10 Celebrated Horror Directors That Made Video Games
1. John Carpenter
Game Credits: The Thing 2 (canceled), Snake Plissken Chronicles (canceled), Psychopath (canceled), F.E.A.R. 3, Toxic Commando
Halloween, The Thing, In the Mouth of Madness, The Fog - that’s a horror filmography that speaks for itself. John Carpenter is arguably the last legendary horror filmmaker of his generation still with us. Though now retired, he leaves behind a vast and electrifying catalog of classics, unsung masterpieces, and misunderstood gems spanning back to the mid-1970s.
That said, Carpenter has always been a passionate video game fan, and on several occasions, he’s been tempted to step directly into the industry. His first foray came with a brief voice and likeness cameo in The Thing video game, with discussions in place for him to take a more hands-on role in its greenlit sequel - though it was ultimately canceled. He was also on board as a creative producer for a planned Snake Plissken prequel game, but that project never got far either.
Then, in the mid-2000s, he signed on to the horror game Psychopath - a serial killer thriller that would have seen him provide creative input, direct cutscenes, and helm the live-action movie tie-in, but money issues eventually killed the project. He later found success as a cutscene director on F.E.A.R. 3, the third entry in the action-horror franchise he had championed since the beginning.
We finally come to the present day, where he has landed a full-on creative position on Toxic Commando, Saber Interactive’s Left 4 Dead-style zombie shooter. Carpenter serves as writer and composer, with his name proudly featured across the marketing materials for all to see.