Custom controller designs are especially popular, especially those for Nintendo and PlayStation systems, but some truly push the definition of strange. Between questionable physical designs, strange mechanical decisions and even the occasional branded visual paint job, video game controllers can be some of the most bizarre yet most iconic pieces of technology out there. While there have been a fair amount of official horror-themed controllers, none are quite as grotesque or quite as impressively made as some recent fan-made controllers.
Michael Adams, known as crookedsmile.claywork on Instagram, shares his amazing horror-themed cultures with his community. Adams' art leans heavily into the world of body horror, with plenty of clay sculptures designed to look fleshy and organic. Recently, Adams posted two unsettling sculptures that are body horror recreations of Nintendo 64 and PlayStation controllers that are just as disturbing as fantastic.
The PlayStation controller replaced the D-pad with teeth, features some wide eyes instead of the face buttons and has some gross-looking lumps for the controller's shoulder buttons. While these controllers are just sculptures, they're still incredibly creative in a unique way. Adams has reimagined the designs of these iconic controllers in perfectly creepy ways with unique replacements for iconic parts of the controller.
While the PS1 controller design is certainly skin-crawling, the Nintendo 64-inspired one is by far the most disturbing. Eyes and teeth once again replace the face buttons, but the N64 controller's analog stick has been replaced with a nipple. The paint job on this controller is also much darker and less glossy, giving the entire sculpture an almost living, realistically fleshy look.
Adams' artwork is pretty spectacular, but plenty of gross controller designs have been produced throughout the years. One of the more iconic horror-themed controller designs was the Resident Evil chainsaw controller, which was released alongside Resident Evil 4. The controller isn't quite in the same area of body horror as the sculptures by Michael Adams, though it's by far one of the more iconic horror-themed controllers.
There have been other fleshy controller designs made by fans online, with some of these directly inspired by the work of David Cronenberg. More specifically, one of Cronenberg's films, Existenz, features a ton of technology that looks like a horrifying fusion between technology and biology. Existenz even deals directly with the idea of video games entering the world of biotechnology, with the creepiest concept being the virtual reality pods that connect to users with an umbilical cord.
There was also another horror-themed line of controllers that matched the concepts in Adams' work. Gemini Industries manufactured these unique designs for the PlayStation 2, and they really stepped up the body horror for some of them. The most notable, the Fleshy Freak, had two faces erupting from the controller's grips and a red artery-like cord extending from the top. There are plenty of similarities between the temes of Gemini Industries controllers and Adams' fleshy nightmares. However, his controllers benefit from being sculptures, as the glossy paint job adds to their fleshy design.
While there have been a ton of different horror-themed controller designs, none quite hit the same level of body horror as those sculpted by Adams. His unique take on two of gaming's most iconic controllers is certainly worth checking out, and he has plenty of similarly themed body horror pieces on his Instagram. These controllers touch on a unique brand of horror for gamers, representing a terrifying blend of flesh and technology, and it's almost a shame they aren't real controllers.