Halloween
Halloween is the perfect time to sit back and binge some scary films. And the best way to start this list is with Halloween itself.
Why is this movie perfect for gamers? Michael Myers and Lorrie Strode are a killer-survivor combo released to the 4v1 horror survival title Dead By Daylight. Not to mention, Mike Myers has had a long history of plaguing us (in the best way possible) in video games. Custom modes have been created in popular FPS titles like Halo and Call of Duty to have one player mimic his speedy and deadly style while the other attempt to run away and kill the selected “killer.” So there’s no better time to turn it on, sit back, and learn the lore that created the crafty, stalking Myers.
And come on. The movie is titled Halloween. It needed to be on the list.
Halloween originally came out in 1978.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Sticking with Dead By Daylight for a bit, we’ll move on to the next movie that gets a nod from the developers over at Behaviour Interactive. Leatherface is the newest killer to be added via DLC to the title, and for those that are unaware of where he comes from, Leatherface is the main baddie in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
And if you aren’t that into Dead By Daylight, this movie will give you Resident Evil 7 chills. Of course, the Baker family themselves were villainous, but not by choice and more sinister and supernatural things were at play. Strip that away to a man that wants to chop you into bits and watch you die? Sounds like Jack Baker and Leatherface. They even both sport yellow in their murder uniforms.
The original came out in 1974, but there is also a newer retelling that came out in 2003.
Nightmare on Elm Street
Also linked to Dead By Daylight, the man that kills you in your dreams is on the horizon for the game. But with this aside, the movie was spooky and interesting enough to spawn a video game adaption in 1990.
Nightmare on Elm Street, like the other movies listed so far, is a Halloween classic that deserves at least a once over. If anything so that when you see his likeness featured in any pop culture formats (here’s looking at you Rick and Morty fans), you know his backstory and why this killer is one of the most frightening to go up against.
The original came out in 1984, but the title also got remade in 2010.
Friday the 13th and Friday the 13th Part 2
It seems fitting that Friday the 13th should come next. One, there are a handful of gamers that see Dead By Daylight and Friday the 13th as being in direct competition with one another. Two, Freddy and Jason have always been in direct competition with each other. There are even a few movies that pit these characters against each other.
But the reason Friday the 13th is on the list is because of the game that goes by the same name that casts one player as the “unkillable” Jason while everyone else plays as camp counselors trying to escape the deadly man hunting them down. But why are part 1 and 2 listed? Although some sequels are not so good, the game is more based off of Friday the 13th Part 2. The lore in the movie and the game nearly mirror each other perfectly, so just watching the first one would still leave gamers unfamiliar with Mommy’s Sweater and its importance.
Friday the 13th originally came out in 1980.
Silent Hill
Silent Hill has been a fan favorite video game franchise for quite some time. And many of us were heartbroken when Silent Hills got canceled for good. But you can try to fill the void in your heart with the movie adaption of the beloved series.
It follows Rose who ventures into Silent Hill to find her daughter and bring her home while a handsome as ever Sean Bean begins to uncover that things have gone horribly wrong when his wife and daughter go missing.
It’s up to you if you think it is a good adaption or not. After all, a lot of gamers have been let down by movies that have been based off the games we know and love, but it still belongs on this list until you watch it at least once.
Silent Hill (the movie, that is) originally came out in 2006.
Resident Evil
Resident Evil is one of the most (if not the most) successful movie franchise that was based on a video game. Although the movies don’t necessarily follow the same arc that the games do, like most things, you have to try it at least once. And Halloween is the perfect time to do it.
Milla Jovovich stars as Alice and is forced to not only fight scientists who have been mutated by the experiments being run out of “The Hive” facility, but also the deadly creatures released. And wouldn’t you know, the computer system that was supposed to prevent all of this from happening is shut down.
Resident Evil (the movie) originally came out in 2002.
The Cabin in the Woods
Now this movie is not directly linked to a video game but has a lot of Until Dawn vibes going on and should make the players who escaped the Wendigo feel right at home. It is also worth mentioning there are some gaming easter eggs. Namely from Left 4 Dead.
The Cabin in the Woods has all the proper elements of a horror film but is a satire of many of them. A bunch of teens that can’t keep it in their pants along with a virtuous girl and stoner wise-guy go vacationing in a remote wooded location. What could go wrong?
Everything. Every single thing can go wrong as you uncover that a secret facility actually controls everything that goes on in the cabin. But, of course, things get really out of hand. Sound familiar yet? The movie also features Sigourney Weaver, who honestly you are obligated to watch in one scary movie at least once a year. It’s not a written law, but it’s kind of implied.
The Cabin in the Woods came out in 2012.
Alien
Speaking of Sigourney Weaver, let’s go back in time a bit to the role most everyone knows her for, Ripley.
Alien may not be the top movie on your Halloween list. After all, many of us feel like aliens aren’t going to bust down our door when we are expecting trick or treaters. But Alien: Isolation may have changed younger gamers’ views on how scary the concept really is. Alone, isolated in space, no one to rescue you. No one can hear you scream. Let the Xenomorphs and Face Huggers haunt you this Halloween. And if you are familiar with Alien: Isolation but haven’t watched the movie, one, what is wrong with you? Two, go watch it now! And three, it will give you an understanding of what happened to Amanda’s mother and why your character is so desperate for answers.
And again, you’ll easily meet your Sigourney quota.
Alien originally came out in 1979.
The Blair Witch Project and Blair Witch
If you are looking for something that gives you total Slenderman feels, one or both of the Blair Witch movies may be something you’d want to look into. An evil entity living in the woods that no one quite believes in, but anyone who goes investigating disappears? Although you never actually see the Blair Witch to compare the two physically, the concept is similar.
The reason both movies are on this list is that the original movie, The Blair Witch Project, has a style very akin to the Slenderman game that has you hunting for eight pages. The entire story is told from the perspective of cameras as a small crew goes into the woods to uncover what or who the Blair Witch is.
But if you are looking for a modern and scarier experience, the sequel titled Blair Witch may be more what you have in mind. The younger brother of one of the original crew members talks a handful of friends into following him into the woods to look for her. Things are more graphic this time around but it is still an unseen entity messing with you the further into the woods you go.
The Blair Witch Project came out in 1999 while Blair Witch came out in 2016.
The Babadook
The last movie on this list is certainly not the least. If you’ve played Layers of Fear and enjoyed the imagery and the story of an artist drifting further into madness, you may be just as drawn into The Babadook.
A single mother who is raising a troubled child alone uncovers a book that tells the twisted tale of The Babadook, a man who thrives on your fear. She is able to convince her son not to be afraid, but she isn’t so lucky as she begins to see and experience things that make her feel like she is going insane.
There aren’t any classical or well-known paintings hanging on any of the walls, but the haunting images of a children’s book that can’t be burned or thrown away turns toys into terrors and may leave you cowering in your bed at night.
The Babadook released in 2014.
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