There is no such thing as too many horror movies! The same rule applies to spooky video games, so why not assemble these two into one masterpiece?
Although gaming history witnessed cases of offensive film adaptations, some horror video games make an impression as they come to life to shine on the silver screen. And with increasingly more streaming services, audiences can discover the fun game world as a movie or series.
It is a win-win situation for both parties – developers and creators of such adaptation. The Witcher and The Last of Us prove that’s possible, so let’s see which horror titles would make incredible movies.
Dead Space
The story of Isaac Clarke trying to survive on a space mining ship overrun by reanimated corpses is widely known as one of the scariest games ever.
A lone engineer explores the forsaken spaces of this ominous place to discover the ultimate truth about what happened to the crew and his missing wife, Nicole. The answer, however, is far from what he could have imagined in his ghastliest nightmares.
Combining sci-fi features, disturbing body horror, and psychological distress, Dead Space provides a fresh and dramatic setting. Space itself is scary enough, but with all the plot twists, creepy creatures, and claustrophobic areas, this game could effortlessly become a modern competition to classics like Alien or Event Horizon.
Silent Hill 2
When James Sunderland receives a letter from his long-dead wife, he travels to the foggy Silent Hill to solve this mystery in their ‘special place.’
Soon, this merely disturbing task turns into a nightmare, torturing his body and soul. Will he find a cure for ever-tormenting guilt?
For a long time, fans of this legendary game series have been asking themselves whether there will ever be a continuation of the film adaptation. James’ story represents quite a mature approach, touching on the complex subjects of guilt, loss, and the steady descent into madness.
Good news – Chrostophe Gans is already working on shooting SH2! The production should debut in 2024, and close cooperation with Konami may make it much better than the first two films from 2006 and 2012.
Outlast
Mount Massive was an ordinary mental hospital until all the patients escaped and killed its staff.
Miles Upshur travels to the mysterious location to get a journalist’s look at what happened to this once-peaceful place.
At a time of the found-footage films’ rising popularity, Outlast could have the excellent opportunity to deliver all of its gore, disturbing, and adrenaline-fueled scenes this way. The frights in this film could have a multidimensional effect, combining repulsive sights with evolving tension. And people love watching scary productions about the fragile human psyche!
The Evil Within
Like Outlast, The Evil Within unravels the story of a man visiting a mental institution to investigate a gruesome murder.
The place seems deserted except for dead bodies lying in random spots. However, all these facts decrease in importance when the leading character wakes up in a nightmarish world overrun by aggressive monsters.
The grim setting, gruesome creatures, and sense of ultimate desperation are reason enough to make this game into a movie. Due to the ever-shifting environment and unholy enemies, the story captures from the first second and doesn’t want to let go. And let’s all agree – scary movies about mental asylums never get boring!
Until Dawn
Who would have thought that when a group of friends return to a faraway mountain cabin a year after a tragic incident, they will find they are not alone?
Until Dawn is a classic slasher with a mysterious threat just around the corner, inspired by the most popular horror B-movies.
For that reason, it would be a great piece of fun as a movie focusing on the characters’ relationships and disturbingly branching storylines in the style of new-age Scream. There is no better recipe for a suspenseful story than unfamiliar surroundings and a party night turning into an unimaginably terrifying experience!
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Set in the 1880s, Amnesia features a man named Daniel waking up in a gloomy castle with no memory of anything from his past.
Followed by a mysterious being, he gradually descends into complete insanity, trying to recall who he is and what is this terrifying place. The task becomes incredibly challenging when abnormal monstrosities decide to hunt him down.
As you can see, it is a ready-made script for a spine-chilling psychological horror combining mental agony with a desperate escape from frightening creatures. The Lovecraftian monster models are remarkably terrifying in this game! Ergo, they could inspire a memorable movie in a deliciously gothic setting.
Layers of Fear
It is a story about madness, the remains of forgotten memories, and the tormenting visions of a painter trying to create his ultimate masterpiece.
But to achieve this goal, the man must collect several necessary items while wandering around the haunted mansion, transforming with every move.
Layers of Fear features beautiful Victorian interiors, repulsive views, tormenting visions, and psychological terror. It is quite an unconventional approach to classic ghost stories and thrillers that could work as an artistic film with not-so-obvious plot solutions.
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly
One day, twins Miyo and Mayu followed a gorgeous butterfly and found themselves in a mysterious, abandoned village.
The place happened to be haunted and overrun by tormented souls with no way out from any side. Only an old camera can disarm the ghosts, but will it be enough to survive?
The old camera as a weapon against supernatural forces represents a particularly innovative idea in the horror genre. Fatal Frame oozes with an eerie setting and an omnipresent sense of danger. Therefore, it could make quite a stunning and atmospheric Japanese ghost story with camera-based action in the center.
SOMA
Made by the creators of Amnesia, SOMA reveals the story of a man waking up in an underwater facility overrun by machines that have developed consciousness. Sounds scary?
There is more! Prepare for terrifying aberrations, a disturbing piano soundtrack, biblical themes, subjects of human morality, and brain-wrenching plot twists.
Movies like Ex Machina showed us that unsettling horror doesn’t require ghosts to be scary. Sometimes, the sole topic of human consciousness and its end triggers invasive thoughts we didn’t even know existed. SOMA would be the perfect movie in this category, set in an underwater trap full of hostile creatures and ruthless machines.
Darkwood
This survival horror game spooks like no other. The player’s task is to survive in a gloomy forest by fortifying an isolated house and hiding there at night.
With one more catch – each contact with bizarre terrors forces him further into madness.
The theme of twisted, animal-like horrors in the woods brings to mind one particular movie – The Ritual from 2017. Darkwood shares similar features, including loneliness in a hostile forest, rising desperation, and sheer terror in the face of nightmarish creatures. Potential filmmakers could freely fill in Darkwood’s storyline gaps to create an atmospheric horror movie implementing the game’s best features.
Conclusion
What makes a good adaptation? One fundamental rule – a faithful approach to transferring game content to a film. Past examples like Alone in the Dark prove some productions lack the original magic. But future adaptations like Silent Hill and Five Nights at Freddy’s chose an alternative strategy involving collaboration between game developers and filmmakers.
It is an incredibly crucial breath of fresh air for the horror genre! Now, such production can benefit from the game creators’ frightening ideas and the film crew’s experience to deliver all the most vital scenes and plot twists. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the future holds more such horror projects, uniting audiences and sources of inspiration from both industries.