From the creators of the critically-acclaimed In Search of Darkness trilogy, Aliens Expanded, and First Person Shooter, it’s time to enter a whole new world of horror…  TerrorBytes!

In this new five-part episodic documentary, we explore and celebrate the rich history of horror gaming, taking you behind-the-scenes with the developers, artists and composers of the scariest games of all time.

Across five-and-a-half hours, you’ll hear from legendary Silent Hill composer & producer Akira Yamaoka, Dead by Daylight co-directors Mathieu Coté and Dave Richard, and Roberta Williams (Director: Phantasmagoria) as well as Dave Szymanski (Creator: Iron Lung, Dusk) and Hifumi Kōno (Director: Clock Tower).

Joining them are Denis Dyack (Director: Eternal Darkness), Thomas Grip (Creative Director: Penumbra and Amnesia series, Soma), Airdorf (Creator: FAITH: The Unholy Trinity), John Romero (Co-creator: DOOM), Swery65 (Director: Deadly Premonition), and many more (check out the cast section below for the full list).

Order now and you'll receive all five episodes immediately as a digital download.

Five-and-a-Half Hours of Entertainment

Take a deep dive into the world of Horror gaming across five incredible episodes:

Episode 1 - Enter The Survival Horror

We explore the survival horror genre, examining the early titles like 3D Monster Maze and Sweet Home, its explosive popularity in the 90s - where titles like Alone in the Dark, Resident Evil, and Silent Hill captured the imagination of the masses - and its legacy and enduring popularity today.

Episode 1 highlights include:

• Akira Yamaoka (Composer: Silent Hill series), Jasper Byrne (Composer: Lone Survivor, Hotline Miami), and Jeremy Blaustein (Translator/Voice Director: Silent Hill 1 & 2) discuss Horror soundscapes and how they shape our sense of fear and terror.
• Denis Dyack (Director: Eternal Darkness) discusses Eternal Darkness, with other contributors chiming in to dissect their favourite scares and insanity effects from the game.

Other Key Contributors: Hifumi Kōno (Director: Clock Tower), Hubert Chardot (Writer: Alone in the Dark)

Episode 2 - Lethal Licences

We explore the weird and wonderful world of licensed Horror games, including the early Halloween and Texas Chainsaw Massacre games on the Atari 2600 and the brilliant Alien: Isolation, as well as the growing popularity of licensed characters in games like Dead by Daylight.

Episode 2 highlights include:

• Dead by Daylight co-creators Mathieu Coté and Dave Richard discuss adapting characters from across the Horror universe as killers and survivors in their hit multiplayer game - with Slipknot’s Corey Taylor sharing his thrill at being added!
• Pete Wanat (Producer: The Thing video game adaptation) is joined by John Carpenter (Writer, Director: The Thing) in discussing capturing the trust and fear of the original movie in a video game sequel.
• Andy Bray (Gameplay and AI programmer: Alien Isolation) discusses creating the unkillable Alien in Alien Isolation.

Other Key Contributors: Swery65 (Director: Deadly Premonition), Mary Kenney (Writer: The Walking Dead: The Final Season), Brian Gomez (Writer: Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick, Clive Barker's Jericho; Exec Producer: Jurassic World Aftermath)

Episode 3 - Narrative Nightmares

From the surreal and unique to the kitsch and campy, we explore the rise and fall of full-motion video horror games, celebrating Night Trap, The 7th Guest, and Sierra On-Line classics Phantasmagoria and Gabriel Knight, before examining the genre’s surprising rebirth over the past decade.

Episode 3 highlights include:

• Gabriel Knight creator Jane Jensen reveals the importance of Gabriel’s character to the story and how her own experiences influenced the character design.

• Sam Barlow (Director: Her Story, Immortality) and Will Byles (Director: Until Dawn, The Quarry) discuss the rebirth of FMV horror, beginning with 2015’s unsettling police procedural Her Story.

Other Key Contributors: Roberta Williams (Director: Phantasmagoria), Graeme Devine (Co-creator: The 7th Guest)

Episode 4 - The Indie Revolution

We shine a light on indie development in horror gaming, from breakout hits like Five Nights at Freddy’s and Amnesia to the many unique and one-of-a-kind experiences like Iron Lung, Lost in Vivo, and FAITH: The Unholy Trinity.

Episode 4 highlights include:

• AIRDORF (Creator: FAITH: The Unholy Trinity) and Dave Syzmanski (Creator: Iron Lung, DUSK) discuss how YouTube, Itch.io, and Steam Greenlight enabled an explosion of growth in the indie Horror scene.
• We explore the art of the jumpscare, guided by our cast including Thomas Grip (Creative Director: SOMA, Amnesia series) and Philippe Morin (Co-creator: Outlast).

Other Key Contributors: David Chateauneuf (Co-creator: Outlast), Abby Howard and Tony Howard-Arias (Co-creators: Slay the Princess, Scarlet Hollow)

Episode 5 - Cursed and Controversial

In our final episode we dive down the rabbit hole of controversy and explore the games - like Doom, Manhunt, and Rule of Rose - that people wanted banned. Along the way, we’ll also take a look at the unusual world of “cursed” games, including urban legends and creepypastas like Polybius and Ben Drowned.

We then wrap up the series, with discussions about why people love horror games and what the future holds for the genre.

Key Contributors: John Romero (Co-creator: DOOM), Yoshirō Kimura (Scenario Writer and Draft Planner: Rule of Rose), Rob Fulop (Designer: Night Trap), Super Eyepatch Wolf (Games Critic and Video Essayist), Brian Gomez (Writer: Thrill Kill).

Check out our incredible poster art by Rachid Lotf

50+ Legends of Horror Gaming Tell Their Story

We’ve gathered the greatest cast of Horror gaming legends ever assembled to tell the story of Horror gaming! Check out our full cast below: