The Joyous Horrors to Come, DON’T BREATHE Poster Art, A Year of Queer Cocktails, and More!
In this Issue:
- Horror History: The Joyous Horrors to Come
- Image of the Week: In the Dark, the Blind Man is King
- Tiny Bites – This Week’s Best Horror Headlines
- Things We Love: A Year of Queer Cocktails
- Hey, That’s Us! – Shudder in the News
HORROR HISTORY
The Joyous Horrors to Come
By Jonathan Barkan
Horror gamers have never had it as good as they do now. With a seemingly endless amount of indie developers and major studios releasing one title after another, there is a bit of a glut for solid, interactive spooks and scares. Just like with horror movies, horror games can be hit or miss. Some offer something unique and exciting while others feel like the same old thing with a fresh coat of paint.
As we wrap up 2020, the depressing, awful, painful year that it’s been, it’s worth looking ahead to a few recently announced titles coming in 2021 and beyond that should provide gamers with countless hours of spook-tastic entertainment.
Evil Dead: The Game
Release Date: 2021
Platforms: PC and Consoles
The Evil Dead film franchise is one of the most consistently entertaining and bloody. We owe it our thanks for bringing us both the Necronomicon Ex Mortis and Ash Williams, the sharp-tongued, chainsaw-armed, shotgun-wielding anti-hero brought spectacularly to life by Bruce Campbell. But Evil Dead’s game history leaves much more to be desired. Several games have been released and none have left their mark. Boss Team Games and Sabre Interactive are hoping that things will be different next year with the release of Evil Dead: The Game.
A co-op and PVP game, the Games Awards world premiere trailer revealed Ash standing side-by-side with Ash vs Evil Dead’s Kelly Maxwell, Army of Darkness’ King Arthur, among other characters from the films. Over two years ago, Ray Santiago, Ash vs Evil Dead’s Pablo, stated that the Ghost Beaters, “…stick together in everything that we do.” It’s highly likely that the entire Ash vs Evil Dead team will be a part of the game in some way.
The Callisto Protocol
Release Date: 2022
Platforms: PC and Consoles
Ask any gamer about the stand-out horror titles from video game history and you’re bound to hear the name Dead Space. A sci-fi/horror franchise with two fantastic entries, Dead Space’s last outing was in 2013. Fans have been clamoring for publisher/owner EA to do something, anything, with the series, including HD remakes, a new title, and more. All they were met with was a deafening silence. Until now.
Hailing from the mind of Dead Space co-creator Glen Schofield, The Callisto Protocol is set on Jupiter’s moon Callisto where it seems like some sort of outpost or colony has encountered a very serious problem. Little else is known about the game but given Callisto’s substantially lower gravity, I’m guessing we’re going to see some low-grav action as well as some more of those “space vacuum” shenanigans we used to know and love.
While this isn’t an official new entry in the Dead Space series, it is, without a doubt, the next best thing. Altman be praised!
Back 4 Blood
Release Date: June 22nd, 2021
Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One
You can bring me all the asymmetrical horror games you want. Friday the 13th? Awesome. Dead by Daylight? Good times guaranteed. But nothing — NOTHING — comes close to the countless LAN and Xbox Live parties my friends and I sank into both Left 4 Dead games. While we preferred some maps over others, those nights never got old. As the years passed, I, my friends, and who knows how many other gamers have all been seeking a return to that fast-paced, zombie-shooting experience.
Much like how The Callisto Protocol isn’t Dead Space 4, Back 4 Blood isn’t Left 4 Dead 3 but that’s okay. It’s coming from the same dev team, so you know it’s going to have those fast-paced, high-octane thrills where four survivors have to face off against countless zombie hordes as well as those pesky special infected. I’m already charging up my controllers!
With these three titles to look forward to, horror gamers have a very bright future ahead. And with so many other incredible games on the horizon, there’s no shortage of interactive spooks and scares. Still, I found myself slightly disappointed as the award ceremony came to a close and my restless dreams went unseen. Ah well, there’s always hope.
Jonathan Barkan is a producer and acquisitions and distribution executive. He was the Managing Editor for Bloody-Disgusting and Dread Central’s Editor-in-Chief.
IMAGE OF THE WEEK
In the Dark, the Blind Man is King
Chris Barnes, artist and founder of Brutal Posters, shared this stunning poster of Fede Alverez’s Don’t Breathe and it’s definitely taken our breath away.
TINY BITES
BEST OF 2020, NIA DACOSTA, AND MORE
It’s that time of year again for the Best Of lists, so kick things of with TOR.com’s look at the best YA sci-fi, fantasy, and horror books of 2020.
Rolling Stone weighed on in the best horror movies of the year with cerebral titles like Koko-Di Koko-Da and our favourite pandemic-shot flick, Host.
After Midnight got a lot of love from Paste in their look at some of this year’s highlights…
… Harper’s Bazaar raved about other killer titles from 2020 like Spiral, Relic, and 32 Malasaña Street…
… and Slant joined them by including late entries like Hunter Hunter and The Dark and the Wicked.
Meanwhile, Rotten Tomatoes shared their ranked list based on the year’s reviews that solidifies what all of these lists highlight — His House was a 2020 standout.
If you’re looking for Christmas horror titles to keep you entertained this week, here are some ho-ho-horrificaly wicked suggestions.
Revisit Walt Disney World’s nightmare attraction from the 90s, ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter.
Megan Thee Stallion spoke to James Cordon about why horror is her favorite movie genre.
Inverse gushes about why they think Scream 2 is the best horror sequel ever made.
Director Nia DaCosta and writer Carmen Maria Machado spoke with Harper’s Bazaar about what we can learn from fear.
We got a new trailer for the upcoming horror film The Vigil which explores Jewish tradition and folklore alongside the horrors of demonology.
THINGS WE LOVE
A Year of Queer Cocktails
End the year right with this fantastic nerdy cocktail book from Harmony M Colangelo and the staff at the Side Quest Bar. They’ve got something for everyone. Try some of their spookier options like the Goth Girlfriend or make a Werebear in Manhattan. All proceeds directly benefit the Side Quest staff who lost income due to the pandemic.
HEY, THAT’S US! – SHUDDER IN THE NEWS
A Creepshow Holiday Special Trailer Released by Shudder
A Creepshow Holiday Special (Shudder) review – monster slasher fun
Joe Bob Saves Christmas As Only Joe Bob Can
Anything for Jackson: An impressive ‘anti-Christmas’ movie
What’s It Like to Make a Movie During the Pandemic?