Reviews
‘The Occultist’ Immerses You in a Classic Paranormal Investigation [Review]
I’m a sucker for a good paranormal investigation. From the Harry D’Amour stories to Hellboy and even The X-Files, applying procedural detective work to the supernatural almost always makes for compelling storytelling. Of course, it’s even more entertaining when you’re the one doing the investigating, and that’s why videogames are such a perfect medium for these kinds of stories.
The added immersion provided by actually being able to explore haunted houses and abandoned asylums makes detective work an incredibly underrated mechanic in horror games, though it takes a skilled developer to make these titles feel like more than mere walking simulators with a spooky coat of paint. That’s why I was so interested in Daedalic’s first-person experiment The Occultist, a brand-new gothic horror title where the protagonist’s mediumistic gifts are used to solve a multi-generational mystery.
In the game, players take on the role of paranormal investigator and spiritual medium Alan Rebels (played by Doug Cockle, better known as the definitive voice of Geralt of Rivia) as he visits Godstone Island in order to search for his missing father. With the help of his trusty mystical pendulum, Alan soon discovers that the island was once home to a secretive cult that conducted horrific experiments which led to the sudden death of the settlement’s entire population. Now, Alan must unravel the mystery behind his father’s connection to the cult, all the while interacting with the ghostly specters that still wander these abandoned streets.
Memorable ghosts, level designs, and mechanics keep The Occultist engaging
In gameplay terms, this means rummaging through dilapidated farmhouses and orphanages as you collect items, solve puzzles and use your pendulum to activate mystical powers. At first, you’ll only be able use the pendulum to see clues from beyond this plane of existence, but the strange little trinket eventually allows you to turn back time, take control of rats and even summon a spectral raven in order to help you navigate the secrets of Godstone. Along the way, players will also encounter a series of (mostly) undefeatable enemies that you have to hide from while exploring certain locations.
In general, this makes for an entertaining gameplay loop as you move from area to area, convincing ghosts to help you out and receiving new nuggets of information about the island’s sordid history. It may not be quite as action-packed as something like Silent Hill F or even Resident Evil: Requiem, but the more methodical pace helps Daedelic’s latest release to firmly establish mood and atmosphere – two of the game’s greatest assets.
From the impeccable lighting effects to the memorable monster and level designs, The Occultist excels at immersing players in an appropriately gothic tone that’s just as visually impressive as it is scary. Pepe Herrero’s cinematic soundtrack also does a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to ambience, especially when combined with Doug Cockle’s sultry narration.
Thankfully, there’s a lot more to the title than its charming presentation, as the developers went to great efforts in order to keep exploration from ever getting too repetitive. From cinematic moments where Alan has to chase down spirits using his powers to unexpected boss fights where you have to use the environment against your overpowered enemies, The Occultist does a great job of varying gameplay just enough so that it never feels like this story would have been better told as a book or film.
However, it’s clear that the developers could have used a bit more time to iron out some of the mechanical kinks here. Despite generally looking like a AAA experience, The Occultist occasionally stumbles due to frustrating technical issues like janky traversal, unpredictable collision detection as well as unfair puzzles that can only be solved if you interact with items from a pixel-perfect angle.
For instance, I could never get the hang of the balancing mini-game that you use to get across narrow platforms (though the developers have assured me that this feature will soon be patched), and some of the drawing/painting puzzles are particularly annoying about detecting whether or not you’ve doodled the correct pattern.
The Occultist punches above its graphics weight
There are occasional graphical hiccups as well, though I suspect that most of these surface-level issues will be patched out by the time the game is released, and none of the programming mishaps were enough to kept me from successfully completing the game. In fact, I’m still thoroughly impressed by how expensive the title feels despite its indie origins.
Of course, it’s ultimately the unexpectedly emotional story that makes The Occultist worth playing, as I was thoroughly invested in Alan’s exploration of his father’s past and how the island’s inhabitants justified their cruelty to children. It also helps that the whole thing feels a lot like an alternate universe Witcher yarn, especially once you get in the groove of banishing phantoms and learning about their unfinished business.
The Occultist may not reinvent the Survival Horror wheel, but it’s still one hell of a spooky and entertaining ride through all of our favorite gothic horror tropes. From haunted dolls to disturbing freakshow attractions, there’s something here for every kind of horror fan, and that’s why I recommend this surprisingly poignant tale of intergenerational trauma and learning to let go of the past.
That being said, I’d also love to see a sequel where Alan takes on another supernatural case, now armed with a fully upgraded Pendulum from the very beginning…
The Occultist will be available on Steam, PS5 and XBox Series X on April 8, 2026.
Reviews
‘Cape Fear’ Redefines A Cutthroat Classic & Turns The American Dream Into A Psychological Nightmare [Review]
Hollywood has been stuck in a trend where a recognizable property — any recognizable property — holds more value than an original idea. This has led to a trend where a slew of acclaimed films have transitioned over to television and become limited series, because why not?
Which has led to a very mixed bag of results that’s usually viewed as a hollow exercise in IP renewal that’s become a growing cliche that’s something to mock. Dead Ringers, Fatal Attraction, Presumed Innocent, and even The Birds are just some of the most recent titles in the movie-to-limited series pipeline. Admittedly, this formula can still work. It just needs to actually have not only a point of view, but a point, otherwise it’s destined to disappear into the vast streaming abyss.
Cape Fear definitely has a point of view and is well aware that it’s the fourth proper adaptation of this story — fifth if The Simpsons’ masterful “Cape Feare” parody is included. It’s an adaptation that’s not only aware of its past’s baggage, but intentionally embraces it and uses it to its advantage. Nick Antosca’s Cape Fear is so exciting because it functions as a remix of every version of this story — the ’60s film, Martin Scorsese’s ’90s remake, and John D. MacDonald’s original novel, The Executioners — to create this glorious amalgamation of the narrative. It’s not unlike what was done with Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal series and how it remixed the breadth of Thomas Harris’ works and their cinematic adaptations.
This approach is most effective when certain iconic scenes from the ’90s film are recontextualized and given to different characters in order to make grander thematic statements. It’s a really striking approach that reflects the generational ripples and overlap between these adaptations, yet it’s never distracting or ostentatious to anyone who is experiencing this story for the first time. It helps this series feel different from the deluge of forgettable adaptations that are flooding the market.
On paper, Antosca is the perfect showrunner to tell this story. He has an impressive body of work to pull from that includes horror series like Channel Zero, Hannibal, and Brand New Cherry Flavor, but also lots of true-crime titles like The Act, A Friend of the Family, and Candy. This series falls squarely within these two extremes as it blurs the lines between these genres and styles of horror storytelling. It’s Big Little Lies on bath salts. Cape Fear perhaps doesn’t need to exist, but it’s still a hell of a terrifying experience that has something timely to say.
Horror is full of stories in which one bad day is all it takes to break someone and turn them into a completely different person. Cape Fear isn’t doing exactly this. It’s more of a psychological waterboarding until the target’s sense of self is eroded to rubble. However, it takes the kernel of this idea and expands it onto the pristine ideal of the picturesque American family. It plays with the self-aware realization that the stories we tell are not necessarily what we think they are.
It’s a story about forgiveness, salvation, and revenge that blows up the Bowden family when a violent offender, Max Cady (Javier Bardem), is released from prison and systematically sets his sights on the people he holds accountable. Anna and Tom Bowden (Amy Adams and Patrick Wilson), the married couple who represented his case in court, receive a rude awakening when Cady’s psychological torture tour begins. Cape Fear, as a property, is most famously known for being the ultimate cat-and-mouse psychological thriller. This rendition culminates in such an explosive climax that’s right out of a slasher film.
Antosca was involved with an unproduced Friday the 13th reboot draft back in 2015, and there are certainly moments in which Max Cady moves with the hulking intensity of Jason Voorhees. So much of what makes all this work rests on Bardem’s complex performance. He’s very careful not to just copy Robert Mitchum or Robert De Niro’s versions of Cady, while he also taps into a terrifying intensity that feels completely different from what he brought forward with No Country for Old Men’s Anton Chigurh.
Apple TV’s new series also introduces a mental injury to Cady that adds psychological fractures that pull him between different versions of events as he struggles to grasp the truth. It’s an element that’s not exactly necessary and often feels like a convenient obstacle that can be activated whenever necessary. However, it allows for some creative visual flourishes and more opportunities for Bardem to get lost in Cady’s complexities.
Opposite Bardem’s Cady, Adams and Wilson do some of their best work as Anna and Tom. Anna is much more front and center than Tom, and Cape Fear is really Adams and Bardem’s time to shine. Wilson still does amazing, understated work, especially whenever the rug gets pulled out from under him regarding someone in his family. The visceral, brutal violence that Cady introduces to the Bowden family hits hard and highlights the anger and intensity that’s fundamental to this story.
What Cape Fear does best is its enlightening deconstruction of the ideal American family, how much work it takes to preserve such a pure thing, and the lengths that people go when they feel like the sanctity of this union is under fire. All it takes is for one of these foundational pillars to weaken before the whole unit becomes compromised. It moves the damage and pressure from one family member to the next as everyone struggles, and it’s unclear what will be left of this family when all is said and done.
This dynamic makes Cape Fear’s story so much more layered and interesting than if the series were just focused on Cady, Anna, and Tom, rather than making their children as much of a priority. Each member of the Bowden family experiences their own obstacles and arcs, although Natalie (Lily Collias) and Zack’s (Joe Anders) storylines are often the most grating. It all boils down to forgiveness, identity, and wanting to be perceived as the person we think we are, versus how we’re viewed by the public, and the dangerous dissonance that can exist between these separate selves.
These ideas are at their most potent when Cape Fear taps into the growing paranoia that bubbles up to the surface and becomes unbearable, so that even the littlest action is triggering. These moments are usually captured through a more erratic filming style that ramps up the tension for both the characters and the audience, unsure of what will strike and when.
Cape Fear never struggles to create uncomfortable setpieces where the anxiety just crescendos and hangs over the scene. On this note, the series’ musical score really captures the perfect aesthetic. It immediately evokes the suspenseful power of the previous Cape Fear films whenever Bernard Herrmann’s virtuosic original theme kicks in. It’s magic every single time.
Antosca delivers an exhilarating update to a classic thriller that pushes its source material to exciting, new places that justify its existence. It’s an exciting story that’s full of terrifying performances and cataclysmic consequences. Admittedly, Cape Fear could have been shortened to eight episodes rather than ten. There are a few plot threads that feel unnecessary and artificially expanded upon, but every episode is still an adrenaline-pumping experience.
If nothing else, it reminds audiences why Cape Fear is such an evergreen story that’s lasted the test of time and will continue to unnerve and get under the skin of whole new generations.
The 10-episode series will make its global debut on June 5 with a two-episode premiere on Apple TV, followed by new episodes every Friday through July 31, 2026.
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