I’ve always maintained the idea that horror games will always be scarier than horror films. One reason, comes from the fact that the fright-fest isn’t over after 90 minutes, and you’re actively controlling the dip into terror. Another reason comes in the form of the antagonists themselves, as games are always throwing heavier and scarier obstacles at your face, usually attached to a chainsaw. Here’re ten such abominations that will have you experiencing a warm and liquid manifestation in your pants.
Nemesis – Resident Evil 3
You know what’s great about old school horror games? You can easily outwit an enemy by merely going into another room. Ha! Suckers! Except in Resident Evil 3, a doorway was no guarantee that you wouldn’t be introduced to the business end of a rocket launcher or the aching hamfists of the roid-raged Nemesis that was stalking you throughout the game. With a hate-on that would make Liam Neeson jealous, Nemesis would barge through the game like an angry juggernaut, leaving you lucky to be alive if you ever did manage to give him the slip.
Pyramid Head – Silent Hill 2
What happens when you combine heavy metal album covers with alcohol, a disregard for the laws of physics and an urge to rip the skin off of somebody? You get Pyramid Head, a mathematically perfect amalgamation of hate and ruthless aggression. A manifestation of remorse and guilt, Pyramid Head is arguably one of the more recognisable elements of Silent Hill. As well as a destroyer of pristine pants and clean underwear.
Xenomorph – Alien: Isolation
In most video games, the Xenomorphs were mere cannon fodder, acid-blooded foes looking to deliver the mother of all french kisses. In Alien: Isolation however, they were returned to their roots, with a single Xenomorph easily capable of wiping you out several times. And then several times more. And then even more. It’s one thing to die…constantly, but the beauty of the Xenomorph in Alien: Isolation is that it truly does embody its original movie roots as well as the general feeling of dread when faced with one.
It’s still a complete bastard however.
Slenderman – Slender series
How scary is a tall supernatural figure with a blank face that is determined to horribly murder you the second you turn your back? Actually, really damn scary.
Regenerator Necromorphs – Dead Space series
Necromorphs are simple creatures. They’re dead on the inside and wish to fill your fleshy face with meat-hooks and pain. In a group, they’re bloody terrifying, but easily dealt with when the rules of shoot first and ask questions later are applied. But the regenerator Necromorphs? They’re harder than week-old Christmas fruitcake and almost as dangerous. Unstoppable and with a healing factor that would make Deadpool jealous, you know you’re completely buggered when you find one of these monstrosities hunting you down.
Alma – FEAR series
When it comes down to pure scares, Alma is pretty much what vaguely-defined Japanese horror movie killers look underneath their bed for before they decide to go to sleep. A terrifying master of the jump scare (IN YO FACE!), Alma was a regular menace throughout FEAR and its subsequent sequels. Because hell has no fury like that of an immensely powerful psionic who has been hideously experimented on. I think there’s a lesson to be learned here.
Keeper – The Evil Within
What secrets hide beneath the vaulted head of the keeper? The Krusty Krab formula? The password to Geoff’s secret ION folder? Or is it certain death, unstoppable and determined to do you in? I’m going to go with death. Looooooot’s of it!
Zombies – ZombiU
Easily one of the most divisive launch games ever made, ZombiU may have had some flaws,but it more than made up for them with a Zombie enemy type that was terrifying to encounter. With a herd mentality and an appetite for leg of Larry, the ZombiU walkers are fast, unpredictable and always one step behind you. And in a game that emphasised both survival and horror, that made for a massively terrifying combination.
Killer Croc – Batman: Arkham Asylum
There’s something to be said when a game that puts you in the boots of two-fisted vigilante badass with too much money and psychological issues manages to tiptoe through a level lest he accidentally upset the deranged sub-human cannibal that is currently stalking said hero.
SHODAN – System Shock 2
HAL? Skynet? Ultron? Please, you can keep your killer Artificial Systems, because when it comes to digital destruction, SHODAN is the queen. The Sentient Hyper-Optimized Data Access Network was a bigger threat than any flesh-eating former crewmate or genetically unstable monster in System Shock 2, due to the fact that the AI had uninstalled Morality Vista 64-bit edition from her mainframe, ending up with a god complex that made Robert Mugabe look tame in comparison.
What made SHODAN especially dangerous however, wasn’t its lack of morals. Its the fact that it was aware of this problem, and delighted in tormenting the player throughout the game. Evil on its own may be terrifying, but deliberate evil moreso.
BONUS ENTRY!
Outlast – The main menu
One day, I’ll summon up enough courage to make it past this screen. One day.
Like what you see? Want more frights, chills and thrills? Then don’t forget that The Evil Within and Alien Isolation is out right now. If you’re brave enough, you can grab The Evil Within from these fine stockists on a range of platforms:
Last Updated: October 29, 2014
Admiral Chief 0
October 29, 2014 at 15:32
SHODAN!!!
Admiral Chief 0
October 29, 2014 at 15:33
THIS GUY!
Viking Of Divinity
October 29, 2014 at 15:54
Jesus… fear for days!
Admiral Chief 0
October 29, 2014 at 15:33
“Look at you, hacker: a pathetic creature of meat and bone, panting and sweating as you run through my corridors. How can you challenge a perfect, immortal machine?”
OVG
October 29, 2014 at 15:35
Even the homeless dude at the BP knows that this list sucks 😛
Admiral Chief 0
October 29, 2014 at 15:40
Seems silly, only one death animation…
😛
OVG
October 29, 2014 at 15:43
This game creeps me out man.
Admiral Chief 0
October 29, 2014 at 15:46
Looks like a story I can show my 5yo. daughter. So silly.
I worry about you man, here you are, punting this game so much, and now you show me this one-death-ani snorefest.
Pffffff
😛
Alien Emperor Trevor
October 29, 2014 at 15:47
I bet it doesn’t even run at 60fps.
Admiral Chief 0
October 29, 2014 at 15:47
More like 60 snores per second right?
OVG
October 29, 2014 at 15:48
Arghhhh my log says 756 deaths. More than Dark souls 2.
Admiral Chief 0
October 29, 2014 at 15:51
THAT JUST MEANS YOU SUCK!
XD
OVG
October 29, 2014 at 15:54
GROUNDED MODE VETERAN HERE 🙂 new game plus ++++
2hours of dying just to kill the first bloater in the gym and 4 hours for the second bloater.
Admiral Chief 0
October 29, 2014 at 15:47
Rather post this:
OVG
October 29, 2014 at 15:51
THIS 🙂
Admiral Chief 0
October 29, 2014 at 15:52
SO CUTE!
OVG
October 29, 2014 at 15:56
Notice that it has the same mating call as me?
Admiral Chief 0
October 29, 2014 at 16:07
The ineffective one?
Skyblue
October 29, 2014 at 16:01
Ecco the Dolphin
OVG
October 29, 2014 at 16:03
FREE WILLEY
Admiral Chief 0
October 29, 2014 at 15:36
“experiencing a warm and liquid manifestation in your pants”
Haha
Alien Emperor Trevor
October 29, 2014 at 15:37
You left out Rince & OVG.
Admiral Chief 0
October 29, 2014 at 15:38
XD
OVG
October 29, 2014 at 15:38
Say ARGHHHHHHHHHHHH
OVG
October 29, 2014 at 15:40
Double click
Viking Of Divinity
October 29, 2014 at 15:52
SHODAN = fear for life
Alien Emperor Trevor
October 29, 2014 at 15:52
I used to get very paranoid whenever I started getting the audio/visual cues one of these guys was around, especially when playing on the harder difficulties…
Skyblue
October 29, 2014 at 16:07
Loved that game and it’s inhabitants.
Hammersteyn
October 29, 2014 at 15:54
You forgot the Devil
http://wiiudaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/peter-moore-a-580.jpg
Alien Emperor Trevor
October 29, 2014 at 15:55
Ag nee fok man, NSFW!
Hammersteyn
October 29, 2014 at 16:13
Bwhahahaha
Cadis Etrama Di Umar
October 29, 2014 at 15:54
Personally, the scariest monster or thing from Silent Hill, is well, Silent Hill itself.
But one enemy I still overcome is this guy from Hell Night
http://cdn.mashthosebuttons.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/hellnight-1.jpg
Dutch Matrix
October 29, 2014 at 15:56
A list clearly done by a wuss… Clive Barker’s Undying. That whole damn family…
http://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/20164-clive-barker-s-undying-windows-screenshot-the-lovely-lizbeth.jpg
Skyblue
October 29, 2014 at 16:09
I actually couldn’t play more than a few levels of that game, just too much scary for me.
OVG
October 29, 2014 at 16:02
Admiral Chief 0
October 29, 2014 at 16:14
WHY does it sound like a horse at the end?
OVG
October 29, 2014 at 16:06
Before The last of Us K.O.d RE4 off the number 1 spot Hessian Head was my number 1.
Mossel
October 29, 2014 at 16:13
hahahaha Outlast main menu!! I can attest to that! Scariest shit ever.
Captain JJ the pout
October 29, 2014 at 16:14
SlenderMan for sure.
Alma as well, though only in the first FEAR.
Mossel
October 29, 2014 at 16:14
What about Big Daddies in Bioshock? Whenever I heard that low moan and steel footstep noises I slowly started to freak out.
Captain JJ the pout
October 29, 2014 at 16:15
The cannibals in The Forest is probably some of the scariest stuff I’ve ever come across. Seriously.
konfab aka derp
October 29, 2014 at 16:25
Screw that, the scariest monster in any game is the creeper.
Imagine that you have built a locking mechanism out of redstone that allows pin code entry to your base, then you hear a creeper…
They have the capacity to destroy your life by destroying your creations…
Other than the creeper, I find disturbing human characters to be the scariest. The old doctor and taxidermist in Heavy rain for example…
Matewis Jubilai
October 29, 2014 at 16:27
These things still creep me out:
OVG
October 29, 2014 at 16:44
MMMMMMMmmmmmmm PARAMITE PIE 🙂
Admiral Chief 0
October 29, 2014 at 18:46
XDXDXD
Rags
October 29, 2014 at 16:47
http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120401143006/quake/images/thumb/6/65/Shambler2.PNG/1000px-Shambler2.PNG
Eric
October 29, 2014 at 17:37
Alma made me paranoid towards climbing ladders through half of the first FEAR
J_Joestar
October 29, 2014 at 18:06
boondocksaint87
October 30, 2014 at 07:37
This is one you need to add!
Beserkers from Gears of War 1. My GAWD, I remember playing multiplayer when we found these.
OVG
October 30, 2014 at 08:41
2007 was so ahead of its time. Gears of War at the start of the 7th gen makes this 8th gen seem like gen 7.5
Nikola
October 30, 2014 at 13:18
Alma and Nemesis definely gave me quite a few frights when I was a young lad:)
Lefuld
June 15, 2015 at 15:01
< ?????? +lazy +*********….. < Now Go Read More
17
Whosecter
June 22, 2015 at 13:19
< ??????.+ spectre+ ********* ….. < Now Go Read More
26