Top-notch horror or terror games - an IFDB Poll
by madducks
RSS FeedI'm looking for games that are the best representations of horror or terror in IF.
| Anchorhead, by Michael Gentry 34 votes "fast-paced and scary" [+]"fast-paced and scary" ( ) --kba... "Vivid and terrifying" [+]"Vivid and terrifying: Anchorhead is head and shoulders above every other IF horror game I've ever played. The author brilliantly captures the very essence of Lovecraft--almost improves on it, in fact--while painting with prose so surpassingly expressive, this text adventure literally has better graphics than half the graphic adventures out there." --kglaser... "A terrifying masterwork." [+]"A terrifying masterwork.: For less sprawling, more psychological horror, see Little Blue Men." () --Pinstripe... "Classic Lovecraftian Horror" [+]"Classic Lovecraftian Horror: It encompasses a fair bit of Lovecraft's fiction and combines it into an IF game. It has lots of research and looking up old names in mouldy books, and run-ins with things that shouldn't be, and hideous ways to die or go insane." () --thion... "Most enjoyable community-produced free game I have played" [+]"Most enjoyable community-produced free game I have played: Michael begins the story slowly, with careful attention to detail. This is similar to HPL's technique of creating a super-normal atmosphere so that even the slightest oddity will stand out sharply. After that, it's a measured pace that leads us to near-insanity." --Pete Gardner... "A sublime horror IF" [+]"A sublime horror IF: A great cast of characters, tight writing, some genuinely scary imagery, a sweeping cinematic feel that's rarely achieved in an IF, and loads of freedom of choice and non-linearity make this my favorite horror IF of all time (so far!)." () --Bosch... "Original, atmospheric and well-written, with intelligent puzzles." [+]"Original, atmospheric and well-written, with intelligent puzzles." () --Brian Lavelle... "A brimful of grotesque" [+]"A brimful of grotesque: A tale insidiously spine-chilling and outrightly horrific at the same time." () --glassmice... "Lovecraftian chills" [+]"Lovecraftian chills: Achieves a throughly chilling atmosphere." () --Puddin Tame... "A mystery that only grows more sinister as you unravel it" [+]"A mystery that only grows more sinister as you unravel it: It starts off as an unpleasant move into a backwater town. It ends with your staving off the arrival of an evil deity. Your character experiences many different sensations of fear along the way." ( - Full review) --mjhayes... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Emily Short... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Marius Müller... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --C.E.J. Pacian... (No comment) [+](No comment) --perching path... "Without doubt the..." [+]"Without doubt the best Lovecraftian horror story in IF. Better than most of Lovecraft, actually." --Victor Gijsbers... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --zer... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --schifter... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Xervosh... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Bernie... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --diddlescatter... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --E.K.... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Danielle... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Meredith... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Kuffen Bach... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Gray... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --tekket... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Fabien Vidal... (No comment) [+](No comment) --itsdnoftheworld... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Denk... (No comment) [+](No comment) --crown_etherette... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Kinetic Mouse Car... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Vulturous...  Vote for this game | |
| Slouching Towards Bedlam, by Star Foster and Daniel Ravipinto 11 votes "More disturbing than any outright horror" [+]"More disturbing than any outright horror" ( ) --Jerome C West... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Emily Short... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Juhana... (No comment) [+](No comment) --perching path... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Azazel... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Bernie... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Walter Sandsquish... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --E.K.... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --tekket... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Sobol... Vote for this game | |
| The King of Shreds and Patches, by Jimmy Maher 7 votes "Scary and historically accurate..." [+]"Scary and historically accurate..." ( ) --Paolo Lucchesi... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Juhana... "Fast-paced..." [+]"Fast-paced Lovecraftian horror game; well worth playing, and more accessible than Anchorhead." ( - Full review) --Victor Gijsbers... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --E.K.... "Here's a game..." [+]"Here's a game with at least two scenes that triggered my actual flight reflex. If that's not scary, I don't know what is." () --Felix Pleșoianu... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... Vote for this game | |
| The Lurking Horror, by Dave Lebling 7 votes "Best paid-for horror game I've played. Good atmosphere." [+]"Best paid-for horror game I've played. Good atmosphere." --Pete Gardner... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Ghalev... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Matt Kimmel... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Xervosh... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Wade Clarke... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Walter Sandsquish... Vote for this game | |
| Vespers, by Jason Devlin 6 votes "Thought-provokingly disturbing." [+]"Thought-provokingly disturbing.: Religious horror at its finest, with enough gore and gross-out moments to thoroughly round the whole thing out." --bluevelvetwings... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Ghalev... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --zer... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --perching path... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Sobol... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --mg51... Vote for this game | |
| Ecdysis, by Peter Nepstad 6 votes "Solid concept if narrow" [+]"Solid concept if narrow: Very smoothly executed and pulls off a very genuine feeling of "alienness", but incredibly linear despite its multi-ending setup. Massive bonus points for novelty, though!" ( ) --Bosch... "IF made it so much more powerfull than a simple novel" [+]"IF made it so much more powerfull than a simple novel: Because, you are the one who took the decision." () --Fabien Vidal... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --C.E.J. Pacian... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lenya... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Emily Short... (No comment) [+](No comment) --scramble... Vote for this game | |
| Theatre, by Brendon Wyber 6 votes "Lovecraftian creepiness" [+]"Lovecraftian creepiness" --sylvania... "Great Lovecraftian story in the "Lurking Horror" tradition." [+]"Great Lovecraftian story in the "Lurking Horror" tradition." ( - Full review) --Matt Kimmel... "Solid, functional Lovecraftian horror" [+]"Solid, functional Lovecraftian horror: A well-told story (even if the means of revelation are a little conventional) with achievable, satisfying puzzles and proper handling of the "cosmic horror" style." ( - Full review) --Bosch... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Walter Sandsquish... "This one has all..." [+]"This one has all kinds of spookiness in it. A good creepy atmos and solid size and puzzles." () --Wade Clarke... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Kuffen Bach... Vote for this game | |
| All Alone, by Ian Finley 6 votes "Good use of sound" [+]"Good use of sound" --sylvania... "Omnipresent dread" [+]"Omnipresent dread: Though sometimes a little frustrating or baffling (I'm still trying to figure out a number of minor facets and weird unresolved mysteries), this super-short IF does an incredible job of establishing a mood of liquid dread. Play through more than once - there are more choices than you'll initially realize, though no doubt not the one you'll most wish there was." ( - Full review) --Bosch... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Grey... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Walter Sandsquish... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Molly... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... Vote for this game | |
| my father's long, long legs, by michael lutz 5 votes "Genuinely scary,..." [+]"Genuinely scary, but not actually inappropriate for children." ( ) --IFforL2... "Not gonna lie,..." [+]"Not gonna lie, this game freaked me right out. " () --Ismarus... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Jason Lautzenheiser... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --CMG... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Vulturous... Vote for this game | |
| Little Blue Men, by Michael S. Gentry 4 votes "Strange, scary, and incredibly sinister." [+]"Strange, scary, and incredibly sinister.: I actually like this more than Anchorhead. For me, it packs in just as much horror as Anchorhead did in much less time. Creepy and unsettling." --Pinstripe... "It niggled at me after the game ended." [+]"It niggled at me after the game ended." ( ) --verityvirtue... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Walter Sandsquish... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... Vote for this game | |
| Lydia's Heart, by Jim Aikin 3 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Denk... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Rovarsson... Vote for this game | |
| Dead Cities, by Jon Ingold 3 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Emily Short... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Juhana... Vote for this game | |
| One Eye Open, by Caelyn Sandel (as Colin Sandel) and Carolyn VanEseltine 3 votes "A well-built world" [+]"A well-built world: On one hand, over-the-top scary. On the other, very subtle about the real horror. Top-notch." ( ) --bluevelvetwings... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Meredith... "My favorite IF..." [+]"My favorite IF horror game." () --Kinetic Mouse Car... Vote for this game | |
| A Fire Darkly: Chapter 1, by Louis Rakovich 2 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --SLane... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Hawkmoth... Vote for this game | |
| Afflicted, by Doug Egan 2 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Ghalev... "The mood is set..." [+]"The mood is set excellently. Small details suddenly take on a whole new layer of meaning when you get an inkling of what it all MEANS. " () --verityvirtue... Vote for this game | |
| The Horror of Rylvania, by D. A. Leary 2 votes "It's even got..." [+]"It's even got "horror" in the title! Seriously, though, this is a good if cruel (in the sense of: you can get into unwinnable states) vampire game." --Victor Gijsbers... Vote for this game | |
| rendition, by nespresso 2 votes "An example of what Fangoria calls "extreme horror"" [+]"An example of what Fangoria calls "extreme horror"" ( ) --sylvania... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --sushabye... Vote for this game | |
| Necrotic Drift, by Robb Sherwin 2 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) --Ghalev... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --schifter... Vote for this game | |
| Cragne Manor, by Ryan Veeder, Jenni Polodna, Adam Whybray, Adri, Andrew Plotkin, Andy Holloway, Austin Auclair, Baldur Brückner, Ben Collins-Sussman, Bill Maya, Brian Rushton, Buster Hudson, Caleb Wilson, Carl Muckenhoupt, Chandler Groover, Chris Jones, Christopher Conley, Damon L. Wakes, Daniel Ravipinto, Daniel Stelzer, David Jose, David Petrocco, David Sturgis, Drew Mochak, Edward B, Emily Short, Erica Newman, Feneric, Finn Rosenløv, Gary Butterfield, Gavin Inglis, Greg Frost, Hanon Ondricek, Harkness Munt, Harrison Gerard, Ian Holmes, Ivan Roth, Jack Welch, Jacqueline Ashwell, James Eagle, Jason Dyer, Jason Lautzenheiser, Jason Love, Jeremy Freese, Joey Jones, Joshua Porch, Justin de Vesine, Justin Melvin, Katherine Morayati, Kenneth Pedersen, Lane Puetz, Llew Mason, Lucian Smith, Marco Innocenti, Marius Müller, Mark Britton, Mark Sample, Marshal Tenner Winter, Matt Schneider, Matt Weiner, Matthew Korson, Michael Fessler, Michael Gentry, Michael Hilborn, Michael Lin, Mike Spivey, Molly Ying, Monique Padelis, Naomi Hinchen, Nate Edwards, Petter Sjölund, Q Pheevr, Rachel Spitler, Reed Lockwood, Reina Adair, Riff Conner, Roberto Colnaghi, Rowan Lipkovits, Sam Kabo Ashwell, Scott Hammack, Sean M. Shore, Shin, Wade Clarke, Zach Hodgens, Zack Johnson 1 vote "This Anchorhead tribute is huge and amazing" [+]"This Anchorhead tribute is huge and amazing" ( - Full review) --MathBrush... Vote for this game | |
| Shrapnel, by Adam Cadre 1 vote "Not quite traditional horror but..." [+]"Not quite traditional horror but...: Unsettled me more while playing it than pretty much any other IF piece" --Jubal... Vote for this game | |
| CYBERQUEEN, by Porpentine 1 vote "Viscerally..." [+]"Viscerally unpleasant sci-fi horror CYOA. Extremely well-written; will trigger just about any phobia in existence." ( ) --Christina Nordlander... Vote for this game | |
| Baluthar, by Chris Molloy Wischer 1 vote "Grim horror/SF fusion" [+]"Grim horror/SF fusion" ( - Full review) --AmberShards... Vote for this game | |
| The Mist, by Raymond Benson and Stephen King 1 vote "Its a good game, but I might be a little biased, as I'm a HUGE fan of both the original novella (for the last quarter century), and of the 2007 film adaptation." [+]"Its a good game, but I might be a little biased, as I'm a HUGE fan of both the original novella (for the last quarter century), and of the 2007 film adaptation." ( ) --Xervosh... Vote for this game | |
| Coloratura, by Lynnea Glasser 1 vote "Unnerving along..." [+]"Unnerving along several different axes." ( ) --Sam Kabo Ashwell... Vote for this game | |
| Kaged, by Ian Finley 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Denk... Vote for this game | |
| Building, by Poster 1 vote "Atmospheric non-Lovecraftian horror" [+]"Atmospheric non-Lovecraftian horror" ( - Full review) --AmberShards... Vote for this game | |
| El Museo de las Consciencias, by Mel Hython and Santiago Eximeno and Grendel Khan and Urbatain and Depresiv 1 vote "Lovecraftian" [+]"Lovecraftian" ( ) --IFforL2... Vote for this game | |
| Chapter Zero: Welcome to Cicada Creek, by P. F. Sheckarski 1 vote "I wish this one..." [+]"I wish this one had been finished. Just about the only text game that actually gave me a jump scare. " ( - Full review) --Jason Lautzenheiser... Vote for this game | |
| The Woods Are Dark, by Laurence Moore 1 vote "Atmospheric and spooky " [+]"Atmospheric and spooky " --Jim Turner... Vote for this game | |