Editorials
What’s Old is Scary Again: Celebrating the Rise of Retro-Inspired Horror Games
As we steadily approach the ninth console generation, it’s clear that gaming technology has come a long way since the bit-wars and limited storage space of yesteryear. AAA titles have become so photoreal that they’re looking like 3D-Animated movies instead of videogames, and that’s not even mentioning all the quality-of-life improvements on both consoles and PC. However, even during this time of incredible technological achievements, some nostalgic gamers find themselves looking back towards more primitive eras of gaming, especially within the horror genre.
There was a time when boxy 3D models of Resident Evil and barely-animated sprites of Clock Tower were more than enough to instill terror in the hearts of players, so it makes sense that some modern developers would choose to embrace the antique stylings of classic titles now that they’re no longer limitations but genuine aesthetic choices. Couple that with how easy it’s become for aspiring developers to learn how to program and manipulate simple 3D and 2D assets, and it makes a lot of sense that we’re living in a golden age of retro horror releases.
Sure, old-school throwbacks have always been a thing in the videogame industry, with remakes and rereleases being common ever since enough time had passed to make gaming nostalgia possible, but there’s a unique appeal to older horror games that makes them even more effective in hindsight. Clunky combat systems make it harder for players to feel safe and less detailed graphics leave more up to the imagination, making monsters seem more threatening. More often than not, these hardware constraints end up working as tools in creating mood and atmosphere. Hell, even the iconic fog from the Silent Hill series began as an attempt to mask the original PlayStation’s abysmal draw distance.
Much like the popularization of VHS filters and grainy film looks in movies, elements that were once considered undesirable are now being turned into genuine assets for clever creators. Look no further than Puppet Combo, arguably the most popular of these new retro developers, as an example. They’ve built an entire career out of taking advantage of low-polygon models and classic survival horror tropes in order to produce a terrifying collection of 90s-inspired horror games. In fact, PC has even released a new publishing label entitled Torture Star Video in an attempt to showcase the work of budding developers who are also passionate about this style of gaming.
It just wouldn’t be the same in HD.
The recent The Enigma of Salazar House, Torture Star Video’s first offering, was actually developed by Ignacio Maldonado, a Chilean horror fan inspired by early point and click adventures. Like many other games in this sub-genre, it looks deceptively simple, but there’s a whole lot of artistry going on behind the scenes when designing a retro experience for a new generation (not to mention the gorgeous artwork).
It seems that these scares just keep on coming, as retro horror collectives are becoming something of a trend. We’ve even seen anthology compilations like the Dread X Collection, which features the work of talented developers like Torple Dook, Lovely Hellplace and even Airdorf, creator of the excellent pixel-horror Faith games. During a week-long game-jam, these artists came together to show off the near-infinite potential of independent horror gaming. Judging from the results, I think it’s safe to say that they succeeded.
These are just some of the most popular projects, but there’s a whole community of indie developers out there (especially on Itch.Io) producing old-school scares for a bargain, and sometimes even for free. One of my recent favorites is Modus Interactive‘s Frontier Diver, a short PSX-inspired romp where you play as a scientist in a futuristic submarine, surveying the ruins of a long-lost civilization. The gameplay and visuals are so committed to the original PlayStation era that you’d be forgiven for thinking that this is an actual mid-90s title, with the warped textures and pixelization only helping the foreboding, deep-sea atmosphere.
And speaking of the original PlayStation, the infamous Haunted PS1 Demo Disc is another must-play for retro horror fans. A delectable collection of old-fashioned scares, this compilation is presented as a series of cursed PS1 demos. While some of the titles here lack polish, this free collection works wonderfully as a nostalgic throwback with more than a few tricks up its sleeve.
Nothing beats PS1-era Skeletons!
The same folks behind the Demo Disc also organized this year’s EEK3 Indie Horror Showcase, a replacement of sorts for the usual gaming Expos that were canceled/postponed due to Covid-19. The online event had a bona fide horror-host presenting us with over 40 upcoming indie projects that will hopefully terrify us within the comfort of our own homes. Needless to say, these games featured copious amounts of fixed camera angles, VHS aesthetics and even tank-controls, so the Showcase was nothing short of a wet dream for retro horror enthusiasts. At this point, I hope it becomes a yearly tradition.
Naturally, we shouldn’t be too eager about living in the past, lest the gaming industry (and horror in general) become stagnant, but these retro scares are at their best when applying a modern spin to outdated visuals and gameplay, and I think they’re some of the most interesting projects to come out of gaming in the past decade. If anything, the rise of these retro-styled horror games has proven that a good idea backed by solid gameplay is worth a lot more than cutting edge graphics and performance (especially since most of these titles can be played on the hardware equivalent of a baked potato).
Ironically, the future looks bright for this old-fashioned sub-genre, and I can’t wait to see what kind of retro terrors these developers will come up with next. If you’re ever tired of what the mainstream gaming industry is offering, don’t forget to check out of some of these smaller, but equally chilling releases!
There’s been a lot of talk about how Christopher Nolan snuck in some horror elements into his epic adaptation of The Odyssey. However, even before the Cyclops began to eat Ithican soldiers and Circe subjected them to magical body-horror, cinemagoers were already witnessing supernatural terror through a certain trailer that was attached to most IMAX screenings of Nolan’s film.
It turns out that this trailer was for Rob Savage’s Other Mommy, an adaptation of Bird Box author Josh Malerman’s horror novel, Incidents Around the House. With the teaser now available online and revealing that the award-winning Jessica Chastain is playing the titular antagonist (as well as her ill-fated human counterpart), not to mention the fact that the picture is being helmed by the director of hits like Host and The Boogeyman, genre fans are understandably hyped for this upcoming thriller.
That’s why I’ve decided to take a closer look at the trailer and share four things we learned from this sneak peek at Other Mommy!
4. Rob Savage is Going Back to His Supernatural Horror Roots
I know I’m in the minority when I admit that Dashcam is my favorite Rob Savage movie, but even I understand why the filmmakers’ fans have been waiting a while for the director to get back to telling more grounded paranormal stories as he did with 2020’s Host.
Other Mommy obviously isn’t a found footage movie, but moments like the poltergeist activity on the kitchen table combined with the nature of the source material, which actually features a full-on exorcism, indicate that this adaptation is more than a simple creature feature. That’s why I think Savage is once again going to borrow from the same ghostly narratives that made his debut film such a viral hit.
3. Other Mommy is a More Convincing Doppelganger in the Adaptation
Part of the horror from Malerman’s original novel came from the fact that the entity taking on the form of Bela’s (Arabella Olivia Clark) mother wasn’t very good at passing itself off as human. This resulted in several uncanny moments where other characters began to notice that there was something visibly wrong with the family and decided to keep their distance.
Savage’s film appears to be taking a different route, with the trailer showing a version of the entity that can, at least physically, imitate Chastain’s character perfectly. This change is likely the result of the filmmakers wanting to incorporate more paranoid scenes where Bela and her father, played by Jay Duplass, are confused about which Mommy is safe to interact with.
2. The Family is Also Better Off This Time Around
Incidents Around the House featured some interesting subtext about how poverty can negatively affect American family dynamics. After all, the main characters were already feeling scared and isolated before the entity emerged from Bela’s closet and began scratching at their emotional wounds. The trailer for the movie, however, depicts the family as being relatively well off before these incidents begin to occur.
I can only imagine that this part of the story was changed so that the family’s fall from grace can be even more dramatic as the mom and dad’s pasts are revealed and Bela falls further into the clutches of the demonic antagonist.
1. Jessica Chastain is Embodying Evil Dead Rise’s Alyssa Sutherland
Mothers turning against their children is one of the most disturbing horror tropes out there (just check out classics like Hereditary and Carrie if you need proof), but it takes a remarkably skilled actress to pull off such a monstrous transformation. This is especially true when both a regular, loving mother and the Other share the screen in the same film.
That’s why I appreciate how Chastain appears to be channeling another evil redhead mother that recently traumatized audiences with her performance. It’s too early to be sure, but I’m fairly confident that Chastain’s character has at least some amount of Ellie in her cinematic DNA – Ellie being the iconic deadite brought to life by Australian actress Alyssa Sutherland in 2023’s Evil Dead Rise.
Let us know in the comments if you think we missed any important details from the trailer, and don’t forget to check out Other Mommy when it hits theaters on October 9!
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