TerrorBytes: The Evolution of Horror Gaming Documentary - Preview by Britt 🔪🩸🧟 @Terrorbytesdoc

An upcoming – and exquisitely titled - five-part series on the history of horror in video games, I was lucky enough to get a peek at the two of the five episodes, and it’s safe to say that horror fans are in for a treat with this deep dive into one of gaming’s most prominent categories, featuring as it does such luminaries of the genre as John Romero, John Carpenter, Akira Yamaoka, as well as various developers, composers and scholars of video game horror to add key context to the on-screen discourse.

Each episode focuses on a specific era of video game horror – the two that we at GF have seen are ‘Enter the Survival Horror’ and ‘Lethal Licenses’, both of which dive into not only the more seminal titles that are the cornerstones of the genre, but also mention underdogs and games that introduced specific mechanics and approaches that may have shaped horror video games somewhat under the radar.

Terrorbytes The Evolution Of Horror Gaming 🔪🎮

Richard Moss is the writer and director of the upcoming five-part documentary series TerrorBytes: The Evolution of Horror Gaming, which will celebrate and explore the rich, thrilling history of horror gaming of the past 40+ years. We reviewed the previous film FPS: First Person Shooter, which Richard co-wrote.

Terrorbytes are announcing three new cast members today, to add to the 35 previously confirmed. Namely:

• Denis Dyack, the director of beloved 2002 GameCube title Eternal Darkness and 1996 action RPG Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain
• Sam Barlow, the director of FMV games Immortality and Her Story as well as writer/designer on Silent Hill: Origins and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
• Yoshiro Kimura, the mind behind cult-favourite horror game Rule of Rose, which was caught up in a moral panic in several countries for purported (and non-existent) sadomasochism and underage eroticism — resulting in its release being cancelled in the UK and Australia.

Other confirmed interviews for TerrorBytes include: 

Roberta Williams (Phantasmagoria), Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill composer), Hifumi Kouno (Clock Tower), Hubert Chardot (Alone in the Dark), Thomas Grip (SOMA, Amnesia, Penumbra), Mary Kenney (The Walking Dead: The Final Season), Mathieu Coté (Dead By Daylight), Jeremy Blaustein (Silent Hill 2-4), Ben Leffler (Exmortis), and Abby and Tony Howard (Slay The Princess).

TerrorBytes is currently in a pre-sales campaign to help cover the costs of production.

Available tiers include both digital and physical editions as well as a range of exclusive limited-run physical merchandise. Supporters will also gain access to 15+ hours of exclusive live events over the next year, ahead of the documentary’s release in March/April 2025.

Horror fans can learn more about TerrorBytes and join the experience at terrorbytesdoc.com.