‘The Thing’ Theatrical Release from Fathom Events Was a Disaster But…

Spooky narratives tend to be scarier when experienced alone, and that’s why I’ve always preferred single-player horror gaming. That being said, there’s no denying that multiplayer has taken over videogames over this past decade, captivating players with the unpredictable thrills of online cat-and-mouse matches. Now that horror juggernauts like the Friday the 13th franchise and even Evil Dead have gotten in on the action, lesser-known properties like Full Moon Features’ massive catalogue of B-movies have also been getting the multiplayer treatment with projects like October Games’ upcoming Puppet Master: The Game.

Of course, there’s still an untapped well of memorable scary movies that could be translated into entertaining interactive experiences, and that’s why we’ve come up with this list of horror films that deserve their own multiplayer videogame adaptations.

While this list is based on personal opinion, there are a couple of ground rules. First of all, no movies that have already been turned into licensed multiplayer videogames (though other kinds of games are okay). We’ll also be focusing solely on direct adaptations, so no licensed DLC for titles like Dead by Daylight. Lastly, these entries have been selected according to the potential entertainment factor of a licensed videogame, not necessarily the overall quality of the movies themselves.

As usual, don’t forget to comment below if you think we missed any entertaining horror flicks that would make for entertaining multiplayer games.

Now, onto the list…

6. A Quiet Place (2018)

While you have to accept quite a few logical inconsistencies in order to enjoy John Krasinski’s insanely popular A Quiet Place movies (like how survivors never have to deal with noise-producing bodily functions and the flimsy reasoning for how the aliens differentiate human sounds from natural ones), even the harshest critic has to admit that the films’ sound-based paranoia would make for a great videogame mechanic.

An online title where players are tasked with outsmarting the so-called “Death Angels” during hazard-filled levels sounds like a nail-bitingly intense experience with lots of replay value. You could even have some players take on the role of the blind invaders, searching for prey via some form of sonar-vision.

Another film that could be adapted into a game with similar mechanics would be Tremors, though the underground nature of the iconic Graboids means that they would probably be less fun to play than A Quiet Place’s Death Angels. On that note, a single-player experience based on A Quiet Place is actually in the works from Saber Interactive, last we heard!

5. Poltergeist (1982)

Masked killers and monstrous creatures can be scary, but what about inanimate objects coming to life and trying to eliminate players as they attempt to rid a seemingly ordinary house of paranormal activity? This thrilling setup is why I think Tobe Hooper’s Poltergeist could be the perfect basis for an online multiplayer horror experience where parapsychologists team up to battle a hostile environment taken over by unseen spirits.

Think Luigi’s Mansion meets Ghost Hunters as an online Poltergeist game could allow players to explore haunted houses and perform exorcisms while a phantom puppet master pulls invisible strings and tries to eliminate the investigators. Hell, you could even have a “this house is clean” message pop up onscreen after a successful match-up against the spirits!

4. Child’s Play (1988)

‘The Thing’ Theatrical Release from Fathom Events Was a Disaster But…