The Best Video Games Based on Horror Movies

​Everyone likes to be a little bit scared now and then. It's why horror films have been around since almost the start of cinema, with House of the Devil coming out in 1898.

They've remained popular, as you can see from our list of the ‘Best Slasher Movies of the 2000s’. But it isn’t just films that like to give people a good scare. Video games have been getting into the act for years now as well. There are even video games that have made the jump to horror films, like Resident Evil and Silent Hill. The two mediums go together brilliantly when it comes to scaring people.
 
From the jump scare games that popped up in the early days of the internet to games that show up on modern mobile devices, there is no shortage of horror games being made today. There is the mobile port of the Five Nights at Freddy’s series, which feature murderous versions of the animatronic animals we all remember from our childhood. You can even find horror being utilized in the online slots from Foxy Games, with titles such as Full Moon Fever and Ghost Slider, as well as a firm Halloween offering. They don’t look to scare you particularly, but they do play heavily on imagery associated with fear. If you want a game with a more wholesome vibe, Oxenfree is available on mobile and combines The Goonies with a touch of Stranger Things to create a creepy atmosphere.
 
Just like Resident Evil and Silent Hill made the jump from video games to film, there are plenty of properties that started out in movies and later became excellent horror games. Here are a few of our favorites that you should check out.

Evil Dead: Regeneration

The Evil Dead series was, well, dead and buried when this game came out in 2005. Aside from the occasional comic book that came up in the long gap between Army of Darkness and Ash vs. Evil Dead making its way to TV. This game is a basic hack and slash affair, with simple controls and a straightforward if flimsy story, but that sums up the movies well enough. And that is what Evil Dead: Regeneration does so well. It makes you feel like you’re running around the world created by Sam Raimi, complete with the dark humor of getting to kill your demonic sidekick regularly only to have him pop back up again. Now that Indie Wire reports that Ash vs. Evil Dead has been officially cancelled, this is probably the closest you’ll get to wielding the legendary boomstick again.

The Thing

​This 2002 video game was a surprisingly faithful interpretation of the horror classic. The trust system that featured in the game meant that occasionally the other characters would refuse to follow you, thinking that you were The Thing that they were hunting. The combat is a simple third-person perspective shooter, so having this extra layer to the gameplay gives it something unique to the gameplay. It elevates the rest of the game from a forgettable experience to a great interpretation of the source material.

Alien: Isolation

It is hard to believe it has already been seven years since this game came out as it still holds up very well today. There have been plenty of video game adaptations of the Alien franchise, but none leaned into the horror aspect of the films quite like Isolation. The films were always best when viewed as a horror franchise first and action movies second, which is where Isolation does so well. There are no waves of xenomorphs to mow down – just one terrifyingly creature that is hunting everyone on board. Even the slightest mistake can result in death, making every interaction and scene a tense encounter.

Friday the 13th: The Game​

Jason Voorhees might be one of the most recognizable faces/masks in horror. The unstoppable killing machine has been slicing up teenagers for decades now, so it was about time that he got a good video game version. No, we’re not counting the 1989 game for the NES in there. This is a game where a few friends can get together and try to survive their encounter with the legendary slasher. The game had some issues at launch, including a busted online multiplayer that made it impossible to actually play with friends, but it eventually got fixed and became a precursor to games like Dead by Daylight and Phasmaphobia.

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