Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Video Game Horrors! The Merging of Horror Movies & Video Games



Back in the '80s & '90s the video game industry was still fairly new, and eager to try every merchandising/licensing avenue under the sun. Atari, Commodore 64, and Nintendo were soon releasing a slew of games based off of movies, ranging from Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars, Batman, E.T., Godzilla, and too many more to possibly name.

Perhaps the strangest outcropping of games however, were the horror-based ones...




Two of the first horror movie-themed video games were Atari's Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween.

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE




The Texas Chainsaw Massacre differed from many future horror games by not having the player assume the role of victim, instead giving the player complete control of Leatherface as he hunts people down with his chainsaw. 

HALLOWEEN




Atari's Halloween game gives players control of Laurie Strode as she tries to escape the knife-wielding Michael Myers. Though not a very complex game (visually or gameplay-wise) it was one of the first popular horror properties to be licensed to the video game medium.

Commodore 64 would be next to try their hand at horror games with A Nightmare On Elm Street.

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET




Perhaps the most well known of the early horror games was Nintendo's Friday The 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street.

FRIDAY THE 13TH





A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET






  

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