Interviews
‘Paranormal’ Dev On Ghosts And The Future Of Horror!
BD: There’s been a noticeable surge in popularity for the horror genre in the last few years, with a handful of studios shifting gears to work on more personal experiences, with indie horror games like Outlast, Daylight and Amnesia. During that same time there’s been a waning interest in established brands like Dead Space, Silent Hill and Resident Evil. Do you see this as a temporary shift, fueled by the looming next generation of consoles, or do you see the indie horror genre continuing to see significant growth even after the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 have launched?
I see indie horror games always considering the PC as their home. Branching out to the consoles would be a great adventure—one absolutely worth taking, too. I believe, like with all game development trends, interest will decrease when saturation becomes a problem. The last thing I want is for horror games to wear out their welcome like the Jaws did after the second movie. I feel that Silent Hill and Resident Evil both have shot themselves in the foot by deviating away from their strengths and trying to please everyone instead. Many indie horror developers realize what the appeal of their games is and they take full advantage of it. We don’t have to worry selling a million copies to consider a game successful and that is very liberating. It allows us to explore the medium and the genre in ways that AAA developers are not allowed to due to it being too ‘risky’. I will say that when the saturation of indie horror games occurs, I’ll do all I can to gather up my indie horror developer friends and devise ways for us to breathe fresh air into the genre like we’re trying to do now. So far, so good.
BD: Is there a horror game — AAA or indie — that you’re most looking forward to right now?
I’m really interested in seeing what Shinji Mikami has in store for us with ‘The Evil Within’. He sparked my interest in horror games with the Resident Evil series. If anyone can save the survival horror genre, aside from the indies, it would be him. I also really hope somebody will reboot the Dino Crisis series, even if it’s in a different name. Dinosaurs are so underrated as objects of horror. If nobody else will do it, I may be forced to one day.
BD: Bonus question! Do you believe in the supernatural, or is Paranormal just a bit of fun?
The house I grew up in was very old and very creepy. Some weird stuff went on there that I can’t really explain. That sparked my interest in the supernatural. Since then, I watched as many shows about the subject as I could. I consider myself rather open minded, but Paranormal is largely about the fun, and seeing the different ways I can prey on my own insecurities and fears, as well as everyone else’s. I love scaring people. Also, aliens are totally real. The Truth Is Out There.
Big thanks to Matt for taking the time to chat with me about his game. You can find him on twitter and you can follow Paranormal on Steam, where it’s recently been green-lit.
Have a question? Feel free to ever-so-gently toss Adam an email, or follow him on Twitter and Bloody Disgusting.
As the inaugural season of Apple TV+’s stellar new series “Widow’s Bay” barrels toward its finale in two weeks, the latest episode gives Kate O’Flynn the spotlight as her character revisits her trauma with the Boogeyman.
“Your Baggage“, directed by Andrew DeYoung (Friendship), sees O’Flynn’s scene-stealing Patricia once again renew her fight with the Michael Myers-like stalker that slaughtered her peers during her adolescence. Thrillingly, it makes for one extended chase sequence that sees Patricia trying to warn others, while evading the undead killer.
In short, this episode’s incredible riff on Halloween and the slasher subgenre transformed Patricia into a fierce Final Girl.
“Well, that felt like a bucket list that I didn’t know was on my bucket list until I did it, but when I did it, I just lapped up every minute,” O’Flynn tells Bloody Disgusting of her triumphant turn this episode. “It felt fantastic for her to get that moment where she is becoming a badass. That was amazing.”
The actress turned to a few notable references for her performance. “Horror-wise, I go back to my youth, which was referenced in some of the episodes: Wicker Man, Carrie, and Rosemary’s Baby, that sort of thing is my kind of vibe.”
O’Flynn also notes how the series’ unique tone allows for so much creative freedom to make bold swings. “There’s something very freeing about it. Every moment is up for grabs, so it’s like we don’t have to totally land in one direction or another. It keeps it alive.“
Patricia is the eccentric assistant to Matthew Rhys‘ Mayor Tom Loftis, who’s at the forefront of trying to solve the island’s pesky curse predicament. Rhys felt the same about “Widow’s Bay” and its rare ability to make you laugh and scream in equal measure, stemming from series creator Katie Dippold.
“The mandate was, ‘It’s a real world with real people. You play for real.’ There’s no playing for comedy or horror,” Rhys echoes O’Flynn’s sentiments on how freeing the series’ tone has been.
New episodes will release every Wednesday through June 17 only on Apple TV+.
Kate O’Flynn in “Widow’s Bay,” now streaming on Apple TV.
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