Editorials
Six Obscure Licensed Horror Video Games That Are Still Worth Your Time
I spent an embarrassing amount of time during the 2000s just sifting through video game bargain bins in search of hidden gems. That’s why I’m fairly certain that I dealt with more licensed shovelware than your average gamer, as I would usually play through two or three movie tie-ins for every “real” title in my collection simply because they’d hit the clearance shelf a little sooner.
Thankfully, despite hundreds of frustrating hours spent trying to complete rushed cash-grabs just because they happened to feature beloved characters like Buffy and the T-1000, I’d occasionally stumble onto legitimately fun gaming experiences that had largely been dismissed as part of the larger pile of marketing slop. That’s why I never stopped giving licensed games a chance, a habit that’s finally paying off now that we’re living in the golden age of movie tie-in games – especially when it comes to the horror genre.
Titles like Retrorealms Arcade or Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game have repeatedly proven that nearly any horror movie can be turned into a fun video game if handled by talented developers, and that’s why it’s a shame that so many gamers still dismiss licensed titles that don’t come from major studios. With that in mind, I thought it might be fun to shine a light on the lesser-known gems of the movie tie-in world by recommending six obscure licensed games that horror fans might enjoy!
For the purposes of this list, we’ll only be considering standalone releases (that means no Dead by Daylight DLC) that never got the marketing push they deserved, but feel free to comment below with your own obscure favorites if you think we missed a particularly fun tie-in game.
With that out of the way, onto the list!
6. Sweet Home (1989)
Also known as The Mamiya House in some territories, 1989’s Sweet Home may not be the most impressive horror flick in Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s filmography, but the movie’s video game tie-in is actually responsible for revolutionizing the industry despite not being as popular as its spiritual successors.
Directed by Tokuro Fujiwara, this bizarre combination of retro RPG and Adventure title ended up laying the groundwork for what we now know as the Survival Horror genre. And while Capcom’s Sweet Home was never officially localized for Western audiences, easily available online translations mean that there’s no excuse for genre fans to avoid checking out the godfather of modern horror gaming.
5. Manos: The Hands of Fate (2015)
Hal Warren’s “so bad it’s good” classic may not be the first horror movie that comes to mind when thinking of genre films that could be adapted into good videogames, but I think the sheer absurdity of choosing to adapt this movie in particular is precisely the point when it comes to Freakzone Games’ hilarious 8-bit rendition of Manos: The Hands of Fate.
This brutally difficult retro platformer somewhat faithfully recreates the major events of the film it’s based on (something that the 80s licensed titles that inspired it rarely did), but Manos also features a slew of humorous references to Mystery Science Theater 3000 that are sure to satisfy genre fans in the mood for pixelized laughs.
4. The X-Files: Resist or Serve (2004)
Chris Carter’s The X-Files became such a massive hit that the TV show itself was eventually relegated to the background of an expanded universe comprised of comics, novels, and even video games. However, out of all this extra media, my personal favorite contribution to the extended X-Files mythology has to be the franchise’s third video game adaptation, Resist or Serve.
A Resident Evil clone presented as three playable cases taking place during the show’s seventh season, the game features the voice talents of both David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in interwoven campaigns that see you managing resources, shooting down monsters, and investigating alien viruses. Though the title is about as janky as you might expect from an early 2000s Survival Horror project developed by a smaller studio, it’s still a must-play for both fans of the series and atmospheric horror in general.
3. The Mummy Demastered (2017)
Alex Kurtzman’s The Mummy reboot became an online punching bag before the movie was even released, with the flick’s botched trailer resulting in countless memes making fun of the ill-advised start to Universal’s “Dark Universe” project. And yet, this disastrous Tom Cruise vehicle still managed to set up a handful of interesting ideas in between boring action sequences, with the best thing to come out of the film being a ridiculously fun video game that ditches any pretense of this being a serious story.
A retro Metroidvania title that tasks you with hunting down Princess Ahmanet and her supernatural minions by taking control of expendable Prodigium Operatives (unless you somehow manage to clear the entire game without dying once, in which case you play as a single badass soldier), The Mummy Demastered improves on its source material by exaggerating its best traits to the point of ridiculousness.
In fact, this criminally underrated side-scroller makes me wish that the proposed Dark Universe had lived on as a series of retro videogames culminating in a horrific crossover event!
2. Van Helsing (2004)
I find it curious how even infamous flops like Stephen Sommers’ Van Helsing can develop a cult following if given enough time without any similar movies to scratch that cheesy horror crossover itch. And while I personally like the idea behind this 2004 genre mash-up more than the film itself, I have a soft spot for edgy 2000s videogames featuring over-the-top action – so how could I not love a game where you play as a goth Hugh Jackman as he battles classic horror monsters with the aid of anachronistic weaponry?
If you ask me, this brief video game tie-in is the superior version of this story despite having originally been dismissed as a mindless Devil May Cry clone. And while I’ll admit that the game’s simplified combat can get rather repetitive, it’s precisely the laid-back nature of this breezy experience that makes it such a fun time two decades later. After all, sometimes you’re in the mood for the interactive equivalent of a silly B-movie where you’re meant to turn off your brain and have a good time, and that’s exactly what Van Helsing is there for.
1. The Rocky Horror Show Videogame (2024)
Freakzone’s second attempt at adapting a cult classic story into a retro videogame is also its most ambitious, with this feature-length platformer boasting a charming chip-tune rendition of Rocky Horror’s iconic soundtrack as well as some seriously polished gameplay and visuals.
While the title is technically an adaptation of the original stage show rather than the 1977 film, the 8-bit graphics make it easy to imagine that these blocky characters are, in fact, played by the likes of Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon – which is why I still consider this a movie tie-in, and a great one at that!
If you like this one, I’d also recommend checking out 1999’s Rocky Interactive Horror Show, a point-and-click adventure game that actually adds to the RHPS mythology by including new footage shot exclusively for the game.
Some movies are just so beloved that you can experience them through cultural osmosis without ever sitting down to actually watch them. From loving parodies to meticulous recreations of iconic scenes, memorable filmmaking lives on even after the curtains close on the silver screen. And when it comes to horror, few films can compete with the massive impact that Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining had on popular culture as a whole.
Whether or not you think the flick is a good adaptation of Stephen King’s seminal novel, 1980’s The Shining slowly but surely grew into one of the most influential genre movies ever made, inspiring everything from surprisingly heartfelt sequels to classic episodes of The Simpsons. However, not all The Shining references are created equal, and today I’d like to shine a light on six unexpected homages to Kubrick’s iconic film.
In this list, we’ll be focusing on references and Easter eggs that either came out of the blue or came from creators that you wouldn’t expect to be fans of this classic ghost story. That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own favorite references to the Torrance family and the Overlook Hotel if you think we missed a particularly memorable one.
With that out of the way, onto the list!
5. A Nightmare on FaceTime – South Park (2012)
Regardless of the brand’s iffy reputation among former employees, the death of Blockbuster Video was a serious blow to fans of physical media. Of course, some folks were more affected by this than others, and South Park’s Randy Marsh definitely took things a little too far in the twelfth episode of the show’s sixteenth season.
Titled A Nightmare on FaceTime, the main plot of this 2012 story is a surprisingly faithful recreation of The Shining where Randy purchases an empty Blockbuster store and begins to go mad once he realizes that his investment may not have been a very good idea due to the rise of streaming and the now-defunct RedBox storefronts.
4. The Overlook Hotel Level – Ready Player One (2018)
I was never really a fan of Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One, so I viewed Stephen Spielberg’s divisive adaptation of the novel as an improvement over the source material despite having its own narrative issues. In fact, I actually prefer how Spielberg changed the story by removing several references to his own work and replacing a lengthy Blade Runner detour with an over-the-top homage to The Shining.
A CGI-heavy recreation of the film’s most iconic moments that feels like a big-budget ghost train ride set within the Overlook Hotel, this intense sequence is more of a recreation of the freaky aesthetics of The Shining rather than its mind-bending narrative. However, it’s still fun to see Spielberg make a heartfelt tribute to a filmmaker that was once his close personal friend.
3. IKEA Singapore Halloween Ad (2014)
It makes sense that commercials don’t typically borrow from the horror genre, as it might be a bad idea to scare away potential customers, but some references are just too much fun to pass up.
That’s probably why the publicists behind this Ikea ad from Singapore were allowed to turn their commercial into a genuinely unsettling recreation of Danny’s tricycle scene from The Shining. After all, nobody cares if your store is haunted so long as it offers late-night shopping hours and a large selection of merchandise that you can become lost in forever and ever…
2. The End of ‘Bondage and Beta Male Sexuality’ – Community (2014)
Community is no stranger to recreating iconic movie moments within the show, and the series had previously tackled horror tropes in episodes like the fan-favorite Epidemiology. However, the most laugh-out-loud moment on this particular list comes from a brief gag towards the end of the season five episode ‘Bondage and Beta Male Sexuality’.
The majority of this episode has nothing to do with scary movies, but there’s a brief subplot involving supporting character Chang and a possible encounter with ghosts that leads him to question his own existence. This subplot culminates in the episode’s hilarious ending where the camera zooms in on a black-and-white photograph of Chang in period clothing at some kind of celebration, just like Jack Nicholson at the end of The Shining.
However, the picture’s subtitle eventually reveals that it’s merely a conveniently placed keepsake from the ‘Old Timey Photo Club’.
1. The Overlook Hedge Maze Sequence – Zootopia 2 (2025)
Disney movies are pretty far removed from both the gruesome horror of Stephen King and the heady filmmaking of Stanley Kubrick, so I don’t think anyone was expecting the climax of last year’s Zootopia sequel to take place in an animated version of the snowy hedge maze from The Shining.
In this unexpectedly intense sequence, friend-turned-villain Pawbert Lynxley (an unhinged lynx cat played by Andy Samberg) chases our protagonists through a creepy labyrinth in a loving recreation of Jack Nicholson’s icy demise outside the Overlook Hotel. The actual ending here might be a little more child-friendly than what’s being referenced, but it’s amazing that the filmmakers were able to push the horror elements as far as they did – especially since the scene doesn’t really have anything to do with the rest of the movie.
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