What Are Your Favorite Horror Video Games To Play Around Halloween?

I recently posted a question on Facebook and Twitter, "Time to ask, what are some of your favorite horror games to play around Halloween?" I got a lot of participation so let's talk about some of the greatest horror games I have played (and many I have not).

The first person to reply was Eric who said "Monster In My Pocket" for the original Nintendo.  At first I thought he was joking, but I looked up some gameplay footage and it actually looks like a pretty decent game.  I asked him why he liked this game and he replied with,

"Because its an underrated nes title and the toys were bad ass!"

Good answer!

Some of the most popular answers were from the series Resident Evil, Fatal Frame, Silent Hill, Amnesia, and even some Castlevania.  Other mentions were Dark Souls, Clock Tower, Eternal Darkness, Splatterhouse, Dead Space, Siren, Outlast, and a few more.

Personally, my two favorite horror games are the original Silent Hill (PS1) and Eternal Darkness (Gamecube).  When it comes to psychological horror, I thought these two games did it best.  They both created unique experiences I had never seen before in a horror game.

In Silent Hill, it was wandering through the creepy town of Silent Hill, not being able to see 20 feet ahead through the thick fog, and getting through the alley scene.  The game is loaded with suspensful scenes, but what made it unique was the fog effect and the suspense it caused.  Many say Silent Hill 2 is even better than the first.  While the first will always be my favorite, I should really go back and play them both again to compare how they'd stand up today.  Later on in the series, they introduce Pyramid Head which is one of the scariest enemies of all time!  

Eternal Darkness takes a different approach and is a game that totally messes with your mind by playing psychological tricks on you the entire time.  The lower your health, the more the game destroys your mind.  It will have you questioning what is real and what is not, both in AND out of the game.

Of the series everyone mentioned, the next horror series I think I am going to play will be the Fatal Frame series.  I've heard so many great things and I own all three games.  My friend Faisal explains,

"Believe me Dinky... the game is a masterpiece. When it comes to genuine horror sound effects.. I used to play this with my 6.2 home theater turned waaaayyyy up... and the ligths off... trust me.. it's DISTURBING!! to say the least.. it is Hollywood quality sfx meeting a video game.."

It is a series I've been meaning to get into, so maybe this Halloween will be their time.

Another one mentioned multiple times is Amnesia.  I was never big into PC gaming so I missed out on these games, but Crow from Retro Roadshow sums it up well when he said,

"Lights out and headphones if you do decide to try them. That and a change of underwear..."

With a recommendation like that, how you could you not want to try them out!

When it comes to the horror genre, each of us get frightened by our own styles.  Some prefer psychological horror, others prefer violence and gore.  There are plenty of horror games out there, so which ones are your favorite?