Editorials
Our E3 2016 Horror Game Wish List
Every year, the game developers and many of the folks who play them all gather in Los Angeles to talk about video games at the annual E3 convention. The “official” event runs from June 14-16, but that doesn’t include what often ends up being the most exciting part — sans those dull powerpoint presentations we must often endure — the pre-E3 briefings. EA and Bethesda are getting the party started this year, with conference slated for the afternoon of June 12, so in reality, E3 runs from June 12-16.
My E3 wish lists almost always go unanswered, but not this time. This time, at least some of the games I’d like to see will actually be shown. And if they’re not? Well, there’s always next year.
The recent goings on with Resident Evil 7 seems like a good place to start. The game could be revealed at the convention, and more importantly, it might finally be the “clean slate” the series so desperately needs. Capcom has big plans for the second half of the year, and I think they may have everything to do with this game.
Unfortunately, this would mean the Resident Evil 2 remake would be a no-show, since it’s presence would take considerable attention off Capcom’s next big thing. I don’t think they want that, so for now, there can be only one (at E3).
Remember State of Decay? The sequel they teased us with several years ago has to be ready for a public showing. The idea was the sequel would build on the foundation of the original game, transforming it into a zombie-themed MMO, of sorts. That was a long time ago, so the plan has probably changed a bit since then. Whatever form it takes, developer Undead Labs needs to shamble back into my life, pronto.
Continuing the zombie theme is Dead Island 2, which we’ve seen nary a screenshot or second of footage from since Yager was removed from its development. I’m eager to see what’s changed, if anything, about the game. Maybe we’ll all find out next month.
This isn’t a new release, but I am interested in hearing what Techland’s plans are for the future of Dying Light, now that we know they’re going to continue supporting it with new content through the remainder of 2016. Is the content substantial, or are we talking smaller stuff, or worse, more character skins. I can’t see my character, Techland! You’re effectively buying DLC that only your co-op partners will enjoy. I don’t get it.
And where the fuck is Left 4 Dead 3?
Moving away from zombies, we do have a few indies I’d like to see something substantial from next month, starting with Routine. Lunar Software has confirmed, multiple times now, that it’s definitely, for sure, 100% coming this year. Sounds like the same old… routine, if you ask me.
I would love to get the deets on Contagion developer Monochrome’s next project, codenamed Project Ageless. Same goes for Moonville’s mystery game. Both are little more than enigmas to us right now, and it’d be nifty if that were no longer true a month from now.
On the slasher front, there’s one stab ’em up we haven’t had the chance to get to know. We’re practically BFFs with Dead by Daylight and Friday the 13th: The Game, and it’d be nice to be able to say the same about Last Year. All three games deserve their time in the spotlight, and Last Year is long overdue for some affection.
Frictional’s making two games, y’all! Maybe we’ll see one of them in June?
Is anyone else as intrigued as I am by the Paranormal Activity VR game? I haven’t seen any of it in action, but it’s noteworthy when every other licensed IP is either going experimental (The Twilight Zone) or the safer mobile route, like the game adaptations of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Penny Dreadful. That’s not say those games won’t be good, I’d just rather see them to aim as high as developer VRWERX is with this VR game.
And finally, we have Silent Hill. I won’t bother with a recap, we all know what happened. It’s simple: Konami either needs to shit or get off the proverbial pot, and since they’ve already shit just about everywhere, it’s time they hand the series over to a competent studio so we can all move the fuck on.
What would you like to see at E3 next month?
From child-eating witches to village-burning dragons, fairy tales have always had a foot in the horror genre. That’s why it makes sense that, for every The Hobbit and The Chronicles of Narnia, there are also darker and more adult-oriented stories about magical worlds inhabited by ravenous monsters and cruel villains.
Funnily enough, these sinister tales were precisely the ones that I gravitated towards back when I was a kid, and I was reminded of this while watching Netflix’s recently released I Am Frankelda, Mexico’s first ever feature-length stop-motion animation and one hell of an entertaining parable about the intersection between fiction and reality.
In honor of this special kind of horror-adjacent fairy tale, today I’d like to share this list recommending six Dark Fantasy films that horror fans might enjoy.
For the purposes of this list, we’ll be defining Dark Fantasy as fantastical stories that don’t shy away from the more macabre elements that fuel classic fairy tales. That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own grim favorites if you think we missed a particularly thrilling one.
With that out of the way, onto the list!
6. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)
I’m fascinated by bizarre attempts at blockbuster filmmaking – especially when the resulting movies are somehow still fun despite their corporate-mandated origins. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters is precisely one of these strangely compelling studio projects, as this surprisingly successful action-thriller boasts a lot of heart (and tongue-in-cheek humor) for a CGI-heavy creature feature.
Directed by Dead Snow’s Tommy Wirkola, Witch Hunters re-frames the classic fairy tale as an origin story for a duo of badass monster-slayers. Of course, it’s the flick’s anachronistic aesthetic and overall visual flair that make it stand out from other action-horror endeavors from around the same time.
5. The Wolf House (2018)
Made in the tradition of faux cursed films in the same vein as Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made, the eerie backstory to 2018’s Chilean animated flick The Wolf House (La Casa Lobo in the original Spanish) already makes it a nightmarish experience before the flick even really begins.
After all, the movie is presented to us as a faux propaganda film produced by the leader of a death cult (heavily inspired by the real life Colonia Dignidad), with this hybrid animated feature using complex movie magic to simulate a single uninterrupted shot as it tells the story of a lazy young girl who runs away from an isolated colony and encounters a creepy old house in the woods.
4. The Brothers Grimm (2005)
Out of all the Monty Python alumni, Terry Gilliam has had the most interesting career outside of the original comedy group. From fascinating canceled projects (such as his scrapped adaptation of Watchmen) to dystopian parodies that feel more relevant by the minute (1985’s Brazil), even his “lesser” films are still intriguing in their own way.
2005’s The Brothers Grimm is one such project, with this peculiar movie attempting to combine the comedian-turned-filmmaker’s unique visual style with a more blockbuster-oriented plot reimagining the titular brothers as con-artists rather than mere writers. The end result isn’t exactly a masterpiece, but it’s still a legitimately fun ride with plenty of memorable monsters and wonderful performances by both the late, great Heath Ledger and Matt Damon.
3. Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic (2010)
2010’s Dante’s Inferno game may have a reputation as something of an unapologetic God of War clone, but I’d argue that the now-obscure game was aesthetically unique enough to deserve a bigger fanbase. However, while the title remains trapped on the seventh console generation, its highly underrated anime adaptation is a lot easier to get a hold of!
Animated by 6 different studios in order to make the 9 circles of hell feel unique from each other, this may not be a completely faithful adaptation of Dante Alighieri’s poem, but it’s still one heck of a great (not to mention gory) time that I’d highly recommend to fans of Netflix’s take on Castlevania.
2. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)
My personal favorite entry in the Underworld franchise, Rise of the Lycans, is a highly ambitious prequel that actually works better if you haven’t had the story spoiled to you by the previous Underworld films.
While the rest of the series features plenty of urban fantasy elements as the movies combine machine guns and modern environments with gothic storytelling, Patrick Tatopoulos’ prequel fully embraces its fantastical origins and tells a classic tale about a doomed romance between a werewolf and a vampire amid a medieval uprising.
And the best part is that we get a lot more Michael Sheen as the fan-favorite Lucian.
1. Solomon Kane (2011)
One of my personal favorite movies on this list, MJ Basset’s criminally underseen adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s other iconic warrior is thoroughly steeped in horror ambience and features plenty of memorable monsters. However, it’s also a classic origin story for a swashbuckling hero that wouldn’t feel out of place in a tabletop RPG.
While I’ve already written about how the film deftly combines both horror and fantasy elements without breaking the bank, I’ll never pass up an opportunity to recommend the bizarre movie where James Purefoy expertly plays a puritan John Wick.
It’s just too bad that we never got the other films in this intended trilogy.
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