Halloween is right around the corner. That means a few things: scary movies, candy corn, the Monster Mash, Ghostbusters, 75 percent of girls being dressed as Elsa for Halloween, and haunted houses.
It’s also a time for us to play some of our favorite scary video games, because let’s face it, we like to be frightened. That got us thinking: what video games would make for some great haunted houses. Here’s what we came up with…
Slender: The Arrival
There’s a couple of things about Slenderman that I find frightening. No, it’s not his perfectly tailored suit, which is an amazing feat considering his absurd measurements. It’s a combination of not having a face, leering in the background with extra long limbs that seem to reach across far distances to get you. The fact that he could be watching you at any moment from afar, that’s what’s terrifying. Imagine, walking through a haunted house that looks like a regular suburbs home. On the walls are those creepy drawings of Slenderman, and outside of the windows, you catch random glances of him in the distance. The haunted house could take you outside the home, into the forest where you move through buildings and find creepy notes. Armed with a video camera that gets static-y whenever Slenderman is around, it culminates with him catching you. That’s how it has to end. There’s no escaping Slenderman.
Outlast
Outlast and haunted houses have two things in common: jump scares. I imagine an Outlast haunted house would force you to walk through an asylum all by yourself. The only light you would have is from the camcorder you carry, which provides you with night vision. Sometimes you’d be in a room where it’s light, and you don’t need the night vision, and that’s a perfect opportunity for a jump scare as well, when you least expect it.
Dead Space
I’d like a little sci-fi horror in a haunted house. Don’t ask me for logistics on how to make Necromorphs, Stalkers and any of the other monsters work. I’m sure the professionals that make these haunted houses could figure out a way to bring Dead Space to life in a haunted house setting. I just imagine actors pretending to be the ship’s crew getting swarmed by Slashers, or even the attendees being chased throughout portions of the haunted house.
Silent Hills (P.T.)
I’m well aware that there’s already been a Silent Hill haunted house. But the series is being rebooted with Norman Reedus, Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro. That means we can reboot the haunted house. Since we don’t know a lot about Silent Hills, other than that Kojima wants it to make people crap their pants, we have to go by the P.T. demo. That means a haunted house that looks like it repeats the same hallway over and over again, the ghost popping out, a screaming baby in a hanging fridge dripping blood, and the whimpers coming from the bathroom. Except maybe make it a little easier to reach the ending.
Condemned: Criminal Origins
This could win the award for the best use of mannequins in a haunted house. It could easily be one of the scariest haunted houses I’ve ever experienced if done right. Brutal serial killers, twisted minds of the criminally deranged — that’s terrifying. Danger lurks in every shadow. And not your typical ghosts and demons danger. We’re talking about danger that could exist in real life, to a certain extent. A haunted house that had groups of two to four people go through abandoned buildings filled with psychopaths and criminals sets anyone on edge. The mannequins are what puts you over the edge.
What video games do you think would make for scary haunted houses?
