Poll What are your most dreaded horror enemies? (52 votes)
Hopefully I've done a reasonable job at covering all the bases without having a million poll options.
Concept »
Hopefully I've done a reasonable job at covering all the bases without having a million poll options.
Ghosts and Animals, with humans following behind.
Edit: Inventory systems are my greatest horror enemy.
I chose "aliens" because the Alien in Alien: Isolation is my greatest nemesis in the history of video games.
@steadying: Deep water terrifies me as well. I couldn't even do the Oculus underwater demo.
I voted for the top 4, that makes me feel... normal.
Psychological horror is what gets me but not the peek-a-boo kind, but the one that creeps onto you and starts on the back of your head and works it's way to your FACE!
So that game Patrick did for the Oculus with the <o> <o> eyes would legit be the scariest thing ever, if it actually encapsulated the feeling of drowning. Like, being out swimming and having a random tendril grab your leg and pull you under is such a slower, more terrifying death than "yo dawg, shark is eating you".
When I actually stopped and thought about it, I guess I was surprised that I fear humanoids the most. There's something about the nostalgic fear of RE2 and 3 zombies that still gets to me sometimes, despite beating those games more times than I know. Plus, I know it's super cliched and standard, but the effect of RE4 Regenerators - and that ONE Iron Maiden - on my psyche a decade later cannot be understated.
"Snooooooort, heave, snoooooort, heave* Fuck that sound.
Deep water gets an honorable mention, because I'm legit terrified of the ocean etc. despite so little use in games. Does SOMA scratch that horror itch well, or is the underwater theme underplayed?
Enemies that cannot be defeated are the scariest. A lot has been said in the years since Amnesia's release about the importance of helplessness in horror games, and all of that is correct. Feeling helpless is really the scariest part.
Additionally, enemies that defy your expectations of how things should work are also fucked up. Children's toys that come to life to hurt you, for example, betray the trust you have given them since childhood, and defy your expectation that they are there to make you feel good and safe. I think the same is true for evil children, and I think that's why both of these things are such common horror tropes.
@steadying: Deep water terrifies me as well. I couldn't even do the Oculus underwater demo.
I have had a recurring nightmare about drowning in complete darkness. It ain't fun waking up after that.
I think my fear might actually have to do with "almost" drowning in a pool. I say almost in quotes because I wasn't in any real danger since there was a lifeguard 10 feet away, but for my stupid 6-year-old brain that didn't really matter. Ending up in deep water when you can't swim is the worst.
Humanoid Monsters for sure.
To this day the scariest monster I've even seen in a video game has been that weird two headed baby monster in Silent Hill 4: The Room, that points and stares at you when your to far away. Still gives me chills and the occasional nightmare.
Please Log In to post.
This edit will also create new pages on Giant Bomb for:
Beware, you are proposing to add brand new pages to the wiki along with your edits. Make sure this is what you intended. This will likely increase the time it takes for your changes to go live.Until you earn 1000 points all your submissions need to be vetted by other Giant Bomb users. This process takes no more than a few hours and we'll send you an email once approved.
Log in to comment