2022 has offered gamers plenty of scares in the horror genre, and with video game adaptations hitting screens big and small with films such as Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021) and the upcoming series The Last of Us (2023); there is a call for even more adaptations to enter the field. Here we will go over some of the best horror-themed video games to be released in the year of 2022 and envision what a film adaptation may look like. There are plenty of scares to be had, and some of these projects will include some heart-pumping action.
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6 Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong
Nacon
The team behind the Vampire: The Masquerade franchise has been working hard to see mainstream success for the tabletop roleplaying game. With multiple interactive novels having been released as well as the highly successful live-play series L.A By Night, many are clamoring for more adaptations. With the latest video game having received mixed reviews and entailing multiple endings for the three playable characters, there is certainly room for improvement when adapting the project.
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The story was strong throughout, with many finding Leysha’s tale of discovering whether her daughter was truly real or simply a symptom of her growing insanity to be the most compelling. The series never shies away from difficult conversations regarding equality and consent, so the storylines revolving around Emem & Galeb would also prove poignant.
5 The Quarry
2K Games
The team behind Until Dawn are back at it, this time with a game that plays as an ode to Friday the 13th (1980) and classic werewolf films. The Quarry has so many nods to classic horror tropes, and it was no surprise that the dev team added a movie mode into the game itself. This popular entry into the horror video games genre has led to high praise from critics. While there are seemingly endlessly different outcomes to the game, we would personally recommend using some of the most gruesome imagery for the more hardcore horror audiences out there. Including shots of werewolves tearing their victims apart, guns blasting into people at point-blank range, and seeing a classic yet gory ode to The Evil Dead (1987).
4 Madison
Bloodious Games/ Perpetual Games
Madison would feature a story of a young boy named Luca, receiving an instant camera for his birthday, and goes on a horrifying adventure after discovering that this camera is allowing him to come into contact with a man who had killed countless people over the course of 30 years. A film would see a young actor like Gaten Mazzerazo taking on the role of Luca and going on countless mind-bending journeys, including using the camera to help himself travel back in time and continue to unearth clues and Madison’s spirit finally rest in peace after seeking vengeance on the brutal killer.
3 As Dusk Falls
Xbox Game Studios
Another game with different possible outcomes, As Dusk Falls follows two families suffering from tragic circumstances and colliding on a path that will change their lives forever. While this isn’t a horror in the sense that monsters or demons are hiding around every corner, it does tackle heavy topics that modern-day cinema has begun to tackle seriously. With a take on the horrors of human beings, this could make for an excellent adaptation featuring robberies gone awry, difficult conversations, and potentially a number of senseless deaths brought about by violence and desperation.
2 The Mortuary Assistant
Dread XP
The Mortuary Assistant sees a focus on a prospective mortician learning their craft under a tutor who knows more than they’re letting on. While it can be hauntingly strange to work with the deceased, it appears that there may be enraged spirits residing within one of the bodies, and if the assistant doesn’t figure out how to exorcise the ghoul, there will be deadly consequences. A film adaptation could focus on a young character learning their craft as strange happenings grow in quantity every night, leading to them conducting research and realizing that they need to exorcise the ghouls, but first, they have to determine which body houses the spirit, all the while continuing to respect the dead and perform their duties, lest they enrage the spirits even more.
1 Cult of the Lamb
Devolver Digital
While Cult of the Lamb doesn’t come across as a horrifying game, the concept alone could be twisted into a terrifying story. We are introduced to a young lamb being prepped for slaughter so as to be a sacrifice to the gods. Being plucked from their grasp at the last second by another deity, this lamb would be gifted with unique abilities and use its charm and management skills to recruit cultists of their own.
A film could focus on this epic backstory as well as feature the lamb’s tale of growing its cult, expanding on how much more powerful the lamb becomes as its following grows. Featuring the epic boss battles of the lamb taking on the gods that seek the sacrifice that was once promised to them, this film could feature plenty of gore as well as epic battles that wouldn’t be out of place in a kaiju film.
