10 Scariest Retro Video Game Moments That Still Terrify Us Today

Gaming never needed realistic graphics to scare you senseless.

If it was ever in doubt before, then the last few years have all but established video games as the perfect medium to make us jump out of our seats. The immersive nature of gaming - particularly when playing solo - can make it an lonely and affecting experience, putting us at a game's mercy if it decides to play nasty. The technological and gameplay advancements of recent years have been particularly kind to horror games, which are scarier, more brooding and more atmospheric than ever before. But with all the attention given to the new wave of first-person 'helpless' horrors like Alien Isolation, Outlast, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs and Silent Hills, it's easy to forget about the classic games that led us up to today, and the wonderfully harrowing moments they gave us over the years. Some of these games age badly, so this list isn't going to pretend that the original Alone in the Dark - with its molasses-controls and its silly overblown music ruining all suspense - still has the scare factor it once did. So as we approach Halloween, make sure to reserve a lonely night in for yourself, turn the lights off, put the surround sound headphones on and revisit these old-school horror moments that will still terrify you today.
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Contributor

Gamer, Researcher of strange things. I'm a writer-editor hybrid whose writings on video games, technology and movies can be found across the internet. I've even ventured into the realm of current affairs on occasion but, unable to face reality, have retreated into expatiating on things on screens instead.