When it comes to spending your fright-filled Halloween holidays, no other movie genres can keep you busier than horror. However, plenty as those may be, video games are simply more immersive and more interactive. Hence why many popular horror movies and franchises have made their way into the gaming industry. Still, there are many horror film franchises left that haven’t been translated into video games.
Oddly enough, these horror films would have done so well having their own video games due to their lore, premise, and horror setup. Because some scares work better when you have control of the victim or the antagonist even. Here are 10 of those horror gems that deserve their very own video games in case they don’t scare you enough as films.
10 REC
[•REC], short for Record, is a Spanish zombie/virus outbreak film that assumed the found-footage horror format. It was so fresh and successful, Hollywood adapted it and made their own, called Quarantine. Seeing the film for the first time, it’s not hard to envision how it would look like as a video game.
Such a perspective has already been done before, namely in video games like Outlast. The protagonist controls a camera and sees a zombie/virus apocalypse through it in action. It all takes place in a building but the Hollywood adaptations have taken certain liberties and made follow-ups with different settings such as an airplane or airport. Regardless, a [•REC] found footage video game could be a novel idea as zombie apocalypse games go.
9 THE PURGE
Sadly, it seems only the first The Purge film is serviceable as a horror film, or just as a film. Its successors certainly could have executed the core concept better. Nevertheless, The Purge’s idea for a horror franchise is both a relevant and spooky case study of the human capacity for violence.
Such a dynamic notion shouldn’t stay imprisoned within Hollywood’s B-movie section. The Purge video game adaptation is long overdue and should be interesting, to say the least. It could work as a survival horror game with actual and plausible survival mechanics. Also, think about the multiplayer for such a game, it would be phenomenal. A developer need only grab the opportunity.
8 HELLRAISER
Like The Purge, Clive Barker’s Hellraiser franchise has seen better days. The first film gave us a glimpse of what Barker’s twisted mind has in store for the horror genre but after that, every new Hellraiser film has been a nightmare… and not in a scary way. Perhaps it was time Hellraiser branched out to the video game industry. The franchise certainly has enough reserve lore and material to fuel that outing.
Besides, the Cenobites have been some of the most enigmatic and though-provoking horror monsters in Hollywood. A Hellraiser game could easily function as a nerve-wracking puzzle or mind game that asks players to make some difficult decisions. Plus, you get to talk to Pinhead and ask for his autograph…written in blood.
7 HANNIBAL LECTER
How will this one work? Well, as it is right now, cooking games are rather popular. Okay, jokes aside, there are many ways Hannibal Lecter could be translated into the video game medium. One of those could come in the form of a Sherlock Holmes-esque detective game, after all, Hannibal is a rather crafty figure.
It all depends on how well the dialogue and acting are done, of course. Seeing how games like Heavy Rain or Detroit: Become Human did so well, a cinematic game featuring complex decisions and investigative work, with Hannibal at the center of it all, could be fantastic.
6 THE DESCENT
Survival video games like The Forest prove that caves are hell on Earth, which means they are also prime settings for some claustrophobia-inducing terrors. The cave sections of The Forest are definitely reminiscent of The Descent. The premise is simple, it’s horror but in a cave, while the protagonists/victims are spelunking.
The film was successful enough to get a sequel but we don’t recommend watching that, just be content with the first one. In any case, it shouldn’t be too hard to see the video game potential of The Descent after you’ve watched it. A game could also double as a cave survival simulator that will give you claustrophobia to those who don’t already have it.
5 IT
It’s puzzling why It or Pennywise hasn’t gotten his own video game or video game character yet (at least in Mortal Kombat). Horror icons less scary than him have already made their video game debut. As such, it’s high time for an It video game. Make the adaptation look like Until Dawn, especially since Pennywise is just so diabolical.
Assuming the form of whatever a person fears the most already puts Pennywise a tier above generic slasher baddies or faceless monsters. If they make it so that players select the characters to determine Pennywise’s forms, then it already has better replay value than most horror games. Again, the metal is still hot and need only be struck.
4 TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE
Nothing in this list is perhaps more iconic than The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. A lot of succeeding films and horror games have taken their cues from this game, particularly the Resident Evil franchise. Since that’s already the case, a Texas Chainsaw Massacre video game would be logical.
Getting chased by Leatherface in some backwater town shack surrounded by nothing but cannibal hillbillies is iconic in film form, but what if you’re in the shoes of the victims? If they make it similar to the Friday the 13th multiplayer survival game, then Leatherface just might give Jason Voorhees a run for his machete.
3 THE MIST
The Mist was a Lovecraftian horror film adapted from a Stephen King novel. You can’t go wrong with that guy when it comes to horror. Additionally, The Mist doubles as a post-apocalypse film where a group of survivors tries to fend for themselves in a small town overtaken by a mysterious mist that houses extradimensional monsters.
It should be the standard open-world (or town) horror fare - risky scavenging and supply runs, running away from unseen monsters, and dealing with psychological breakdowns and the occasional homo sapien power struggle. The developers would just have to make sure the game has a depressing and dark ending.
2 NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET
Since his best buddy, Jason Voorhees, got his own video game, it’s only fair that Freddy Krueger gets a modern one as well. After all, Nightmare on Elm Street is a classic in the horror/slasher genre and the way Freddy toys with his victims and manipulates the environment is what makes him horrific as a villain.
If someone were to create a Nightmare on Elm Street game, we’re looking at possibly one of the most dynamic horror video game environments ever. Everything changes or is randomly-generated and Freddy will do his best to break you down and soften you up for whatever perverse torture he has in store.
1 A QUIET PLACE
One of the youngest horror licenses in this list, A Quiet Place took the world by storm back when it released in 2018. A second film will soon follow next year (2020), which means its popularity is undeniable. After all, it’s post-apocalypse horror but with quite a twist. You can probably see how the gameplay will turn out.
It could be made as an open-world sandbox/community-building game where you scavenge for resources in the stealthiest way possible. Multiplayer is also a viable option and anyone who talks on the mic or makes noise is dead or should be left behind. That’s something most people would pay full price for.
NEXT: The 10 Best Games To Play On Halloween
