Tag: Horror storytelling
Wyrd News
Hunter’s Moon turns English witch-hunting into systemic folk horror
I think folk horror becomes much more interesting when folklore stops being lore and becomes mechanics. So, I’m excited to hear about Hunter’s Moon coming to PS5 which appears to make listening to what a community believes about you part of survival itself. What I find interesting is the suggestion that belief itself might be…
Research Log
The World as the True Antagonist: Conceptualizing Hostile Environments in Horror Game Design
Introduction Horror games traditionally frame their antagonists as tangible threats, monsters, murderers, or supernatural entities. However, some games subvert this paradigm by making the environment itself the primary source of terror. In such cases, the setting is no longer a passive backdrop but an active agent of dread, fundamentally shaping the player’s experience. This post…
Research Log
The Future of Horror Gaming – BAFTSS Horror SIG Panel
This week, I had the honour of chairing a panel discussion for the British Association of Film, Television, and Screen Studies (BAFTSS) Horror Special Interest Group. It was an incredible experience to explore the evolving relationship between horror games and screen media, diving into how aesthetics, narratives, and technology shape interactive fear. I was privileged…
Research Log
Dynamic Weather: Amplifying Atmosphere in Horror Games
Dynamic weather systems have revolutionized the interactive world of video games. Weather is bigger than us, it has no sympathy for or fear of us and regardless of how powerful we become as a species, weather still has the power to crush us like ants! This makes the inclusion of weather systems in horror games…
Research Log
The Perchten: Terrifying Spirits of the Alpine Winter Revealed
Winter in the Alps is a season of magic and mystery, but it also carries a shadowy side rooted in folklore. The Perchten, ghostly spirits of Alpine winter, emerge during the Twelve Nights (December 25 to January 6) to terrify and inspire. This article explores the chilling mythology of the Perchten and their enduring cultural…
Research Log
The Art of Fear: How Camera Movements Shape Cinematic Terror
Why do horror films and games grip us so powerfully, leaving us hanging on the edge of our seats with memories that haunt us long after the movie or game is over? It’s not just grotesque monsters, convincing ghosts or eerie soundtracks. Horror is an artform, an artform painted through the lens of the camera.…