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The Haunting Beauty of the ‘Chernobyl VR Project’
Virtual reality is the new hotness. It’s going to be the thing we remember when we look back on 2016 from the cockpit of our hover car while we listen to President Trump ramble on about walls, and like any platform its success will be determined by the strength of its library of games. It’s far too early to tell which of the many promising titles will find a place on that pantheon of platform-defining titles, or if they’ll all be video games.
I suspect they won’t be, and the gorgeous Chernobyl VR Project is the reason for that.
Developed by The Farm 51 — the makers of Necrovision — this incredibly ambitious VR project aims to recreate the infamous ghost town of Pripyat so it can be explored freely without having to worry if you brought enough ammo to take out any wandering Radscorpions. The area was deserted in 1986 following a disaster at a nuclear reactor in Chernobyl that claimed 31 lives directly, and thousands more due to radiation sickness. A portion of the game’s sales will be donated to some of the foundations that have been set up to lend aid to victims of the disaster.
In pairing a virtual recreation of the area with educational and movie narrative software, the team behind the Chernobyl VR Project gives us the opportunity to better understand the tragic event, as well as bring attention to the people who continue to be affected by it.
It’s being built for most of the major VR headsets, including Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR and HTC Vive, with a release planned next month.
All of us here at Bloody Disgusting are deeply sad to learn that The Blob director Chuck Russell has passed away at 74 years old.
Russell’s career began with his directorial debut, 1987’s A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.
The multihyphenate film director, screenwriter, and producer is best known for helming 1994 comedy The Mask starring Jim Carrey, Arnold Schwarzenegger actioner Eraser, and adventure spinoff The Scorpion King. The latter served as the first leading role for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
The filmmaker left an indelible mark on horror with his ANOES sequel, 1988’s The Blob, and 2000’s Bless the Child.
Russell’s final film credit is 2024’s Witchboard remake starring Madison Iseman (I Know What You Did Last Summer), Aaron Dominguez (Only Murders in the Building), and Jamie Campbell Bower (“Stranger Things”).
It marked Russell’s return to horror after a lengthy hiatus, and he shared sequel hopes to Bloody Disgusting in an interview ahead of the remake’s release: “I got to design the board with real mystical symbols and things that I know represent good and evil, and where that board takes us if the audiences respond to the film, and I hope they will; I know it’s out there for you guys, but the sequel is a world we’ll get to go a little further. That’s sure the intention.”
He also recently expressed interest in returning to the franchise that began his career.
TMZ notes that Russell passed away at his San Diego-area home.
We send our deepest condolences to Chuck Russell’s family, friends, and fans.
Director, Co-Writer & Producer Chuck Russell behind the scenes of the horror film, WITCHBOARD. Photo courtesy of The Avenue and Atlas Distribution
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