10 Horror Franchises That Should Be Turned Into Video Games

Written and produced by Steven Spielberg, and directed by Tobe Hooper, Poltergeist was first released back in 1982, and has since spawned two sequels, and a remake in 2015. Considered a tremendous critical and commercial success, the film was nominated for three academy awards, and is often considered one of the better examples of the horror genre.

The film itself is about a haunting in Orange County, California, in which a group of poltergeists invade the household of Steven and Diana Freeling and abduct their youngest daughter. Unable to leave, the husband and wife employ the services of several exorcists in order to retrieve their missing daughter, encountering several powerful spirits and enduring countless strange phenomenon along the way.

The Game: Given the source material, Poltergeist would make a fantastic point-and-click adventure game, requiring players to explore the household as either Steven or Diana, solving puzzles, interacting with characters and encountering various, spooky apparitions. In fact, a game done in the style of the original Clock Tower, or the Chzo Mythos would be appropriate, emphasising the story and elaborating upon the larger universe.

If not, Poltergeist would also make a great survival horror game, much like the original Alone in the Dark, a game that would seal players away in a claustrophobic environment, and force them to contend with much more powerful adversaries.

There’s one particular scene from the movie that would translate perfectly, a scene in which one of the characters is almost devoured by a carnivorous tree from the garden. I mean, the whole thing just screams boss battle.