8 Video Game Monsters That Were Absolutely Terrifying (Until You Saw Them)
How do you mess up a horror game? Let you see the horror.
I'm putting it out there - horror as a genre is just plain better when you're controlling the action on screen. Think about it: As a passive viewer of any given film, be it in the cinema or at home, you're relegated to merely reacting to everything.
Volume-spiking jump-scares are the most common (and the most cheap) but after that, many directors fall back on a particularly 'horrifying' monster design or tension-building cinematography to bring out the chills. In gaming though, you are ostensibly in that role, piloting your camera and characters through the world, opening each door, seeing what's round every corner and contemplating how much you want to hang back and assess your options, before pushing forward regardless.
When the lights go out and something's inevitably "in there with you", they're REALLY in there with you. However, not all games stick the landing. As was the case in Stranger Things and its weird, plant-headed zombie... thing, some talked-about, amped-up uber bosses can actually look a bit naff.
Let me know in the comments which video game monsters were absolutely terrifying... until you actually saw them.
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8. Nemesis - Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
Yup, this big ol' stack of pork products. Nemesis was front and centre for the entire rollout of Resident Evil 3. His intimidating stature translated into a menacing presence in-game too, as gameplay revolved around staying out of his way, learning where best to evade and how to get the hell out of Dodge whenever he randomly appeared.
Such a spontaneous approach was more than effective, as Nemesis became the digital embodiment of some unforeseen powerful force that haunted your nightmares.
Then you saw him up-close, and... not so much.
It wasn't that Nemesis just looked like an overgrown slab of meat in some overalls, but that his attacks did jack-all damage. It's one thing to feel the pressure of having some unstoppable force close in on you, but if that's quickly followed up by said force wailing on you and barely making a dent, it completely ruins the moment.
Good on paper and terrible in game? That's Resi 3's Nemesis to a tee.