It's nearly Halloween, that time of year when the spooky and the creepy get their moment in the sun ... or the moon. However, some of us don't like to celebrate the things that go bump in the night, because we're not fans of frights.
However, even if you're among those who don't care for scares, there are horror-themed video games that won't lead you to sleep with the lights on. Here are five titles that can help you get into the spirit of the season, without actually scaring the spirit out of anyone.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein's monsters and Death himself make appearances in 1997's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, but none will jump out and scare you half to death. Especially considering you yourself are half-vampire. Symphony of the Night was recently re-released on modern consoles along with its prequel, Rondo of Blood, and it's a great way to surround yourself with the macabre and dread of Gothic horror without actually being horrified by it.
It has creative enemy and boss designs, with a creepy focus on detail to make the game's atmosphere flood on the screen. The game is also rather gory, and many enemies fall apart or explode in a brilliant shade of red crimson. However, because of the retro presentation, none of it looks that scary or convincing, so scaredy-cats should be just fine. Instead, they'll be preoccupied with exploring the castle and the myriad weapon combinations.
Costume Quest
What's more Halloween than tick-or-treating? This little RPG will place you in the shoes of kids who need to save their sibling before their curfew is up, and trick-or-treating is ruined. Made by Double Fine, Costume Quest features tons of creepy creatures to fight against. There's also Transformers and clowns and stuff, but it's all in the spirit of Halloween.
Speaking of which, when you're not fighting in turn-based battles, you are going around the neighborhood trick-or-treating. You do this in order to collect clues as to where your sibling is, as well as to get candy, which can be used as currency to obtain information from other neighborhood children. It's a short game, especially for an RPG, but it's still an enjoyable title that captures a part of Halloween that isn't portrayed as much. You can play Costume Quest on Xbox 360, PS3, PC, or via backwards compatibility on Xbox One.
Ghostbusters: The Video Game
The spirits of those who have died, but have yet to pass on to the next plane of existence tend to make their presence known in the most unsettling of ways. Luckily, if you are troubled by strange noises in the night, experience feelings of dread, and have seen a specter, then don't waste another minute: Pick up your phone, and call the professionals.
Despite its title, 2009's Ghostbusters: The Video Game, is considered the third movie in the franchise. It features the most action of all the films, and has a lot of creative ghosts to fight, and locales to fight in. There's also a lot of nods to the movies they're based on. There isn't anything scary in the game, similar to the movies, as the focus is on the comedy, action and the characters. Playing as a nameless new fifth member of the crew is strange, but at least you don't get in the way of the main cast. This game was recently remastered, so it's available on PC, PS4, Switch and Xbox One.
Mortal Kombat X
The fatalities are the highlights of Mortal Kombat, as the fighters tear each other limb from limb in gruesome acts of violence. Having the blood physics of a cheap slasher flick or a grindhouse film makes any game in the franchise perfect for Halloween.
However, Mortal Kombat X leans into this obvious inspiration more than any other entry. The DLC in MKX re-introduced some Mortal Kombat deep-cuts, like Tanya and Bo Rai Cho, but the main event was the four characters from classic horror movies: Leatherface, an Alien Xenomorph, the Predator and Jason Voorhees are in this game, meaning this will probably be the only way you can see these characters without having the pants scared off you. So have a scary-movie showdown with Mortal Kombat X on PS4, Xbox One or PC (although Jason will win because he's broken in this game).
The House of the Dead: Overkill
This is one for those who like trashy horror movies that focus more on grungy presentation and gory action. It's an offshoot of the House of the Dead franchise, which is perfect for this list. However, the series hasn't received a lot of love recently, and there hasn't been a new entry on modern consoles. The last one to be available on a recent console, Wii and PS3, is a special spinoff that's just too good to be true.
Overkill throws out the cheesy presentation of the previous games for ... a messy winnimere. The game oozes personality with its grindhouse, X-rated presentation and disgusting zombies and enemies. This might be the most gory and frightening of the bunch here, but there's no reason to worry, as the focus is still solely on the shooting along a predetermined path. Old-school fun with a lot of adult charm.