If you love watching movies of the spooky variety, these video games are right up your alley. For this list, we’ll be looking at spooky games tailor made for Horror movie fans looking to branch out.
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00:00 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 20 Creepy Video
00:10 Games for True Horror Fans.
00:17 For this list, we'll be looking at spooky games tailor-made for horror movie fans looking
00:23 to branch out.
00:24 If there are any other creepy games you think scary movie buffs would enjoy, let us know
00:29 about them in the comments!
00:33 #20 Bloodborne If you're new to games, we wouldn't exactly
00:44 recommend anything out of FromSoftware's catalog.
00:48 But if you aren't and you love to be scared, Bloodborne is a buffet of some of the most
00:53 disturbing enemy and boss designs we've ever seen.
00:57 With a strong focus on gothic horror, players must survive the twisted town of Yharnam,
01:03 whose citizens are infected by a monstrous plague.
01:07 Waiting for you in every area are untold terrors just itching to give you some new nightmares,
01:13 making it a treat for creature feature fans.
01:16 But their power certainly shows their bite is just as bad as their bark.
01:24 #19 Fear Creepy little kids are usually a great inclusion
01:39 for spooking your audience, and the same is true in video games.
01:43 Despite fear giving you plenty of weapons to fight back with, you'll still be subjected
01:47 to all kinds of disturbing imagery.
01:50 It follows a special military group founded to combat supernatural threats, this time
01:55 dealing with a rogue telepathic commander and his army of clones like him.
02:01 But behind all your trouble and weird hallucinations is a psychic girl named Alma.
02:07 Developer Monolith was inspired by Japanese horror, and it absolutely shows.
02:12 Although it features a ton of action, its atmosphere is undeniably unnerving.
02:20 #18 Siren - Blood Curse There's nothing quite like a haunted town
02:33 full of ghosts to give you the willies.
02:36 A reimagining of the PS2 original, Blood Curse features some great quality of life improvements,
02:42 including enhanced visuals so it can really freak you out.
02:46 It follows a group of telepathically linked people who are all drawn to a Japanese village
02:51 that's been missing since 1976.
02:54 Populating the eerie town are Shibito, disturbing and violent spirits of those who died there.
03:01 The game's atmosphere is drenched in tension thanks to low lighting and superb sound design.
03:07 That makes it so any tease of the unknown creeping out of the darkness will make you
03:12 expect the worst.
03:18 #17 The Thing Although it wasn't appreciated nearly enough
03:30 at the time of release, John Carpenter's The Thing is considered a horror masterpiece
03:35 today.
03:36 Thankfully, someone realized the potential for a video game.
03:40 Picking up where the movie left off, it follows a special forces team investigating the events
03:45 of the film, which puts them into conflict with a horrifying, shape-shifting monster.
03:50 While the main character combats enemies through standard third-person shooter gameplay, you'll
03:55 always have a team of NPCs with you.
03:59 Not only do you have to manage their trust in you, but also their fear levels and the
04:03 possibility of them getting infected.
04:06 It's no wonder Carpenter himself endorsed it.
04:13 #16 Condemned - Criminal Origins After being framed for murder while investigating
04:27 his city's dark underbelly, FBI agent Ethan Thomas goes on the run while continuing to
04:33 dig.
04:34 While not everything is shown from a first-person perspective, it focused on melee combat rather
04:39 than gunplay.
04:41 That actually makes every kill feel much more personal and visceral.
04:45 The game's world is also grimy and dim, which does more than just make us feel like we need
04:51 a shower.
04:52 In addition to doing heavy research into serial killers, the team took inspiration from movies
04:57 like The Silence of the Lamb, Saw, and Seven.
05:00 We'd say they made the game's predecessors proud.
05:08 #15 Bioshock The Bioshock series is not only horrifying,
05:20 but boasts one of the most fascinating stories and some truly engaging gameplay.
05:25 Rapture's flooded corridors, retro aesthetics, and drug-addled, maniacal splicers have tormented
05:32 gamers for years.
05:34 There was even a movie in the works at one point, cancelled less than two months before
05:37 shooting began.
05:39 While we can't say for sure whether the movie would have actually been any good, if you
05:43 want to experience this classic's iconic environment and gripping narrative today,
05:48 you'll have to go out and play it.
05:50 Luckily, it's worth every frightening minute.
05:58 #14 Little Nightmares Stop-motion animation doesn't have to be
06:08 creepy, but there's no denying how well it pairs with horror elements in films like
06:13 Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas.
06:16 While the developers of Little Nightmares didn't take inspiration from those movies,
06:22 their game definitely features similar vibes.
06:25 It follows a young girl trying to escape a mysterious underwater structure while large,
06:31 distorted figures hunt her throughout.
06:34 The stealth gameplay can put any player on edge, but it's the twisted character models
06:39 of your pursuers that truly terrify us.
06:42 Still, the mystery of the setting and what's going on, as well as its engaging puzzles,
06:48 will keep you delving into the darkness.
06:54 #13 The Medium Bloober Team has a reputation for developing
07:08 more cinematic horror games, and 2021's The Medium is one of the studio's strongest
07:15 releases.
07:16 As Marianne, the titular Medium, players explore an abandoned resort in search of the origins
07:22 of her powers.
07:24 Unfortunately, it was also home to a massacre years ago, a crime committed by a vile spirit
07:30 known only as the Maw.
07:33 Gameplay is exploration-heavy, with some puzzle-solving thrown in to keep you not only
07:38 invested in the setting, but the narrative as well.
07:42 Suspense radiates from every room, especially when Marianne uses her abilities to navigate
07:47 the world of spirits.
07:49 The story is also tragic, navigating themes of abuse and betrayal.
07:58 #12 Fatal Frame 2 - Crimson Butterfly Horror films from Japan tell ghost stories
08:14 like no other, and the Fatal Frame franchise is a perfect accompaniment.
08:20 Often considered the best in the series, Crimson Butterfly follows twin sisters navigating a
08:25 town that vanished long ago from a failed ritual.
08:29 Unfortunately for one of them, the spirit of the ritual's victim has need of one of
08:34 them to complete it and be set free.
08:38 The only way to defeat the spooky spirits hunting them is to take a picture with the
08:42 camera obscura, the franchise's signature mechanic.
08:46 That means confronting the ghosts by getting much closer than most of us would be comfortable
08:51 with.
08:52 Better play with the lights on.
08:54 #11 The Last of Us Part II In more recent years, Naughty Dog has evolved
09:06 to produce engrossing cinematic experiences within their games.
09:11 That has already been evidenced by the first Last of Us game being adapted into HBO's
09:17 hit TV show, but the sequel features even more elements that should delight horror fans.
09:23 Chances from the cast are all around fantastic, which further serve to sell the incredible
09:29 writing.
09:30 The infected are more terrifying thanks to some new mechanics and some stellar use of
09:35 space in any given level.
09:37 More prevalent though is the underlying drive for vengeance found in both Ellie and Abby.
09:43 It explores the immensely violent and heartbreaking theme that's often the focal point of certain
09:49 horror protagonists.
09:51 #10 SOMA It's not the first game to mine the untapped
10:04 depths of the ocean to terrify players, but it does tackle the horrors of the water in
10:09 a truly unique way.
10:11 The main villains are not unobserved sea monsters, but confused and often hostile AI-human hybrids.
10:19 Despite being gameplay light and dialogue heavy, this game will have you drowning in
10:25 existential dread from the get-go as you, like Simon, struggle to reconcile psychological
10:31 humanity with the reality that humanity as we know it is gone.
10:36 The derelict base of Pathos II makes for immersive horror at its finest, and the sense of desperation
10:43 to save what remains keeps you hooked to the bittersweet conclusion.
10:51 #9 Amnesia The Dark Descent The previous game from SOMA developers Frictional
11:06 Games, while not as streamlined as its successor, Amnesia is responsible for putting Frictional
11:12 on the map.
11:14 Revamping the celebrated sanity meter which debuted in Eternal Darkness eight years earlier,
11:20 Amnesia made waves as players take on the role of a mysterious protagonist trapped in
11:25 a haunted castle.
11:27 This atmospheric horror was praised for its eerie sound design and hideous monsters, and
11:33 with no weapons with which to fight back, it makes for a highly cinematic gaming experience
11:39 any film buff will love.
11:41 The developers have kept things going strong in sequels as well, like 2023's Amnesia
11:47 The Bunker.
11:50 #8 Outlast This one is for all the found footage horror
12:03 fans out there.
12:05 In Outlast, players control an investigative journalist attempting to uncover inhumane
12:10 treatment at a mental institution.
12:12 Sadly, he's not much of a fighter, and there's something far more worrying lying in the depths
12:18 of Mount Massive Asylum.
12:20 Armed only with a video camera, all you can do is flee and hide from the brutal inhabitants,
12:26 recording everything you can.
12:28 It features similar elements to the subgenre that inspired it, including night vision to
12:33 get through some of the darker areas and well-placed jump scares.
12:38 Outlast is more than just loud thrills, with the settings still able to send shivers up
12:43 our spines.
12:46 #7 The Evil Within 2 Detective Sebastian Castellanos had a pretty
13:01 rough time in The Evil Within, but survival horror fans had a blast.
13:07 However, the sequel managed to surpass it in every way.
13:11 After learning that his daughter is actually alive, Sebastian heads back into a fake world
13:17 designed by the STEM system, which would ideally create a perfect world based on the user's
13:23 desires.
13:24 Of course, this isn't the case here.
13:26 The world his daughter is trapped in is home to mutated monsters, some of which rival the
13:32 likes of Resident Evil and Silent Hill.
13:34 A parent's desire to defend their child against ungodly horrors is also an admirable
13:40 quality for many horror movie protagonists.
13:45 #6 Dead Space As one of the best franchises released for
13:57 the seventh generation of consoles, Dead Space scared gamers for years until the studio closed
14:03 down.
14:04 The first game in the series is nothing less than the best of the survival horror genre
14:09 and captures the terror of outer space perfectly.
14:13 Engineer Isaac Clarke investigates the stranded USG Ishimura and battles all manner of cosmic
14:20 horrors slowly driven insane by the many violent encounters as the narrative unfolds.
14:27 With outstanding gameplay and equally acclaimed story, it's hard to find somebody who won't
14:33 enjoy it.
14:37 #5 Silent Hill 2 What's the opposite of a sophomore slump?
14:54 Konami's second journey into one of gaming's most haunted towns is considered one of the
14:59 best horror games of all time.
15:02 As James Sunderland, players become trapped in a nightmare come to life when the widower
15:07 is beckoned there by his late wife.
15:10 The franchise's creature design is out in full force, primarily showcased by the towering
15:15 pyramid head.
15:17 But the story, like many of the best ghost tales, hones in on the protagonist's personal
15:22 connection to the horrors around him.
15:25 It makes you invested, though the supremely chilling setting should also be more than
15:30 enough to suffice.
15:35 #4 Dead by Daylight If you're looking for a heavy horror homage,
15:47 then Dead by Daylight has you covered.
15:50 An asymmetrical multiplayer game, players take on the role of a group of survivors and
15:55 one brutal killer.
15:57 The maze-like, procedurally generated maps stop anyone from being able to exploit the
16:02 game too much, and more than most other entries on this list, you really get a sense of the
16:08 fight for survival thanks to the co-op.
16:11 It also includes killers from the most famous horror franchises of all time, meaning you
16:16 could be running and hiding from the likes of Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers, to name
16:21 a few.
16:23 #3 Resident Evil 7 – Biohazard While it may be a fresh take on one of gaming's
16:30 longest series, the crazy cannibal family and chainsaw boss fight will be familiar to
16:36 any horror connoisseur.
16:38 The grotesque and plentiful violence afforded by the characters' regenerative abilities
16:43 reflects the way that Leatherface just won't die, opening the doors for seemingly endless
16:49 Texas Chainsaw Massacre sequels.
16:51 Whether you think Resident Evil 7 is a good entry in the series or not, its opening stages
16:57 are everything you could possibly want from a modern survival horror game.
17:03 #2 Until Dawn Half a dozen teenagers get trapped in a cabin
17:14 at the top of a snowy mountain while a saw-esque maniac threatens to pick them off one by one.
17:21 Until Dawn has cliches abound and often plays more like an interactive movie than a video
17:27 game, which is exactly why horror fan films will love it to death.
17:32 But it has a dark and disturbing twist halfway down the line as we're introduced to the
17:38 Wendigo, a folkloric monster rarely seen in pop culture.
17:43 This means that while it's certainly awash with all of the genre staples we've seen
17:48 before, there's enough originality to keep even the most cynical people engaged.
17:53 It also began Supermassive's legacy of choice-based horror in games like The Dark Pictures Anthology
18:00 and The Quarry.
18:25 #1 Alien Isolation There's no argument that Ridley Scott's
18:38 1979 blockbuster Alien is a cinematic masterpiece, but up until 2014, no game had managed to
18:46 properly capture the franchise.
18:49 Alien Isolation has everything that makes the movie so good.
18:53 An awesome female protagonist, the terror of the unbeatable Xenomorph, those creepy
18:59 androids and more 80s nostalgia than you can shake a stick at.
19:04 If you're a fan of the movies but, like many people, think that the recent Prometheus
19:08 and Covenant haven't lived up to the originals, then you'll definitely want to check out
19:13 Isolation to satisfy all your alien needs.
19:32 #2 The Dark Pictures Anthology and The Quarry.
19:40 (gentle music)