Video games are on a hot streak in the mainstream media. However, horror adaptations don’t exactly have a good reputation in the film industry. There are some good and decent ones. However, most of the horror adaptations don’t meet expectations. Since the horror genre, in general, is cheaper than other categories, that means studios have tried to make a quick buck out of the most popular horror titles created.
The recent string of critics and financial success of several video game adaptations seems to suggest that Hollywood has finally figured out a way to translate video games to the film or television spectrum properly. There are plenty of games that deserve to be given the film treatment. Below are the five horror games that deserve it the most.
Limbo
This is one of the most interesting and visually stunning games that’s featured on the Nintendo Switch. Limbo came out of the blue with its excellent art design. The Black and white lighting sets a haunting and mysterious tone that immediately thrusts viewers into this puzzle-solving game. The Nintendo Switch game follows a young boy who wakes up in a mysterious place. He doesn’t know how he got there. However, he soon realizes that he’s in a dangerous world and needs to find his missing sister.
Though Limbo has a narrative, it would be the hardest game to adapt on the list. The game doesn’t have any cut scenes, so you don’t particularly know the kid’s personality. Nor will you get a strong understanding of who he and his sister is. Plus, the journey is all about puzzle-solving. However, just because it would be difficult to adapt the game, it doesn’t mean it would be impossible. If the filmmakers can keep the unique visuals and tell a straightforward story that maintains the spirit of the games, then this could turn out to be one of the best horror movies ever made.
P.T.
Out of all the horror games on the list, this one stings the most. That’s because P.T. was never a full game. It was a demo reel designed to sell the upcoming Silent Hills video game. However, the teaser itself is vastly different from the Silent Hills game, according to Hideo Kojima. What also made this so exciting was that he collaborated with Guillermo del Toro.
P.T. is about an unnamed protagonist who mysteriously awakens in a concrete room. He opens the door to a haunter corridor, with the player walking through a hallway that continuously loops and redecorates itself. This is one of the scariest and most difficult teasers you’ll ever play. However, it was so good that fans wanted this instead of the actual Silent Hills game.
Unfortunately, Silent Hills was canceled following Kojima’s exit from Konami. The teaser was also taken down as well. P.T. is a unique and genuinely frightening experience that should be expanded on. Like Limbo, the teaser won’t be so easy to adapt, but it does have more of a story than Limbo. It won’t be easy (not that writing is easy, to begin with), but it could turn out to be one of the most original and scary video games ever made if done correctly. Given that Guillermo del Toro helped out here, he should be the only name to touch the film adaptation.
Dead Space
This one remains a head-scratcher. Though Dead Space fell out of the public eye for a bit after the failure of Dead Space 3, this is still considered one of the best survival horror games ever made. Dead Space and Dead Space 2 is downright creepy. However, it has a ready-made narrative that would be perfect for a movie.
There are reports that the game is in development, but there hasn’t been a strong confirmation. Sadly, John Carpenter is not attached to the series despite his clear interest. Dead Space is a strong mix of The Thing and Aliens. The game design is top-notch, and the characters are well-developed. It’s unclear when a Dead Space game will finally make its transition over to the big screen. All the film has to do is keep the simple narrative, recreate the game’s location design, and maintain the effectively creepy necromorphs, and should be good to go.
Left For Dead
There are tons of zombie films at this point, but Left For Dead can bring in some fresh ideas to a well-worn concept. Left For Dead has fun elements that mix Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland, and Dawn of the Dead into its extremely fun campaign. It doesn’t particularly have a narrative, but for a zombie film, it doesn’t have to be this overly complex or thought-provoking feature. It just has to be fun.
If the film can capture the spirit and uniqueness of the video games, then it’ll be a huge hit. Who doesn’t want to see the witch or the boomer in live-action? Toss in some fun characters that resemble the core cast, and you have to be a terrible filmmaker not to create something wildly entertaining from this brand.
The Evil Within
A modern gem, The Evil Within, has traces of Resident Evil. That’s because Shinji Mikami created the first game. The game follows Sebastian Castellanos, whose pulled into a distorted world and must fight off nightmarish creatures in order to escape. The story isn’t as original as it could be, and the lead protagonist could use some work personality-wise. Still, the creatures are memorable, and The Evil Within cleverly subverts past horror tropes that make this title stand out. If the executives can hire the right creative team with Mikami overseeing the project, then The Evil Within can come out on top.
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