Here Are 10 Underrated Horror Video Games That Deserve a Series Adaptation

With adaptations recently made for acclaimed video game franchises like The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Sonic the Hedgehog 1 & 2, The Last of Us, and Fallout, there is clearly a demand for more video game adaptions that take into account atmosphere and quality. Unfortunately, even with this new wave of successful adaptations, there is still a lack of franchises and games, specifically in the horror genre, that have received such adaptations.

Historically, with adaptations like the Resident Evil franchise and Doom, fans find that they don’t remotely capture the scope of the plots, they fail to capture beloved characters and pivotal moments, or they rely on action more than narrative content. Thankfully, The Last of Us and Fallout have brought a reputation and extremely high standard to the genre of horror game adaptations. Their success has made an immense amount of headway for more underrated and under-appreciated horror games. Listed are a variety of underrated franchises and video games that have the ability to make compelling series adaptations with their unique use and subversion of plot structure, environmental/character design, and tropes.

10 Alice: Madness Returns

Alice: Madness Returns, the sequel in the Alice franchise, directed by American McGee, takes place after Alice is released from her asylum treatment. Though Alice believes she is cured of her taunting and bloody hallucinations of Wonderland, these episodes of the Infernal Train corrupting her Wonderland continue. Alice: Madness Returns deeply explores Alice’s trauma as she seeks the truth behind her haunted visions, as well as the trauma brought on by Dr. Bramby’s secrets at the orphanage she now belongs to.

Alice: Madness Returns’s Use of Psychological Horror Makes For Perfect TV

The heaviness of Alice’s life offers a compelling look into historical and medical misogyny in the 19th century, but it still retains the whimsicality of a child’s imagination. The resulting contrast is a terrifying depiction, revealing just how underrated the Alice franchise is. In contrast to the naive Alice that goes through the realities of growing up in Lewis Carroll’s original story, the version of Alice in Madness Returns demands the peace and innocence she should have had throughout her childhood. Defying the expectations of Lewis Carroll’s Alice and other screen versions, a series adaptation would confront the reason her real life horrors have taken over her Wonderland, and it would follow her as she gains agency over her own mind.

Alice: Madness Returns is largely a psychological journey and a fantasy-inspired story, rather than having a lot of sci-fi and action components that are already widespread in video game adaptations. Moreover, because of the unexpected cancelation of the third installment of American McGee’s Alice, an opportunity to revive and give closure to Alice’s story would make it deserving of a series adaptation.

9 Siren

Developed by Japan Studio and directed by Keiichiro Toyama, Siren is an underrated horror game that follows the story of ten villagers as they try to escape Datasushi, an evil spirit that holds a blood curse over the town. The characters navigate their own personal tragedies and survival as Datasushi continuously tempts the villagers to become corpse-like Shibito, people who have gone into the spirit’s red water.

Siren’s Imagery and Structure Would Create an Amazing Series

Like Keiichiro Toyama’s atmosphere-based game, Silent Hill, Siren is a non-linear story that investigates grief and purgatory. Because Siren already has an episodic nature, a series that further explores the similarities and differences between the villagers as they try to survive Datasushi’s reign would add to the game’s already mind-bending structure. Along with the plot of Siren, the game’s imagery is intense and staggering, as the undead Shibito cry red tears while they try to possess the surviving villagers. The overall complexity of Siren‘s plot and the visceral imagery makes the horror game undoubtedly a great candidate for a series adaptation.

8 Until Dawn

Until Dawn is a choice-based horror game that completely subverts the “Cabin Fever” and isolation tropes and gives insight into a group of heavily-flawed teens suddenly immersed in cold desolation and terror. With players being able to negatively or positively mold characters into whichever way they choose, Until Dawn provides a variety of hefty storylines and endings that are worth exploring and adapting into a series.

Until Dawn’s Unique Storytelling Would Engage TV Audiences

Though the game is receiving an upcoming film adaptation, Until Dawn‘s emphasis on the “butterfly effect” is essential to its themes, and a shorter film adaptation would be a disservice to the overall story. Until Dawn would also be better suited as a series due to the way it is already broken up by Alan, the psychologist, as he analyzes the states of the characters and the decisions they have made. A series would allow plenty of time to explore the game’s impressively commanding aesthetic and foundation.

The teens completely isolated and prone to cannibalistic wendigos and the harshness of the icy Canadian Rockies is a thrilling concept. Not only does the group have to worry about supernatural horrors, but also the tensions that arise from the decisions that the players make in split-second moments. This combination makes Until Dawn a deceptively heavy look into psychology and supernatural folklore. With such strong characterization, visuals, and plot design, Until Dawn is very much deserving of a series adaptation, where it would be able to take its time in fully exploring old and new plotlines.

7 Silent Hill 1

Though Silent Hill has received and is receiving further adaptations, and Silent Hill 2 is deserving of a series adaptation, Silent Hill still remains an underrated horror game among newer fans of the franchise, as the film adaption doesn’t retain the same characters or plotlines. Created by Team Silent and Konami, Silent Hill takes the perspective of Harry Mason as he searches for his lost daughter, Cheryl. Like Silent Hill 2, the atmosphere and character design itself is worthy of a series adaptation.

Silent Hill’s Atmosphere Is Great For TV

With a soundtrack by Akira Yamaoka, Silent Hill perfectly captures the deprivation of the town and its unknowingly possessed citizens. For instance, Lisa Garland’s devastating origin, in contrast with her happy disposition and aspirations of fame, is just one of the tragic stories of the town outside of Harry Mason’s journey. Though the game has technically been adapted, the film was not able to balance the scope of the story or remain truthful to the original plot. The 2006 film manages to capture the aesthetic, but it still misses the emotional weight that Silent Hill was praised for. With consistent strong and disturbing imagery and a script that doesn’t exhaust dialogue, an authentic Silent Hill series adaptation of the original game and concept would be able to have the time to nail down its brilliant themes of memory and loss.

6 Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Made by Frictional Games, Amnesia: The Dark Descent follows Daniel, a man who is suffering from self-inflicted memory loss. Daniel explores the nightmarish Brennenburg castle in search of his past and his sanity. By the manipulation of the Baron, Alexander, Daniel goes to any length to try and end his torment and reveal his old life to himself.

The Complexity of Amnesia Is Perfect For a Series

Though dark academic aesthetics are common in the horror genre, the haunted nature of Brennenburg castle and the abominations that live in it, Amnesia: The Dark Descent offers a far more fantastical take on classic horror games. A deadly and fleshy “Shadow” spreads and follows Daniel as his sanity depletes, and undead Gatherers hunt for living creatures to put in their burlap sacks as they stalk the halls. Sanity as a mechanic in the game also allows Amnesia to depart from other stories about haunted buildings, as Daniel’s loss of sanity spirals the game into further, but real horrors, as the mutants know how to adapt to his state. The appeal of this game as a series also lies in whether the mangling horrors of Brennenburg castle were ever as horrifying as Daniel’s stifled memories.

5 Outlast

Outlast, developed by Red Barrels, is an underrated first-person horror game that follows investigative journalist, Miles Upshur. Miles is tasked with exploring an abandoned asylum. Here, he finds mutated people that are a part of a much more sinister plot. Players have to navigate the asylum, escape mutated and sentient humanoids, and collect evidence that reveals this was military experimentation all along by the major corporation, Murkoff.

Outlast’s Political Take on Horror Would Be Gripping TV

This historical drama, horror, and mystery masterpiece departs from other games and adaptations by making a lot of its mutants completely sentient, albeit aggressive, murderous, and unpredictable. The inclusion of this wide array of personalities would prove to be an interesting series adaptation, as it isn’t just Miles against mindless evils that many other franchises fall into. This leaves Miles with the job of both evading danger and gathering evidence from the mutants and the asylum that is largely out to kill him. With no lights, all of this investigation is conducted on a night-vision camcorder, creating an interesting, but creative limitation. The opportunities to experiment with genre, visuals, and character design in this surprisingly politically relevant drama would make Outlast deserving of its own series.

4 Left 4 Dead 2

Though Left 4 Dead 2 is not as vast in its plot and gameplay as the other games on the list, Left 4 Dead 2‘s use of environment and monster design is what makes this an appealing and definitely underrated candidate for a series adaptation. Developed by Valve, the video game focuses on four new survivors as they violently make their way through a zombie pandemic.

Left 4 Dead 2’s Design and Comedic Timing Is Great For a Series

Valve’s creation of distinct and terrifying zombies like the Smoker, Hunter, Boomer, Witch, and Tank, make this an unpredictable and tense game, and it left a lasting influence on the zombie game genre, notably the Last of Us‘s use of diverse zombie types. Each of the “species” in Left 4 Dead 2 has their own abilities and weaknesses, creating a powerful notion of strategy and cooperation with teammates. Having such an open plot after the initial introduction and character blurbs gives Left 4 Dead 2 endless opportunities for new character developments and storylines. Though not as emotionally morose as The Walking Dead and The Last of Us, Left 4 Dead 2 has the potential to have an almost satirical series by staying true to its origins and depicting realistically outlandish characters who have to make do with what has happened to them. With the game’s focus on co-op gameplay, a meaningful, but funny commentary on the zombie genre could easily be crafted into an appealing series.

3 Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly

Considered by many avid gamers to be one of the scariest games ever created, Tecmo’s Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly is the second installment to the original Fatal Frame. The first Fatal Frame video game left many players unable to finish the story; therefore, Tecmo released a more palatable, but equally traumatic gaming experience. With a more story-driven focus, Crimson Butterfly accompanies Mio and Mayu, twin sisters who find themselves being hunted by the spirit of Sae Kurosawa after visiting an abandoned place that used to be their favorite childhood spot. Sae Kurosawa is relentless in her hunt, as she was a twin and a victim of the ritual. Sae believes Mio is her sister, and she wishes to use Mayu in the ancient ritual in order to reunite with her twin.

Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly’s Moral Dilemmas Are Perfect For TV

The aspect of sisterhood and tradition in Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly, would be extremely heavy and powerful themes that could be adapted into a series. Along with the weight of sisterhood, the game also shows that not all stereotypically scary things are evil, as many of the horrifying spirits are grieving or looking for something. For instance, Itsuki, another spirit of the failed ritual, doesn’t want Mio and Mayu to suffer like he did with the loss of his brother. Itsuki’s grief manifests in a completely different way than Sae’s as he helps guide the twins out of danger. A Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly series that retains its controversial qualities, Japanese horror influence, and reveals the humanity within the haunted town has the makings to become a cult classic.

2 I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream

I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream is an incredibly underrated game based on a sci-fi short story by the acclaimed Harlan Ellison. The video game reveals the torturous lives of the last humans on Earth at the hands of Allied Mastercomputer, or AM. Beyond AM, the thoughtful design of characters like Ted, Ellen, Nimdok, Gorrister, and Benny reveals the good and bad of human nature as they try to defeat their captor.

I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream’s “AM” Would Be an Amazing TV Antagonist

There is a lot of potential for a series adaptation based on the game’s use of disfiguration and fear to reflect the “innate” selfishness of humans, and what AM believes is their inability to appreciate their own rarity. Additionally, due to AI’s growing influence, a series depicting the consequences of uncontrolled technology in I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream would prove to be a harrowing reflection on today’s dependence on AI. What also makes the story unique is that there is a massive amount of empathy gained for AM as well. Though Allied Mastercomputer is the antagonist in the story, his torment from not being able to feel anything is almost comparable to the suffering of the humans he keeps. A series that could show the dangers of AI, while also showing sympathy towards the technology humans have created and influenced, would make for an incredibly intriguing series that stands out against other dystopian and sci-fi horror franchises.

1 Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, developed by Silicon Knights, (who also developed Twin Snakes, a well known Metal Gear Solid game) is an underrated psychological horror game that spans generations and historical figures. The game tracks individuals throughout history that find themselves against an evil ancient power, Pious Augustus, who serves as the main antagonist of the game. The protagonist, Alex Roivas, finds an ancient tome during the investigation of her grandfather’s death. After finding it, Alex Roivas unintentionally becomes the new individual that must fight against Pious in order to save humanity.

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem’s Use of History and Horror Would Create a Chilling Series

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem is a particularly unique combination of global ancient history and horror. Each of the twelve diverse and playable characters finds themselves inexplicably connected by this evil deity across time. This concept and the games’ use of history as a driving force in the narrative, would absolutely create an engaging and sobering series. Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem‘s ability to cover history, the divine, and the supernatural would result in a thrilling series adaptation that could episodically explore the lives of the characters.