Times change and traditions, without a doubt, do too. If just a few years ago the normal thing for Halloween night was to go to a themed party or do a proper movie marathon, these days there are quite a few who prefer to stay home, play video games non-stop, and be scared until the sun comes up and can calm their nerves. And no, we’re not talking about Resident Evil or Silent Hill (although the remake of 2 could easily make this list), but about 6 games that, genuinely, are going to make you not want to (or not be able to) sleep on Halloween night itself…
Project Zero (Fatal Frame)
There are quite a few people who’d recommend starting with the second part of this horror masterpiece, a game that in 2001 reinvented survival horror: its creators wanted to make the scariest video game in history, and in all honesty they came close to pulling it off. And you thought you were already too old to be scared of ghosts… Clearly you’ve never had to face the Japanese ones!
Forbidden Siren
Although being trapped in an old Japanese village for three days right now sounds like a first-rate tourist experience, in 2003 it terrified everyone who dared to go near Forbidden Siren, a PS2 game in which 10 characters must survive the living dead that constantly hound them. It has a sequel and a kind of reboot, so if you love being scared, you’re in luck.
Mouthwashing
Your spaceship has just had an accident in the middle of space, and supplies are starting to run short while doubt grows among the rest of the crew: What if the captain crashed it on purpose? How long until the decompression that kills us all for good? If you don’t like “walking simulators” you might hate Mouthwashing, but for everyone else it should be an experience that’s hard to forget.
Visage
You might think there’s no video game, at this point, that can terrify you. That’s probably because you don’t know Visage, in which you’ll discover the stories of the people who lived in a house before you, in the most terrifying way possible. Yes, it was inspired by the famous P.T., and it’s very hard to finish it in one sitting without having to stop to catch your breath.
Alien Isolation
If, like me, you’re one of those people who’d already had enough Alien after the fourth installment and everything else, from Prometheus to Alien: Romulus, leaves you wanting, it’s time to switch media, because Alien Isolation is pure terror with an old-school feel. That said, I recommend playing it with the best sound setup you can, because you’ll feel (literally) like the xenomorphs are right on top of you, off to one side, ready to attack at any moment if you so much as don’t have enough weapons to stand up to them. An absolute marvel.
Amnesia: The Bunker
It’s been 16 years since the release of Amnesia, and since then it has spawned a series in which everyone points to The Bunker as the most suffocating game, where we’ll play as a French soldier trapped in a bunker with no way out. Naturally, he’ll be pursued by monsters, and he’ll have very little to fight them with. What’s more, it’s set in a semi-open world, so getting out of there will be much more complicated, twisted and terrifying than it seems. If you come out of this Halloween without feeling even the slightest bit of fear, it won’t be because of Amnesia.
