Spooky Games for Halloween
Looking at some cool Halloween gaming classics
Halloween is my favorite holiday, and even though I haven’t enjoyed it as much this year due to stress and hurricane chaos, I like to celebrate it by watching a combination of traditional horror films and first-time watches. So, I decided to look at some perfect games for the season, including importance and overall quality.
Hunt the Wumpus
1973 - People’s Computer Company
Hunt the Wumpus is an early example of a survival horror game. It's a text-based, turn-based game that has you traverse tunnels and avoid the titular monster. While not exactly a scary experience if you were to play it today, it was one of the first attempts from a developer to make a horror game. There have been numerous remakes and sequels, but the original set that standard—in 2012, Time named it one of the 100 greatest video games ever.
Halloween
1983 - Wizard Video
Video games in the 1980s looked to licensed popular movies, so it makes sense that the popular Halloween horror series would get a game. Interestingly, the game doesn’t refer to the killer as Michael Myers or any characters from the series. The player is a babysitter who has to rescue the children and avoid the killer. It proved to be one of the earliest controversial games as the player could get decapitated, and you’ll see blood. While not as popular as the movie franchise, this game did show that blood and gore were something most gamers were okay with within their games.
Castlevania
1986 - Konami
Castlevania is the most iconic horror-themed franchise in video games. The original game starts with Simon Belmont’s quest to destroy Count Dracula and his castle. This game screams Halloween and is perfect for a potential traditional playing session during the season. The game is one of the standard-bearers for the Metroidvania genre that’s slowly become more popular lately. The music is also some of the best to listen to for the spooky season. It’s launched a massive franchise, including a popular Netflix anime series. Hopefully, we can get a solid AAA entry in the near future.
Doom
1993 - id Software
Doom was released in 1993 and became a massive success that no one saw coming. It launched a successful first-person franchise and made John Romero a household name in the industry. While the game is all action, it uses horror elements by taking down demons and going all in on gore. The game proved to be controversial through the 90s and started many conversations around video game violence. Despite this, it’s now known as one of the most important games in the industry’s history.
Resident Evil
1996 - Capcom
If I had to name what I think is the most famous horror video game franchise, it would easily be Resident Evil. The first Resident Evil launched with a lot that doesn’t age well. The game has some corny live-action scenes and bad controls, and the graphics don’t look good. However, it’s a consequential title that launched a mega-franchise and characters we still love to this day. You fight zombies in a mansion and unravel the mystery of the virus that took over Racoon City. Eventually, we would get an excellent remake on the Nintendo GameCube and various sequels that were part of the golden age of the first PlayStation. Even today, we get excited for a new entry into the franchise. One last note: The sequel and its recent remake are my personal favorites in the series.
Silent Hill 2
2001 - Konami
While the original Silent Hill is a classic in its own right, its sequel has become one of the most infamous horror games ever. Play as James Sunderland, searching for his deceased wife in the mysterious Silent Hill. The game’s most famous moments feature the character Pyramid Head, who perfectly looks like he was made for a horror movie. This year, we got a well-received remake that brings it up to modern standards and gives it a really nice graphical polish. It makes sense why they decided to remake this entry, as gamers have been talking about Silent Hill 2 forever. How we think about classic horror films like Frankenstein, Halloween, Evil Dead 2, and more is how gamers will look back at this game even decades from now.
Luigi’s Mansion
2001 - Nintendo
Taking a more family-friendly turn, we have Luigi’s Mansion, a game that launched alongside the Nintendo GameCube. This was a way to give Luigi the spotlight and a different type of Mario-style game. Nintendo took the boos from the previous games and made them the main antagonists, alongside more traditional ghosts. Luigi becomes a Ghostbuster and must find Mario. This is a game I have come to love as time has passed, and I want to eventually make it a goal to play it once a year for the Halloween season. It took a while, but it’s received two sequels, with a fourth entry that is pretty much a surefire future release. It also gave Luigi more lore and personality beyond being his brother’s sidekick, as many now see Luigi as a ghost hunter.
Dead Space
2008 - Electronic Arts
You play as Isaac Clarke, who has to deal with Necromorphs in a mining spaceship. The game came out when horror games were starting to emphasize action, but wanted to go for the horror elements. Eventually, we would get two sequels that ironically focused on more action, but the original had enough of an impact that it got a recent remake. While I wouldn’t say it's up on the Resident Evil or Silent Hill pedestal of popularity, Dead Space has a cult following and earned a place in the popular horror games lists.
Outlast
2013 - Red Barrels
The 2010s saw a boom in horror indie titles. One game that became the face of this was Outlast. In the game, you play as Miles Upshur, an investigative journalist who seeks to uncover the truth about Mount Massive Asylum. It uses a tactic that many of the indie horror titles of the time would do heavily: jump scares. The game became one of the first popular games to stream as gamers began to use social media and streaming sites to live stream their gaming sessions. Eventually, we got a few sequels, but the original game is a picture-perfect moment of an era in horror video games.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
2014 - Scott Cawthon
Another popular title for streamers to play was Five Nights at Freddy’s. You must serve a night shift as a security guard for Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. That sounds easy, but you have to be careful with the homicidal animatronic characters that come to life. The game is another face of the 2010s indie horror game scene. Like Outlast, it was one that every streamer played. While it did employ jump scares, its pretty much a game about thinking, as you use the camera feeds to defend yourself. Like many on this list, it launched a successful video game franchise and even got a horror movie adaptation.
Until Dawn
2015 - Sony Computer Entertainment, Supermassive Games
This is a perfect game for the spooky season and is pretty much an interactive movie. The game is a visual novel and follows all the horror movie tropes you know and love. The game’s many decisions and cast of characters made this one an instant classic. Prominent actors, including Rami Malek and Hayden Panettiere, appeared in the game. The game's goal is to get through a crazy night at a party in a lodge, which goes downhill and involves what seems like a killer and monsters. The game has become a classic in the horror gaming genre and is still played by many streamers today.
Modern Horror Games
Today, I’m mixed on the state of horror gaming. On the one hand, it's the most popular it has been in a while. But many horror games we get these days are remakes of past popular titles. Don’t get me wrong, these are fantastic remakes, and in the case of the Resident Evil remakes, they make up for the poorly aged controls in the originals. I just want to see some more originality. Like many modern horror movies, there’s an emphasis on jump scares. But I’m not too down on the genre overall because I think we are going to get some really cool stuff. The big franchises like Resident Evil and Silent Hill seem like they’re going to get some new entries soon, and I look forward to them. I couldn’t put every famous or essential horror game, but I picked a good list of perfect games for the season. Happy 2024 Halloween, everyone!
Nice list! I recommend Mouthwashing it was my favorite spooky game I played this year.
I really need to play Silent Hill 2. Actually, I really have to play any Silent Hill game at this point.