6. SHODAN (System Shock 2)
It's hard to make computers scary. As much as the '80s and early '90s wanted us to believe the internet could give birth to a terrifying digital land full of horrifying code and malfunctioning AI, cyberpunk stories rarely conjure great villains out of their setups. However, if there was one particular villain that could convince everyone just how pant-wettingly terrifying a potential all-digital future might be, it was definitely System Shock 2's SHODAN. Finding yourself isolated and alone on a space station, you soon become at odds with the game's megalomaniac artificial intelligence. Popping up now and again to talk to the player, SHODAN speaks to you with the same unnerving calmness that makes so many horror icons so unpredictable and so scary. System Shock 2 isn't an out-and-out horror game, there's no emphasis on jump scares or anything like that, but the whole title is filled with such a densely nightmarish atmosphere that you'll spend your entire playthrough completely unnerved - and when you shut off the game and go to bed, your mind's voice will no doubt be accompanied by the erratic and creepy SHODAN herself.