Happy Halloween: Video Games That Are Actually Scary

Image via Complex Original

Year it dropped: 2012

What makes it scary: Its Japanese horror sensibilities—think The Ring with a 3DS.

Spirit Camera didn't break any popularity records, but the 2012 3DS game is surprisingly scary, especially considering it's a handheld game. The fact that you can close your 3DS and shut off the horror at any point should make it less scary, but for some reason it doesn't.

Fans of the notoriously scary Fatal Frame series should know what they're getting, since Spirit Camera is a spin-off. Even they won't be prepared for what jumps out at you when you're looking through your camera, though.

Year it dropped: 2004

What makes it scary: The prison environment and professionally-designed monsters.

The Suffering is another sleeper hit of sorts that's surprisingly scary, even almost a decade after its release. Its production values verge on film-like, particularly in the monsters department—its creatures were designed by the late, great Stan Winston, after all. Winston is well known for his monster designs in films.

Some of those creatures in this case included gunnysacks wrapped in chains and the reanimated corpses of drowned victims who were secretly executed in the island prison—the perfect fodder for the game's many jump scares.

Year it dropped: 2010

What makes it scary: Claustrophobic and creature-infested subway tunnels.

Metro 2033 presents a terrifying vision of a post-nuclear future in which humans have become obsolete and retreated to the metro tunnels under Moscow. Populations are focused on the subway stations, and the tunnels between them are populated by vicious mutants and worse creatures.

There's plenty of tension down in the tunnels, but it's even more unsettling catching glimpses of "Dark Ones," highly evolved humanoids that live on the surface and seem to thrive off the nuclear radiation. The sequel, Metro: Last Light, was good as well, but it couldn't quite match the scares of the original.

Year it dropped: 2011

What makes it scary: Flailing with Kinect controls while you're being butchered.

Okay, so Rise of Nightmares isn't actually that scary. Not in a normal sense, at least. But what is scary is how difficult it was to control, relying only on the Xbox's finicky Kinect for movement, combat, and everything else. Few horror games make you feel less effective at fighting off enemies—even the ones that do it on purpose, like Resident Evil with its "tank controls."

It could have been awesome chopping up monsters with real-life gestures, but Rise of Nightmares wound up frighteningly bad. That said, we're still never going near another ballerina again, just to be extra safe.

Year it dropped: 2013

What makes it scary: Being completely helpless against enemies.

Speaking of being unable to fight back against terrifying monsters—Outlast is a recent release, but it's definitely up there on the fright skill. The asylum environment is bone-chilling, and the crazed inmates who attack you are horrible.

But it's the first-person perspective, the reliance on a battery-draining night vision camera to see, and the main character's inability to fight that really make Outlast something special. If you're into feeling helpless and running away/hiding, then it's the horror game for you.

Year it dropped: 2001

What makes it scary: Plain and simple, it's Pyramid Head.

Silent Hill 2 isn't the original survival horror game, but it's definitely one of the scariest. Protagonist James is moderately well-armed, but you'll find yourself running from most enemies instead of fighting them anyway. You've got to conserve ammo—and they're fucking terrifying, besides. The series' characteristic fog keeps the world obscured so you never know what's coming.

But most importantly, let's not forget that the iconic Pyramid Head started out as a full-on mannequin rapist. Seeing the iconic monster for the first time, sexually abusing some figures in a filthy apartment building, is an experience many gamers will never forget.

Year it dropped: 2002

What makes it scary: Clunky controls, scarce ammo, and powerful enemies.

Resident Evil propelled the survival horror genre into the public's embrace, despite—or maybe aided by—the horrors it unleashed on our juvenile brains. Ammo was scarce, and scavenging was a constant necessity. You never knew what was going to be through the next door or around the next corner. The fixed perspective made anything off-screen a threat, since you couldn't move the camera. Our favorite part was when we'd forget to burn the zombies we killed and they'd come back as lightning-quick and deadly Crimson Heads.

And while the original was scary, the REmake on GameCube stepped it up with better graphics, superior acting and more content. There are tons of Resident Evil games now, both good and bad, but the original is still the best.

Year it dropped: 2008

What makes it scary: The claustrophobia of the Ishimura and the emptiness of space.

Later Dead Space games, especially Dead Space 3, were decent shooters, but first and foremost the original was a great survival horror game. No matter how many powerful weapons you acquired, you were always scrounging for ammo. The creatures and story were terrifying, and the feeling of being alone on a hostile ship, with little between you and endless, dead space, saturated every moment of the game with fear.

The USG Ishimura is one of the most full-realized space ship environments in video game history, and it's infested with grotesque zombie-necromorphs. It's your job to dismember them—just try to make it through without crying.

Year it dropped: 2010

What makes it scary: Insanity induced by unseen enemies.

The real scares in Amnesia come from the fact that you rarely see the grotesque creatures that stalk around the game—and when you do see them, you'll have to immediately look away, or your character will literally go insane. As a result, you spend much of the game hiding in corners facing the wall, with only your ears to let you know when it's safe to turn around—and when it's not.

The indie developers at Frictional managed to create imaginative scares with a small budget and low production values, through sheer intelligent design. The sequel, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, is great as well, but the original takes the cake for psychological horror games.

Year it dropped: 2012

What makes it scary: Catching glimpses of the terror-inducing Slender Man.

Here's another indie game at the top of the list—is that because indie developers are able to take more risks on creative gameplay and unconventional scares? Ding ding, what is "yes."

The legend of The Slender Man dates back to—well, to not that long ago. But that doesn't make the long-limbed, suit-wearing, children-kidnapping demon any less scary, and the game tasks you with finding eight mysterious pages while he chases you through the woods. Your first glimpse of The Slender Man will likely leave you needing a change of pants. It's truly panic-inducing. But we both know you'll keep playing anyway.

What are your favorite horror games? What else should we have included on this list? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!