Horror games may be a niche genre commercially, but when it comes to streaming or Halloween vibes, it's hard to match the feelings these video games give viewers and players. Sure, jump scares and excellent sound design go a long way in delivering a good scary game, but sometimes it's the facial expressions rarely associated with the genre that can be the most off-putting and fear-inducing.

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Smiling is often welcomed as it's a good-natured gesture, but when something that goes bump in the night is smiling, there's an added layer of unknown intention that makes the smile undeniably unwanted by the receiver. Video games are an immersive medium that can turn a smile into something much more vial.

7 Freddy Fazbear (Five Nights At Freddy's)

Scary Horror Video Game Smiles Five Nights At Freddies

At this point, it may feel a bit corny or cringy to talk about Five Nights At Freddy's, but the series was a global horror phenomenon that a generation of kids became attached to. Any of the frightening animal-based animatronics could make this list as most of them have creepy smiles.

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Freddy Fazbear is the titular character and the most recognizable of the bunch so it makes sense why he was the one chosen. If/when the series makes its way to live-action in a major way, it's likely that the smile retains the uncomfortable feeling it already gives audiences in the world of video games. Whether the world likes it or not, Five Nights At Freddy's and its characters are here to stay.

6 Marguerite Baker (Resident Evil 7)

Scary Horror Video Game Smiles RE7 Marguerite

The Baker family in Resident Evil 7 first comes across as a weird southern family that lives a disgusting lifestyle, but Ethan Winters quickly learns that there are more supernatural elements at play. Marguerite Baker is the matriarch of the household, and her smile exposes her decaying teeth and lets the player know their fear is providing her with unending happiness.

She can control insects, which when paired with a demonic face, not even a mother could love, made Marguerite someone players hoped they wouldn't run into more than what was necessary to move the story along. She knew what she was capable of and the type of emotion she was making others feel and it brought her absolute joy which makes her smile even worse.

5 Maitresse (Little Nightmares 2)

Scary Horror Video Game Smiles Little Nightmares 2

Despite being a 2D platformer, Little Nightmares 2 does a fantastic job of displaying horrific moments and characters that make the player feel vulnerable. One such character is named Maitresse and is a tall woman who acts as a teacher and caretaker for children. In addition to her ability to stretch her head out from her body like a snake, she also has a face that looks like it's poorly attached and is wanted to slide off thanks to gravity.

Her smile is both unwanted and cold and is the closest thing to smiling while not smiling that the human form can express. That being said, it's still unclear if Maitresse is or ever was anything close to human.

4 Dylan Faden (Control)

Scary Horror Video Game Smiles Dylan Control

In a game filled with plenty of supernatural and other-worldly elements and entities, it's fascinating that Dylan Faden, the brother of the game's protagonist happens to be Control's most visually disturbing antagonist. He's a smart guy who always thinks he's one chess move ahead of everyone else and displays that confidence through a sadistic smile.

It's never been confirmed but it's clear Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs likely served as a big inspiration for the character. The player encounters Dylan for most of the game through a camera lens or behind a panel of glass. Despite there always being something keeping him at arm's length he always feels like an immediate threat that hides his true motives behind a wry smile.

3 Angie (Resident Evil Village)

Scary Horror Video Game Smiles Angie RE8

House Beneviento is regarded by the Resident Evil community as the single scariest part of Resident Evil Village. The leading villain in this part of the game is a creepy doll named Angie who's in a wedding dress. Going back to the days of Chucky, dolls have always been an easy source of horror entertainment and Angie fell right in line.

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The worst part is this doll sports a straight smile unknowingly as it's simply a result of her design. Having this type of facial expression attachment to a doll that moves in weird ways is likely a big part of why House Beneviento is a moment in which many gamers decided they were done with this Resident Evil adventure.

2 The Haunted (The Evil Within)

Scary Horror Video Game Smiles Evil Within

The Evil Within is a horror series filled with weird and offputting evil that tries anything it can to take out the player. The Haunted make this list as a group of smiling people who simply happened to die when connected to STEM. Based on their description it would sound as though they're glorified zombies, but they seem to be more sentient and aware than the typical zombie. They aren't smiling, but rather they all wear blinding white masks that sport larger-than-life smiles that can sometimes be covered by the countless amounts of blood that splash upon them.

1 Lisa (P.T.)

Scary Horror Video Game Smiles Lisa PT

P.T. was a moment in gaming history when millions of gamers became obsessed with a game demo. Secretly this demo served as a reveal of a brand-new game in the Silent Hill series. Before it was canceled it was set to be a collaborative project between famed game director Hideo Kojima and film director Guillermo Del Toro, starring actor Norman Reedus as the game's protagonist.

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Lisa was the main haunted spirit in the game and when she showed her smiling face in first-person, people panicked. The fear was even greater when modders discovered the game was designed in such a way that the model of Lisa was constantly following the player and was anchored to their back.

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