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Experience Isolation And Horror of The Forest With ‘S.O.N.’
If horror movies have taught you anything, it’s that remote wilderness settings are bad news for anyone who’s stuck in them. That’s only part of RedG Studios’ psychological horror game S.O.N., as you not only have to contend with the forest, but with loss.
Releasing on PlayStation 4 this December 11, 2018, S.O.N., aka the “South of Nowhere”, takes place in the southernmost part of a 300,000 acre Pennsylvania forest. You are Robert Alderson, a father plagued with demons of his past. Unfortunately, a new problem arises when Robert’s son Jay is taken right out of their home and deep into the woods by someone (or something?). The forest is infamous for its missing persons, and Robert aims to make sure that Jay doesn’t remain one of them.
Now you might be thinking that this isn’t really horror. Well, check out the trailer, which is pretty bonkers. Children’s skulls and bones litter the snow-covered ground. Dark passages with strange figures covered in white sheets. Stranger-looking figures up against trees. No sound apart from the howling wind and static from your walkie-talkie. It definitely got my attention quick.
In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war, but it was a cheerful illustrator from England who helped to define the terrifying war-torn imagery that inspired what we now know as Grimdark (a hybrid genre combining horror with sci-fi/fantasy).
Unfortunately for fans of Warhammer 40,000, Trench Crusade and countless other sources of Grimdark thrills, veteran artist John Blanche passed away this week after struggling with health issues for the past few years.
While the artist retired back in 2023, he leaves us with an enormous legacy of iconic artwork that continues to inspire gamers and storytellers around the world to this very day.
The news is especially gloomy as it was only last year that Daniel Lowman and Napoleon Dynamite himself Jon Heder released The Grim & the Dark: The Search for John Blanche, a documentary following Heder’s exploration of the Grimdark genre culminating in a heartwarming encounter with Blanche in his own home.
Below is one of my favorite pieces by Blanche, his highly influential depiction of Warhammer 40k’s God-Emperor of Mankind on his Golden Throne.
We send our deepest condolences to John Blanche’s family, friends, and fans.
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