The Forest - PS4

This is NOT a review. It's just a few thoughts based on my experience with the game so far.

The Forest was recently released for the PS4, so I asked my boyfriend to play with me. I thought it would be the perfect game for us, since it sounded like a mix between survival horror and Minecraft, which is how we've been playing it. There's a story in there somewhere, but I haven't seen it yet. From what I've read, it seems interesting and I'm excited to get around to it eventually.

I'll start by saying the game can be a bit boring at times, especially if you allow random people to join your session. Not all of them want to sleep at night, and I don't want to venture outside in the dark because I feel so unprepared. I followed someone who joined my game once and ended up stuck outside my base at night. I couldn't see anything and I was quickly surrounded, and killed, by mutants. If you're not able to sleep at night and despawn the mutants, and you're not ready to explore at night and fight them, you're stuck inside, waiting for daylight to come and trying not to starve to death. It's the one drawback of the game, for me, but it can be easily remedied by not allowing people to join without an invite.

That being said, this game is incredibly scary and if you're into that, here are some things that really got under my skin.

I went swimming in the ocean, trying to reach a small island. Full disclosure: I have a fear of the ocean. I had a panic attack watching Open Water during the scene at night where it was storming, because the ocean is so vast and it was so dark and you can't see anything. You're just there. Even though The Forest is just a video game, I still got anxious swimming in the water, it felt like I was never getting closer to the island. I was so focused on getting there that I was really surprised when, seemingly out of nowhere, I was "hit" by something and lost half my health. John jokingly said it was a shark attack, so I decided to look it up and see if there actually are sharks in the game. Sure enough, there are. That was the end of swimming in the ocean. It wasn't the end of that nightmare though.

John built a house boat for us so that we wouldn't have to worry about the sharks anymore. I couldn't stand in the open area of the raft, I had to go in the walled in section because I was getting sick watching him row along the water in the dark. At one point in the game, we got separated while exploring a "village" because mutants found us. John hid in the small shelter we built and I had to run to the beach and take the house boat out to the yacht so that when it was night, we could sleep and despawn the enemies, allowing us to reunite safely. I made it to the yacht and for some reason...I don't remember what was going through my mind, but I fell off the yacht and got stuck under the house boat. In the dark, shark infested water. I panicked. I was so immersed in the game, I forgot that that's ALL it was. It actually terrified me.

This game is great at making you feel alone and hopeless, even when other people are there with you. John and I would leave our base together to chop down trees every morning. There were times when I would see him walk by and my heart would stop because I thought he was part of a mutant patrol. He pointed out how clever it was for them to make you stand in front of the tree while you're hitting it, so you're unable to see anything else. It's true, it adds to the feeling of dread. You don't know what's lurking beyond the trees, or in them, because apparently these things can climb. That's another of my fears, the woods, for that exact reason. Anything can be hiding in there. On one of our outings, we were spotted by a patrol and I was so surprised, I screamed. I can't remember the last time a game got that reaction out of me.

So even though I'm only on Day 40 and I haven't progressed the story at all, I can still say a few things for certain about The Forest. Yes, it can get dull if you're just waiting the night out. It can be extremely difficult to survive if you're like me and you won't kill animals, because it limits what you're able to craft, and a lot of those items are extremely useful. It can be frustrating. However, it is so atmospheric and terrifying that it's made up for all the difficulties I've created for myself. And the amazing thing is, you don't even realize what the game is doing until after you've been playing for a while. You'll see things in the distance, mutants watching you, trailing you, stalking you. It builds this sense of paranoia unlike anything I've ever felt during a game, outside of Alien: Isolation. Any shortcomings The Forest has are overshadowed by the overall experience you'll have while playing it. For $19.99, it's completely worth it.

Day 31: Favorite Book to Read For Halloween - A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny

I probably should have started off the challenge with this category. A Night in the Lonesome October is told from the point of view of Jack the Ripper's dog, Snuff. Featuring various different horror characters (because if it isn't obvious by now, I love these kind of crossovers), the story is about which side each of them fall on when the Old Ones have the opportunity to enter our world. Will they aid them, or will they help shut the door to keep them out?

What makes this book special is that it features 31 chapters (not including the introduction). Throughout the month of October, it's become a tradition for a lot of people to read one chapter each night. I actually bought a copy for my boyfriend and asked him to read along with me. He then surprised me with a first edition copy of the book, which was really sweet because I love this story and it's a nice item to have in my collection.

If you're looking for your own Halloween tradition, think about picking up a copy of this book for next year.

Day 30: Favorite Horror Novel/Novella - The Shadow Over Innsmouth by H.P. Lovecraft

This novella is about a man who visits a decrepit fishing village (in my mind, I now picture it as the Fishing Hamlet in Bloodborne) and learns of its dark secrets, as well as one of his own.

The Shadow Over Innsmouth was the first Lovecraft story I ever read and I think I started with that one because of Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth. I've already mentioned it in a previous post, but there's a particularly scary segment of that game where you have to escape from the room you're renting and I thought if the story was even half as scary as that part of the game was, it would be worth reading. I wasn't disappointed.

I keep hoping that someday, there will be a decent movie adaptation of this story. Ideally, made by the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society. Until then, they've created a wonderful old-time radio adaptation of it, which you can buy here.

Day 29: Favorite Horror Music Video - "Lovey Dovey" - T-ARA

I'll admit, the best horror themed music video is "Thriller" by Michael Jackson. It's genuinely creepy and Vincent Price was involved in it, so that automatically makes it a masterpiece, because he's the king of horror as far as I'm concerned. Even so, it's not my favorite. T-ARA's zombie MV for "Lovey Dovey" may not make a ton of sense considering the song it's paired with, but it's still fun and the song is one I'll never get tired of, it's been in every playlist I've made for the past six years. There's also a nod to "Thriller" at the end of the video.

Day 28: Favorite Horror Anthology Series - Nightmares and Dreamscapes

Nightmares and Dreamscapes aired on TNT one summer, probably around 10 years ago, give or take a few. It's inspired by Stephen King's short stories (not all are from that particular collection though). It was 8 episodes long and most were very entertaining. My personal favorites were:

1. The End of the Whole Mess, a story about two brothers and one's attempt to "cure" violence, which ends horribly.
2. Crouch End - A very Lovecraftian tale about two newlyweds who end up in this hellish area.
3. You Know They Got a Hell of a Band - A couple finds a town called Rock and Roll Heaven and soon realizes that the ghosts of dead musicians (including Buddy Holly, which I think is why I really like this episode, if I'm being honest) inhabit it.

But the real standout is Battleground, a story about a hitman who is assaulted by toy soldiers. The reason this episode was so special is because it aired without commercials and I believe it was almost a full hour long. I sat there and watched the entire episode with my cousin, completely engrossed in it, and only after it ended did I say to him, "Hey, was there any dialogue in that episode??" While watching it, I never even realized that not one word was spoken the entire time. It was brilliant. The episode was so well done that you never notice until after it's already over and you have time to think about it.

This is an overall great collection of stories and if you're a fan of Stephen King's work, you would probably really appreciate it.

Honorable mention 1: Alfred Hitchcock Presents - With any long-running anthology series, there are bound to be hits and misses. Most of these episodes were pretty good though, notably "The Creeper" about a murderer who targets blonde women and "The Gentleman From America" about a man who takes a dare to spend the night in a haunted house.

Honorable mention 2: Night Gallery - I said it in a previous post, but Night Gallery is the horror version of The Twilight Zone and if you only ever watch one episode, I highly recommend "The Cemetery" from the series' pilot. This episode is about a painting that keeps changing, becoming more horrifying each time Roddy McDowall's character looks at it. I have a large poster of Cesare from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari hanging behind my bed and I'm always reminded of this episode whenever I look at it.

Honorable mention 3: Are You Afraid of the Dark? - This was a kid-friendly anthology series that was downright scary at times and prompted my fear of mirrors. With a wide range of episodes about everything from hungry hounds, to a pinball machine, to an all too real version of Nosferatu, there's something for everyone to enjoy.

Day 27: Favorite Horror Anime - Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

I really want to explain Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, but there are several different arcs in the show, all following different paths, and they leave more questions than answers. If you want to know what's happening, you also have to watch Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai. The short version is the show is about a group of friends living in a town where people keep dying. That's a horrible plot synopsis, but trust me, you need to see this one for yourself. If you'd like a preview of the first arc, I wrote about it here. Just a warning, at times, this anime is very gruesome and if you're squeamish, you may have a hard time getting through it.

Honorable mention: Another - This is also a horror anime that centers around a group of classmates dying. It's been a while since I've watched it or read the manga, but one scene that is drilled into my head is when a girl is going down the stairs and falls on an open umbrella...Again, don't watch if you're squeamish.

Day 26: Favorite Horror Themed Cartoon (Series, Special or Movie) - Daffy Duck's Quackbusters

Daffy Duck's Quackbusters is pretty much a bunch of "scary" Looney Tunes shorts slapped together, with a few scenes added in between to create a story. Daffy inherits a fortune, but to keep it, he must use it for "good in the world" and "display honesty in all business affairs." So he does what anyone would do and puts together a paranormal investigation team made up of himself, Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig. You can probably guess how this turns out, right? This is a fun movie, one I've been watching since I was a kid. What makes Looney Tunes great is that you can watch it when you're younger and enjoy it, but as you get older, you understand all the little jokes that went over your head as a child and it makes it even better.

Honorable mention 1: Tales From the Cryptkeeper - This was a kid-friendly Saturday morning cartoon version of Tales From the Crypt. It was one of my favorites and it's a shame that it didn't have a longer run because you don't see many horror-themed cartoons for kids.

Honorable mention 2: Tiny Toons' Night Ghoulery - This was a special that aired on TV, inspired by Night Gallery, which was basically the horror version of The Twilight Zone. Each cartoon short is inspired by a movie or story, such as Hold That Ghost, The Devil and Daniel Webster and The Tell-Tale Heart.

Honorable mention 3: The Halloween Tree - Based on the book by Ray Bradbury. Some changes were made for the movie, but it was still really well done. It's about a group of kids who, while trying to save one of their friends, learn the meaning behind their Halloween costumes and the true spirit of Halloween.

Honorable mention 4: The Adventures of Raggedy Ann & Andy "The Beastly Ghost Adventure" - I actually have this on DVD because I'm big on nostalgia and I always remember thinking of this as the "ghost whistle" episode when I was a kid. The Raggedy friends are terrorized by a ghost and have to figure out a way to get rid of it. Thinking about it now, even though these are all cartoons, they're pretty scary for kids. Maybe that's why you don't really see anything like this anymore.

Honorable mention 5: Halloween is Grinch Night - Everyone knows about that other movie, but have you heard of this one? The Grinch is out to frighten the Whos again during a storm, but he's interrupted by a child named Euchariah. Euchariah ends up inside the Grinch's wagon, which is filled with all kinds of nightmares, and he tries to stall the Grinch until the storm dies down. I'm reminded of this movie and the song "I Wouldn't Go Out on a Night Like This" every time the wind outside picks up and the skies darken.

Honorable mention 6: Fantasia "Night on Bald Mountain" - If you want to traumatize a kid, this is what you make them watch. I don't know what Disney was thinking, but this terrified me as a child. I didn't even see it in Fantasia, I saw it in some kind of Halloween special Disney aired once and they showed scary clips from all their movies. This was one of them. They can keep it.

Day 25: Best Horror/Halloween Special from a Show That Isn't in the Horror Genre - Running Man Episode 98

Running Man is a Korean variety show where the members have to perform various tasks that usually end in name tag elimination (or at least, it used to). The members each have a velcro name tag on their backs and other members have to tear it off,, or sometimes shoot it with a water gun.

In episode 98, the members find out that one of them is actually a zombie. Before they all become zombies, they have to find water guns and shoot anyone who has been infected by the head zombie. It's a fun episode, and the one that really made me love this show. The Running Man members are very funny and the show is extremely entertaining anyway, but this episode was special and if I could only recommend one episode to people, this would be it.

Honorable mention 1: Dawson's Creek "The Scare" - So there were actually 2 horror themed episodes (that I can remember) of this show. One was the episode with Jen in the radio station (that traumatized me for life), and the other was The Scare. Dawson invites his friends over to have a seance, Jen receives creepy phone calls, there's a serial killer on the loose and Pacey picks up some weird, older woman who may or may not be a threat as well. Fun is had by everyone except Jen and Dawson because they were unbearable the entire first season. And most of the second season...Most of the series, actually. So was Joey. Why did I like this show?

Honorable mention 2: Boy Meets World "And Then There Was Shawn" - Scream was clearly very popular at the time this episode aired. Cory, Topanga, Shawn, Angela and Kenny (don't worry about him) all end up in detention because of Cory and Topanga's drama. The lights go out and when they come back on, Kenny is dead. This is followed by a fun little song playing over the loudspeaker, a threatening phone call, someone running around in a mask and a pile of dead bodies. It's a cute episode. There's another episode where Jack invites a witch to move in with him that was also really good.

Honorable mention 3: Community "Epidemiology" - I tried to watch Community for a while and it was pretty good, but I just couldn't stick with it. I really liked this episode though. During a Halloween party, there's a zombie outbreak. That's it, that's the episode. Watch it if you want to laugh.

Honorable mention 4: The Hogan Family "Nightmare on Oak Street" - I can't even remember the kids' names, but after watching a scary movie, the three boys each have nightmares. Until the day I die, I will never forget this episode. One nightmare begins like it's just a normal day, the kid sits down at the table for breakfast, his older brother is acting like a zombie to scare him (until he gets yelled at by their aunt) and then he asks for...I think it's the cereal. At this point, the camera isn't aimed at the older brother anymore, but when it pans back to him, he's a zombie. The aunt is also a zombie. The kid is flipping out, like any reasonable person would, and he yells for his father, who comes in, puts a decaying hand on his son's shoulder and says, "If there's anything I hate, it's a zombie," in a low growl. It was so terrifying when I was a kid, and I loved it so much that I never forgot it.

Day 24: Favorite Horror TV Show - Penny Dreadful

To be honest, I almost stopped watching Penny Dreadful after the second episode. Eva Green's acting made me so uncomfortable (and I mean that as a compliment) that I didn't think I could handle it. I'm so glad I stuck with it though because it's such an interesting take on the classic monsters. I loved seeing those worlds come together the way they did in this series. It was well written and as horrific as it sometimes was, there was more to it than that. I wish it had gone on longer than three seasons because I really loved those characters and wanted to see more of them.

And while we're here, I have to mention my favorite scene. [SPOILERS] It's right after Victor shoots Lily and Dorian, who are dressed in white, and the two begin dancing to "Melting Waltz" (my favorite song in the series), while blood soaks their clothing. It sounds weird to call this a beautiful scene, but it really was and it's one I can watch over and over.

Honorable mention 1: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Everyone knows what Buffy is about, I don't need to talk about the plot. What I will say is that the show is timeless. Yes, if you go back to the first season, it's so 90's it hurts, the fashion is straight out of 5-7-9. But it was witty and fun to watch and it was so surprising to see what a great show it was because the movie that inspired it was absolutely ridiculous.

Honorable mention 2: Harper's Island - This show aired one summer several years ago and it was a murder mystery. A group of friends go to an island for a wedding and people begin getting killed off. It wasn't necessarily scary, but it was an entertaining show. It sort of falls apart at the end (okay, "sort of" is being kind), but I would still recommend it if you're looking for something quick to watch.

Day 23: Favorite Horror Themed Board Game - Betrayal at House on the Hill

I own more horror themed games than I know what to do with, but Betrayal at House on the Hill is the most fun to play. I once heard someone describe it as "Cabin in the Woods - The Game" and I think that's pretty accurate.

Everything starts out simple enough. You enter a house, exploring room by room, using random tiles to build the main floor, basement and attic, ensuring that the layout of the house is never the same. Some rooms will tell you to draw an event card or omen card. Each time you pick up an omen card, you're required to make a haunt roll. The first time you need to roll a 1, the second time a 2, and so on, until eventually the number you roll is lower than the number required. Once that happens, the haunt begins.

Depending on your actions until that point, you'll start one of 50 different scenarios (100 if you have the expansion), with one player becoming a traitor. The traitor has their own rule book, detailing what conditions they need to meet in order to win the game, as do the rest of the players. Each scenario offers a unique experience and chances are, you won't play the same one twice. It's a fun game for people who like the possibility of betraying their friends. (If you're one of those people, I also recommend One Night Ultimate Werewolf.)