Editorials
[Review] ‘The Glass Staircase’ is a Loving Homage to Retro Survival Horror and Fulci’s Zombie Films
In Bloody Disgusting’s The Glass Staircase review, we uncover the dark secrets behind Puppet Combo’s Fulci-inspired survival horror.
There’s some exciting horror rising up from the independent spaces in video games. Airdorf’s FAITH, 98DEMAKE’s September 1999, and a whole host of others have stripped horror games back to the core and reminded us how games can be an effective platform for delivering terror, chills, and all-around creepiness.
There’s a healthy amount of love and respect for horror from independent developers, perhaps none more so than Puppet Combo, a developer who has put out a ridiculous amount of retro-inspired horror games, including Power Drill Massacre and Night of the Nun, in a relatively short time, and the latest, The Glass Staircase, is especially eye-catching.
Inspired by early PlayStation Survival Horror games such as Clock Tower, Silent Hill, and Rule of Rose, The Glass Staircase sees you in control of one of several young girls who finds themselves in a dilapidated mansion posing as an orphanage, tucked away in the English countryside. Of course, being a horror game, there’s something not quite right about the place. The girls are seemingly being held against their will by faceless overseers. Once you leave your shared room, the nightmare truly begins as the girls are picked off one-by-one, and you must try and uncover the dark secrets of the mansion before it’s too late. Thankfully, you may be controlling kids, but they aren’t shy about using a gun against the forces of evil.
Puppet Combo’s other inspiration comes in the form of Italian zombie films (’80s gorefests are a fond favorite of the developer). The clearest callback is to Fulci’s Gates of Hell Trilogy, with that same nightmarish incoherence that made the likes of House by the Cemetery and The Beyond such wonderfully disturbing experiences. Puppet Combo has certainly captured the essence of that with The Glass Staircase. the mansion itself is reminiscent of the one from The Beyond. It’s falling apart, but you can see the majesty that once existed in its design. Oh, and then there’s the horrors that lie within its walls, but that’s something you should probably see for yourself.
What follows is a classic survival horror experience. Gore, monstrosities, puzzles, letter-reading, key-grabbing, fixed camera paranoia, and even tank controls if you wish. There is a modern heart to the game with some quality of life improvements on the old formula, but even then there’s no denying The Glass Staircase would be right at home alongside many of the games that helped breathe life into it. The thing that makes it stand out from that crowd is the use of 80s VHS scuzz on top of the visuals. It helps to emulate that nasty, and sordid aesthetic of the era, especially concerning Italian horror like Fulci’s.
There’s the odd drawback of course. Tank controls bring all the frustrations they once did, though of course, the upside here is that the treacly movement actually suits the dreamlike atmosphere really well, so it’s fair to say it’s more effective to use them than the modern settings, even if they are better to use comfortably. So the choice is comfort and accessibility or possible frustration and a more authentic horror experience.
The plot is rather mysterious, yet it does come with some resolution and depth. If you find the vagueness of Fulci’s films irritating, however, then The Glass Staircase may not exactly convert you to that style of storytelling.
Happily then, The Glass Staircase manages to be both a wonderfully nostalgic throwback to two beloved styles of horror in two mediums, but with enough modern flourishes to make it more palatable and interesting for a modern audience. It’s Puppet Combo’s most ambitious effort to date, and the love for the horror genre shines bright here.
The Glass Staircase review key provided by the developer.
You can purchase The Glass Staircase on PC via itch.io or you can become a Patreon subscriber to Puppet Combo, and have access to all the games made so far, and also get hands-on with work-in-progress projects.
In this day and age, the word “troll” is often used to describe various online nuisances. Yet as abundant and irksome as the modern troll can be, they aren’t usually as fearsome as their mythological counterparts. I’m not talking about the small and gentler versions that have become more common to see in media. No, there are much bigger and scarier trolls out there—and André Øvredal’s movie Troll Hunter is one of the best places to find them.
It doesn’t take long for Troll Hunter (or Trolljegeren) to dump the Blair Witch Project-esque setup and aim for something a lot fresher. The trajectory of the story is augmented by Otto Jespersen’s character Hans, the titular Troll Hunter. The second he comes barreling out of the deep, dark woods and shouts “troll” at the camera, this movie takes a turn into what feels like uncharted territory. Not only subject-wise, but also conceptually.
For fantastical and made-up subject matter in cinema, found footage is a fast way to add a guise of believability. After all, what we accept to be the most crucial aspect of documentaries—the truth—rubs off on pseudo-documentaries, despite our understanding of the pretense involved. That is what Øvredal delivered with Troll Hunter: a movie so convincing that some viewers wondered if trolls really do exist. So, had this been straightforwardly made, it likely wouldn’t have been as effective. Conventional narratives would be more inclined to treat something like trolls as flat out unreal, and never try to convince the audience to think otherwise.
Hans petrifies the three-headed Tusseladd troll.
The viewers, like the characters trailing Hans, are quickly thrown into the deeper end of that extraordinary story. They have to process all this new information while staying on the go. So, although there is no significant amount of meandering, narratively or physically, there is still a good amount of atmosphere, not to mention tension building. It’s never anything frightful, but then again, Troll Hunter isn’t your standard offering of horror; it’s more on the low end of the dark fantasy spectrum. We aren’t ever spirited away to a faraway world—we stay in rather familiar surroundings, as well as dip into those less so. The outcome is a movie where you’re constantly more in awe than in terror.
As fantasy fiction might do, Troll Hunter prefers not to deal with incredulity. There is no time to waste on doubt, as interviewer Thomas (Glenn Erland Tosterud), soundperson Johanna (Johanna Mørck), and cameraman Kalle (Tomas Alf Larsen) all follow Hans around, recording whatever this character is willing to reveal about his bizarre job. Of course, the Troll Hunter himself is not an open book; in that respect, the diegetic documentary fails to fully capture and unpack the more interesting of its two subjects. Yes, all those giant, monstrous trolls are indeed incredible, but understandably, your mind wanders to their pursuer. What kind of person signs up for this gig and then chooses to stick with it for so long?
Reviews have called out Troll Hunter for its lack of character development. In regard to Thomas and his fellow documentarians, that criticism is valid, but bear in mind, they aren’t the focus of the story, either. Meanwhile, Hans is a well-crafted character. At least better than first realized. Before he was introduced, Hans had already grown tired of the troll grind. Fed up with that low compensation for his services, resentful of the bureaucracy, and wanting to expose his employer on a large scale, Hans’ discontent is glaring.
Then there are those finer details about the Troll Hunter, such as that indifference to both the natural splendor of his everyday surroundings and the affections of an obviously smitten colleague, that also suggest some level of despondency. So it is fair to say this movie doesn’t feature any sizable growth for its characters; however, the namesake isn’t underwritten. No doubt, putting a real-life character like Otto Jespersen in that role is partly why Hans is so fascinating—maybe even relatable.
Otto Jespersen as Hans the Troll Hunter.
There is always a small risk whenever using the term “mockumentary” to describe a found-footage movie, as the word could imply humor where there is none. In the case of Troll Hunter, the term’s usage is appropriate. Some folks have claimed the English-dubbed version has the more comedic tone, however, the Norwegian cut isn’t exactly humorless. Apart from the trolls’ absurd appearances, this is a movie where the characters nearly choke on the monsters’ farts, and Christians are like walking targets. Hans’ complete apathy towards everything is another cause of laughter. Overall, the comedy is intentionally dry and inconsistent. Unfunny, though? Absolutely not.
In a movie where endemic creatures are maltreated, as well as disavowed from living freely and peacefully, it’s hard not to notice the ecological message buried beneath the story. In addition to that is the unmistakable political satire. There is this whole business about intrusive and unsightly power lines—like trolls, they’re big blemishes on the land—that leads to what is perhaps the movie’s funniest moment. The scene in question is that one where certain electric lines, the ones secretly being used to keep the trolls at bay, go in a loop and don’t actually send power to any residents. Yet the monitors of said lines don’t find this at all weird. So it stands to reason that Øvredal was having a go at those who accept the government’s doings without question.
Looking past the fact that trolls aren’t actually real, this movie is an enlightening source of information. And not just for international audiences; Norwegians, too, get schooled about their homeland’s own mythology. It’s also evident from everything on screen that Øvredal and his crew were enthusiastic about the topic. The creature designs are the most indicative of that zeal; those imaginative yet myth-accurate manifestations are equally amusing and grotesque. One second you’re laughing at their phallic noses, the next you’re white-knuckling during a hairy sequence. Most surprisingly is how well the trolls’ visual effects hold up after fifteen years. It’s not all spotless, but on the whole, they remain impressive.
Vouching for a mockumentary about trolls isn’t easy, but those who do come around and give it a shot will more than likely be grateful for the recommendation. For Troll Hunter is a real find in that vast and varied genre we call “found footage“.
A bridge troll reaches up for food and finds Hans decked out in armor.
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