Horror isn't normally my go-to for reading or playing, but I do have exceptions. I love pretty much anything Lovecraft or Lovecraftian, and I've always enjoyed the Alone in the Dark series, even when the first game freaked my brother and out so much we didn't play it for years after our first attempt.
Hey, those blocky pixels can be frightening during the witching hour! I mean, look at, uh, whatever these are:
You had to be there, I guess! Kidding aside, it really was a fun game and set the stage for Resident Evil and many other games in the horror genre. I hope the remake for Alone in the Dark is good. If anyone's played it, let me know in the comments!
Now, back to the topic at hand. We've got haunted mansions in Alone in the Dark and Resident Evil and many others, but what about ghost ships? Particularly ghost starships? What stories get you hiding under the covers, or clutching at the nearest heavy object or holy relic for safety? Following are three that always manage to creep me out, no matter how much time passes or what time of the day it is. In no particular order:
1. Event Horizon - Event Horizon (1997)
This movie freaked me out as a kid, and still manages to get me going. All the weird situations going on aboard the Event Horizon, the fates of the different characters, and seeing Dr. Grant from Jurassic Park (Sam Neill) in a scary, villainous role was too much for little ol' me! That said, it's one I keep going back to, if not to watch all the way through, then at least to read about or view clips from.
It's a great horror movie, made even better to me by the long-running internet theory that this is some kind of prequel to the Warhammer 40000 universe, where the "hell" they've discovered near the black hole is actually the Warp, and the ship, its crew, and its would-be rescuers are experiencing that would happen to a ship if it passes through the Warp without any kind of shielding to protect them from the daemonic influence of the Immaterium and the gods of Chaos.
I read awhile ago that there's supposed to be an Event Horizon show on Amazon Prime. I wonder how they'll pull that off?
2. Derelict Alien Ship - Alien (1979)
Image courtesy of tmdb.org
Arguably one of the earliest examples of a ghost starship on film, and arguably one of the best! Alien follows the story of the space tug Nostromo that detects the presence of an alien starship on a planet the ship is passing by. The crew is awakened from their sleep and is sent down to ascertain the source of the signal. What they find is a ship full of strange alien eggs. One of those aliens comes out, latches onto the face of a crewman, and, well... The alien and one of Hollywood's longest-lasting sci-fi franchises are born!
Watching the movie on TV as a kid, I don't remember much about the derelict ship part of the film, other than the eggs and the facehugger. It wasn't until years later that I remembered the giant alien body in the flight seat (Lovingly known as the Space Jockey) with the gaping hole in his chest. Talk about great foreshadowing. What I do remember is the alien stalking Sigourney Weaver and the other crew through the tight corridors of the Nostromo. It makes me glad I'm not claustrophobic, although in those circumstances I might have been!
Oh, and Jonesy survives. Yay!
3. Wrecked Ship - Super Metroid (SNES)
Image Courtesy of metroid.fandom.com
This may be the lightest weight of the list in terms of actually being scary, but as a kid this area of Super Metroid freaked me out. There were other areas filled with aliens, pirates, and other kinds of monsters and bosses, but the Wrecked Ship was the only area in the game that had ghostly beings floating around. With random sparks and arcs of electricity coming out of broken panels and a lighting system that was failing, it was a creepy area. It wasn't so bad once you restored power to the ship, but that's not until you beat the ghostly boss Phantoon.
Looking back on it now, it's nowhere near as creepy as it seemed at the time, although I wonder if a kid playing it for the first time would feel the same? I've got friends with a seven year old who just started playing Super Metroid, so I guess we'll find out!
A New Ghost Ship Headed to A Kindle and Paperback Near You!
If stories of ghost ships, derelict hulks, and the rolling gunfights that ensue from such encounters are what you're into, then look no farther than David Hensley and J.R. Handley's newest book! Ghostship: Derelict releases July 12th on Amazon, and you won't want to miss it!
It was supposed to be a simple rescue mission—supposed to be. If Corporal John Harden had learned anything from his time in the 1215th Legion, it was that no mission went the way you expected.
The Mission: Board the derelict cargo hauler DFMS Lumo, rescue any survivors, secure the vessel for return to the closest Dagdan Federation Port, and return safely to the Dagdan Federation Battlecruiser Nathanial B. Hughes.
Now, he's trapped aboard a derelict cargo hauler, low on ammo, and running out of options. Not the best showing for a freshly minted fire team leader.
Does he have enough grit, enough skill, or enough luck to bring him and his fire team back alive?
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