For some people, nothing beats a good scare, and Halloween is essentially their Super Bowl, with no shortage of scary movies, games, and other kinds of media to experience. After checking out the final confrontation between Michael Myers and Laurie Strode in Halloween Ends, fans might want even more scares, and the psychological horror genre of video games offers many great options to do just that.
Psychological horror differs from other horror genres in that it doesn't rely on jump scares or a lot of gory action sequences; instead, it reels the player in with a slow build and gets in the player's head so much that the mere anticipation of what might happen next is terrifying. When done right, the best psychological horror movies and games leave fans both wanting more and afraid to see what comes next all at the same time.
The Best Psychological Horror
The subgenre of psychological horror differs from standard horror games in that the focus is on characters and their mental state throughout the game, with the villains in the game often being manifestations of inner demons the character is confronting. In recent years, there has been a greater investment in the quality of the voice acting in these games, which has truly brought the inner despair and conflicts of the protagonists to life and made games even more impactful.
A greater societal investment in mental health and mental well-being over the past decade and a half has also contributed to the significant growth of the psychological horror genre, with studios like Bloober Team focusing almost exclusively on games that tell psychological stories. As a result, most of the best games within the subgenre have released recently, meaning that the games have more recent technology and gameplay to engage players as well.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice stands out in that it is a dark fantasy horror game, and takes place in a fantasy setting rather than the more prevalent modern-day horror game settings. Ninja Theory's 2017 game relies on Celtic and Norse mythology in creating its world, and players take Senua on a journey to rescue her partner's soul while navigating some intense mental illness struggles along the way.
Senua hears voices in her head and believes that she is being haunted by a mysterious evil called The Darkness, but in reality, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a story about Senua's experience with psychosis. Her descent into hell is a reflection of her internal journey as a result of the psychosis that is taking a severe toll on her, and it makes for an extremely powerful story that Ninja Theory executes tremendously well.
Layers of Fear
Bloober Team's exceptional Layers of Fear is really a perfect psychological horror game for Halloween season, as it does not only tell a strong story about an artist's descent into madness while trying to create his masterpiece painting, but it also takes place in what is essentially a haunted house. As players complete more of the painting, they learn more about the tragedy that inspired the inner turmoil the protagonist is confronting throughout the story.
While there are no enemies to fight, Layers of Fear is filled with jump scares that make it the type of game the less steely gamers will want to play with the lights on. As players progress through the story, they realize that with the lack of combat or any battles, the true enemy is themselves, and that their own fear is driving their experience and the descent further into a dark place.
Silent Hill 2
Now over 20 years old, Silent Hill 2 is getting a remake soon but still sets the standard for what psychological horror should look like at its very best, disorienting players with an environment that keeps fans on their toes throughout. James, dealing with severe emotional trauma from the death of his wife Mary, is now hearing her call to him and telling him to come to the town of Silent Hill and meet her in their "special place".
The despair and pain James Sunderland feels from how Mary met her death from a brutal, incurable disease haunt him throughout the story of Silent Hill 2. The game's utilization of the Otherworld as a representation of the psychological hell that James is enduring is incredibly effective, as it allows developers to take the player along on James' journey through emotional hell, not just tell them through exposition, and the themes of Silent Hill 2 give it a lot of replay value.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
When considering the most influential games of the past 15 years, Amnesia: The Dark Descent has to be considered for the impact that it had on the psychological horror genre. It might not have set new trends as far as gameplay goes, but Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a very significant title for the fact that the player isn't given a weapon, paving the way for later games like Alien: Isolation, Layers of Fear, and Outlast, where the atmosphere and situation builds the scares more than confrontations do.
Trauma, loss, and despair are a common theme in the psychological horror genre, and Amnesia: The Dark Descent is no exception, with a focus on the human psyche and its fragility and vulnerability. The best horror is a reflection of the society of the time, and 2010's Amnesia: The Dark Descent feels even a bit ahead of its time with a story that focuses in on the terrible things people will do to one another in the right situation, and the remorse (or lack thereof) as a result.
Alan Wake
With the long awaited sequel finally being announced, Remedy's Alan Wake remains one of the very best games released during the Xbox 360 and PS3 era. Alan Wake is a bit light on the jump-scare type moments, and if not for the utterly creepy story driving the game, it might be considered more of a thriller than a horror game. But psychological horror is about a great narrative and eerie environment that builds tension and reflects the inner emotional and mental turmoil of the protagonist, and in that sense Alan Wake delivers in a massive way.
Early on in the game, Alan's wife goes missing, and he embarks on a journey where he ultimately questions whether he is losing his mind as he confronts his past, faces his demons, and struggles to tell the difference between reality and delusion. Everything about this game, including the amazing conclusion, is worth playing before the supposedly huge story of Alan Wake 2 hits consoles in the coming years.