I think the best formula for horror movies or games is suspense and keeping the player fearing the unknown. Movies like "Friday the 13th" just aren't scary to me because they're so predictable. You know what's going to happen right down to the time and the place in most cases. The Silent Hill series really hit the nail on…
I find horror these days to be more funny and predictable than actually scary. I'm with vermillion about Blair Witch. It was definitely the last movie I saw where I was a tad creeped out. I've only played the original Silent Hill (and a little bit of Silent Hill 4) and I loved it for the atmosphere and ambient noise and…
[ QUOTE ] I'm not so sure there is a formula. Whilst I agree to a large extent with the 'less is more' concept, I think that what's frightening to people is largely subjective. Even as a kid, I have never really been remotely 'scared' by any kind of modern slasher/horror movie. Stuff like the texas chainsaw massacre and…
@ Vylaroth: If most Lovecraft hasn't scared you, I strongly urge you to check out Color out of Space or the Nameless City. I believe they're shorts, so not much time investment required for great horror. Quake 1's 'storyline' was originally based off of a lot of Lovecraft's stuff and even had a level named after the…
Show a film with ET's long poo finger to any five year old and they will freak.... But seriously As regards to horror games I don't find any particularly effective at present. It depends on how the narrative is attached to the gameplay, I agree that silent hill is one of the better examples. Infact bridging away from the…
I'm not so sure there is a formula. Whilst I agree to a large extent with the 'less is more' concept, I think that what's frightening to people is largely subjective. Even as a kid, I have never really been remotely 'scared' by any kind of modern slasher/horror movie. Stuff like the texas chainsaw massacre and friday the…
[ QUOTE ] If most Lovecraft hasn't scared you, I strongly urge you to check out Color out of Space or the Nameless City. I believe they're shorts, so not much time investment required for great horror. Quake 1's 'storyline' was originally based off of a lot of Lovecraft's stuff and even had a level named after the Nameless…
I think all really effective horror has to have an element of reality, something you can relate to. Slasher flicks like the Saw series, for instance - they have shock value, but it's not the kind of thing that will stay with you after you've left the theater because you can't relate to such an absurd situation. On the…
[ QUOTE ] Do you think the feeling of isolation enhances a game's ability to induce fear? [/ QUOTE ] Absolutely. That's what made the Silent Hill games so good was that you were totally alone in a deserted town, you were completely cut off, and and your senses didn't count for anything because you couldn't see shit. […
The original Ringu was by far amazing and one of the better films of this field. It just grabs you by the balls and spooked the shit out of you. First time I saw that was late at night, by myself, and never even heard of it before. Instantly got sent straight to my number one spot. As for games, well, thats a different…