Happy Halloween gals and ghouls! If you’re still recovering from your booze-filled weekend costume parties of half-assed Harley Quinns, Stranger Things kids, and millions of Waldos, I may be able to provide some solace. I’ve ventured into the depths of bad virtual reality horror to pluck the few examples of good things to scare you this spooky season (and not in the jump scare sense). Only the best of the best, the creme de la creme have made this list. Enjoy.
Albino Lullaby: Episode 1
Available on Steam for $9.99 (HTC Vive, Oculus Rift)
Spookiness rating: ??
Albino Lullaby is the type of horror game that abstains from jump scares (as most of the things on this list). In the game, you navigate through a psychological nightmare that actually has a color palette beyond black, gray, and brown. So, that’s a plus. Episode 1 of Albino Lullaby is the first in a three-part season. Its season pass is also available for $24.99.
Catatonic
Available on the app Within for free (iOS, Android, Samsung Gear VR, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Playstation VR)
Spookiness rating: ??
Catatonic, directed by Guy Shelmerdine, is a horror film that plops you in an insane asylum. When it debuted at South by Southwest last year, the short film was demoed from a rumbling wheelchair. You know, because “immersion.” Shelmerdine recently screened his follow-up VR film, Mule, at Fantastic Fest. Which, you guessed it, was screened from within a coffin.
Dead Secret
Available on Steamfor $14.99 (Samsung Gear VR, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift)
Spookiness rating: ???
In Dead Secret, you play as a journalist investigating a murder. But as with all fictional murder investigations, there’s more going on than meets the eye. Dead Secret takes the best of point-and-click adventures and a gloomy atmosphere to create a nice little Halloween-worthy experience.
Don’t Knock Twice
Demo available on Steam for free (HTC Vive, Oculus Rift)
Spookiness rating: ?
Don’t Knock Twice is an upcoming horror game tie-in (based on the upcoming film of the same name) where the player explores an eerie haunted manor, unaware of what ghoulish, witchy fate awaits them around the corner. The game won’t have a full release until March 2017, but its free demo is available now.
Euclidean
Available on Steam for $4.99 (HTC Vive, Oculus Rift)
Spookiness rating: ⬛️⬛️⬛️⬛️
Euclidean is probably the most unlike anything else on this list, categorizing itself as a “geometric horror” and all. In the otherworldly game, you play as a weapon-less being, floating helplessly in the ether of any of its nine stages where endless geometric creatures are out to destroy you. Death is inevitable in Euclidean. But after all, isn’t it always?
Here They Lie
Available on the Playstation Store for $19.99 (Playstation VR)
Spookiness rating: ???
I think the problem with most VR horror experiences and games is that they rely too much on jump scares. The things that pop up barely out of our peripheral, and give us a quick fright. A jump scare is always fleeting, where a moment after you breathe a sigh of relief, even if another scare awaits. Here They Lie is not like that. Though suffering from some motion sickness problems, the game takes a more psychological route for its terror. Which makes sense, given the developers’ inspirations being rooted in the works of Lars Von Trier, H.P. Lovecraft, Michael Haneke, alongside many other diverse authors and filmmakers.
Thumper
Available on the Playstation Store for $19.99 (Playstation VR)
Spookiness rating: ?????
Falling into the self-dubbed “rhythm violence” of Thumper is maybe my favorite games-related moment of the year. Where its pulsating beats consume you, and the game’s strategy becomes less of looking ahead to see what turns and flights await you, and more of merely sensing what comes next. The rhythm wholly absorbs you, especially in VR. Hell, Thumper doesn’t just contain my favorite “a-ha!” moment of games this year, it’s one of my favorite games of the year, period. And I’m not alone. I suppose Thumper isn’t a horror game by most standards, but its disembodied heads for bosses still send a tingle down my spine. Its music is always threatening and intense. Thumper is scary, in the best possible way. Because it’s rhythm violence, through and through.
