There’s been a handful of times where I’ve been asked what it is that I find so appealing about the slasher genre. The question usually comes up immediately after someone has learned that I write about spooky scary things for something called Bloody Disgusting, which, I guess, brings to mind the genre’s many cliches, stereotypical characters, predictable plots and penchant for cheese.
The answer I give varies depending on my mood. I might answer them sincerely, or I could go dead-eyed and creep into their personal bubble so they can hear every word as I describe, in gruesome detail, the immense satisfaction I get from watching the light leave a stranger’s eyes when Michael ventilates their abdomen with a kitchen knife.
“It’s just not the same when you use a gun,” I’ll whisper to the empty spot they had occupied a few seconds earlier. Then I pop the Starburst back in my mouth and smile.
If you’re here, you probably don’t need me to explain why slasher films have remained relevant, for the most part, for the better part of a century. I suspect it’d also be unnecessary to let you in on on all the reasons why I’m so thrilled that this genre is finally making its way to video games.
Of the handful of stab ’em ups we’re anticipating in the coming year, Behaviour Digital’s asymmetrical multiplayer horror game Dead By Daylight may be the most unpredictable. It’s too early to say for sure, but it appears to be putting more of an emphasis on randomized objectives and environments than Friday the 13th: The Game or Last Year.
Dead By Daylight is expected to release this fall for PC.
