Why Horror Games Don't Need to be Scary

After many an hour spent in Silent Hill through its various iterations, as well as other horror titles, I have a fairly high bar for what I believe makes a good horror game.  Lately, though, I have come to realize that the bar either needs lowered, or that I need another bar for different types of horror games.  I've come to realize that only very rarely will my standard for "supremely poo-producing" titles be met.  Basically, I've come to realize that not all horror games need to be scary.

Let's start at the beginning (mine, anyway).  The first Resident Evil genuinely scared me.  It had creepy music, zombies, and it was freaking three dimensional!  The fact that the game eventually turned into an action game much further in was overshadowed by the fact that I hadn't experienced anything like it before.  It was all fresh, and it was all scary.  The second and third entries in this series were still a little nerve-wracking, though the novelty was beginning to wear off.

Then along came a game called Silent Hill.  A friend of mine was playing it one evening, and I was blown away by the flashlight mechanic.  I soon picked up a copy for myself and knew there was something special going on there.  It was the first time I actually began to view the game environment as a character in itself.  The disturbing music, the Jacob's Ladder inspired empty wheelchairs and rust-covered walls, the sound effects... they all joined together to create a ubiquitous evil that followed poor Harry everywhere he (I) ran.  The following two entries in the series were just as satisfying to me.

Of course, new Resident Evil games were popping up in the form of Code Veronica, the Gamecube remake of the original, the prequel Resident Evil Zero - the list goes on.  I always became excited at a new RE announcement, and played each new entry happily; but something was missing.  Didn't Resident Evil used to scare me?  Because it surely didn't any longer.  I'll admit, the first village in RE4 was a revelation in horror gaming for me.  The sheer number of enemies, the decrepit houses, and let's not forget Leatherface, gave me chills I'd never had before while gaming.  But once this opening sequence was past and I had fought scores of infected, the repetition of shoot, turn and run, turn and shoot and so on had taken most of the scare out of the game.

I should have seen it coming, though.  Think about it: Up until Resident Evil 4, technology just didn't allow for too many bombastic moments, but the premise certainly hinted at a future full of spectacle.  It began on a small scale - a mansion, claustrophobic underground laboratories, a small group of people slowly unraveling the various evils of the massive Umbrella Corporation.  Isn't it only natural that a group of people bent on taking down such a corporation have a future full of explosions and, well, action?  Umbrella isn't some unknown evil seething through every crack in the wall and gaping maw that used to be a street (ahem, Silent Hill).  Umbrella is a tangible thing, run by someone, with an army infected henchmen ready to blow up, shoot, and sometimes bite anyone willing to stand against them.  And with current technology, Chris and the gang can traverse larger environments and blow up whatever the hell they please.  The great spectacle that will surely ensue once Umbrella gets taken down is now possible.  Kudos to Capcom for all the creepy enemies and jump scares, but Resident Evil will likely always be more action than horror from here on out.

This isn't a criticism of the franchise, because I still love the hell out of these games, but more of an acceptance that good horror can still be derived from action-based games.  This concept really hit me when I completed Dead Space 2 recently.  I have heard many people complain that Dead Space 1 and 2 (as well as RE 4 and 5) just aren't scary.  This is the camp that usually loves the Silent Hill games, and also the more recent Amnesia for PC.  I'll be honest here - this is my camp, sort of.

Like I stated above, though, my recent revelation hit just after completing Dead Space 2.  You know what happened right before the credits rolled?  I laughed out loud, and was genuinely satisfied with the experience I just had.  If you've played Dead Space 1 and 2, you'll know why I laughed at the end.  I won't ruin it for anyone else.  What I'd like to get across here, is that while these games certainly have a killer atmosphere and creepy enemies, the sense of impending doom I feel when playing Silent Hill 2 and Amnesia just isn't there; and I'm okay with that.  While Amnesia delivers crushing melancholy and despair, Dead Space delivers quick thrills and a frantic struggle to stay alive.

It's the difference between your Eraserheads/Jacob's Ladders and Alien/Halloweens.  All of those could be considered horror movies, though they deliver very different types of horror.  Sure, I prefer the "smarter", slower-paced horror games; but I can't expect every horror experience to make me feel the same way.  What we have, instead of "true" horror games and games that "just aren't scary", is variety - and I'm not about to complain about that.