Video games have certainly gained a lot of cinematic qualities with the progression of technology and techniques. Gone are the days of pixelated spaceships in favor of award-winning visuals and performances, and no genre plays on this sense of scope better than horror.
Adventure and epic titles are brilliantly executed in their displays of narrative and visual creativity, but horror offers a more sensory-driven response that keeps fans on their toes. From the likes of Freddy and Jason to the more subtle scares of The Conjuring and Insidious, there are just as many video games that evoke the same thrilling response, various screams included.
8 Alien Isolation
Making a videogame inspired by Ridley Scott’s Alien has always been a rough project with very few favorable results. But if there’s one game that comes close to the horrors of the series, it’s Alien Isolation.
Alien Isolation, and the Nostromo DLC, manages to evoke everything the original 1979 classic. With its ’70s inspired space station, deadly Xenomorph, and appearance from Ripley herself (played by Sigourney Weaver), it’s a near-perfect love letter to the series.
7 Dead Space
If the Alien franchise met Event Horizon, the results would be Dead Space. The action-horror title might offer a multitude of ways to fend off the fiendish Necromorphs from chomping down on Isaac Clark’s plated helmet, but it’s still undeniably scary.
One will find guts, gore, and jump-scares aplenty throughout the Ishimura, and a lack of power and gravity is the least of one’s worries. Even seasoned shooters will get a little jumpy at the sight of these horrors from beyond the stars — especially in the elevators.
6 Castlevania Series
Simon Belmont’s never-ending quest to take down the unholy hordes of Dracula has been a videogame classic since the ’80s and has since spawned sequel after sequel. In various entries, players take up the role of the famous vampire hunter and set out to stop the fiendish count and his terrifying minions.
Castlevania can be looked at as a tribute to the monsters of classic cinema. With bosses including the likes of Frankenstein’s monster, The Mummy, The Wolfman, and Dracula himself, how can it be anything but?
5 Bioshock
For both FPS veterans and horror hounds alike, this steampunk nightmare is an absolute must. But it’s not the slaying of Splicers, Big Daddies, and various mutants under the sea that wins Bioshock a mention. It’s the gripping plot that keeps the player invested.
Rapture is a place players want to explore, and characters like Andrew Ryan and Frank Fontaine are some of the most interesting villains in anything horror-related. Fans of things like The Shining should “kindly” give this a play.
4 Friday the 13th: The Game
It’s a bit direct to the title, but it’s still probably safe to say that there’s no denying the sadistic glee of playing as the hockey-masked hellion himself, Jason Voorhees. This game throws players headfirst into the shadows of Crystal Lake.
While the game might be a little clunky at times, the title definitely has appeal for fans of slasher-flicks even outside of Friday the 13th. Though not the Jason videogame everyone expected, it has a healthy dose of fanservice that makes it more than well worth checking into.
3 Dead by Daylight
Dead by Daylight is a slasher’s dream come true. More than a horror-themed hide and seek game, this gory game puts players in the roles of killer and victims as they try to survive the night.
The victims have various tasks to tackle as they try to avoid the killer who must sacrifice them to an evil entity before time runs out. Like any good horror flick, it’s a race against the clock and a fight for survival. Even characters like Freddy and Leatherface have gotten in on the game.
2 Dark Pictures Anthology
Videogames have often been regarded as interactive movies, but no concept captures that statement better than the Dark Pictures Anthology. With a press of a button, players decide who dies and who lives to see the sequel.
Man of Medan and Little Hope are the first two entries in this horror series, and right from the bat, they strike chords of The Fog and The Witch. With the third chapter, House of Ashes clearly taking inspiration from The Ruins, few games take such a blatant cue from horror cinema.
1 Until Dawn
The predecessor to Dark Pictures, Until Dawn paved the way for the chilling choose-your-own-adventure-styled horror games. Taking elements from both traditional slasher flicks and modern horror stories, this psychological thrill ride is perfect for any horror movie fan.
Thanks to a clever framing device featuring an unsettling psychiatrist, this game covers everything from killer clowns to cannibalism, leaving no nightmare unturned. The only question for the player is how many victims will remain by the time the credits roll?
NEXT: 10 Short But Scary Horror Games For Fans Of Silent Hill P.T.
