Summary
The “Deep South” has been associated with horror video games since the very first installment of theAlone in the Darkseries back in 1992. Obviously, the hand-in-hand relationship of the “Deep South” region and horror stories dates back far further than that. The wholeSouthern Gothic genreis an interrogation of the culture, land, and people from whom it was birthed.
The genre also contains elements that make it a perfect pairing for video game narratives. Secluded settings full of history and secrets, duplicitous characters,a unique mythology of creaturesand magic, and, of course, a penchant for violent death. While it has long been a setting for many a popular video game, the recent release ofSouth of Midnighthas reinvigorated many players' interest in the unique aspects of the Southern Gothic and video game narratives infused with this particular flavor of dark, supernatural stories.
TheAlone in the Darkremake of 2024 is a bit of a mess, but it also holds a space in the precarious region of janky charm, usually just managing to avoid sliding off into broken and bad. This can be said of not only the gameplay but also the writing and tone of the piece and its overall reimagining of the Derceto manor.
It is certainly steeped in a certain “Southern charm” and shoots for all the archetypal targets of the genre, which mostly gives it a corny but enjoyable flair. While it is certainly not the best or the scariest Deep South-flavored game, it is undoubtedly a heartfelt send-up to the genre.
Lurking at thewild, camp, and crazyend of the spectrum of Deep South horror games, there standsDeadly Premonition 2. Markedly different from its predecessor, which was set in Washington (much like its prime inspiration,Twin Peaks),Deadly Premonition 2instead takes place in the fictional town of La Carre in Louisiana and definitely takes its cues from the first season ofTrue Detective.
It’s so deep in the South that the intro theme is titled, “The Deep South,” and alligators openly roam the streets, chasing FBI agents on their skateboards. Just likeTrue Detective.
While Arizona, the location of thefictional town of Temple Gate, is not a part of the “Deep South,”Outlast 2is still deeply inspired by the tropes of the subgenre, specifically: religious oppression, zealotism, sexual abuses, and violent, self-made law that rules the isolated community.
Certainly,Outlast 2does not shy away from the dark subject matter it is inspired by, and while it is by no means perfect in how it deals with these heavy themes, it certainly does set an unpleasant tone that is maintained all the way through.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacreis anasymmetrical multiplayer survival horrorthat surprised many with just how faithful it managed to be to its origins. The setup is bite-sized multiplayer matches where the player either controls one of the infamous Slaughter family or the opposing team, aptly named the Victims.
The claustrophobic maps, creepy audio, and tense cycle of hide-and-seek gameplay do a great job at capturing the intensity and the dark Southern flavor of terror portrayed in the films.
It’s definitely ahorror game for a younger audiencebut no less imaginative in how it delivers its own brand of southern spooks. Based on the Disney theme park ride, the game takes place in a huge mansion in Louisiana. A funLuigi’s Mansionalternative that, while not quite as polished, certainly boasts the same imaginative qualities.
The mansion itself is fun to explore and varies constantly in design, each room of the mansion serving its own purpose and often housing its own unique puzzle.
Hunt: Showdown 1896is a tense multiplayer shooter set in the swamps and bayous where players not only hunt one another but also work together in their separate groups to hunt down one of the several horrifying boss monsters located somewhere on the map.
The atmosphere inHunt: Showdownis incredible, with great attention to detail in the sound design. From the sudden alerting crack of a far-off rifle shot to a twig snapping under the player’s foot, every step comes with the burden of knowledge that, as the player hunts, they are also being hunted themselves.
Shadow Man, surprisingly set for a sequel over twenty years later, is completely steeped in the Deep South and the Southern Gothic genre. Players control Michael LeRoi as he travels between Liveside (the normal world but with some monsters) and Deadside (the world of the dead, full of monsters).
Not only are thereextensive levels of bayousand large, gothic, bloody, and impossible structures, but voodoo magic is also central to the power wielded by both the player and their enemies. The game left a unique impression that nothing since has filled, except, perhaps, the newly releasedSouth of Midnight.
The Baker house is an unforgettable setting that epitomizes the Southern Gothic house. It keeps the narrative focused on a small family that the player learns more of the further they explore the location. The house is a sterling example of updating old ideals, as it is through this smaller and more stifling setting where the player must brave out on smaller excursions from the “safe rooms” to accomplish what they can before fear or threat overcomes them — a gameplay loop that keeps the game closest in kind to the originalResident Eviland its gothic Spencer Mansion setting.
It is also notable that, whileRE 7makes use of stereotypes in constructing the terrifying family of the Bakers, it also employs a tragic twist, emphasizing in some of the final scenes with the family that it was in fact a kindly and hospitable nature that led them into the twisted situation and disturbing versions of themselves that the player must defeat.
