Editorials
Six Indie Games That Would Make Great Horror Movies!
While I think there’s a case to be made in defense of films like Paul W.S. Anderson’s Mortal Kombat and Christophe Gans’ Silent Hill, it’s easy to understand why videogame adaptations were once regarded as the lowest form of cinema. Fortunately, recent years have been kinder to gamers who also like to see their favorite franchises tackle other mediums. From Netflix’s Castlevania to Sonic the Hedgehog and even the upcoming Resident Evil reboot, it feels like studios are finally hiring genuine fans to helm these productions.
This videogame movie renaissance also means that AAA titles aren’t the only ones headed towards the big screen, as we’ve also been graced with surprisingly entertaining adaptations of smaller games like Josh Ruben’s recent Werewolves Within. And with even more indie adaptations on the horizon, I’ve come up with this list of six indie games that could be turned into great horror movies!
Naturally, these aren’t the only indie titles that could benefit from the cinematic treatment, so don’t forget to comment below with games that you would personally like to see adapted into scary movies. We’ll also be leaving out games that are already rumored to have adaptations on the way, so no Little Nightmares or Five Nights at Freddy!
Now, onto the list!
6. Lone Survivor
Jason Byrne’s Lone Survivor may have started out as a simple flash-based homage to the survival-horror classics of yore, but the game’s lasting impact proves that there’s a lot more to this sidescrolling throwback than meets the eye. Chronicling the struggles of a masked protagonist fighting to keep a grip on his own sanity after a mysterious viral outbreak, Lone Survivor would be a no-brainer when it comes to adapting interactive horror to the big screen.
With a real-world pandemic making this setup hit even closer to home, it’s easy to imagine Lone Survivor as a 28-Days-Later styled thriller set mostly within a dilapidated apartment complex. Couple that with the original game’s topical themes of madness and isolation and you’ve got yourself one hell of a freaky horror flick just waiting to happen.
5. Fran Bow
Developed by Natalia and Isak Martinsson as a therapeutic passion project, Fran Bow is a hauntingly beautiful point-and-click adventure title that also happens to feature a creatively designed cast of memorable characters. Taking more than a little inspiration from American McGee’s Alice series, the game follows the titular Fran as she attempts to vanquish otherworldly hallucinations and find her way home after a traumatic experience.
Boasting a surreal art style and some genuinely chilling twists and turns, this is another game that I’m surprised hasn’t already been expanded into either a movie or TV show. An animated retelling of Fran’s story could work either as a gateway horror yarn akin to Henry Sellick’s Coraline or even a full-blown animated horror movie like Raul Garcia’s Extraordinary Tales. Either way, I’d love to see a return to the gloomy world of Fran Bow.
4. Scratches
Created by a 2-man team in Argentina back in 2006, Scratches is probably the most obscure title on this list. Even so, there’s no doubt in my mind that this atmospheric point-and-click adventure could easily be adapted into a moody Lovecraftian thriller. While I won’t spoil the eerie details in case you haven’t played this underrated classic, the game follows a writer as he uncovers the dark history behind his newly acquired English mansion.
Featuring minimalist scares and a traditional gothic horror setup (not to mention that genuinely disturbing finale), I’d say that Scratches only needs a single spooky location and a passionate director to make the transition into an effective horror movie.
3. Hotline Miami
Hotline Miami isn’t really a horror game, but I don’t think I’m alone when I say that this stylish top-down murder simulator could be adapted into a legitimately scary movie. Telling a trippy story about masked murderers and Russian mobsters, it’s easy to imagine this game being turned into either an all-out Slasher flick or even a surreal Lynchian thriller, complete with creepy hallucinations and paranoid conspiracies.
Hell, you could even include some of Hotline Miami 2‘s additional backstory into the mix, providing some much-needed depth to our serial-killing protagonist. While the original game’s interactive ultraviolence was meant to make players question how much they enjoyed simulated killing, a cinematic adaptation could expand on that theme by making us horror fans ponder why we have so much fun watching on-screen violence.
2. Murder House
Taking inspiration from the schlocky horror flicks that used to inhabit video stores, Puppet Combo has made a career out of reviving early survival-horror mechanics and aesthetics for a new generation of gamers. With Murder House, the developer has once again set his sights on crafting an interactive Slasher, leading to a brief yet terrifying experience that could easily be translated into an entertaining movie.
In a rare example of an Easter-themed horror story, Murder House follows an unsuspecting news crew who become trapped in the decrepit home of a deceased serial killer known as the Easter Ripper. With a plot already influenced by classic b-movies (not to mention the infamous “Bunny Man” urban legend), a live-action adaptation of the game would make for a great single-location Slasher. Having the protagonists be part of a news crew also provides this hypothetical movie with the perfect excuse for Found Footage mayhem, allowing for even more intimate scares.
1. Slender: The Eight Pages
Beginning life as a spooky meme in the Something Awful forums, it makes sense that Slenderman’s first interactive outing would also become a viral sensation. Parsec Productions’ Slender: The Eight Pages took the internet by storm back in 2012 with its hellish take on hide-and-seek, leading to countless reaction videos as players attempted to gather the titular pages and outrun their faceless pursuer.
While the game was obviously influenced by the Marble Hornets web-series (with the developer eventually partnering with the series’ creators when writing Slender: The Arrival), I’ve always thought that a definitive adaptation of the Slenderman mythos would incorporate the lo-fi thrills of The Eight Pages into a proper Found Footage film. The way I see it, a convincing mockumentary investigating this infamous legend and culminating in a nightmarish chase sequence inspired by the game would be the best way to pay homage to the internet’s most iconic monster.
Editorials
‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel
The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.
The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.
Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.
With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).
It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.
The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.
The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.
Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.
Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.
Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.
The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.
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