For anyone who is still designing, or wasn't quite sure what to design in the first place:
I was doing a little thinking about the theme, and what exactly defines "scary" in the first place. There are probably two real understandings of "scary".
The
first of these, is what your average Halloween decorations are about. Spooky skeletons with rattling bones, ghosts that say "boo!" and cackling witches with bubbling brews. All in all, it's actually more of a humorous and lighthearted thing, something that pokes fun at all the death and evil around us. "Look around you!" it says. "Look at how foolish it all is! Do you really think it could just reach out and hurt you?" Despite the fact that it doesn't actually frighten anyone but the children (who are still learning boundaries of safety vs. danger), we often consider things like this "scary" or at least "spooky". I know it's been posted a lot in this thread, because it's so humorous, but I
just have to do it again. As funny as the song may sound, the lyrics pretty much say exactly what I'm saying. "ooOOooOO Spooky scary skeletons will shock your soul (it's a joke, how silly these skeleton monsters we've created are)"
Even though it may not be legitimately frightening or un-nerving, the judges will definitely have to keep this in mind while they judge the levels.
The
second type of scary is no joke at all. It's the kind of scary that things like Amnesia: The Dark Descent, or Silent Hill, embrace. Pure horror. Somehow they tap into the very things that human beings dread the most. It gets your heart pumping, your adrenaline rushing, and if you weren't when you started, you'll be fully awake and alert by the time it ends. But what exactly are the things that cause this kind of "scare"? Here's a few ideas I have on it:
- Unexplainable events. Things that exceed your expectations of what something is capable of. Anyone remember the shocking way Psycho Mantis from Metal Gear Solid played mind games like changing your TV channel, reading your mind, and moving your controller? If something exceeds the players expectation of what is possible, it puts them on the edge.
- Unseen dangers. Let's face it. The imagination can concoct a being way more terrifying and foreboding than the pixels of a screen can actually represent. One of the worst ways you can ruin a scare is by revealing your monster before its time. If it even has a time to be revealed, that is. Footsteps in the hallway, scratchings from the other side of the wall, shadows across the doorway, unintelligible whispers, each of these things, even when somewhat EXPECTED, are much scarier than an unexpected monster who jumps out of the closet at you.
- Unpredictable or erratic behavior. No place to hide. You can't predict where the monster will prowl next, but you do know this: if you stand still for long enough, it will eventually find you.
Now of course, each of these three things are often found together in proper horror, and mixed with all sorts of other elements. Things such as unnerving SFX and music, obscured vision, and any manner of visual tricks which fall somewhere into the uncanny valley.
I'm hoping things turn out good for this contest. I want some real scares, and not just some generic Tails Doll deton spam.