Almost everybody loves a good horror game. The visceral thrill of being spooked senseless is arguably the most terrifying when experienced in video game form, which is why horror games are largely timeless. The MonsterVine crew has listed their favorite horrifying games and the most haunting moments from each, so proceed at your own risk:
Shannon P. Drake:
Game: Knock-Knock
Back when I worked in PR, I was representing Icepick Lodge’s latest game Knock-Knock. Ice Pick Lodge is a Russian developer that makes weird, buggy, terrifying games in the most Russian sense possible. I liked to actually play the games I repped–shocker, I know–so I checked it out.
Knock-Knock is about a few different things: A man who is stuck in his weird cabin in the woods and can’t sleep. Insomnia’s starting to get to him. Or maybe it’s the weird Russian fairytale monsters out to get him. You can’t really tell with insomnia, and I know this because I’ve had the real deal, not the “lol I drink too much coffee and can’t sleep” insomnia.
Scariest moment:
I was a few hours in and ran into a spot in the game where I couldn’t progress anymore. I legitimately couldn’t tell whether the game was messing with me, the game was broken, or I was imagining that the game was broken and having trouble completing basic tasks. It’s not so much a jump-scare game as one where you find yourself questioning the very fabric of reality. But there are monsters, too, and I’m pretty sure one was hunting me. Of course, I could be imagining it. Or the protagonist was imagining it. That’s where I punched out. I didn’t need to break my brain any more than it is.
Second most horrible moment:
I send it to a cute lady writer I admired and traumatized the hell out of her with it. We bonded. And now she’s my partner. Commitment, THAT’S THE REAL MONSTER MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! *lightning flashes, thunder booms*
Why I recommend it:
I mean, it’s scary, it’s weird, and it introduced me to my partner, so that’s a win all around for everything but the shredded remains of my fragile little mind.
Diego Escala:
Game: Resident Evil 4
Scariest Moment:
What’s probably the scariest moment for me in this game was the opening scene at the village. I had played a lot of horror games by this point in my life and watched even more films, and one element that was persistent throughout the genre was that the horror chasing the protagonists was always an unknown element. You can’t relate or sympathize with Michael Meyers or Pyramid Head, just fear their relentless presence. Resident Evil 4 was different however in that it was just Spanish farmers who were assaulting you.
For most people playing the game I’m sure these were just mindless goons with pitchforks but for me they weren’t speaking some unknown language: I understood every word they were saying and it was chilling having some sort of connection with what’s supposed to be the unrelatable monster. The priests in the castle weren’t chanting some mysterious prayer; I knew exactly what they were saying and it made the moment even more horrifying as I could hear them chant for my death but couldn’t see where they were. This connection through language also helped humanize them in a way, because these weren’t mindless monsters they were villagers living their lives. Sure they were infected with a parasite and wanted me dead, but when you’re not on their radar they’re just doing their normal routine and having conversations. A monster wanting you dead is scary, but there’s something a bit unnerving about an entire village of regular people wanting you dead.
Why I recommend it:
The game’s a classic, we all know that, and if you’ve somehow lived your life without having played it then you need to remedy this situation asap.
Samantha Lienhard:
Game: Alien Isolation
Scariest Moment:
I often describe Alien Isolation as a game that might not be the most terrifying in the survival horror genre, but that creates the strongest feeling of dread. Cowering in a safe place, trying to judge if the Alien is far enough away, knowing it might double back at any moment–it’s hard to think of another game with the same amount of tension. One thing that made it even worse was the adaptive AI.
Basically, if you use the same strategies over and over, the Alien adapts to them. For example, if you always hide in a locker, it starts checking lockers more carefully. This also applies to the flamethrower. When I first got the flamethrower in Alien Isolation, it felt like a miracle. Suddenly I had a way to defend myself from the seemingly unstoppable monster. If the Alien got too close, a blast of fire was enough to send it racing away.
Then it happened. The Alien and I ran into each other, I brought out my flamethrower… and instead of fleeing, the Alien just backed away slowly, as if testing how close to the fire it could be. That was one of the scariest moments for me–the moment I realized the flamethrower wasn’t always going to save me.
Why I recommend it:
Whenever a new game tries to emulate the structure of traditional survival horror games, it usually feels old, while other modern horror games opt for either action or a helpless protagonist. Alien Isolation is the best example I’ve seen so far of a game that took the traditional formula and modernized it. You have weapons, you’ll be unlocking doors, and you’ll be backtracking, but you’d never mistake it for an old game. Add in the tension and the way it captures the tone of the original Alien, and it’s a must-play.
Spencer Legacy:
Game: Resident Evil 7
Scariest Moment:
While Resident Evil 7 isn’t necessarily my favorite Resident Evil, it’s one of the few games in recent memory to really make me feel unsettled. It’s hard to pinpoint the scariest moment in the game, but I’d say it has to be a segment from early in the game. As you go between two different areas of the house, Jack (and later Marguerite) wanders around the midpoint, searching for you. He calls out your name, taunts you, and says all sorts of unsettling things as you sneak around. The tension is palpable, as my brother can attest to how this segment had me quietly saying “I don’t like this” over and over until I was in the clear. Honorable mentions include solving a puzzle using someone’s butchered corpse and fighting Jack in the garage.
Why I recommend it:
Though there are plenty of shocking moments throughout the game, I think the scariest thing about Resident Evil 7 is its oppressive and spirit-breaking atmosphere. As you explore the house throughout the game, you slowly and, at times, subtly unravel the tragic story of the Baker family. While Lucas is just a psychopath, you begin to feel terrible for the rest of the family as victims of doing the right thing in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just wandering the house tells you a whole story itself, as you can tell that this Southern death-trap was once a fairly peaceful and simple home, and that this group of demented killers was once an average and loving family (other than Lucas). Resident Evil 7‘s top-notch environmental storytelling alone makes it worth playing, as the Baker Estate and its residents still haunt my mind so many months later.
And that’t our list! What are your favorites? Let us know in the comments below, and happy Halloween from everyone at MonsterVine!
