Despite existing for over half a century and evolving into one of the most profitable creative industries in the world, it’s only recently that filmmakers have gotten the hang of properly depicting video games on the big screen. This is likely because we’re now seeing a generation of writers and directors who actually grew up playing these games instead of observing them as outsiders – and that also applies to genre creators.
In fact, when it comes to horror, there have been a surprising amount of games featured in scary movies, with these interactive experiences often serving a central role in the story in much the same way that a cursed book or video tape might have been used in an older horror flick. With that in mind, we’ve decided to come up with a list highlighting six of the scariest video games in horror movies, as fictional media can be just as scary as the real thing.
For the purposes of this list, we’ll only be considering fictional video games that have appeared in movies, so no one-off cameos like Doom II in Gross Pointe Blank or Simon Pegg playing Resident Evil 2 in the zombie episode of Spaced. We’re also choosing games according to their scare-factor, not necessarily the overall quality of the movie they appeared in.
With that out of the way, don’t forget to comment below with your own fictional gaming favorites if you think we missed a particularly spooky one.
Now, onto our list of the scariest fake video games in horror…
6. Hellworld – Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005)
The Hellraiser sequels are infamous for repurposing original horror scripts by shamelessly inserting cenobites into their stories in order to keep the intellectual property from expiring, but that’s not to say that we didn’t see some interesting ideas in these impromptu follow-ups. One instance of a schlocky yet fun movie coming out of this studio-mandated mess was Hellraiser: Hellworld, which told the story of a massively multiplayer online horror game based on “real” events.
Sure, it barely has anything to do with Barker’s original Hellraiser mythos, but you’ve got to admit that a cursed MMO is a unique idea with plenty of horrific potential for large scale frights. Plus, you get to see a pre-Superman Henry Cavill side-by-side with Lance Henriksen and Doug Bradley in his final appearance as Pinhead! What’s not to love?
5. CURS>R – Choose or Die (2022)
Text-based adventures aren’t exactly the most feared gaming experiences, but Netflix’s 2022 thriller Choose or Die certainly makes a case for the genre as an unexpected source of scares. Telling the story of a cursed 80s game called CURS>R that appears to consciously interact with its victims as it makes them choose between binary catastrophes, the scare-factor here is boosted by having Robert Englund present the game as its “Terror Director.”
Later on, our main characters discover that certain demonic sigils are embedded in the game’s code, which is why it appears to have achieved sentience. While I’m pretty sure that’s not how programming works, it makes for a delightfully frightful lore addition to an otherwise mid-tier horror flick.
4. Stay Alive – Stay Alive (2006)
While William Brent Bell’s Stay Alive is most notable for being the source of the “if you die in the game, you die in real life” trope, the unrated cut of this underrated gem is a surprisingly entertaining romp about a cursed video game that predates infamous gaming-related creepypastas like Sonic.exe.
Based on the real-world horrors of Countess Elizabeth Bathory (who is rumored to have bathed in the blood of virgins), the in-universe game feels like a Resident Evil clone on steroids, tasking players with exploring an abandoned mansion in the Gerouge Plantation as they deal with ghostly children and the murderous Countess herself.
Honestly, I’d play the hell out of this one if it were real, risk of death be damned!
3. Bandersnatch – Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018)
One of the most interesting audiovisual experiments to come out of the Black Mirror franchise, Bandersnatch is an interactive standalone movie that allows viewers to control the outcome of the story as we follow a game designer in the ’80s who’s attempting to adapt a choose-your-own-adventure book into a videogame. Naturally, horrific hijinks ensue as viewers discover that the free-will defying Bandersnatch is leading our main character to madness.
While the film features plenty of gaming-inspired nightmare fuel depending on your choices, it’s actually inspired by a real vaporware title that was never completed. That being said, I doubt it was as trippy as the fictional version of the game featured here.
2. eXistenZ – Existenz (1999)
By far the grossest take on virtual reality to ever grace cinema screens (not to mention the best film on this list), David Cronenberg’s Existenz is a masterclass in both body and existential horror. Following the reality-warping misadventures of a game designer and her security guard/publicist, the entire plot of the film hinges on a virtual reality title meant to be indistinguishable from real life.
Played by connecting yourself to organic game pods, the in-universe eXistenZ appears to be powerful enough to warrant being sabotaged by terrorist-like “Realists” who oppose the rise of lifelike entertainment – which is why I’m glad that an interactive experience on this massive scale isn’t currently possible.
1. Livescream – Livescream (2018)
Screenlife horror seems like the perfect sub-genre for scary fictional games, but the logistical (not to mention financial) challenge behind programming a believable video game simply so it can appear in a non-interactive medium means that very few filmmakers have ever tried this enticing combination. Fortunately, Michelle Iannantuono’s underrated Livescream attempts to break the mold by basing the entire film around an internet personality who encounters the titular cursed game while streaming.
Feeling a lot like a contemporary creepypasta brought to life, the in-universe game is actually boosted by its low-poly assets and odd design quirks, with the janky visuals giving it a realistic touch that you wouldn’t normally get from a studio production. That’s why I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw this cursed title haunting the ever-expanding pages of Itch.io…
The post Welcome to Hellworld: Six of the Scariest Fictional Games in Horror Movies appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.