Editorials
Eight of the Most Memorable Deaths in Horror Games
Spoiler alert: Death occurs quite frequently in horror games.
Characters have met their demise in all sorts of ways: Being sacrificed to demonic gods, turned into the undead, blown up by a rocket launcher while sinking into a volcano…you name it! Despite this, while sifting through the many corpses of horror past, there are a handful of character deaths whose ghosts still haunt us. These are the deaths that have reverberated throughout the rest of a series, deaths that have made us shed tears, and deaths that were so gruesome, that the image has been seared into our brains.
For the sake of casting a broad net into a large genre of deaths, this list will include only one character each from a respective series, as a series like Silent Hill could have its own list of memorable character deaths in itself.
With that: Let the killing begin!
Mayu Amakura (Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly)
Mayu was the very first character that I thought of when considering which deaths have stuck with me the most. The weight of Mayu’s death touches on so many relatable emotional facets—familial love, sacrifice, and grappling with the inevitability of death. The Amakura twins are immediately tragic victims of circumstance when they’re dragged into All God’s Village, and Mio’s devotion to her sister is what gives her the courage to face the hostile spirits that block her path.
We’re led to believe that Mio has the ability to protect her sister wielding the Camera Obscura, yet in a tragic twist, she herself ends up falling victim to the spirits and killing Mayu to complete the Crimson Sacrifice Ritual. It was a brilliant choice of the developers to give players control of Mio until the last minute, when it counts the most, and force us to watch helplessly as Mio does the exact opposite of what players have been trying to avoid the entire time. The disbelief and confusion in Mio’s face as the spirits toss Mayu’s lifeless body into the Hellish Abyss mirrors the feeling of the player as you realize that this tale doesn’t have a truly happy ending. Before you say, “Wait! There are endings where Mayu lives!”, Fatal Frame III, unfortunately, canonizes the fact that Mio had murdered her own sister and is tormented by her death.
Emily (Until Dawn)
This entry may be a bit polarizing for those that have played Until Dawn, as people tend to have a love/hate relationship Emily. Regardless of whether you like her or not, Emily’s potential death at the hand of Mike is the most memorable death from Until Dawn. The moments leading up to her death scream classic horror movie—the group (whoever is still left) notices Emily’s Wendigo bite, and immediately draws upon prior knowledge of horror tropes that she herself could end up turning into one of the bloodthirsty creatures. The question is then: kill, or be killed?
What makes Emily’s death so memorable, aside from the aftermath of Mike’s sharpshot directly into her left eye, is the lasting impact that it has. You find out immediately afterwards that Emily was never going to turn into a Wendigo, and you then have to grapple with the guilt that while Emily was able to survive the Wendigo attacking her, she couldn’t survive her own friends. It also drastically changes the ending, as you realize that whoever manages to survive the night is now going to have to deal with potential murder charges (which you can see as Mike helplessly tries to explain his actions in the epilogue, had he killed her).
Lee (Telltale’s The Walking Dead)
Remember when I mentioned character deaths that reverberated throughout the rest of a series? Lee’s death left a gaping hole in our hearts, and the rest of Telltale’s The Walking Dead seasons. Throughout the first episode, you mold Lee into the character that you want him to be, particularly when it comes to his relationship with young Clementine. Whether Lee shields her from the atrocities of the apocalypse, or prepares her to become self-sufficient, the two inevitably develop a touching familial bond.
This culminates in the finale of the episode, in which Lee sustains a bite from a Walker while trying to reunite with her, and Clementine must decide whether to shoot him out of mercy or escape before he turns into a Walker himself. It’s a tragic moment that symbolizes what coming-of-age means in the world of the undead, and the memory of Lee persists Clementine and other characters that knew Lee in various ways throughout the rest of the series.
Scissorman (Clock Tower)
Scissorman makes this list for the dramatic end he faces in his tenacious quest to kill Jennifer Simpson. Players are led to believe that Jennifer had canonically killed Scissorman (then Bobby Barrows) in the original Clock Tower, until it’s revealed that his twin brother, Dan, had taken up the mantle (er, giant pair of scissors) in the sequel.
Whether you’re playing as Jennifer or Helen, both bring about the true destruction of Scissorman in the same way: By reciting a strange spell that opens up an ancient, giant door that sucks him in. No one knows for sure where that door leads or why it exists in the first place, but it brings about a very over-the-top and climactic end to the series’ most iconic killer.
Albert Wesker (Resident Evil 5)
Picking the most iconic character death throughout the entire Resident Evil series is no easy feat. However, when it comes to the most referenced and recognizable moments in the series, Chris Redfield’s determination to killing Wesker manifesting into superhuman strength to shove a boulder into molten lava may take the cake.
On top of the memes and jokes that it spawned, Wesker’s death was monumental in the series, as he’d been tormenting Chris and fellow STARS members since their initial voyage through the Spencer Mansion. He followed suit in tradition to almost every other mutant final boss in the series by ultimately getting exploded by a rocket launcher, bringing an end to his brooding, traitorous ways.
Seiko (Corpse Party)
Corpse Party may be one of the more obscure titles referenced on this list, but if you’re like me and stumbled upon playthrough videos of it randomly late one night while you were in high school, you may have also been scarred by the gruesome fate that befalls Seiko. Corpse Party follows a group of teenagers that find themselves lost in the halls of an alternate reality called Heavenly Host Elementary School, whose restless spirits eat away at the mental sanity of the victims that it ensnares.
In the first chapter of the game, best friends Naomi and Seiko find themselves separated from the group. Seiko seems like the more composed of the duo initially, with Naomi quickly falling into panic about something seeming off about the school. When the situation reaches a head and the two separate after bickering about what to do next, Seiko ultimately snaps. Naomi stumbles across her hanging body in a bathroom stall as she is still barely clinging to life. Seiko’s death scene is gruesome and graphic, as Naomi scrambles to try and save her, dumping a bucket of maggots all over herself to place and use as support. Naomi’s efforts prove futile, leaving Naomi alone in the darkness and Seiko’s spirit trapped in the halls.
James Sunderland (Silent Hill 2)
Similar to the Resident Evil series, fans inevitably have different opinions on what the most iconic and significant death in the Silent Hill series is. While Harry Mason gets an honorable mention, James Sunderland’s potential suicide ending, In The Water (which has often been speculated as the canon ending to the game) is a testament to how Silent Hill can truly get under your skin when it comes to deeper themes of human nature like morality and redemption.
Whether you forgive, empathize with, or hate James in the end, his monologue as he comes to terms with ending his own life to be with Mary is chilling and unforgettable. Instead of showing James plunging into Toluca Lake, a black screen is shown as the sound effects leave the details of his death up to the player’s imagination.
Daniella (Haunting Ground)
Daniella may be the most complex character in Haunting Ground (and in my opinion, the scariest stalker to pursue Fiona). At first, she simply appears to be an apathetic maid with a strange fixation on Fiona, until clues around the Belli castle reveal the sinister forces that have completely warped her mental state, to the point that she can’t even look at her own reflection without having a meltdown.
This facet of her mental disarray is what leads to her memorable, almost campy death scene. After a boss battle sequence, Daniella is exposed to a large mirror beneath her, causing her to scream out in despair and frustration. Her screams are somehow so loud that they shatter the window of an atrium above her, causing a giant shard of glass to plunge down into her chest. In her last moments, a smirk creeps across her face, revealing that death is what she may have been seeking all along after a life of physical and mental torture. Much of Daniella’s characterization is never fully elaborated on, and her death scene opens up an even deeper layer of depth that makes you reconsider what her motives were all along.
Horror was permanently changed in 1984 when Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street unleashed Freddy Krueger on the world. This brutal boogeyman pushed horror to exciting new places, but so much of the character’s impact is the result of Robert Englund’s quintessential performance.
Englund has a long and storied career as a performer that’s covered far more than horror alone. However, there’s such a sublime, sinister synergy between Englund and this heightened genre that’s made him one of horror’s most revered names.
Englund is set to scare audiences again as a malevolent reimagining of Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio Unstrung, but he’s also been responsible for many more macabre monsters.
The Cricket (Pinocchio Unstrung)
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey has somehow spun a morbid experiment in public domain exploitation into its own cinematic universe, the Twisted Childhood Universe. There’s been increasing promise in the TCU’s various films, which has also led to a growing list of capable horror guest stars, such as Roger L. Jackson, Richard Brake, and now Robert Englund. Englund is by far the most impressive name to attach himself to one of these movies, and Pinocchio Unstrung certainly doesn’t squander the opportunity to have him on board as its terrifying take on Jiminy Cricket. Englund’s performance as “The Cricket” in Pinocchio Unstrung becomes a sinister subversion of the classic character who is meant to function as Pinocchio’s conscience and moral compass.
Englund’s Cricket is instead the ultimate instigator who perpetually pushes Pinocchio into greater violence that condemns humanity and its many misgivings, rather than idolizing all the “real boys” in the world. Pinocchio Unstrung is a love letter to practical effects and old-fashioned animatronics and puppetry. This means that Englund just provides the voice for Cricket, but it’s still a deeply sinister performance and one of the most unnerving characters to appear in the Twisted Childhood Universe. Once again, Englund is careful not to just repurpose his Freddy Krueger persona, and he instead develops an original voice that plays into past renditions of the character. There’s a palpable rage and disdain in Englund’s Cricket that turns him into a threatening loose cannon and makes the audience forget that he’s only a few inches tall.
The Phantom of the Opera (The Phantom of the Opera)
The Phantom of the Opera is a foundational horror story that’s still being explored over a century later. 1989’s cinematic adaptation of Gaston Leroux’s 1910 classic doesn’t always get the respect that it deserves, despite it containing one of Englund’s most nuanced horror performances. Directed by Dwight H. Little, who previously helmed the underrated Halloween 4, The Phantom of the Opera operates as a gorier take on Leroux’s source material that feels like a lost Hammer Film picture. The titular Phantom is the perfect role for Englund following A Nightmare on Elm Street, and his participation in the picture was initiated by Englund promising his agent that he’d do another horror project after Elm Street’s success.
Englund was excited to tackle an iconic character who had previously been portrayed by formative horror legends like Herbert Lom, Claude Rains, and Lon Chaney. Englund beautifully fits the mold and is sublime casting for this ‘80s take on the character. Englund taps into a powerful dichotomy between the Phantom’s brutal and tragically sympathetic nature. It’s a role that’s significantly deeper than Freddy Krueger and better explores Englund’s range as an actor, which helps get him away from cheesy one-liners. It also doesn’t hurt that Little concocts a uniquely twisted take on the Phantom’s disfigurement, which was achieved by sewing human skin onto Englund’s face. The modern-day sequences that bookend the film were meant to tie into a planned sequel, The Phantom of the Opera 2: Terror in Manhattan, which unfortunately never came to fruition.
Victor Creel (Stranger Things)
Love it or hate it, Stranger Things assembled some impressive guest stars that took advantage of their respective legacies as ‘80s genre legends, such as Linda Hamilton, Matthew Modine, Cary Elwes, and Robert Englund. Englund’s turn as Victor Creel in the streaming hit’s fourth season is one of the series’ best performances and a role that rises above the mediocrity around it. Victor Creel is an opportunity for Englund to actually subvert expectations and play against type. It’s brilliant casting that initially conditions the audience to be wary of Creel and view him as a frightening threat. This perception is reinforced when Creel is encountered in a psychiatric ward and horrifically blinded.
Creel’s disturbing eye-gouged appearance is revealed to actually be a symptom of his tragic life and the psychological torment he received from Vecna. Creel is hard to look at, but there’s nothing to fear about him. He’s led a sad life that’s filled with inescapable guilt. He’s more like one of Freddy Krueger’s victims than Freddy himself. Englund goes above and beyond as Victor Creel, and the emotional monologues that he delivers are among some of the actor’s best work and proof that Englund’s still got it.
Marquis de Sade (Night Terrors)
Tobe Hooper’s Night Terrors is a particularly forgettable ’90s horror film that faced a litany of production problems and changes that certainly didn’t do it any favors. The story is a mess, even for a Cannon Video production, but it provides the novelty of Englund pulling double duty as the cruel Marquis de Sade and his modern day descendant, Paul Chevalier. Night Terrors banked on the novelty of Hooper directing Englund as one of history’s greatest monsters, and his performance is easily the best thing about this movie.
There’s an unabashed glee to Englund’s work as the Marquis de Sade that’s reminiscent of Freddy Krueger’s twisted jubilation over his creative murders, yet it doesn’t just feel like a carbon copy of Englund’s iconic role. There’s an appreciated degree of restraint going on before the film goes off the rails and incorporates supernatural elements and abstract dream sequences. Chevalier and his modern cult worship the Marquis de Sade as a deity of torture and liberation. The nightmare sequences that involve the Marquis de Sade are the most chilling and make this figure look as frightening on the outside as he is on the inside. There’s enough to latch onto here, even if the film as a whole is a mess, and Englund doesn’t squander the opportunity to play two sides of the same creepy coin.
Scarecrow (Injustice 2)
Robert Englund is no stranger to voiceover work, and he’s voiced his share of macabre and memorable characters over the years. That being said, one of his most inspired roles is the work that he did in NetherRealm’s dark DC Comics-based fighter, Injustice 2, where he plays Jonathan Crane, better known as the Scarecrow. There’s a certain tongue-in-cheek brilliance to having Englund voicing the Batman rogue who is the self-appointed “Master of Fear.” There’s certainly a meta quality to Englund’s casting here, right down to how some of his dialogue explicitly references Freddy Krueger one-liners like “Welcome to your nightmare” and “Now I’m playing with power.”
Englund doesn’t just phone in this performance or replicate his work as Freddy. The actor cultivates a unique voice for Scarecrow that cuts to the core of this character in a menacing manner. Englund’s Scarecrow is raspy, erratic, and honestly one of the better takes on Dr. Crane. It makes one wonder what he’d be able to accomplish if he were playing the part in live-action. He takes a simple role and breathes fresh life into it. Curiously, it’s not his first time playing a Batman villain. He does comparably interesting work as The Riddler in The Batman and the more obscure sorcerer, Felix Faust, in Justice League.
Evil Bloodthirsty Brian (The Hughleys)
There’s a surprising relationship between horror icons and sitcoms, with Robert Englund being no stranger to adding a devious dose of terror to a farcical comedy. Englund shows up as a playful take on Lucifer in Married…with Children, but he also provides a genuinely chilling performance in the first season of The Hughleys. Season one’s “Storm O’ the Century” is centered around the Hughleys and Rogerses getting stranded at a seemingly haunted hotel during an intense blizzard.
“Storm O’ the Century” functions as a proper love letter to horror fans, with genre guest stars that include The Addams Family’s John Astin, The Shining’s Shelley Duvall, and Robert Englund as the comically-named Evil Bloodthirsty Brian. The episode certainly prioritizes its comedy, but it manages to also be legitimately creepy thanks to a locked-in performance by Englund. He’s used sparingly, but always to punctuate a particular scene and function as a jump scare. Evil Bloodthirsty Brian sports a ghastly scar and has a look that’s just frightening enough to be included on a ’90s sitcom. Anyone who is curious about Englund’s performance can check it out for free on Tubi.
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