The (potential) conclusion to the Halloween franchise has arrived. Halloween Ends concludes Jamie Lee Curtis' run as Scream Queen Laurie Strode, the younger sister of Michael Myers - capping off her seven appearances in the series of 11 Halloween films (13 if you count Rob Zombie's reboot series).
After watching the film, horror fans are likely going to want to keep the scares coming. Fortunately, there are tons of scary games out there that have many of the same elements that make Halloween such a horrifying, compelling, and addictive horror series.
The Quarry: For A Great Horror Story
Released earlier in 2022, The Quarry centers around a summer camp where a family afflicted by a werewolf curse is picking off counselors, one by one. The game is part choose-your-own-adventure, part survival horror, and all-around creepy.
What makes the game so cool is that the ending can happen in a variety of ways. Depending on choices made and gameplay performance, all the counselors can die, or live, or a mixture of both. Adding to the game's appeal is a talented voice cast including David Arquette, Brenda Song, Ariel Winter, and more.
Until Dawn: For A Game That Feels Just Like A Horror Movie
Made by Supermassive Games, the same studio that would go on to make The Quarry, 2015's Until Dawn is an interactive story game about a group of teens who visit a secluded cabin. Naturally, all hell breaks loose, and it's up to the choices players make to save the teens.
The game also pays homage to horror classics and gives many nods to the genre throughout (including Halloween), and a fantastic famous video game voice cast, including Rami Malek and Hayden Panettiere, really brings the story to life.
Dead By Daylight: To Actually Be Michael Myers
It could be said that Dead By Daylight is currently the most popular horror game out there. In the 4 V 1 game, one player is tasked with being the killer, while the other four are desperate to escape with their lives. It combines the team element of games like Left 4 Dead with the horror of franchises like Outlast.
Best of all, in more recent years, the game started adding new skins and maps inspired by horror classics like Scream, Saw, and of course, Halloween. The Halloween DLC for Dead by Daylight gives players Michael Myers for a killer, Laurie Strode for a survivor, and a new map: Haddonfield, IL.
Friday The 13th: The Game: For Another Slasher Classic
Many fans of Halloween are likely fans of the horror genre as a whole. That's why Friday The 3th: The Game is a great choice. Its multiplayer mode is similar to Dead By Daylight, except this time, gamers get to kill as the iconic Jason Voorhees. Also, in the Ultimate Slasher Edition of the game, there are added modes of play.
On top of the asymmetrical multiplayer battles, there's also a story mode where players control Jason as he's tasked with killing various NPCs in different environments, which is an excellent form to train newcomers who want a bit of practice before joining an online game.
Firewatch: For That Feeling Of Being Stalked
So much of the horror in Halloween comes from that feeling of being stalked. Michael Myers appears hiding behind the shrub or lingering in the hanging laundry, for example, and it helped create the tension that the film is so well known for.
In Firewatch, gamers are tasked with manning a lone fire watch tower in a remote State Forest, making it a beautiful video game for those who want to escape into nature. Although, as the game goes on, it turns on the forest might not be that remote, since someone is clearly lurking in the woods. In this choice-based story game, the tension is always high, making it a surprisingly spooky and compelling play. Plus, dropping players in the middle of the woods, alone, helps make the game downright scary at time.
Heavy Rain: For A Fresh Slasher Story
While the classics are great, it's also good to hear some fresh horror tales - and Heavy Rain certainly delivers. In this story-based adventure game, a serial killer is on the loose, and his M.O. is to strike during periods of heavy rainfall.
Dark, gritty, and terrifying, it's a fresh, unique, and powerful horror tale that's most definitely worth a play. It's also critically lauded, having been nominated for numerous Game of the Year awards upon its initial release in 2010.
Monstrum: For The Thrill Of The Chase
For horror fans who love the epic finales of the Halloween movies, where it turns into an all-out, run-for-your-life-or-die-fighting bonanza, Monstrum is a great choice. In the game, players are trapped on a cargo ship. The only problem is, there's also a monster on it and it's killing everything in sight.
The game gives players the freedom to try and fight, stall, run, hide, and even outsmart the monster, giving gamers a chance to use some creativity. Plus, Monstrum is randomly generated, so every time a new round starts up, the monster is different, and the ship is different, making it completely impossible to prepare in advance. It's a purely horrifying, madcap chase.
PS: the game is notoriously hard.
Resident Evil: Because It's The Ultimate Horror Franchise
Halloween might be the GOAT of the horror movie world, but Resident Evil is easily its counterpart in the video game realm. Both franchises are legendary and acclaimed, both have released over a dozen entries throughout their respective runs, and both have an enduring quality about them -- a certain spark that makes fans constantly crave more.
And while Resident Evil is about zombies and Halloween is about a (potentially demonic) serial killer, the two still have lots in common. Great tension, jump scares, and a bevy of Scream Queen leads - from Claire Redfield to Laurie Strode, Jill Valentine, and Jamie Lloyd.
Halloween: For The Closest Glimpse Of An Actual Halloween Game
Though it's not officially for sale, this fan-made game can be downloaded from its website, and it's become a YouTube and Twitch playthrough favorite, racking up millions of views.
In the game, players take on a simple enough task: babysit Tommy on Halloween. But before long, Michael Myers breaks in and the game becomes a horrifying stealth-based scarefest. Gamers are even forced to hide in the bedroom closet, just like Laurie does in the original film. It's a scary and well-made fan game that can hopefully see a proper release one day.
Borderlands: For More Jamie Lee Curtis
In general, Halloween fans are also Jamie Lee Curtis fans -- the two just go hand in hand. And those fans are about to get a huge treat next year with the Borderlands movie.
Curtis has been cast as the self-centered and conniving (but absolutely hilarious) Dr. Tannis and she'll be joined by an all-star cast including Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and more. Replaying the series, or at least the first game, would be a great way to prepare for the upcoming movie.