Popular horror game series Layers of Fear and Layers of Fear 2 are deeply horrifying. In the first game, the player walks around as an unknown character who seemingly has connections to the ghosts that haunt the house. This game was loosely inspired by the popular horror teaser, P.T., and so features encounter after encounter, as though the player is walking through a horrifying story in which they cannot die.
In Layers of Fear 2, the player has to solve puzzles and escape monsters as they are chased across a haunted ship. Layers of Fear 2 has the option for players to play the game as the first, where it is more story-driven, or they can choose the more violent option where the monsters can kill. While this adds a horrifying element to the game, the first Layers of Fear is widely considered to be the scarier of the two.
Mannequin Chase
In Layers of Fear 2, there are a number of chase scenes in which the monsters run after the player, forcing players to run away or hide or be killed. One of the spookiest ones comes towards the end of the game.
The player is walking around a maze of black mannequins that move just out of the corner of the player's eyes. The setting is already scary enough, but once the monster begins the chase, panic rises as the players have to maneuver around the mannequins to escape the monster.
The Shadow On The Wall
Layers of Fear is filled with atmospheric horror and shadows of ghosts on the wall are no exception. There is a room that the player enters with a large upside-down painting above a fireplace.
Once the player enters, the door behind them closes and lightning flashes to reveal the shadow of the woman against the wall, as though she is walking directly next to you her footsteps sounding heavy, all while her sobbing gets louder and louder and the music gets more intense. But, with another flash of light, everything returns to normal.
Slamming The Door
This one is a quicky, but a huge jumpscare nonetheless. After walking through corridor after corridor, the player will find themselves in a room with the light overhead flashing on and off. There are words written on the walls that say "Restless Memories."
There is only one door in this room, and, the moment the player opens it, a loud groan takes over the sound, and players can see a ghostly figure with their intestines sticking out, just before shutting it closed on the player. The player is then left in a pitch-black room with only the sound of broken glass.
The Babydoll Labrynth
In the first game, during the child's quest, there is a scene where the player gets locked within a labyrinth of seance rooms. They will go from room to room, and, each time, the one they came from will be locked, and a new door will lead to a room that looks exactly the same.
The room has one small table and a candelabra, with books scattered around the floor. Around the third or fourth time around, both doors will be locked, and the player will get a spooky cut scene of hairless babydoll heads floating in the air while the laugh of a little girl fills the room.
Chase Through The Garden Labyrinth
One of the scariest chase scenes in Layers of Fear 2 happens in the third act, which is set within the garden labyrinth. The monster travels around the garden like a wave, and the moment it comes in contact with the player, they die.
The trick is to hide within special cut-outs throughout the garden to avoid being seen. The deeper the player goes, the more shipyard-like the setting becomes. This sequence is definitely adrenaline pumping, as the players must figure out how to survive.
Monster Chase On The Black & White Ship
Here's another chase scene from the sequel, and this is actually one of the first. This scene takes place while the player is running around in what looks like the lower decks of an old-timey ship. Everything is in black and white, and players are urged to run from room to room, opening and closing doors as they go to escape the monster.
Each room is seemingly terrifying, with moving mannequins and curtains that could hiding who knows what. The anxiety of this sequence is sure to reach the player as they run for their life.
Hallway Ghost
In the first Layers of Fear, there are a ton of scenes where ghosts linger in the hallways, but two of those scenes stand out compared to the rest. In the first, the players will be walking down a long hallway when a flash of light suddenly shows the ghost, crying in the middle of the room. The door behind them is locked, and there is only one exit, which sits behind her.
Players have to muster up the courage to walk toward the ghost in a horrifying game of chicken. In the other scene, players are again walking down a hallway with three doors, when the ghost exits one and crosses the hall into the next. The player then goes through each door and sees that the only room with anything is the one that was sitting right beyond her path.
The Parlor Room
One of the biggest jump scares of the first game also happens to be one of the first. As the player enters the parlor room in the house, a painting changes from the portrait of a man to a massive hole with only a hand resting out of it.
The player has to look behind them to continue, but, the moment they do, they see everything in the room suspended in the air just before it all slams down to the ground. This scene is deeply reminiscent of ghostly horror movies and is actually incredibly scary.
Don't Look Back
This jumpscare is pretty much ripped directly from the game's source material, P.T. After a mini jump scare of the wind blowing a curtain in front of the player's face, they'll see newly written words atop the door they are trying to get through that reads "Don't Look Back."
Of course, the player will look back, and... there she is. The ghost will yell and grab the player who finally gets to see her disfigured face up close causing a huge jumpscare. Apparently, if the player doesn't look back like the game says, they will receive an achievement. But, where is the fun in that?
Music Box
In the climactic finale of the child's run, the player will enter the bedroom and interact with a light-up music box that puts fun shapes all over the walls. The player's vision will then be manipulated by the music box for one of the most horrifying scenes.
The more the music box spins, the darker and scarier things become. Toys begin moving on their own, the window starrts rhythmically opening and closing, and a babydoll slams its head against the crib perfectly on beat. As it continues, the spins get faster and begin to reveal the looming presence of the ghosts.