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[ggamer]

let the squiddles sleep.

I literally had nightmares after seeing that video. And I wanted to throw up. It was so god damn trippy.

[Dimitri]

Most things don't bother me, but for some reason, Silent Hill 2 hits paralytic levels for me.
Last time I played, I damn near popped my left arm out of the socket from tensing up so badly.

The actual monsters aren't creepy in and of themselves, they're almost pretty in a way. I've read/watched lp's on it, and that didn't affect me at all.

But actually -playing- the bastard is a different story. Team Silent hit the nail on the head with SH2, in my opinion.

[Angel Of Death]

Silent Hill 2 is possibly the scariest game I have ever played.

[SalmonGod]

Alright, now I want to know what the scariest games are that everyone has played.

For me, it would have to be Stalker, due to the underground lab areas.

[ToonyMan]

Clock Tower: First Fear and Ao Oni man.

[anzki4]

Amnesia: The Dark Descent or Penumbra - Black Plague. Frictional Games sure knows how to do scary games.

[DeKaFu]

I made it all the way through Silent Hill 2, and it was brilliant.

Many years back, I put forward the theory that what stops horror games from being truly horrifying is the fact that your ability to fight back effectively means you end up feeling in control of the situation. The baddies aren't as terrifying when you know you can just pump whatever jumps out at you full of lead and be safe again immediately.

Fast forward a few years to when the Penumbra demo came out. I was like "finally, this is it!"

I got as far as the first monster and fearquit forever. 

While not the most horrifying, Scratches also deserves special mention for managing to freak me the hell out in a game with no enemies where nothing can hurt you.

[SalmonGod]

I need to play through some Silent Hill games.  I rented the very first one many many years ago, and didn't get very far.  I don't like games where you clear out the easily accessible areas and then wander for hours trying to figure out what to do because there are really really obscure 'puzzles' that you have to solve that make absolutely no sense in order to unlock the next area, and you're too stubborn to look it up in a guide.  Resident Evil was the fucking worst in this regard.  My shallow impression of Silent Hill has been that I would probably have the same sort of problem, but the series has gained a ton of prestige over the years and I love horror.

[ChairmanPoo]

Guys, creepypasta.com is down but there is a replacement: creepypasta index. Imthere now

[ToonyMan]

Many years back, I put forward the theory that what stops horror games from being truly horrifying is the fact that your ability to fight back effectively means you end up feeling in control of the situation. The baddies aren't as terrifying when you know you can just pump whatever jumps out at you full of lead and be safe again immediately.

That seems to be why Clock Tower, Haunting Grounds, and Ao Oni work so well for me.

Although I give credit to STALKER for being terrifying sometimes as well.  Bloodsuckers underground.

[SalmonGod]

With Stalker, the creatures themselves are horrifying in their own right, being grotesque mutations and all.  They are also incredibly threatening with lots of shock factor.  The bloodsucker has its invisibility and speed.  The controller has its drastic mind-fuck attack.

But the ambiance is what really does it.  The locations are wonderfully detailed in all their decay.  The ambient noises are perfect.  The pacing as well.  Your first time through, you really don't know when the game is going to throw something at you.  The locations are empty enough that you know there will be danger, but you have no idea when.  Great suspense-building. 

Throw on top of that the creativity with the monsters themselves and the unique things they do to fuck with you.  The controller starts making you hallucinate and hear things, for instance.  The psi-emitters are hyper-paranoia inducing mind-fuck marathon gauntlets.  The poltergeists are a total mystery at first.  Objects just start launching at you and creepy noises all over the place and you have no idea why.  The first time I played the game, I actually went through the entire first lab alternating between sneak and panic while dodging random projectiles, because I didn't realize that the poltergeists were just mutants that could be killed and the red shifts and noises were caused by the boss at the end.  I just thought the place was deadly haunted and I had to survive it trying to kill me until the end.

[ToonyMan]

Screw controllers.  The whole time I'm underground I'm getting ear raped and when I finally encounter them they make my mind start warping uncontrollably.

[SalmonGod]

Yeah, they're one of the most merciless enemies I've ever encountered in a game.  Melee really is their weakness, though, at least in SoC.  Sprint at them with your knife before they can hit you with their first psionic blast, and they become helpless.

[Il Palazzo]

I haven't played any of the newer games mentioned here, but I remember System Shock 2 being pretty scary.

[breadbocks]

The other things is the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series. The stories aren't that scary, ranging from humorous to campfire ghost stories to urban legends, with a few genuinely disturbing tidbits mixed in. But the illustrations...ye gods, the illustrations....those things burned holes in my brain when I read it in elementary school. And it should be stressed -- these are children's books.

Just read through the entire thread. This one is by far the one I was most impressed by as a child. Those pictures, man. We're talking gouge out your eyes scary.

Oh, and there's this. Wait through it all and do what it says and tell me you didn't at least get twitchy.