I love when a game turns these visible scares into an actual threat, and this is one of the absolute best examples of that technique. The scene is scary enough on its own, but it’s when you realize that the blood is an actual threat and that you have to try to escape this room that you really start to feel the pressure of this incredible moment.
7. The Dog Jumping Through the Window – Resident Evil
I almost thought about leaving this classic horror gaming moment off the list for the sake of variety, but, when you really get down to it, the moment that the camera changes in that famous Resident Evil hallway just in time for you to see a dog jump through the foreground window really is a masterful scare.
This moment terrified a generation of gamers still grappling with the fact that games could be this scary, but it’s honestly still terrifying to this day. The way that the game uses that sudden camera change to establish a new threat that is both behind your character and directly in front of the player is just brilliant.
6. Pyramid Head’s Introduction – Silent Hill 2
The old “what the fuck is that?” scene has long been one of the most effective scares in horror. Well, few WTF scares in video game history have come close to topping the moment in Silent Hill 2 when we walk into a room and see the monster known as Pyramid Head violently assaulting mannequin creatures.
While the pure visual of this moment is enough to make your skin crawl, it’s what this scene signals in the scope of Silent Hill 2’s twisted narrative that makes it truly memorable. Silent Hill 2 excels at showing you the most disturbing thing you’ve ever seen and then making it worse once you learn more about what it means. This has to be considered the apex of that series’ approach to horror.
5. The Falling Woman -Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly
This entire list could be filled with Fatal Frame moments if we wanted to go that route, but The Falling Woman from Fatal Frame 2 is one of the series’ absolute highlights. The Falling Woman is a mysterious figure who seemingly committed suicide and is forced to constantly relive her death. Even worse, the aftermath of her actions has left her with a twisted form that her spirit uses to chase you across the room.