The horror genre is one of the most popular in modern gaming, and when looking at Blumhouse’s extensive back catalog of releases, there are a good few movies in there that have the potential to be excellent video game experiences. Some of these movies may need a little reworking to properly fit the video game medium, but the potential is certainly there.
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The Invisible Man
The most recent movie release on this list, Blumhouse’s The Invisible Man hit theaters in February 2020. Unfortunately, the pandemic cut the movie’s theatrical run short, so many had to wait awhile for it to be released digitally. For many, though, the wait was more than worth it.
Taking the general premise of H.G. Wells’ Invisible Man, The Invisible Man subverts expectations at every turn and delivers an emotionally resonant tale of abuse and coercive control, using the movie-monster premise as the perfect allegory. Through Leigh Whannell’s excellent writing and Elisabeth Moss’ superb acting, The Invisible Man stood out from the crowd.
Converting The Invisible Man to the video game medium may take a little work, but it’s a tale worth telling again. A simple “walking simulator” type game could fit the narrative well, using the likes of Layers of Fear and Amnesia as inspiration, and having the threat of an invisible foe constantly in the background to keep the player on edge at all times.
Halloween
Through a deal with Universal, Blumhouse was able to produce 2018’s Halloween. Another movie to hop on the pseudo-reboot-sequel train, Halloween began a new chapter in the franchise, but kept its legacy characters and key lore intact. While Halloween’s big bad, Michael Myers, has had plenty of video game screen-time in the past, he rarely makes an appearance nowadays.
The most obvious route for a Halloween game would be one similar to the Friday the 13th game and the recently released Evil Dead game, where survivors have to fend off one player in the role of Myers. However, Myers’ appearance in Dead By Daylight pretty much covers this, so a new Halloween game would have to seek out an alternative gameplay style.
Happy Death Day
Time loops are all the rage right now, making Happy Death Day an ideal candidate for a new horror video game. The general premise of Happy Death Day sees a college student relive the day of their death over and over again to try and determine who their killer is. A video game with the same premise already has a lot of potential. By taking inspiration from Deathloop and detective games like Judgement, a Happy Death Day game could definitely work.
The Purge
The Purge as a series has been going for quite some time, and it’s a premise worth converting to the video game medium. Taking inspiration from Escape from Tarkov, a Purge game could task players with looting as many areas as possible before the timer runs out. As the timer continues to tick on, the more dangerous the threats become, leading to a risk-reward system whereby players who stay longer in the match are rewarded with better loot.
Paranormal Activity
While there have been a handful of Paranormal Activity games released in the past, these have all put the player in the survivor’s shoes. A new Paranormal Activity game could take inspiration from Phasmophobia, and run with the hype still surrounding it. As opposed to Phasmophobia’s team-based ghost-hunting, a Paranormal Activity game could be a much more intimate, intense affair, making one player the house’s resident, while the other controls the apparition, who tries to mess with them using their paranormal abilities.
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