With Halloween quickly approaching, some readers may be inclined to get into the spirit with some spooky games and movies. There are many contemporary and classic examples of good horror to use to get into the mindset during the month.
VIDEO GAMES
‘Resident Evil Remake’
During the month of October, gamers who are subscribed to the paid service PS+ are offered the “Resident Evil Remake” for free. “Resident Evil” was originally released on the first Playstation system and is often regarded as a must play for any horror gamer. The player takes control of either Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine and must escape the zombie-infested mansion. The game has been fully remade with new graphics, voice acting and gameplay to satisfy both newcomers and veterans of the series.
‘Until Dawn’
“Until Dawn” is a story-driven horror game for the PS4 with no way to “Lose” the game. One year after their twin friends disappear on their mountain cabin during a blizzard, Sam, Matt, Josh, Ashley, Emily, Chris, Mike and Jessica return to the mountain to honor the memory of their friends. Unfortunately, with a similar blizzard hitting the mountain they are unable to leave, and the horror that took their friends one year ago is still lurking.
In “Until Dawn,” the player will take control of all eight of the main characters as they attempt to escape. Every action the player takes has consequences, including death. Should a character die, the story will continue without them. Any combination of characters can die by the end, with the possibility of everyone — or no one — surviving.
‘Alan Wake’
Players looking for a more mild, non-gory horror game should look into “Alan Wake” for the Xbox 360. In “Alan Wake,” the player takes control of the titular character, a writer who has gone away to a small town for a vacation with his wife. However, when an ancient evil takes hold of the town, his wife is taken from him. Finding pages from a story he doesn’t remember writing, but seems to be coming true, he will fight the Darkness with light.
In “Alan Wake,” the player will face the Taken, people who have been killed by the Darkness and resurrected as husks. The game plays like a TV show, with each level starting with a recap of the previous level. The Taken are unable to be harmed unless exposed to light. The player will tend to avoid the shadows whenever possible and stick to light sources to survive.
MOVIES
‘Scream’
Many critics claim that “Scream “revived the slasher genre of horror. Wes Craven’s movie is a self-aware horror movie where the victims are aware of the situation they are in, and takes steps to avoid the usual tropes associated with the victims of an actual horror movie. When the Ghostface Killer begins his killing spree in Woodsboro, Sydney Prescott and her friends must do anything they can to survive, and since they know the rules of the game the killer is playing, they may just have a chance.
‘Final Destination’
“Final Destination” involves the one fundamental aspect of life no human can ever escape. When Alex Browning goes on a school field trip to France, he has a vision that the plane they are on will have a system failure resulting in the death of everyone on board. Using this knowledge, Alex saves himself and a few of his classmates on board. Death, however, is not so easily cheated. Having escaped the deaths that were designed for them, Death has rewritten new deaths for them. One by one the survivors will die unless they can find a way to escape Death’s Design once and for all.
‘Shaun of the Dead’
Viewers who are looking for a more comedic horror movie should look no further than “Shaun of the Dead.” In this horror-comedy, Shaun is caught up in a zombie attack that his hit London. His plan? Get his girlfriend, get his mother, and hang out at the local pub and wait for it all to blow over. However, with the reality of the situation slowly bearing down on them and number of zombies increasing, the pub may not be the best choice to hide out after all.
Hopefully these movies and games will get readers into the Halloween spirit. Enjoy the scares and happy Halloween!