A Game Based On John Carpenter's Halloween Poses A Tricky Question In The Horror Genre

As a lifelong fan of horror and gaming, I can hardly contain my excitement for John Carpenter’s return to Halloween, not just as a director, but as a game developer too! With his extensive experience in both fields, it’s like having the keys to the kingdom of horror and I can’t wait to see what he’ll cook up.


As a die-hard fan, I can hardly contain my excitement! The legendary John Carpenter, renowned for his gaming prowess and chilling contributions to horror cinema (particularly the iconic 1978 Halloween film), is stepping back into the world he helped create. But this time, he’s trading his director’s chair for a controller. In an exciting turn of events, Carpenter has partnered with Boss Team, developers of the 2022 Evil Dead game, to breathe new life into Halloween as not one, but two terrifying video games!

Despite limited information available about both games, the studio hinted that players can reexperience scenes from the movie and control popular characters from a legendary and influential horror film. Additionally, the developers disclosed that one of the games is under construction using Unreal Engine 5 and is currently in its initial stages of development.

As a fervent enthusiast, it appears that this might be the larger of the two upcoming ventures, and it seems we’re looking at quite a wait until its release. Given the current trend, it’s reasonable to speculate that this could be an asymmetrical horror multiplayer game, considering how IP holders are keen on expanding into gaming, especially in popular genres like this one. With years ahead before its launch, the team has ample time to tackle what seems to be their most pressing challenge: determining the best approach for this game.

Considering the existing popularity of the Friday The 13th series, what makes a Halloween game stand out among its peers?

As a devoted fan of asymmetrical horror games, I’ve been immersing myself in them, playing them to the fullest extent. Over at TopMob, I’ve taken on the task of reviewing the latest additions to this exciting genre, such as Evil Dead, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Killer Klowns From Outer Space. If you search around, you can read my thoughts on Friday The 13th as well. Each game offers unique elements and a distinct taste of player versus player terror.

As a gamer diving into these horror classics, I’ve found that each one offers a unique twist: In Evil Dead, I get to possess various entities, each with distinct powers to thwart the survivors’ plans. Texas Chain Saw Massacre sticks close to the original movie’s sinister family of killers, setting up an intriguing 4v3 dynamic. Killer Klowns lets me fight back more than any other game in its genre. Each one has a standout feature. Is there something special about Halloween too?

I can’t help but feel energized whenever a fresh installment of these games appears. It’s heartening to observe that the license owners recognize the potential in creating new content, and they’re entrusting their Intellectual Properties to talented studios to transform them into immersive horror games based on iconic horror films. Due to my eagerness, I’ve spent a considerable amount of time envisioning future horror franchises being adapted into games, trying to imagine what these adaptations might look like.

Example: The movie “A Nightmare on Elm Street” captures players in a continuous nightmare, where they can be both victims and potentially Dream Warriors, just like in the films. This makes adapting the series into video games an easy fit. My preferred horror franchise, Scream, stands out due to its mystery element – who the killer is. Integrating this mystery within a multiplayer PvP horror game could lead to a hidden-role game similar to Among Us but with a horror twist. Even the “Child’s Play” series could explore the size difference between the killer and his victims by designing elaborate multiplayer maps.

But Halloween… Halloween is tricky.

It seems to me that while Michael Myors is indeed impressive, the series struggles to distinguish itself from Friday the 13th when it comes to gameplay, as both feature a tall, supernaturally resilient masked maniac with a penchant for wielding large sharp objects and stalking teenagers. Could there be something unique about Michael Myors that sets him apart from Jason Voorhees in video games?

As a devoted gamer, I can’t help but share my thoughts about the upcoming shift in setting from a summer camp to a suburban neighborhood. For diehard fans of both series, it’s undeniably exciting to witness our beloved characters spring to life, even if they’re not exactly as we know them. However, when it comes to video games, isn’t this scenario somewhat familiar? It’s amusing how, in the cinematic universe, Halloween preceded Friday the 13th by two years, but now, after so many decades, it seems like Michael Myers is trying to follow in Jason Voorhees’ footsteps.

While my questions may not necessarily be criticisms, there are still reasons to remain enthusiastic. For instance, at present, a Halloween-themed game can only be experienced through Dead by Daylight (DBD). Although DBD offers distinct skill sets for each of its killers, such as Michael Myers, the gameplay remains consistent: players collaborate to activate cumbersome generators and escape from a map before being sacrificed to The Entity, the central antagonist. This contradicts the narrative logic of the Halloween series–even though Halloween 6 veered off course into a similarly cultish storyline of its own.

Custom-made horror games such as Texas Chain Saw Massacre create unique worlds tailored specifically for each franchise, setting them apart. This is an area where Dead by Daylight falls short, even though it dominates the genre. As a passionate horror enthusiast, I must confess that I would love to witness individual installments for each slasher icon in their own game someday.

A Game Based On John Carpenter's Halloween Poses A Tricky Question In The Horror Genre

In essence, the Friday The 13th game was forced to close due to licensing problems outside of the creators’ jurisdiction. For now, player-versus-player matchmaking remains functional, but it doesn’t offer a satisfactory gaming experience and it’s uncertain how long this will last. As a result, it seems that a Halloween game bearing resemblance to Friday The 13th might be acceptable given that we find ourselves in a world where the unique gaming experience provided by Friday The 13th has essentially been taken away from us.

To conclude, let’s talk about Carpenter, the creator himself. Unlike other recent asymmetrical horror games, where the creators have been involved to some extent, these creators are not known for being avid gamers. Instead, they’ve been kept updated on the game’s progress or offered insights into their original works that developers can use to create an interactive experience. They’ve delegated their properties to skilled teams like Gun Media and Illfonic, a smart move in business terms. However, Carpenter is a true gaming enthusiast, which I believe gives the game a distinctive flavor as he not only created the film but also understands video games from a design perspective.

As a long-time fan of John Carpenter’s iconic horror films, I can’t help but feel thrilled about the upcoming Halloween video games that he is reportedly deeply involved in. With his extensive background in filmmaking and his evident passion for gaming, it seems only fitting that Carpenter would take a hands-on approach to these projects.

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2024-08-13 00:10