For as long as I can remember, video games have been throwing baddies my way for the sole purpose of providing a challenge that I could defeat. Bowser launching fireballs, Mother Brain from Metroid, or even Iron Mike himself in Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out! were all boss-level feats that required players to use all their acquired combat skill and might to win the day. With the defeat of powerful enemies, there’s a certain satisfaction and relief knowing that the challenge is behind you. But what about the enemies you can’t defeat? Many modern horror games have enacted that very scenario. Winning means simply surviving. It’s in those moments that enemies become wholly terrifying. Imagine if Michael Myers truly existed, an unstoppable force that relentlessly pursues victims. If you were ever in his crosshairs, you wouldn’t be able to sleep, eat, or live a comfortable life without looking over your shoulder constantly in fear that he’d be right there. At some point, horror creators and game developers figured out that true fear comes from a sense of powerlessness. When you can no longer stop the danger that is coming your way, or control your surroundings, anxiety thrives.
There have been several horror games in recent years that have given us a glimpse at what this powerlessness must feel like (virtually, of course). It’s the enemies that consistently haunt us and the knowledge that we can’t escape their wandering eyes that are the most terrifying. Some horror games are entirely built around that concept, like Outlast. Your only protection is fleeing and hiding. But one slip-up could be the difference between taking another breath and a grisly death (cue my cheeky, unintentional poetry). With the Halloween season in full swing, it feels fitting that we examine some of the scariest video game enemies that simply refuse to die.
It’s been 12 years since the bloodthirsty Xenomorph of Alien fame stalked Amanda Ripley through the corridors of Sevastopol. The game’s central premise is nearly identical to the original 1979 film: survive the alien on board at all costs. The name of this game couldn’t be more poignant. Isolation describes the nature of this space horror. This is not Aliens: Fireteam Elite, where you and a couple of compadres unload hefty arsenals on swarms of aliens in derelict facilities. Instead, supplies are limited and only serve to stun or deflect a solitary alien that relentlessly stalks you throughout the sometimes cramped Sevastopol space station.
The Xenomorph is one of the most iconic movie monsters of all time. It’s fitting that it could also find its place as such in the gaming scene as well. In Alien: Isolation, the titular monster is erratic and, at times, unpredictable. Each encounter with the beast doesn’t feel exactly like the one before it. The environment changes, the Alien adapts, and new supplies for your aid are uncovered. It’s as thrilling as it is chilling (and I did it again). Alien: Isolation is a pillar within the sci-fi horror fanbase. So much so, in fact, that it’s finally receiving a sequel many years after its release.
The Baker house is an unmistakable nightmare for many well-versed Resident Evil fans. Set in rural Louisiana, the protagonist, Ethan, explores the last known location of his wife at a plantation following her disappearance years prior. This haunting plantation is the home of the Baker family, a seemingly psychopathic bunch with a penchant for murder, mayhem, and a general lack of household cleanliness. Though there’s something more sinister afoot than these Texas Chainsaw stand-ins. Each member of the family has been twisted and affected by a psychotropic bioweapon that ultimately causes madness and grants the hosts regenerative and unnatural abilities. Jack Baker, the patriarch of the Baker clan, is the first menacing figure to stalk the property as you guide Ethan through the decrepit passages of his home. But it’s Jack’s wife, Marguerite, who wins the award for the most terrifying presence within this game.
Marguerite is highly unpredictable, and as she plods along within an old house on the plantation, you must evade or destroy killer insects along the way. In fact, Marguerite’s gradual transformation is an insect infestation body horror that will live in your head for a time long after you leave the credits behind you. During the period in which she can’t be killed, she can become erratic and, at times, emerge from the most unlikely places. Having Marguerite breathing down your neck will absolutely send shivers down your spine.
This puzzle-platforming horror absolutely knows what lives in the darkest corners of our minds. It’s a twisted little adventure that plays out like a virtual haunted house experience. Only in this world, the frights that show up are very real, and they can “get” you. One of the game’s more traumatizing elements is the Thin Man. This narrow figure that looks rightfully inspired by Slender Man, is a haunting visage of a gaunt, pale man who towers over the player character Mono and his pal, Six.
Each time that he is primed for a chase, the Thin Man will emerge from a television and then casually stroll after his prey. Distance isn’t a safety net if you think this shambling, ghoulish man is too slow to catch you. He’ll close the gap by teleporting just to keep you on your toes as you run, climb, and slide your way through whatever veritable obstacle course lies in your path. His apathetic temperament and deliberate stride are what make him truly disturbing. He can easily manipulate space around him, making the whole affair a true nightmare. The Little Nightmares series of games doesn’t need raw violence and gore to deliver a strikingly terrifying experience. It’s characters like the Thin Man that get that job done with ease.
Laura is, perhaps, one of The Evil Within’s most memorable enemies. In this nightmarish world, the player character Sebastien must traverse the hellscape that is the twisted mind of Ruvik, a former prodigy-turned-madman after suffering trauma as a child. Within this world is Laura, his sister. She often emerges from corpses strewn about Sebastien’s path and is hell-bent on destroying the poor sap. Laura isn’t just an ordinary girl. She’s a disfigured monstrosity with multiple limbs and the face of Samara from The Ring. Her screams and wails will give you goosebumps.
In the game, there are a series of sequences in which she will emerge suddenly and give chase to Sebastien. While she cannot be killed during these moments, she can be stunned in an effort to slow her down. Her kryptonite is fire, which can be wielded to buy you some time as you figure out your next move or pathway forward. The goal during much of the game is to simply survive. You’ll eventually get your chance to put Laura down for good. But not until after she’s put you through your paces. If she does manage to catch you during any of these chase sequences, the consequences are immediately brutal and fatal. Laura is one ghastly creature not to be trifled with.
The necromorphs are a truly twisted breed. Dead Space gave us a nightmarish twist on the classic zombie. In Isaac Clarke’s adventure to the derelict USG Ishimura, he quickly discovers that the crew has transformed into menacing grotesque mutations where skin, muscle, and bone are twisted to form new limbs, blades, or other dangerous appendages. Isaac finds that he must use his engineering tools to dismember the critters and slow their advance until they die. But there’s one such necromorph that refuses to be put down by Isaac’s array of plasma cutting devices. That is the Hunter. This is an enemy that simply won’t stop, and you’ll encounter it multiple times throughout your journey through the Ishimura.
You can blast away the Hunter’s limbs, but they’ll regenerate in time, and it’ll continue its pursuit. No conventional weaponry can defeat this creature. When it appears, you have to stay hot on your heels and figure out your next move forward. The key is to separate yourself from this monster. It is nice to know that you can slow it down, but you better keep a careful eye on your ammo. Having to resort to hitting and stomping in Dead Space is a last-ditch effort you don’t want to find yourself in. You’ll eventually discover a way to stop the Hunter permanently. But that doesn’t change the fact that this relentless foe is one scary beast.
The Resident Evil series has created a legacy of inducing anxiety through intense horror and survival sequences. It’s what the series does best. In the sequel to the original 1996 game, a new foe was introduced that gave the protagonists Claire or Leon (depending upon your character choice and playthrough sequence) a really bad day. This big boy’s name is Mr. X, a designed bioweapon from the Umbrella Corporation to “clean up” their mess and eliminate surviving witnesses to the outbreak before recovering the G-Virus. In practice, he was a successor to the final boss of the original Resident Evil, the Tyrant. When deployed, Mr. X would appear in halls or rooms throughout the R.P.D. and later areas within the game. Dressed in dark boots, a trench coat, and a black fedora, this mysterious being is hulking and can pack a punch if he catches up to you.
In the original PlayStation version of the game, you could escape Mr. X by simply entering a new area via a door, stairs, or other method. He couldn’t follow Claire and Leon through these load screens to other areas. But he’d randomly appear again in other rooms as you progressed. In the remake of Resident Evil 2, Capcom made him far more menacing. Mr. X could pursue you throughout the entire playable area until you achieved a given objective. Unnerving music would play, indicating his presence nearby, and there was no mistaking the sound of his thunderous footsteps. Thanks to Resident Evil 2 and Mr. X, gaming fans know that the scariest enemy is the one you can’t kill.
