Editorials
Our Most Anticipated Lovecraftian Horror Games
The Lovecraftian video game curse, if there ever was one, seems to have finally been broken. For a decade, game developers struggled to tell their own stories based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft, from Headfirst’s Call of Cthulhu trilogy, to Guillermo del Toro’s InSANE, and Senscape’s adaptation of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, it gradually became clear to the few of us who were paying attention that the Old Ones didn’t want it to be so.
And sure, you could ignore the obviously sinister force that connects these unfortunate events by placing the blame on the poor sales of Dark Corners of the Earth, the closure of THQ — or GDT’s penchant for prematurely announcing his upcoming projects — or the general lack of interest in most of these games until after they were canned. Yeah, you could do that.
It doesn’t matter now, because at some point last year, the curse dissipated. Some say it dissolved naturally, but my theory is that From Software vanquished it by showing the Elder Gods what a great Lovecraftian horror game can look like with Bloodborne.
Let’s hope these games don’t disappoint, because Cthulhu might blanket our world in endless night if they do.
Crowdfunded | Science Fiction | Zombies | Virtual Reality
The horror adventure game Asylum has been delayed enough times to qualify as vaporware, had Senscape not resurfaced in January to confirm it’s 100% guaranteed to arrive this year. I’m going to choose to believe them, because the other option is too depressing a fate to contemplate for a game as promising as this.
The connection Asylum has to the works of H.P. Lovecraft don’t seem to be quite as obvious as the games with Cthulhu or Madness in their titles. It’s more of a thematic tether that marinates the mood and atmosphere in the creeping dread that permeates so many of his works. It also features one of the largest virtual buildings ever created for a video game, with about 100 rooms to explore while you work your way through its ~15 hour story campaign.
Release Date: Summer 2016 (PC)
Unlike the other games on this list, Giant Sparrow’s first-person adventure game What Remains of Edith Finch doesn’t have a singular story to tell — it has many. It’s a collection of short stories from The Unfinished Swan developer Giant Sparrow that revolve around a cursed family in Washington state, as each story focusing on the life and death of a specific member of the family.
With multiple perspectives and a timeline that spans an entire century — one story takes place in the 1900s, another in the present day — Edith Finch is a narratively ambitious game that explores the “vast and unknowable world around us.”
Release Date: Fall 2016 (PS4)
Moons of Madness is a first-person psychological horror game that promises to take a hard science fiction approach to its outer space setting. It’s being developed by the casual mobile game developer Rock Pocket Games, which recently confirmed it’ll have little “in common with SOMA, even less with Alien and even less with Doom.” I wonder what games, if any, it does have something in common with?
Release Date: TBA 2016 (PC)
After receiving considerable acclaim for their Amnesia mod Penumbra: Necrologue, CounterCurrent Games recently unveiled their plans to return to our favorite genre with the first-person survival horror game The Diary of Arthur Gilman. Unlike their previous work, this will be a standalone release with an intriguing mystery at its core and a branching narrative with multiple endings.
Release Date: TBA 2016 (PC, Linux)
In terms of scale, The Sinking City from Sherlock Holmes developer Frogwares is one of the grandest. Set in 1920s New England, this open-world horror game follows a private investigator who’s been tasked with finding out why the city of Oakmont, Massachusetts is gradually succumbing to an almost supernatural flooding. Solving the mystery that’s consuming the city may be the only way to save it from descending into madness. That, or arm floaties.
Release Date: Fall 2016 (PC, PS4, XBO)
The Call of Cthulhu name brings up a mixed bag of feels. It conjures memories of late-night playthroughs of Dark Corners of the Earth, as well as the wave of disappointment that came when its sequels were canned.
The studio that’s bringing Call of Cthulhu back for an official video game adaptation of Chaosium’s pen & paper RPG is Cyanide Studios (Blood Bowl, Styx) and their collaborative partner Focus Home Interactive. And this time, the Elder Gods tomfoolery will mix elements from RPGs, psychological horror, stealth, and investigation games. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until 2017 to partake in it.
Release Date: TBA 2017 (PC, PS4, XBO)
Which Lovecraftian horror game are you looking forward to the most?
Crowdfunded | Science Fiction | Zombies | Virtual Reality
New month, new horror recommendations from Deep Cuts Rising. This installment features one random pick as well as four selections reflecting the month of May 2024.
Regardless of how they came to be here, or what they’re about, these past movies can generally be considered overlooked, forgotten or unknown.
This month’s offerings include a self-loathing serial killer, a violinist’s murderous ghost, and a postmodern vamp flick.
Scream, Pretty Peggy (1973)
Pictured: Ted Bessell and Sian Barbara Allen in Scream, Pretty Peggy.
Directed by Gordon Hessler.
The TV-movie Scream, Pretty Peggy first aired as part of ABC Movie of the Week. Bette Davis plays the mother of a reclusive sculptor (Ted Bessell), and after the previous housekeeper goes missing, a local college student (Sian Barbara Allen) fills the position. Little does she know, though, the young employee’s predecessor was murdered — and the killer is still on the loose.
Admittedly, Scream, Pretty Peggy isn’t difficult to figure out; its inspiration is obvious. However, Bette Davis’ overstated performance and the son character’s macabre artwork are enough to stay tuned and learn who’s behind the killings.
Scream, Pretty Peggy is now available on physical media from Kino Lorber. Perhaps watch the movie with your own mother this Mother’s Day (May 12).
Paganini Horror (1989)
Pictured: The ghostly killer in Paganini Horror.
Directed by Luigi Cozzi.
For National Buy a Musical Instrument Day (May 22), check out this absurd Italian entry in the subgenre of cursed music horror. A rock band unleashes hell when they unknowingly use a satanic piece of music composed by Niccolò Paganini, the violinist who was rumored to have made a Faustian deal.
Even though Paganini Horror is hardly deemed a standout of Italian Horror, and the movie indeed drags itself toward the finish line, there are some bright spots worth focusing on. For instance: Donald Pleasence. If that’s not enough, the very ’80s aesthetic helps gloss over the flaws in Daria Nicolodi‘s uneven script.
Paganini Horror is now on physical media from Severin Films and is also streaming on SCREAMBOX.
Nadja (1994)
Pictured: Suzy Amis Cameron and Karl Geary in Nadja.
Directed by Michael Almereyda.
These vampires may or may not cast a reflection, but they sure do love to reflect. David Lynch executive-produced as well as briefly appeared in the film, which Roger Ebert succinctly described as “Deadpan Noir” in his review. This tale of revenge and philosophical pondering begins with the vampiric namesake (Suzy Amis Cameron) seducing the daughter (Galaxy Craze) of Van Helsing after he killed Nadja’s father, Dracula. From there a war erupts between the two sides, all while taking place in modern NYC.
Nadja is quite slow but also just strange, stylish and creative enough to keep your attention. In addition, the trip hop soundtrack is easy on the ears, and Peter Fonda plays a memorable Van Helsing. Overall, this is a unique and artsy approach to vampire horror.
Nadja is now streaming on Freevee.
The Bone Snatcher (2003)
Pictured: Scott Bairstow, Warrick Grier and Rachel Shelley in ‘The Bone Snatcher’.
Directed by Jason Wulfsohn.
For National Sunscreen Day (May 27), dig up the monster movie The Bone Snatcher. It will take more than a high SPF to protect the sunburned characters here; they are stuck in a South African desert with a bizarre monster called the Esikhulu.
The best things about The Bone Snatcher are its setting and the creature. This beast, which is brought to life on screen using a combination of practical and digital effects, sports a ghastly design to go with its unnerving ability to animate skeletons. Something else this movie has going for it is a refusal to show the monster too often; that way there is less chance of becoming desensitized to the Esikhulu. Ultimately, this has nothing on John Carpenter’s The Thing, however, those more forgiving fans of Syfy-ish creature-features should be satisfied.
The Bone Snatcher is currently streaming on Tubi.
#1 Serial Killer (2013)
Pictured: Jason Tobin in #1 Serial Killer.
Directed by Stanley Yung.
May is AAPIM, and the subversive #1 Serial Killer (originally titled Chink) is relevant when discussing the “Invisible Asian” notion. Acknowledging the irony, Stanley Yung’s movie has gone widely unnoticed despite its potent take on race and identity.
Jason Tobin (Warrior) delivers a compelling performance as the vile protagonist here. The self-hating, Ted Bundy-admiring character discriminates against other Asians after years of mistreatment and disregard, and that growing rage finally manifests as cathartic violence.
#1 Serial Killer is currently available at digital retailers like Apple.
No genre is as prolific as horror, so it’s understandable that movies fall through the cracks all the time. That is where this recurring column, Deep Cuts Rising, comes in. Each installment of this series will spotlight several unsung or obscure movies from the past — some from way back when, and others from not so long ago — that could use more attention.
‘Infested’ Review – One of the Best Spiders Attack Horror Movies in Years
‘The King Tide’: An Island Town Rots with Moral Decay in Canadian Folk Horror Fable [Review]
Limited Edition Morticia & Wednesday Addams ‘Monster High’ Dolls Releasing Next Week!
TWO New ‘Evil Dead’ Movies Now in the Works; Sébastien Vaniček & Francis Galluppi Directing
“AHS: Delicate” Review – ‘The Auteur’ Gives Birth to a Lackluster, Laughable Finale
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