Editorials
31 Upcoming Horror Video Games We Cannot Wait to Play in 2021
I think we can all be thankful that 2020 has come and gone, and while the difficulties still remain in the new year, there’s plenty to look forward to in a lot of areas. One area of course is horror-based video games. Since we’re all sticking to the idea of staying apart, it’s nice to have these things to keep us busy.
Now admittedly, a good chunk of these games were delayed (for obvious reasons) from last year. But, seeing as we want them so darn much, it stands to reason that we should still keep an eye out for them this year, whenever they drop.
Here are 31 of our most anticipated video games of 2021.
Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood (Cyanide Studios, February 4 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series, and Xbox One)
Starting things off with one of the many delayed titles from 2020 is Earthblood. The title is one of the first video game adaptations in the Werewolf: The Apocalypse line of tabletop RPGs. Though details are still light, from what we’ve seen, the game looks to be a blast to play as a lycanthrope roaming the American Northwest.
Paranoid (Madmind Studios, TBC on PC)
Madmind has had a habit of not revealing more info on their games, and Paranoid is no exception. The game takes place in the 80s, and puts you in the shoes of Patrick, a recluse suffering from deepening paranoid schizophrenia, who after many years is leaving his apartment to reunite with his sister. Of course, the question is, is this is real, or something more sinister? According to Madmind, the only clue they’re giving us for a release date is that it’ll be after Succubus.
GhostWire: Tokyo (Tango Gameworks, TBC on PS5, Xbox Series, and PC)
While there’s still the lingering question of what Bethesda’s plans are for Sony’s console (seeing as Microsoft owns them now), the developer did confirm that they’re going to honor their commitment to bringing this action-adventure title to the PS5. The story concerns much of Tokyo’s population vanishing, followed by the arrival of the Visitors – hostile spirits based on Japanese folklore. At the same time, a group wearing Hannya masks has appeared, who may hold the answers to just what’s been happening.
Scorn (Ebb Software, TBC on PC, Xbox Series)
Ebb Software says that the wait is almost over for their H.R. Giger-inspired title, which last showed off a rather lengthy gameplay trailer back in October. There’s still nothing yet in terms of a story, but that’s probably deliberate. After all, you’re in a biomechanical world that looks like something straight out of Alien. And where’s the fun in revealing the story for something as cool-looking as that?
Succubus (Madmind Studios, July 22 on PC)
Madmind’s keeping up with the NSFW nature of Agony in Succubus, though they’ve hopefully learned from the pitfalls they experienced with the former. The prologue demo for the title has had a positive response, and the intro cinematic for the title establishes the gory action you’d expect from a demonic priestess looking to take revenge, and take back her kingdom.
Sons of the Forest (Endnight Games, Release Date, and Platforms TBC)
Announced ever so briefly during The Game Awards 2019, we still don’t have much more to go on with this follow-up to The Forest. The sequel will reportedly expand upon the base-building mechanic found in the previous game, along with a host of new monsters and cannibals.
Little Nightmares 2 (Tarsier Studios, February 10 on PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC)
You guessed it. The pandemic. Originally slated for last year, at least February will bring us some excitement for this follow-up to the 2017 gem. Little Nightmares 2 picks up after the events of that game, with previous protagonist Six accompanying a new playable character as they work together to escape from the menacing and monstrous adults who roam the world.
System Shock (Nightdive Studios, TBC for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC)
Oh, System Shock. Nightdive’s first baby. It’s been years since the Kickstarter, and the move to a new engine. But with the alpha demo last year, we finally got glimpses at the nightmarish world we can’t wait to revisit on Citadel Station.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 (Hardsuit Labs, 2021 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One)
What was originally delayed in order to prevent a repeat with the previous Bloodlines has turned into a bit of a show in and of itself, with Hardsuit Labs’ narrative team unexpectedly receiving the axe last year. Paradox Interactive CEO Ebba Ljungerud assured that the game will be coming this year, but happenings like this are eyebrow-raisers, for sure.
Dying Light 2 (Techland, 2021 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series)
While Techland has been doing a bang-up job of keeping things going with more content for Dying Light long after its 2015 release, we’re all still waiting on Dying Light 2, which is another title that has seen a delay from its original 2020 launch. Not only that, but Techland has been fairly quiet on just when we’d see the game, which was said to be in “the final stretch” of development back in May 2020.
Mundaun (Hidden Fields, Spring 2021 for PC)
Another title that was a victim of the pandemic last year. If the time needed to work on this title inspired by Swiss mythical folklore results in more gorgeous stylized art, then we’re all for it.
Resident Evil 8: Village (Capcom, TBC for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series)
Come on, you knew this was coming. Despite the leaks aplenty, Capcom has managed to keep the details of the game largely under wraps. That being said, RE7‘s Mia and Ethan return in Village, alongside Chris Redfield, in a game that looks to focus more on paranoia and fear of the unknown than in previous titles.
The Outlast Trials (Red Barrels, TBC for PC)
Red Barrels are trying something new this time with a multiplayer spinoff of the Outlast series, which puts you in the shoes of a human guinea pig as part of an experiment during The Cold War. You can expect a world of distrust, fear, and violence with this one. So in other words, fun!
In Sound Mind (We Create Stuff, TBC for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series and PC)
Developer We Create Stuff gave us a Halloween treat last year in the form of a demo for In Sound Mind, which looks to be a surreal psychological trip for those who want to delve into the minds of deceased mental patients on your quest to unravel the mysterious events that are occurring in your once-quiet town.
Unholy (Duality Games, TBC for PC)
Duality Games still haven’t mentioned much about their stealth horror game, which was initially announced back in October 2018. What we’ve seen from Unholy does look good, so here’s hoping that it’s not all smoke and mirrors.
State of Decay 3 (Undead Labs, TBC for Xbox One and Xbox Series)
Fresh off of 2018’s State of Decay 2, Undead Labs didn’t give us much to chew on when they revealed the third entry this past summer. But that’s if you ignore the possibility of facing off against zombies, both human and animal, in a winter landscape. That alone makes it worth your attention.
The Medium (Bloober Team, January 28 for Xbox Series and PC)
Originally intended for release last month, Bloober Team has taken the time to polish the game (and hopefully deal with the Australian certification issue). As well, Xbox players will finally get an exclusive first-party title that they never received when the console launched back in November.
Rainbow Six Quarantine (Ubisoft Montreal, 2021 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series)
Another victim of the pandemic, Ubisoft Montreal’s next entry in the Rainbow Six series sees it jump on the Outbreak event from Rainbow Six Siege. Returning with the 3-player tactical co-op gameplay as in previous titles, players now have to deal with an alien parasite that has infected its hosts, turning them into hordes of fast-moving zombies.
Martha is Dead (LKA, TBC for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, and PC)
Originally an Xbox and PC exclusive, LKA made the choice back in November to bring the game to Sony’s consoles. As a result, we now have a 2021 release. If it gives more people a chance to experience a game centered on the horrors of WWII, then why not?
Once Upon A Time In Roswell (Quarter Circle Games, Late 2021 on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One)
Quarter Circle Games’ Once Upon A Time In Roswell (formerly known as The Peterson Case) has been kicking around since 2018, and has had several delays in the process. Will we finally get a chance this year to experience down-to-earth sci-fi horror inspired by the events of The Roswell Incident? We’ll see.
Atomic Heart (Mundfish, TBC on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC)
Part BioShock, part just plain strange. Atomic Heart hasn’t had too much revealed about the title, other than it having robots run amuck in a Dystopian Soviet amusement park. At least, that’s what it looks like. Also, shades of The Abyss with all of the water (including tentacles). Whatever it is, just let us play it.
Back 4 Blood (Turtle Rock Studios, June 22 for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4)
Back 4 Blood‘s reveal at The Game Awards 2020 got us jonesing for a return to the classic Left 4 Dead co-op shooter formula, and who better to do it than the guys who made the thing? Turtle Rock has obviously added more to the gameplay, but the idea of going up against waves of zombies with your friends never gets old.
Quantum Error (TeamKill Media, TBC for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series)
You could draw comparisons to BioShock with this one, but we’re not sure that BioShock was as scary as what Quantum Error appears to hold. Then again, BioShock didn’t have firefighters facing off against cosmic horror elements, either. Don’t let that premise fool you, though, as TeamKill are definitely on to something with what they’ve revealed so far.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes (Supermassive Games, TBC on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series)
While Little Hope wasn’t quite the hit many fans were hoping for, this next entry in The Dark Pictures Anthology will hopefully remedy that. After all, how can you go wrong with an elite military unit trapped in the ruins of a buried Sumerian temple and demons? While we’re probably not going to get any Exorcist references, the idea of facing off against Pazuzu and company should pique everyone’s interest.
Borneo: A Jungle Nightmare (Fantastico Studio, TBC Summer for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, and Switch)
Another title that came out of nowhere, Borneo is a sequel to Ruggero Deodato‘s 1980 film Cannibal Holocaust. Featuring art by Solo Macello, the game sees you controlling several characters as you travel to the jungles of Borneo. You can guess what you’ll find there. And despite what you think, we’re not involved with this one (but we appreciate the thought).
Evil Dead: The Game (Saber Interactive, TBC for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch)
Hands up: How many of you didn’t see this coming at The Game Awards last month? We certainly didn’t, and we collectively lost our minds as a result. From the minds behind the superb World War Z game, Bruce Campbell returns as the iconic Ash with his boomstick in tow in this co-op shooter. Not only are we getting more Bruce, but we’re getting representation from almost all of the Evil Dead franchise (we’re still holding out on the 2013 remake) through characters from the films and even “Ash vs. Evil Dead.” Just give us a demo, please!
Deathground (Jaw Drop Games, Q3 2021 for PC)
With Dino Crisis becoming an increasingly distant memory for Capcom, it took some former developers of Alien: Isolation to get to work remedying our lack of dinosaurs in Survival Horror. Having crushed its Kickstarter for the game, Jaw Drop Games are keeping things close to the chest, though the promise of co-op dinosaur mayhem is definitely something to pique many a fan’s interests.
Dryad (Ultranite, April 22 for PC)
This point-and-click free-roaming adventure game draws inspiration from Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man and the classic Bride of Frankenstein. Although we’re not sure how that translates into a giant forest spirit hunting you in an abandoned campground as you search for clues regarding a series of brutal murders that occurred there years ago. But that’s part of the fun.
Returnal (Housemarque, March 19 for PlayStation 5)
Finnish developer Housemarque has made gameplay a big focus for their past titles, so it’ll be interesting to see how they focus on the story aspect of this sci-fi shooter. Returnal still promises to have fast-paced gameplay as you struggle to survive the alien planet that has you locked in an endless loop of death.
Lust From Beyond (Movie Games Lunarium, February 11 for PC)
Lovecraftian horror games are nothing new, but you’d be hard-pressed to find one that veers into the erotic side of things. That’s exactly what Lust From Beyond is doing, incorporating a horror adventure into cult happenings that involve some, uh, things you probably shouldn’t be showing kids. Or some adults, for that matter.
Saturnalia (Santa Ragione, TBC for PC)
Taking a cue from the one that started it all in Sweet Home, this stylized Survival Horror title has the permadeath mechanic for members of your group, so you’d better work to keep them alive as you navigate the maze of this seemingly abandoned village off the coast of Italy. Well, it’s home to shadow monsters, so it’s not quite abandoned.
Of the three films that make up the Diabolical Trinity of classic religious horror films—Rosemary’s Baby (1968), The Exorcist (1973), and The Omen (1976)—The Omen is the most purely entertaining.
While Rosemary’s Baby digs into the societal shifts of the 60s and The Exorcist explores spiritual tensions between faith and doubt in an ever-shifting world, The Omen seems most interested in just telling a thrilling story. It achieves this by blending two major trends of the 1970s, the devil movie and the paranoid thriller, into one crackling adventure yarn. In the process, The Omen has sparked fear and curiosity about what could happen in the “end times” if such events are to occur.
After seeing The Exorcist, producer Harvey Bernhard contacted writer David Seltzer and said something along the lines of, “Hey, write me one of those.” Seltzer, having never read the Bible, thought it would be an interesting challenge, so, according to various interviews, he read the Bible and several commentaries in search of a story. Then he stumbled upon a passage in the book of Revelation, the image of a great Beast rising out of the sea, that sparked his imagination. In the commentaries, he found that the sea represented politics in some interpretations of the text, and he began building his story on that foundation.
Seltzer has told this story often, and I am inclined to believe him. However, from there, much of the theological-sounding lore of The Omen was created purely by Seltzer. Many of the ideas surrounding The Antichrist in the film appear to be drawn much more from the pop-eschatology sensation of the 1970s, The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsay, than any Biblical source.
Lindsay’s book was the bestselling nonfiction book of the 1970s and re-popularized views of the “last days” that had been dying along with fundamentalism for decades, namely Dispensationalism, Millennialism, and the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. In dispensationalism, history is broken into several epochs of time (or dispensations) that culminate in the return of Christ and his thousand-year (millennial) reign.
Before this return, a seven-year Tribulation will occur in which the Antichrist comes to power and persecutes all who oppose him, culminating in a battle between the forces of good and evil at the valley of Megiddo, usually called Armageddon. Of course, in this worldview, the true believers in Jesus will be lifted out, or raptured, before all this takes place. Since the publication and popularity of The Late Great Planet Earth, this has been the prominent belief in Evangelical and Fundamentalist Christian circles, though Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and mainline Protestant denominations largely reject it.
Lindsay also did something unique that had not been the case even in dispensationalist circles before him—he posited that the creation of the modern state of Israel in 1948 started the countdown to Armageddon. Fans of the film will immediately realize where Seltzer ran with this idea in the first line of the poem created for the movie: “When the Jews return to Zion…”
Damien Thorn and the Creation of Horror’s “Innocent Villain”
Seltzer’s next inspiration focused on the idea of the Antichrist as a child, what he would call the film’s “innocent villain.” In watching The Omen, it is readily apparent that Damien Thorn (Harvey Stephens) does not really do anything evil beyond a bit of normal kid mischief. Even the moment in which Damien knocks Kathy Thorn (Lee Remick) over a second-floor railing can be read as an accident orchestrated by Damien’s diabolically connected nanny, Mrs. Baylock (Billie Whitelaw). The film takes this idea of the innocent villain a step further by casting Gregory Peck, best known for playing arguably the greatest father in film history, Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), as Damien’s earthly father, an element that greatly satisfied Seltzer.
The New Testament itself says very little about the Antichrist and certainly nothing about his childhood. In fact, the word antichrist is used twice (1 John 2:18 and 2 John 7 for the curious) and refers to groups of people, not a particular person. There is also a passage in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 in which the writer (usually attributed to Paul) discusses “The Man of Lawlessness” who will “exalt himself over everything that is called God” and “proclaim himself to be God.”
Then there is the Beast of Revelation chapter 13 with “seven heads and ten horns” that Seltzer latched onto, which has been interpreted in a multitude of ways over the centuries. Powerful people throughout history, from Charlemagne, various Popes during the Protestant Reformation era, Napoleon and Hitler, to modern politicians, including Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, Vladimir Putin, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump, have all had the label placed on them by various circles. Even religious leaders like Billy Graham have not escaped being called the Antichrist.
Lindsay and modern dispensationalists are certain the Antichrist will be a 21st-century individual as they are equally certain that the Rapture, Tribulation, and return of Christ are imminent, likely within their lifetime. Many scholars and theologians, however, interpret these passages as symbolic representations of the Roman Empire and the first-century Caesars who persecuted, tortured, and murdered Christians and Jews who refused to submit to Imperial rule and worship them as gods. For example, that the Beast from the sea in Revelation has seven heads is symbolic of the famous seven mountains of Rome, with the 10 horns referring to rulers and magistrates of the Empire.
But this is all really of no matter to Seltzer and the story of The Omen. Instead of being concerned with any historical or theological accuracy, he instead built his own lore, which sends Robert Thorn and photographer Keith Jennings (David Warner) on a globetrotting investigation into the nature of the Antichrist and how to stop him. Some of this lore includes the child being born of a jackal, the reaction of animals, the protective cult that arises around Damien, the daggers of Megiddo, and maybe most interesting of all, the peculiar flaws in Jennings’s photographs that presage the ways certain individuals will die.
All these aspects are where the paranoid thrillers come in, as films like Blow Up (1966), Z (1969), The Conversation (1974), The Parallax View (1974), 3 Days of the Condor (1975), and All the President’s Men (1976) were all the rage at the time. Especially in the wake of the Watergate scandal, the idea of journalists (like Jennings) as ordinary heroes who could bring down the powerful, nefarious forces in the world was exactly what audiences craved. And what greater hidden evil force was there than the Devil? This is also why the device of the daggers of Megiddo is so important to a movie like this. If Damien is indeed the Antichrist, there must be a way to stop him, though in the Biblical text, the only power capable of destroying the Devil is God Himself.
The Mark of the Beast, 666, and the Film’s Most Famous Religious Symbolism
The piece of lore created for the movie with the most solid Biblical grounding is the Mark of the Beast. Revelation describes a mark on the forehead or hand of those who worship the Beast and his image. Again, this is symbolic language differentiating those who belong to the power of the Roman Empire and those who belong to Christ, who have the Mark of the Lamb. In Seltzer’s hands, the mark is very literal, a birthmark that is borne by not only the Antichrist but all his followers, meaning they are marked from before birth as belonging to Satan, and there is no escaping it. This is all rather distressing to the priest Father Brennan (Patrick Troughton), who betrays his mark by warning Thorn about Damien and pays the price by memorably being impaled by a spire that falls from a church steeple after being struck by lightning.
Why is the mark three sixes? Again, this is drawn from a passage in Revelation that states that the Beast can be identified by calculating his number. In Biblical scholarship, this is believed to be the sum of the name of a man transferred into Hebrew numerology, a practice in which each Hebrew letter also represents a number. Using this method, the number of the name Caesar Nero, which many believe to be the most logical choice, is six hundred sixty-six. In the film and elsewhere, this number is changed to three individual sixes. According to the film, this represents the Diabolical Trinity (a designation also unique to the film) made up of Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet. That Damien carries this unique birthmark under his hair convinces Robert that the child is the Antichrist, and it’s up to him to destroy him.
Part of what makes The Omen great is its ambiguity. Damien could be the Antichrist, or he could be at the center of a series of coincidences. Director Richard Donner stated in interviews that he believed Robert Thorn had gone insane by the end of the film, which, to Donner, is the only explanation for why Thorn would attempt to kill an innocent child. However, that enigmatic smile in the final shot suggests that Damien does embody a spirit of great evil. The sequels, however, all but erase this ambiguity.
In audiences, The Omen sparked a renewed interest in the concept of the Antichrist and the dispensationalist interpretation of the end times that continues to echo throughout the last five decades. Around the time of the film’s release, even Elvis Presley was photographed brandishing a paperback copy of Seltzer’s novelization. Dispensationalist authors like Hal Lindsay, Tim LaHaye, and John Hagee have made millions publishing books and giving lectures about the Antichrist and the end of the world.
The Legacy of The Omen, 50 Years Later
Though A Thief in the Night (1972) preceded The Omen in initial release, it gained quite a resurgence (along with the ability to create three sequels) in the wake of the popularity of The Omen and went on to scar the psyches of Evangelical children for decades. Hal Lindsay was also able to release a film version of The Late Great Planet Earth in 1978, complete with narration and a brief onscreen appearance from Orson Welles.
In the 1990s, the Left Behind series became a cultural phenomenon, spawning twelve books in the core series, a YA spinoff series, video games, and a movie series (2000-2005) starring Kirk Cameron. A bigger studio adaptation of the first book was released in 2014, starring Nicolas Cage. 20th Century Fox and The Omen got in on the renewed “end-of-the-world” vigor by releasing a remake of the original film on June 6, 2006. The franchise was revived once again in 2024 with The First Omen, which explores ideas of the Antichrist and the motivations of those in power in our current religious, social, and political context.
But despite all the sequels, spinoffs, rip-offs, remakes, and “end times” money grabs of the last 50 years, the original version of The Omen remains untouchable. Its greatest strength is that it seeks, first and foremost, to entertain. And it does so admirably.
After half a century, its influence can be felt in horror, the culture at large, and even in various faith circles. It is a testament to the power of story and film that, consciously or unconsciously, fans of The Omen and those who have never seen it alike are, to this very day, marked by the Beast.
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