The best atypical horror films

Horror is almost always about the atypical; things that aren't usual or normal, like the living dead, a building or city with agency, or someone who sees things that others don't. However, as with any genre – almost by definition through being part of a genre – tropes and expectations begin to form. Familiarity breeds comfort and convenience, and fulfilled expectations are the antithesis of a good horror film.

One of the most important aspects of strong horror is the surprising and unexpected, and while many great horror games follow tried-and-true recipes like survival horror gameplay tropes, some of the most memorable are also created by breaking with tradition. Some have even created their own unique gameplay, denying players the comfort of familiarity. It's not always the scariest horror games out there, or even the best, but it delivers memorable experiences that keep players engaged and thought-provoking that a more standardized experience wouldn't.

10 Carrion

Many mouths and must feed

While quite a few multiplayer games – such as Dead by Daylight or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre – Let the player take on the role of a slasher, not often used in single player horror games, much less when the killer the player controls is a fleshy mass of tentacles. However, in Carrionthis is exactly the case.

Basically a grotesque murder puzzle game with the primary objective of escaping from a laboratory containing creatures. Carrion is a fun short experience, memorable for its clever central concept, if a little rough around the edges.

9 Catherine

Relationships and Block Tower Puzzles In A Bar In Space

It's funny how Catherine makes itself one of the most bizarre horror games in many ways, but the central theme and narrative is disarmingly normal, relationships and devotion. The story follows the protagonist Vincent, who is in a long-term relationship with Katherine, but the stability of his life is shaken by the introduction Catherinea young woman he just can't stay away from.

There are also a lot of less normal elements, such as a spatial environment, a nightmare puzzle game, and a lot of information about alcohol.

8 PT

Cyclical terror

For sure at that time PT came out, it was a unique experience with so many scary ideas that have since been tweaked by horror hopefuls that it can now seem like a very tropey experience. However, the short looping corridor with all its variables and its abstract horror vibe has played a huge role in paving the way for many video game horror stories since then.

A disadvantage PT is that in the second half the horror really goes down and the repetition goes up, which is understandable since this was supposed to be a complex parseable teaser for the – now long since canceled – Silent Hillsbut it disrupts the memory of the experience as a whole.

7 Stories untold

Nothing like reading a good adventure text

A series of short horror stories with a hidden connection, all set as text-based adventures. Stories untold it takes horror games back to their most basic form and uses just a little bit of modern ingenuity to help develop the atmosphere and meta-story.

You can see not only what makes a story scary, but also how giving the player agency in the telling can make for a much more unnerving experience.

6 Immortality

Do you like scary movies?

IN ImmortalityThe player is given malfunctioning footage from the filming of three feature films and is tasked with uncovering the story behind the scenes. Fantastically acted and written, these clips carry an underlying creepiness right from the start.

Another secret gameplay feature revolves around finding hidden moments in clips, which requires changing the speed or watching them backwards. It's impressive to realize how much care has gone into making all of these clips work not only as simple viewing, but they become extremely unsettling when watched backwards or with distorted audio and waiting for the moment when the unknown changes.

5 Paratopic

Short stylish spooky sequences

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S

Issued by: March 12, 2018

Developers: Any metric

Paratopic is a very short game, only taking 40 minutes to an hour to complete, but in that short span there are three different characters, each with their own varied gameplay, and between which the narrative switches with stylish abrupt cuts.

For a narrative that is quite difficult to follow at first, Paratopic proves that even a muddled story, if paced right, can be incredibly engrossing. It definitely follows the all killer no filler ethos and requires at least a few explorations to uncover the many hidden details.

4 Prohibited siren

Observe Through the Eyes of the Enemy

Unique hiding ability Siren games where the player is able to see through the eyes of the Shibits hunting them is what elevated the game Siren series from memorable to memorable part of the video game horror cannon.

Nothing beats the experience of thinking you're hidden before using your sight and seeing an enemy sneak up on you with their own eyes. A horror moment that can only be fully appreciated in the interactive medium for which it was intended.

3 The world of horror

The Marriage of Manga and Lovecraft

Heavily inspired by the works of Junji Ito and proudly wears his inspiration, The world of horror plays like an anthology of scary stories. Rougelit with a great narrative, where there is another selection of short horror stories for you to try and survive. The larger goal is to ascend the lighthouse on the outskirts of town and hopefully stop the madness plaguing Shiokawa.

With different companions, stories, characters, and encounters, there is a huge variety of paths the game can take, giving it great replay value and keeping the tension going with the changes that occur.

2 Encryption

A high stakes card game

The deck-building card game is definitely not the type to put on a horror game, and yet it's undeniably very effective thanks to the atmosphere that's created and the surprisingly deep story that slowly builds throughout the game. the game. It cleverly moves between different sub-genres of horror as the player progresses, confusing expectations on many occasions

Not only is it Encryption scary, but it's also hilarious and incredibly moving and sad at times. Meta stories are something of a specialty for Daniel Mullins, but also among his existing stories Encryption it feels like something special.

1 Iron lungs

Deep horror

There's a lot going on for such a short and literally closed game Iron lungs. The player controls a nameless unfortunate stuck in a small dilapidated submarine tasked with exploring the depths of the bloody ocean on the surface of the moon. Already a brilliantly unique setup, but then comes the real horror. The submarine has zero visibility except for images taken by an external camera.

It's an excellent game loop that never loses its atmosphere. Use the four buttons to travel on the ocean floor using the X and Y axis, be scared by the excellent sound that only hints at what might be hidden behind the walls of the submarine, reach the destination and with great fear click and take a picture and see what is outside Awe-inspiring brilliance.