With the Halloween season in full swing, I figured it’s time to really get into the horror genre. My first episode in this particular series, The Best of October: Slasher Movies, focused on a particular sub-genre of the horror film genre. However, I won’t be just focusing on horror in movies. I will also be discussing the genre in different mediums like books. For this post, I’m going to be focusing on horror in one of my favorite mediums: Video games. It’s one thing to get freaked out or terrified by something that you see or don’t see on the big screen, but one of the problems with movies, is that they are fairly static. Once you’ve seen a film, you know exactly how it will play out. With video games, it’s different. Instead of just passively witnessing the action on screen, you are actively participating in said action, and in some cases, that can be for more intense than the movies that you just….watch. So…with that in mind, let’s dive in to some of my favorite horror video games.
Alien: Isolation
When Ridley Scott’s Alien hit theaters back in 1979, it shook audiences to their core. What has been since described as Texas Chainsaw Massacre In Space has become one of the most iconic and revered science fiction/horror movies of all time. Over the past 20 years, video game companies have tried to capitalize on the success of the Alien franchise to varying degrees of success, with some being decent to others being flat-out terrible(I’m looking at you Aliens: Colonial Marines). There was one game, however, that really knocked it out of the park. Creative Assembly, a company known for creating real-time strategy games delivered one of the best horror-survival games of the past decade: Alien: Isolation. I was skeptical at first, as were so many others, but when I turned the game on, I was greeted with a 70’s-style 20th Century Fox logo. Even better, was when I actually started the game. The game starts with Ellen Ripley’s final report of the Nostromo, which the original film took place on. We are then introduced to Ripley’s daughter, Amanda, as she’s trying to find answers for her mother’s disappearance. The game takes place about 15 years after the events of the original film, but it has the look and feel of a movie that came out of that time period. The attention to detail is amazing. Right down to the retro-future computers, we are immediately immersed in Ripley’s world. As soon as they land on Sevastopol Station, that is where the game truly begins. I started playing this again last night, and the atmosphere still feels claustrophobic. The sound design is extraordinary and the tension that immediately starts building is crazy, and that’s before you even see the creature, but you know it’s there. This game is absolutely phenomenal in almost every aspect. I say almost, because there are times when it does get frustrating. The AI is almost unforgiving, as any sound you make will bring the monster to you, and kills you instantly. So, yeah, your anxiety levels skyrocket. It’s a very linear game, but it’s incredibly immersive. I’ve seen people play this game using virtual reality, and I don’t think I’m ready for that. I don’t scare easily, but this game had my heart racing from beginning to end. If you’re a gamer and you love the Alien movies, this game is a no-brainer. You even get access to DLC that allows you to play certain story elements from the original movie. How awesome is that? Oh, yeah, and a number of cast members from the original Alien reprise their roles in certain audio logs. Even Sigourney Weaver herself lent her own voice to the game.
Until Dawn
It’s not very often that you get to play an interactive horror movie, but that’s exactly what Until Dawn is. It kind of starts off as this somewhat slasher-esque kind of game, but it evolves to be a lot more than that. A PlayStation 4 exclusive, Until Dawn shakes up the horror survival genre by giving you direct and indirect control over who lives and dies in the game. The game utilizes a really unique “Butterfly Effect” system that really does affect the final outcome of the game. There are certain decisions and moves that you can make that can directly change how certain situations play out, and you won’t know until you get to that point. This is a game where you can either manage to get everybody out alive or get everybody killed, based on the decisions you make. Some of them are common sense, while others are not so cut-and-dry. While the story plays out in a fairly linear fashion, it’s how you get to the end that makes this game truly special. As a result, the replayability of the game is pretty extensive. Graphically, this is a gorgeous game, with some really outstanding performances from the actors, especially Peter Stormare who appears as a psychologist between chapters. If you’ve got a PS4, then this game comes highly recommended.
Doom(1993)
I had to talk about this one eventually. Doom is a first-person shooter that has you in the role of a space marine taking on the forces of Hell. I’m not talking about the 2016 reboot, which is a fantastic game in its own right, but rather the original game which set the genre on fire. This is one of the games that I really did grow up playing. Yeah, there’s not much of a story. It’s just a reason for you to go in guns blazing and take down demon after demon. While the game is definitely more action-oriented than horror, it has more than enough horror elements to qualify it for this list. The sound design for some of the creatures can be down-right disturbing. In fact, during one of the levels, I heard the roar of one of the big “Pinky” demons, and it had the hairs on the back of my neck stand up straight. Even though your character is armed to the teeth, you kinda didn’t want to see what was around the next corner. While the game has garnered a lot of controversy over the years, especially during the late 90s, Doom has become one of the most important video games of all time. I still play it every once in a while. It holds up very well.
Dead Space
When Alien was released, it inspired a lot of sequels and clones. The film’s inspiration continues to this day. That’s one of the reasons why I want to bring attention to a little game called Dead Space. The best horror movie and games really heavily on atmosphere and sound design to put the audience on edge. Dead Space does this almost perfectly. Taking place in the far future, the game has you playing an engineer, Isaac Clarke, as he and a group of rescue specialists make their way to a mining vessel which has gone silent. After docking, it’s quickly revealed that something is really, really wrong. Apparently the ship was mining a nearby planet and discovered a mysterious alien “marker” which began transforming the crew into hideous “necromorphs.” There are very few games and movies that can give me the creeps. Dead Space is one of them. The sound design here is one of the best I’ve ever heard, especially if you have surround sound. Holy shit. I can’t even begin to tell you how much this game spooked me. The creatures designs are absolutely horrific in the best possible way. There is even a level where you have to outrun a necromorph, because you can’t kill it. The other ones, you have to target the limbs instead of the main body. It’s pretty inventive in how to dispatch enemies. While the following games weren’t as terrifying, the original Dead Space is high on my list of games that drips atmosphere and dread. I loved every single minute of it.
Resident Evil 7
If there ever was a video-game equivalent of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Resident Evil 7 would be it. I’ll be honest: I’ve never been a big fan of the Resident Evil games. I was not a big fan of the way they controlled and the whole “evil corporation designing bio-weapons” got pretty old really quick. The last two main entries into the franchise felt like overblown Michael Bay-style action movies. Resident Evil 7, goes back to the original and focuses more on the atmosphere and tension. The game has you taking the role of a guy who finds out that his wife is still alive after disappearing 3 years before. Tracking her to a run-down mansion in Lousiana, you run afoul of a completely psychotic family. It definitely feels like you are playing a game set in the world of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, only it’s not. The game takes place from a first-person perspective, which is a first for the franchise, and it really nails the dark and gritty aspect of the game. Graphically, it’s beautifully disturbing and disgusting. The level of detail in the main house is mind-boggling. Do I recommend this game? Hell, yes, I do.
Castlevania
Outside of Doom, most of the games above were fairly recent, being released in the last 6-8 years. So, let’s take another look a blast from the past: The classic NES game, Castlevania. Released in 1987, Castlevania was a side-scrolling adventure game where you play Simon Belmont, a member of a legendary clan of vampire-hunters dedicated to destroying the evil of Dracula. The game borrows heavily from a lot of the old-school horror films of the 30s, as well as the Hammer Horror flicks of the 60s. You can absolutely tell. You’ve got Dracula, mummies, and all sorts of other-worldly creatures. Castlevania is notorious for being extremely hard, even back in 1987. That’s how most of the Castlevania games have always been, and for a lot of folks, it’s a challenge they love. Myself, I suck at video games, so I die a lot, but the game is still incredibly fun to play 30 years later. It doesn’t look like much now, but it’s still better than a lot of crap that’s been coming out lately.
In case you haven’t noticed, I love horror. I love horror in my movies and I love it in my video games. When it’s done correctly, a horror-based video game can be one of the most immersive and spine-tingling experience you will ever have, although, I’m rather hesitant to play some of these games in virtual reality. I don’t think I’m that brave. That being said, these are some of the best horror games that I’ve played, and I can’t recommend them enough. October and the Halloween season are now in full swing. There will be more to come, so stay tuned.
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