pursuit (dir. Michael Critchton, 1972).

Classic string boards appear in Moons of Madness (Rock Pocket Games/Dreamloop Games, 2019).

A classic straing wall appears in Night of the Coconut (dir. Patrick Willems, 2022).

The “Magic of Comics” sequence in Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud’s Cartoonists Club (Scholastic, 2025) uses line connections to explain the implication of narrative from discrete comics panels.

Red yarn and weaving/connection imagery abounds in South of Midnight (Compulsion Games/Xbox Game Studios, 2025).

The flat-earther documentary Behind the Curve (dir. Daniel J. Clark, 2018) illustrates a claim about connections with some classic string imagery.

Beetroot Design’s Romeo & Juliet (2023) connects instances of “Romeo” and “Juliet” across the play.

A photograph variant appears in I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (dir. Sylvian White, 2006).

A classic string board appears in the bizarre The Brick House (dir. Gustavo Cervantes, 2013).

Val Mina’s illustration for the article “How Peter Thiel’s Secretive Data Company Pushed Into Policing,” in Wired (9 August 2017), employs a string motif.

The Amazon Business ad “Bo Peep Finds Success - Smart Business Buying” (2025) features a classic string board.

Gotham is presented as a series of linked nodes on one of the Batcomputers in Batman: The Telltale Series (Telltale Games, 2016).

The cover art for the Weird Little Guys podcast (iHeart, 2024- ) contains string imagery, as does the introduction in the first episode.

A character is totured by a string variant in Hellverine #5 (Marvel, 2025).

A blue-string variant appears in Yellowjackets s02e04 (Showtime, 2023).

Ads and promotional materials of the webseries Hellier seasons 1 and 2 (2019) rely on red-string motifs.

A classic investigation attic appears in Slender Man (dir. Sylvain White, 2018).

A classic board appears in Dr. Holder’s basement lab in Atomfall (Rebellion, 2025).

A classic investigation board appears in Remnant 2 (Gunfire Games/Gearbox, 2023).

A precursor to the laser-trap room, a room full of string tied to arrow traps, appears in Bloody Pit of Horror [Il boia scarlatto] (dir. Domenico Massimo Pupillo, 1965).

Connections are made across a group of photographs in Yellowjackets s01e05 (Showtime, 2021).

Luana Vecchio’s covers for issues #3 and #4 of her series Doll Parts: A Lovesick Tale (Image, 2025) invoke string imagery.

A classic investigation board appears in Horsemen (dir. Jonas Åkerlund, 2009).

Some classic conspiracy imagery appears midway through True Stories (dir. David Byrne, 1986).

The Punisher is doing just fine (why do you ask?) and has a classic wall in Daredevil: Born Again s01e04 (Disney+, 2025).

Contrapoints’ “Conspiracy” (2025) YouTube explainer contains a lovely full wall of string and multiple NST diagrams throughout.

Pink string on a planning map, from one of the opening scenes of Dr. No (dir. Terence Young, 1962).

A classic investigation board appears in Abattoir (dir. Darren Lynn Bousman, 2016).

Players construct digital evidence boards by forming connections in Nobody Wants to Die (Critical Hit Games/Plaion, 2024).

A classic string board appears early in Fobia: St. Dinfna Hotel (Pulsatrix Studios/Maximum Games, 2022).

A room full of planning boards appears in Shock Wave 2 [拆彈專家2] (dir. Herman Yau, 2020).

A Vintage RPG Podcast tumblr post promoting an episode on Liminal Horror features some classic string in its key image.

A great full-room set of string boards appear in Peter Englert’s shelter in Death Stranding (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive, 2019).

Some classic string appears on a planning map in Sniper Elite: Resistance (Rebellion Developments, 2025).

A couple of classic string boards appear in The Chant (Brass Token/Prime Matter, 2022).

Classic organized crime boards appear in Jersey Bred (dir. Greg Russo, 2024).

An investigation room with hanging string appears in Stereoscope (dir. Lena Tsodykovskaya, 2024).

A classic horror investigation wall appears in Control Freak (Shal Ngo, 2025).

Classic string appears on the cover art of the board game Caper: Europe (Keymaster Games, 2022), designed by Unai Rubio with art by Josh Emrich.

A trailer for Final Destination: Bloodlines (dir. Zach Lipovsky & Adam Stein, 2025) features some classic variants.

Alan Moore and Jacen Burrow’s Neonomicon (Avatar, 2010-11) contains a classic investigation white board.

The opening of Alan Moore & Kevin O’Neill’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen vol II #1 (Wildstorm, September 2002) features a map variant, drawing on real-world examples.

A classic full-room variant appears in Lumina (dir. Gino McKoy, 2024).

A collection of investigative clippings calls out for additions (and string) in The Amy Fisher Story (dir. Andy Tennant, 1993).

A relief map with push pins appears throughout The Car (dir. Elliot Silverstein, 1977).

Red string overlays an image of Dan Bongino in Calla Kessler’s lead illustration for Dan Friedman’s “He’s About to Co-Lead the FBI—But First, a Word From His MAGA Show Sponsors,” in Mother Jones (6 March 2025).

The 1981 Grove paperback edition of Alexander Trocchi’s Cain’s Book (1961) features string on its collage cover.

Matt Walsh, confused about basically everything, conducts his “serious investigation” via a pink-string board in What is a Woman? (dir. Justin Folk, 2022).

A classic investigation variant appears in Love Hurts (dir. Jonathan Eusebio, 2025).

A classic conspiracy diagram titled “Key Biscayne and Other Dirt $” illustrates Jeff Gerth’s “Nixon and the Mafia,” Sundance (Nov/Dec 1972).

Brandy Thomas Wells’s article on Flemmie Pansy Kittrell, “Globetrotting Black nutritionist Flemmie P. Kittrell revolutionized early childhood education and illuminated ‘hidden hunger’,” in The Conversation (22 February 2023) leads with an image of Kittrell in front of a map filled with string connecting far-flung economists to Washington, DC.

A classic string wall appears in the opening of the Elio (dirs. Domee Shi & Madeline Sharafian, 2025) teaser trailer.

Digital connections are made in Richard Blake’s Hexagon Bridge (Image, 2024).

Classic clipping boards appear in Ghostbusters: The Video Game (originally Terminal Reality/Atari Interactive, 2009; remaster Mad Dog Games, 2019).

A classic investigation board appears in If I Go Missing (dir. Stefan Brogren, 2024).

A classic investigation board and map with string appear in the opening credits of Wayward (dir. Kurt Yochum, 2022).

Classic boards appear in the game within the livestream in Livescreamers (dir. Michelle Iannantuono, 2023).

Ads for the Bug Hunter and The Narcissist Cookbook 2025 tour employ string motifs.

A classic room full of string and a couple of variants (digital and travel) appear in Memes & Nightmares (dir. Charles Todd & Matt Mitchener, 2024).

Two planning maps, one with string, appear early in Where Eagles Dare (dir. Brian G. Hutton, 1968).

Players are tied together via red string and then the results are explained on a string board in Ted Lasso s03e07 (Apple TV+, 2023).

A classic string board appears in The Stranger s01e02 (Netflix, 2020).

A classic string board appears in the Washington Post Universe YouTube short explainer “Musk hands out $1,000,000 checks to Wisconsin voters” video (2025).

Average Baseball’s “He Was MLB’s Best Pitcher, Then He Disappeared” (2024) video uses string in its promotional image.

A “Death Wall” appears throughout Courting a Killer (dir. Carlos Nunez, 2013).

Various (dark) rooms filled with photo walls appear in There’s Someone Inside Your House (dir. Patrick Brice, 2021).

A wall of clippings appears in the opening of Hitman: Blood Money (IO Interactive/Eidos Interactive, 2006).

A map variant appears in The Answer (dir. Iqbal Ahmed, 2015).

Some classic variants appear in Hitman: Absolution (IO Interactive/Square Enix Europe, 2012).

The cover of Connor B.’s Bring Me the Head of Susan Lomond (Silver Sprocket, 2025) features a classic obsessive wall.

The Kickstarter campaign for The Stranger Chapter 2 (2025), by Tom Philipson, James Patricks, and artist Devlin Baker, is being promoted with a classic investigation board.

Yet another classic variant appears in one of the DLC missions for Wolfenstein II; The New Colossus (MachineGames/Bethesda, 2017).

The Riddler maintains a classic obsessive board in Batman Forever (Joel Schumacher, 1995).

News clippings and postcards appear on a pinboard under the dark opening credits of Dark Ride (dir. Craig Singer, 2006).

A true classic string board appears over the credits of Mister Sleep (dir. Robert Hollocks, 2024).

A classic organized crime board with connections appears in Den of Thieves 2: Pantera (dir. Christian Gudegast, 2025).

A classic string board appears at the beginning of Younger s01e02 (TV Land, 2015).

A classic investigation wall appears in Ray Fawkes & Antonio Fuso’s Sanction (Mad Cave, 2024).

Connections on the maps in Tactical Breach Wizards (Suspicious Developments, 2024) have heavy string elements.

Tom Gauld uses some classic string in his “Grand Unified Conspiracy Theory” cartoon for the New Scientist (5 March 2025).

The teaser trailer for the upcoming series, Happy Face (Paramount+, 2025) includes and investigation variant.

Classic investigation boards, some with string, appear throughout Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (MachineGames/Bethesda Softworks, 2024).

A classic investigation board, recapping the prior film, appears in Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight Part 2 [W lesie dziś nie zaśnie nikt 2] (dir. Bartosz M. Kowalski, 2021).

A red string chart appears in Nanny McPhee (dir. Kirk Jones, 2005).

A classic investigation wall with string appears in The Perfect Witness [aka The Ungodly] (dir. Thomas Dunn, 2007).

A classic string board appears in Henry Danger: The Movie (dir. Joe Menendez, 2025).

A classic variant appears briefly in Father’s Day (Astron-6, 2011).

String walls fill a room in Green Lantern: Fractured Spectrum #1 (DC, 2025), writted by Jeremy Adams, with art by V. Ken Marion.

A full-page composition in Taki Soma’s Sleeping While Standing (2022) is structured as a string board.

The reprint cover and promotional art for Cara Hunter’s Murder in the Family (2023) relies on clear string motifs.

A collection of photos, which light string elements, appears in The Calendar Killer [Sebastian Fitzeks Der Heimweg] (dir. Adolfo J. Kolmerer, 2025).

A classic string map appears in Bloody Axe Wound (dir. Matthew John Lawrence, 2024).

A tiny string board appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold #19 (DC, 2024).

The trailer for A Working Man (dir. David Ayer, 2025) features a variant on what appears to be butcher paper.

A classic string wall appears in Two-Face #2 (DC, 2025), written by Christian Ward, with art by Fábio Veras.

Andi Watson’s one-page comic “I Confess” (11 January 2024) opens with a classic string panel.

From its opening “Hartley High Incest Map” through its season 2 “Cumlords” string wall, Heartbreak High s01-s02 (Netflix, 2022-24) is replete with examples.

An excellent, classic string wall appears in Manifest s02e01 (NBC, 2020).

A classic basement string board appears in F*** Marry Kill (dir. Laura Murphy, 2024).

A small string board appears in Michael DeForge’s “One of My Students is a Murderer...But Which?” in the collection Heaven No Hell (Drawn + Quarterly, 2021).

The “Abduction” Doritos television ad for the 2025 Super Bowl has a classic string board in the background.

Classic string appears in parts of Trivia Murder Party 2, Jackbox Party Pack 6 (Jackbox Games, 2019), much like the first entry.

Cartoonist Katie Skelly (@skellyskellyskelly) uses a classic sting motif for an illustration of a Cancer type.

The cover of Mark Staff Brandl’s A Philosophy of Visual Metaphor in Contemporary Art (2023) employs some loose string elements.

Very similar to an earlier entry in the same franchise, Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts (CI Games, 2019) contains boards with classic string and note elements.

A classic obsessive board appears in The Apology (dir. Alison Locke, 2022).

An evolving planning wall appears throughout The Order (dir. Justin Kurzel, 2024).

An investigation variant appears as a part of a surveillance setup in Werewolves (dir. Steven C. Miller, 2024).

A few red strings connect labels and locations in Sasquatch: The Legend of Bigfoot (dir. Ed Ragozzino, 1976).

A classic full-wall variant appears in Pay the Ghost (dir. Uli Edel, 2015).

A freeform Post-It note and string exercise, describing and aligning student outcomes and department values, was assembled in December 2024 in the Department of English at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

The “Alternative Truths” (2020) expansion to Illuminati: The Game of Conspiracy (2nd ed), designed by Steve Jackson and illustrated by Lar deSouza, has a classic string board on its reverse side.

White board and map variants appear in Hollows Grove (dir. Craig Efros, 2014).

A few variants appear in connected roomes in Sint [Saint] (dir. Dick Maas, 2010).

An investigation variant, with some string, appears in Don Q (dir. Claudio Bellante, 2023).

A dark series of rooms are littered with riddles variants in Nemesis Game (dir. Jesse Warn, 2003).

A couple of classic variants appear in Santastein (dir. Manuel Camillion & Benjamin Edelman, 2023).

A wide variety of forms appears in Grave Encounters (dir. The Vicious Brothers, 2011) and Grave Encounters 2 (dir. John Poliquin, 2012).

As promised in its trailer, I Trapped the Devil (dir. Josh Lobo, 2019) contains a glorious full-room set of red-string walls.

A classic investigation board appears in Mama (dir. Andy Muschietti, 2013).

A true classic string wall appears in Carmen Sandiego s02e09 (Netlfix, 2019).

FBI investigation boards appear in The Company You Keep (dir. Robert Redford, 2012).

An obsessive wall appears in Little Bone Lodge (Mathias Hoene, 2023).

A close variant appears in Trolls Band Together (dirs. Walt Dohrn & Tim Heitz, 2023).

A classic string board and a couple of investigation variants appear in Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (dirs. Nick Park & Merlin Crossingham, 2024).

A charming (and glittery) “crime board” appears in On My Block s03e02 (Netflix, 2020).

A classic map-based investigation board appears in the closet in On My Block s01e06 (Netflix, 2018).

Organizing the family calendar borrows some conspiracy tropes in Modern Family s05e01 (ABC, 2013).

A nice, large investigation wall appears in A Most Wanted Man (dir. Anton Corbjin, 2014).

A classic string board appears in Shaun the Sheep s06e06 (Netflix, 2020).

The upcoming Abbott Elementary/It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia crossover (ABC, 2025) is being teased with a new version of Charlie’s iconic “Pepe Silva” conspiracy board.

The short film “The Missing Piece” (visualized by Dinesh/Vivid Studios, 2023) relies on a classic string board.

The one-season true crime reenactment show Murder Board [aka Murder Wall] (2019) is advertised with a classic string board.

A cute classic string board appears in the trailer for the upcoming Dog Man (dir. Peter Hastings, 2025).

A classic string board appears in the “There’s More To Imagine When You Listen” Audible ad (2024).

A classic obsessive wall appears in Resurrection (dr. Russell Mulcahy, 1999).

Classic investigation boards appear in A Man on the Inside s01e01 (Netflix, 2024).

The cover for the upcoming Citizen Scholar (2025) by Philip N. Cohen features a light pin-and-string motif.

A classic string board appears in the trailer for the upcoming Haunted Paws (LazyFlock, 2024).

A mobile ad for Progressive insurance contains a tiny bit of string.

A true classic string board appears in Hot Frosty (dir. Jerry Ciccoritti, 2024).

A small obsessive wall appears in A Different Man (dir. Aaron Shimberg, 2024).

Classic string walls appear in Homefront: The Revolution (Dambuster Studios/Deep Silver, 2016).

A classic string map appears near the end of Rabid (dirs. Jen Soska & Sylvia Soska, 2019).

A classic obsessive closet and investigation board appear in The Soul Eater (dirs. Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury, 2024).

Red string makes an appearance in a key location in Airplane! (dirs. Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, & Jerry Zucker, 1980).

Some string elements appear in the Batman: Hush 2 preview in Justice LeagueUnlimited #1 (DC, January 2025).

A classic set of obsessive walls appear in a small, dark room in Captive (dir. Savvas Christou, 2020).

Classic string board motifs are employed in Rachel Merrill’s lead illustration for Pete Segall’s “A Person, At That Time, Pulled Over” (Bright Wall/Dark Room 136: Neo-Noir 2024).

An obsessive journalist’s wall appears in State of Play (dir. Kevin Macdonald, 2009).

A classic string board appears in The Mean One (dir. Steven LaMorte, 2022).

Shirt Punch! sells a “Pepe Luigi” shirt design, designed by Cod-Designs, spoofing the classic “Pepe Silvia” rant from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia s04e10 (FX, 2008).

Chris Curtis’s illustration for the article “Criminal Charges Sought in Illegal Dumping Scheme,” in The Rover (20 November 2024) employs a classic string motif.

An “investigation map” wall decoration was added to Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix, 2010) in patch 7.1: “Clues and clippings linked together with thread in the fashion of a master sleuth. It probably doesn't mean anything.”

A classic string wall appears in the credits and main diegesis of Arcane s02e04 (Netflix, 2024).

An investigation variant appears in Sleepless (dir. Dario Argento, 2001).

A couple of investigation variants appear in A Strange House [変な家] (dir. Jun’ichi Ishikawa, 2024).

A classic variant appears in Desert Shadows (dir. Tyler Bourns, 2022).

Philippe Squarzoni’s two-part graphic novel adaptation of David Simon’s Homicide (First Second, 2023-24) features an investigation variant both in the narrative and on the cover of the second volume.

The trailer for the upcoming Cross series (Amazon Prime, 2024) promises a variety of investigation and obsessive boards and walls.

A small wall of news clippings appear in Wild Things: Diamond in the Rough (dir. Jay Lowi, 2005).

At least one classic variant appears in Dragon Age: The Veilguard (BioWare/Electronic Arts, 2024), per Legion of Potatoes’ tumblr.

Fulfilling the promise of its trailer, the main game of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (Treyarch/Raven Software/Activision, 2020) contains a classic evidence board, a few stray string boards, and a surreal bunker papered with documents.

A classic string board appears in The Marlow Murder Club s01e02 (PBS, 2024).

A classic string board appears in What We Do in the Shadows s06e05 (FX, 2024).

A truly classic string board is assembled throughout Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Treyarch/Raven Software/Activision, 2024), with groups of files leading to specific missions.

A post-apocalyptic variant appears in Die Alone (dir. Lowell Dean, 2024).

The teaser trailer for Laid (Peacock, 2024) promises a classic string board.

A classic floor investigation and some other variants appear in Agatha All Along s01e06 (Disney+, 2024).

The “Stork” segment of V/H/S/Beyond (dir. Jordan Downey, 2024) contains a classic investigation variant.

A conventional variant appears in Romance is a Bonus Book s01e13 (Netflix, 2019).

A classic string wall appears in Only Murders in the Building s04e07 (Hulu, 2024): “Let me direct your attention to the murder wall…which is like your murder board, but bigger, therefore our is better!”

A closet variant appears in Vampires: The Turning (dir. Martin Jay Weiss, 2004).

A classic investigation variant appears in Depravity (dir. Paul Tamasy, 2024).

A true classic string board appears in Rachel Bloom’s comedy special, Death, Let Me Do My Special (Netflix, 2024).

A classic investigation board comes together through the story of Sifu (Sloclap/H2 Interactive, 2021).

A classic investigation board appears in the rebooted Matlock s01e01 (CBS, 2024).

The miniseries The Pale Horse (BBC, 2020) contains a classic red-string board.

Like other games in the same franchise, Wolfenstein: The New Order (MachineGames/Bethesda Softworks, 2014) contains elements of an investigation wall.

A classic annotated map variant appears in The Radleys (dir. Euros Lyn, 2024).

The documentary Sugarcane (dirs. Emily Kassie & Julian Brave NoiseCat, 2024) contains a classic investigation wall.

A “miniature evidence board” ornament in 1:12 scale is available from Sara Schaefer’s Etsy store.

A couple of classic variants appear in The Star City Murders (dir. Giles Andrews, 2024).

A few variants pop up in the promotional trailers for Grotesquerie (FX, 2024).

A collage wall pops up in Agatha All Along s01e02 (Disney+, 2024).

A preview for the upcoming Common Side Effects (Adult Swim, 2024) features a classic board.

A true classic board appears in History of the Occult [Historia de lo Oculto] Cristian Ponce, 2020).

Whiteboard variants appear on the left side of a split-screen phone conversation in Kaos s01e04 (Netflix, 2024).

The pornographic satire Public Affairs (dir. Henri Pachard, 1983) oddly contains a New York state map annotated with tape.

The trailer for the upcoming High Potential (ABC, 2024) hinges on a clear investigation variant.

Just like its prior iteration [NST #804], The Cases of Mystery Lane: Death is Listening (dir. Mike Rohl, 2024) contains a classic string board.

A classic variant appears in a murder room in Dangerous Game: The Legacy Murders (dir. Sean McNamara, 2022).

During a couple of planning scenes, classic map variants appear in Mafia: The Definitive Edition (Hangar 13/2K, 2020).

A continuing investigation into the multiple potential explanations for why Ralph Nader’s pens don’t last as long is illustrated in a classic fashion in Annemarie Conte’s “I’ve Become Absolutely Obsessed With Ralph Nader’s Pens. Join Me on My Continuing Investigation” in the New York Times’ Wirecutter section (3 September 2024).

Pushpins and string are used to map refueling routes in Guns (dir. Andy Sidaris, 1990).

The amazing visualization project by Kate Crawford and Vladan Joler, Calculating Empires: A Genealogy of Technology and Power Since 1500 (2023), is structured as a wild array of connected elements, viewable at many different scales.

A couple of classic variants appear in Ira Marcks' loving riff on The Shining, the graphic novel Spirit Week (Little, Brown, 2022).

A whiteboard investigation variant appears throughout The Interview (dir. Craig Monahan, 1998).

A classic string board, called by one character a “serial killer wall,” appears periodically throughout Warren Ellis and Jon Davis-Hunt’s The Wild Storm #1-24 (DC, 2017-19).

The Blue Men create a classic string board as they try to work out a percussion response to My Chemical Romance’s “Welcome to the Black Parade” in a 2024 video by Drumeo.

A classic investigation board appears in The Devil Below (dir. Bradley Parker, 2021).

A classic string wall shows up in This Bed We Made (Lowbirth Games, 2023).

Two classic investigation variants, one with red lines, appear in Cowboy Cartel e03 (Apple TV+, 2024).

The covers for upcoming issues of The Deviant #7 and #8 (Image, 2024) by Joshua Hixson feature some NST elements.

As with its source novel [NST #371], A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder s01e01 (BBC iPlayer/Netflix, 2024) contains a classic variant.

A true classic variant of the string board form appears in Kerilynn Wilson’s Faint of Heart (Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins Publishers, 2023).

A small set of investigation boards appear in A Quiet Place (dir. John Krasinski, 2018).

Agent 77 (1970), a porn parody of shows like Get Smart (1965-70) features a string map made from Christmas lights.

A couple of classic variants appear in Disappear Completely [Desaparecer por Completo] (dir. Luis Javier Henaine, 2022).

The AMMO team assembles some classic investigation boards via montage in Bad Boys: Ride or Die (dirs. Adil & Bilall, 2024).

A classic string board appears in the Railroad HQ in Fallout 4 (Bethesda, 2015).

A couple of classic variants appear in From Darkness [Ur mörkret] (dir. Philip W. da Silva, 2024).

Wonder Woman is bound by her Lasso of Truth, visually resembling string, on the cover of Wonder Woman #11 (DC, 2024) by Daniel Sampere and Tomeu Morey.

The cover of Phillips Payson O’Brien’s The Strategists (2024) features a true classic use of string.

One of the briefing boards contains some string elements in Sniper: Ultimate Kill (dir. Claudio Fäh, 2017).

Classic string boards appear in both the opening credits and investigation scenes in Tripline Mysteries: Dial 1 for Murder (dir. Cynde Harmon & Jessica Harmon, 2024).

A classic variant appears in The Garfield Movie (dir. Mark Dindal, 2024).

BookPage’s “We’ve Cracked the Code” reading campaign features some classic string, as in the July 2024 flyer.

Multiple classic obsessive investigation variants appear in The Factory (dir. Morgan O’Neill, 2012).

A couple of investigation variants appear in the Korean miniseries Little Women (Netflix, 2022), directed by Kim Hee-won.

A classic obsessive wall appears in Time Addicts (dir. Sam Odlum, 2023).

An example of Sol LeWitt’s conceptual page annotations, “All ifs ands or buts connected by green lines” (1973) as an NST variant and precursor to some forms of language mapping.

A number of NST elements are present in the key scenes explaining how the aliens coordinate in Independence Day (dir. Roland Emmerich, 1996).

A class full-room variant appears in Hard Home (dir. James Bamford, 2024).

As in the show, a classic variant appears in My Adventures with Superman #1 (DC, August 2024).

A full-room variant, supposedly constructed by “two moms” appears throughout the documentary Flynn (dir. Michael T. Flynn, 2024).

A range of variants appear in The Mangler (dir. Tobe Hooper, 1995).

American Dad s17e05, “Epic Powder Dump” (TBS, 2022), contains a brief, classic variant.

The cover for Grimm Fairy Tales Murder Mystery (Zenescope, April 2024), by Sonia Matas and Cocoaspen, contains some classic string.

A true classic variant appears on Jenny Frison’s cover for Revival #15 (Image, November 2013).

A collage variant appears in Trancers (dir. Charles Band, 1984).

A map with red lines appears in Skull and Bones (Ubisoft, 2024).

Children construct a map variant in The Willoughbys (dirs. Kris Pearn & Rob Lodermeier, 2020).

A true classic variant appears in a couple of forms in Trivago’s “Cheaper Hotels” ad (2024).

A classic horror variant appears in Tarot (dir. Spenser Cohen & Anna Halberg, 2024).

A research variant appears throughout I Origins (dir. Mike Cahill, 2014).

A classic police investigation glass board appears in The Courier (El Correro; dir. Daniel Calparsoro, 2024).

A couple of investigation variants appear in Love Bite (dir. Andy De Emmony, 2012).

A set of investigation walls litter the interview prep room in Scoop (dir. Philip Martin, 2024).

A classic variant appears in Lieutenant Jangles (dir. Nic Champeaux, 2018).

A classic example appears in Animal Control s02e03 (Fox, 2024).

A room of variants appears in Meatball Machine (ミートボールマシン/Mītobōru mashin, dirs. Yūdai Yamaguchi and Jun’ichi Yamamoto, 2005).

An Optimum TV ad, “We’re Not Detectives” (2024), takes place in a room full of classic examples.

A classic string wall appears in “Good Morning, Greenville,” a Saturday Night Live sketch that aired 4 May 2024.

An investigation variant appears in Man-Thing (dir. Brett Leonard, 2005).

When the star arrives, it gets tangled up in red string in Wish (dirs. Chris Buck & Fawn Veerasunthorn, 2023).

The opening cinematic of Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare (Darkworks/Infogrames, 2001) features a classic variant.

A classic (dimly lit) example appears in The Vigil (dir. Keith Thomas, 2019).

A classic string board appears near the end of CheeseParade’s “A Strange Ritual” (TikTok, 2023).

Multiple classic examples appear in Damaged (dir. Terry McDonough, 2024).

A classic string board appears briefly in They Turned Us Into Killers (dir. Thomas Walton, 2024).

A classic police investigation board contains a bit of string in Knox Goes Away (dir. Michael Keaton, 2024).

A classic investigation wall appears in Sleeping Dogs (dir. Adam Cooper, 2024).

A classic string wall appears in Baghead (dir. Alberto Corredor, 2023).

Design documents for Maniac Mansion (Lucasfilm Games, 1987), by Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick, contain some string-like elements.

A classic investigation variant appears in DarkGame (dir. Howard J. Ford, 2024).

A topographical map with string appears in Mars Needs Women (dir. Larry Buchanan, 1968).

A tiny amount of string appears at blueprint stations in Lil Gator Game (MegaWobble/Playtonic Games, 2022).

As might be expected, some classic string appears in JFK (dir. Oliver Stone, 1991).

LMG Vids’ walkthrough of Mario Kart Ride: Bowser’s Challenge at Universal Studios Hollywood, CA shows a cute string variant around 5:42.

A classic map and string variant appears in multiple scenes in Rawhead Rex (dir. George Pavlou, 1986).

A variant cover, by Maria Wolf, for the upcoming Detective Comics #1084 (2024), the so-called “APE-ril Fool’s Run,” features some classic string behind Detective Chimp.

Chelsea Conrad’s lead illustration for Nick Roberts’ “Trying to Decifer a Man’s Mind? Now There a Name for That” (The Washington Post, 27 March 2024) relies on classic string imagery.

Paul Cornell & Rachael Smith’s potential crowd-funded comic, Who Killed Nessie? (2024) has at least one classic string wall in it.

A classic map and string variant appears in Rough Cut (dir. Don Siegel, 1980).

In Madame Web (dir. S.J. Clarkson, 2024), a film replete with web and connection imagery, a classic string board appears in the prologue.

A classic horror variant, revealed by the player’s flashlight, appears in Slender: The Arrival (Blue Isle Studios/Parsec Productions, 2013).

Multiple classic variants appear throughout Susie Searches (dir. Sophie Kargman, 2023).

A duct tape variant appears in the introductory scene of Moving Out 2 (Studio/Devm Games/Team 17, 2023).

A classic string wall appears briefly in all three episodes of The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping (Netflix, 2024).

A novelist’s planning wall has some NST elements in Argylle (dir. Matthew Vaughn, 2024).

A mad scientist variant appears in Depraved (dir. Larry Fessenden, 2019).

The second season of the Pearlmania500 Presents: Too Many Tabs podcast 2024- ) uses a logo referencing the modern classic, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia s04e10 (FX, 2008)

An apartment full of notes appears in Silent Hill: The Short Message (Konami Digital Entertainment/HexaDrive, 2024).

A true classic appears throughout American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders (Netflix, 2024), with various arms explored in each segment.

A true classic string wall appears in Hazbin Hotel s01e05 (Amazon Prime, 2024).

The opening frame narrative of Theatre Bizarre (dir. Douglas Buck et al., 2011) contains an obsessive artist variant.

The title screen for Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend’s “The Hoppining: A Chill Chums Holiday Whodunit” (2024) contains a small class example.

A very orderly variant appears in Fear X (dir. Nicolas Winding Refn, 2003).

Alan Moore and Bill Sienkiewicz’s section of Brought to Light (1989), “Shadowplay—The Secret Team” contains a classic variant in one panel.

A map variant appears in Lovely, Dark, and Deep (dir. Teresa Sutherland, 2023).

An orderly variant is assembled throughout Monolith (dir. Matt Vesely, 2022).

A classic variant appears at the end of Avatar: The Last Airbender s01e01 (Netflix, 2024).

A nice prose example appears in Ken MacLeod’s The Night Sessions (2008).

A classic string board is used on The Last Leg s30e01 (Channel 4, 2024) to suss out if one of the hosts is the bigfoot singer on The Masked Singer UK.

A classic investigation variant appears in The Dead Center (dir. Bill Senese, 2018).

A classic variant appears in Barbarians (dir. Charles Dorfman, 2021).

A couple of investigation variants appear in The Suicide of Rachel Foster (ONE-O-ONE GAMES/Daedalic Entertainment, 2020).

A few obsessive walls, and a mannequin variant, appear in Perfect Stranger (dir. James Foley, 2007).

A simple variant appears early in Valkyria Revolution (Media.Vision/Sega, 2017).

Some classic map variants appear in an opening briefing in Gods of the Deep (dir. Charlie Steeds, 2024).

The trailer for the upcoming film Longlegs (dir. Oz Perkins, 2024) relies on some classic conspiracy-wall imagery.

A classic string wall appears in a corporate office in Hilda s02e11 (Netflix, 2020).

A classic investigation board with string appears in Kris Bertin & Alexander Forbes’ Hobtown Mystery Stories, vol. 1: The Case of the Missing Men (Conundrum Press, 2017).

The level map of Tesla vs. Lovecraft (10tons Ltd., 2018) is structured with push pins and curving paths.

Annotated map variants pop up in Hilda s02e06 (Netflix, 2020).

Opening videos for various components of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege (Ubisoft, 2015/2020) contain classic variants.

Like its predecessor, Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (2021), Turnip Boy Robs a Bank (Snoozy Kazoo, 2024) contains a cute, pixelated string board.

A classic string wall is assembled in Awful Archaeology episode 7: The Gosford Glyphs (2024).

A tiny bit of string appears at the end of The Recount #2 (Scout Comics, 2021).

One of the covers promoting the Deer Editor miniseries (Mad Cave, 2024) has some classic string elements.

String motifs briefly appear in the opening credits of Blue Beetle (dir. Angel Manuel Soto, 2023), with hints of such in Ted Kord’s lab later in the film.

A classic string board appears in Chucky s01e03 (Syfy/USA, 2021).

A tiny bit of string appears in the background of a scene in Joshua Williamson and Bruno Redondo’s Superman #9 (DC, 2023).