The final destination for these horror movies should be a game

There are some stellar horror movies I’d love to see get a videogame adaptation, so I decided to put together this list to try and get the production companies on board. To be clear, to qualify for this list, the franchise or movie can’t have its own videogame. So, while I’d love to see another Evil Dead game or a fresh take on The Thing, they don’t qualify today. It’s also worth noting that the likes of Nightmare on Elm Street don’t qualify either. Its NES game came out 36 years ago, but it still exists, so Freddy is excluded; however, if I were making a list of horror franchises that deserve another game, Wes Craven’s classic would be near the top.

Before the reveal of Revival, Hellraiser was my top pick, but now it’s the perfect example of what happens when a horror franchise gets the video game adaptation it deserves. Seriously, check out my Hellraiser Revival review to see how hard it goes in on pain and pleasure, unapologetically, I might add.

While many horror franchises deserve a game adaptation, one stands above the rest: Scream. It could follow in Hellraiser’s footsteps, with the iconic villain making its game debut in Dead by Daylight, only to get an official game years later. A Scream game could fit into several genres, including a run-of-the-mill murder mystery or an action game where you play as its equivalent of Sydney Prescott. However, without question, the best fit for Scream is the Persona series.

You’d have to attend school by day, complete tasks, spend time with your friends, and be on your guard for Ghostface, who could appear at any moment to strike you down. You’d need to uncover clues about who it might be and make split-second decisions after an iconic phone call. Honestly, I could go on for ages about why this is the case, but I’ll keep it short and sweet here (perhaps I’ll offer more details another time).

Actually, decision-making gives me another thought: a Scream Until Dawn game would go so hard, too. Speaking of UD, you know what it has in it? Caves. You know what else has caves? The Descent. This might not be the first movie that comes to mind when you think about what deserves a game adaptation, but it might be the most suitable one I’m talking about today. The Descent is a fantastic horror film that genuinely fills you with dread, and a horror-centric spelunking adventure where you explore dark caves, find the remains of other spelunkers, and fight unknown enemies to find your way out sounds chilling. Since caves have no natural light, the game could feature a system where you have to manage your torch to avoid running out of battery, forcing you into pitch-black areas with nothing to light your way.

On a more humorous note, I love the Happy Death Day movies, and I think they’d translate into a fun game where you unravel clues with each death until you can stop the murder. Tree’s unfortunate situation blends horror and comedy splendidly, and I think that would shine in another medium. We’d have to be social and learn what we can about our friends and enemies, as Tree knows, the killer tends to be someone close to you. Anyway, onto my final pick (I have plenty more, but I can’t gush about all of them).

I know I’ve already talked about Scream being a good candidate for the Until Dawn treatment, but so is Final Destination, assuming you don’t mind ultimately losing, since there’s no way you’ll really be able to cheat death. We’ve all seen Final Destination: Bloodlines; we all know what happens when Death gets to the point where it says ‘lol, okay, that’s enough.’

Think about it: your choices would absolutely matter in a story where Death is coming for you, and the cast of characters should face equally hilarious and horrific deaths. Then, just when you think you’ve won, BAM: a log, bus, sign, or something else that quickly takes you out. Now, there are two types of people in this world when it comes to this. Those who’d find it funny and clever, and others who would think, ‘I WENT THROUGH ALL THAT TO DIE ANYWAY.’ Admittedly, if my reaction to the ending of Outlast is anything to go by, I’d be the latter.

Before I go, I want to give a little shout-out to a franchise I was sure I’d include here: Wolf Creek. You may be thinking, ‘But Kayleigh, there isn’t a Wolf Creek game,’ and you’d be right. But since one is in development, I can’t add it to my little list. Still, I have high hopes for it, and escaping Mick’s dreaded clutches will surely get my heart racing.

So, what do you think? Which horror movies and franchises do you think deserve a videogame? Let us know on the Pocket Tactics Discord server.