I’m writing about a bunch of places I would never want to go to.
I can handle scary games, but I don’t do well with haunted houses. Ever since I was a kid and had some weird guy shove a fake chain saw in my face (how is a 5 year old supposed to understand that?), I’ve never been able to willingly offer myself as a target for terrorizing. Still, even I’m curious as to what a haunted house would look like with a gaming theme.
Some of the biggest horror games have come to life thanks to the wonders of theme-park engineering. Below, we look at these creative (but terrifying, so please keep me away) creations.
Resident Evil
Halloween Horror Nights 2013 at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla.
The Universal Studios theme park in Orlando always creates some intense haunted houses during its Horror Nights events, but It bases most of them on classic, scary movies. However, Resident Evil (likely the most recognizable horror series in gaming) got its own Horror Nights attraction. It even features people dressed up like series heroes Leon Kennedy and Jill Valentine.
Silent Hill
Halloween Horror Nights 2012 at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla.
After Resident Evil, Silent Hill is arguably the most well-known horror franchise in video games. A year before Universal Studios brought Resident Evil to life, Halloween Horror Nights 2012 actually featured a Silent Hill-themed haunted mouse. Helloooooo, nurse!
The Evil Within
Fright Nights 2014 at Warner Bros. Movie World in Gold Coast, Australia
The Evil Within is a much newer game than Resident Evil and Silent Hill (it just came out this month for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC), but it already has its own real-life attraction. The Evil Within maze is currently open in the Austrailian theme park Warner Bros. Movie World. Maybe I should talk my bosses into expensing a trip for my mom and I to go there.
Richard Garriott’s Britannia Manor
Austin, Texas
OK, this one isn’t necessary themed to a game, but it has a connection with the industry. Britannia Manor used to be the home of famed game developer Richard Garriott (he created the Ultima series, one of the foundations of role-playing games). As you can see, it housed a lot of … interesting items. Seriously, I don’t think that Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion even has this much weird stuff.