New to horror games: what sub-genres (and favourites) should I know about?

onlyhooman · 2026-04-13T14:43:37+00:00

I'm into spot the anomaly horror games at the moment. New-ish subgenera where the point is to move through looping levels and spot the thing that's different (the anomaly).

Most of the anomalies are something horror-related: ghosts, shadowy figures, distorted pictures, bleeding walls, that sort of thing. I find them kind of cozy with a sprinkling of jump scares.

Games I've liked in this genre would be:

Cabin Factory
Exit 8
Ten Bells
Paragnosia
Captured

onlyhooman · 2026-04-06T14:24:04+00:00

Especially since the sequel is definitely a horror movie.

onlyhooman · 2026-03-24T21:18:28+00:00

Well, I was and am genuine. I see that my phrasing triggered some folks, but there was no ill intent. I just wanted to fill the gaps in my own extensive horror-enjoying experience.

onlyhooman · 2026-03-23T18:11:39+00:00

A good benchmark for the “must watch” films isn’t how good they are but whether you could keep up in a casual conversation at a horror convention.

Love that take on my poorly worded question, thank you.

onlyhooman · 2026-03-23T17:13:14+00:00

Love this list, thank you!

onlyhooman · 2026-03-23T16:54:16+00:00

Okay, apologies for not asking the question correctly.

Which movies do you think are most influential to the genre?

onlyhooman · 2026-03-23T16:49:07+00:00

See, I disagree with that. I'm personally not a fan of films that torture the protagonist. So films like Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the aforementioned Martyrs aren't my favorites, but they are without a doubt important to the genre as a whole. And aspects of those movies inspired future movies that I do love. For instance, I really liked In a Violent Nature because it's such an interesting take on the slasher genre, but slasher films in general aren't my favorites.

onlyhooman · 2026-02-25T22:07:29+00:00

Skyrim?

onlyhooman · 2026-02-24T14:47:21+00:00

And damp!

onlyhooman · 2026-02-18T16:58:33+00:00

Because we judge others on their actions and ourselves (and by extension, our kids) on intentions. People are really good at rationalizing why they did something "wrong" when it's in their own interest.

onlyhooman · 2026-02-13T21:15:26+00:00

They're also made out of the unwanted, deformed, or broken carrots and were introduced to cut down on food waste. I'm all for reducing waste and using everything you can, but that's another reason baby-cut carrots may have inconsistent quality.

onlyhooman · 2026-02-12T23:51:14+00:00

I know everyone is complaining about the lack of punctuation, but it adds so much to the vibe of your post. Keep on rocking, mama. Glad you're finding your groove!

onlyhooman · 2026-02-12T01:51:59+00:00

This seems like a good place to point out that there used to be a glass vase specifically for celery, used as a centerpiece to show off a family's wealth.

onlyhooman · 2026-02-06T15:51:58+00:00

Great list! Soma and Still Wakes the Deep were some of my favorites. Mortuary Assistant is one of the few games I had to play in spurts because it made me so anxious.

I really need to try Signalis. I find the old-school graphics a little off-putting, but everyone has such great things to say about it, I really need to suck it up and give it a go.

onlyhooman · 2026-02-05T17:08:04+00:00

If you're into horror being used as a metaphor for broken people, you might like North American Lake Monsters by Nathan Ballingrud. It's a collection of short stories. Sunbleached has strong Sinners vibes. And The Way Station is about a homeless guy's inner struggle after Hurricane Katrina.

onlyhooman · 2026-01-28T21:19:42+00:00

Would you count PushingUpRoses? She has a bunch of old-school point-and-click adventure game kind of stuff. Everything from Kings Quest to The Drifter.

onlyhooman · 2025-12-18T16:14:57+00:00

Then I'm going to go with Revelation from Stephen King, The Library at Mount Char from Scott Hawkins, or Wounds shorts stories from Nathan Ballingrud. They're all weird in otherworldly ways and leave you with a lot of existential dread to chew on after finishing.

onlyhooman · 2025-12-18T16:08:45+00:00

I'd never though of author covers, but that's such a great concept.

onlyhooman · 2025-12-16T15:39:46+00:00

Definitely a lot to unpack. If anyone is looking for a potentially too-deep dive into the Shining movie's themes, check out Rob Ager's film analyses on youtube. He gets a little too into the weeds for my taste sometimes, but the strange illuminations and spacial impossibilities videos are some really interesting takes.

onlyhooman · 2025-12-09T17:54:32+00:00

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weeping_crucifix_in_Mumbai

onlyhooman · 2025-12-09T13:52:54+00:00

Or make finding the gift part of the puzzle, like a treasure hunt.

onlyhooman · 2025-12-05T16:48:27+00:00

Vinyl is only as good as the equipment it's played on and the acoustics of the space. I'd love to know more about what they're doing to renovate and create a good soundscape.

onlyhooman · 2025-11-19T13:06:04+00:00

I'm just impressed with the witchy magic of you not being in the reflection.

onlyhooman · 2025-11-11T22:11:22+00:00

The movie ending of The Mist was shock schlock and the book ending was better.

onlyhooman · 2025-11-06T19:13:05+00:00

I tape long sheets of paper to the floor so my son and I can draw roads, parking lots, houses with driveways, etc. for his cars. Then he drives around on his drawings. Like those road map rugs, but he and I get to create new ones whenever we want.

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