Blankets, Zombies & Blood Moons

Hello Ghoul Gang,

Greetings from my crypt… aka my sofa, where I am currently burritoed inside a cosy blanket with a fresh cup of coffee by my side (thank you, hubby). One of the things I want to focus on today is horror gaming.

It’s something many of you will already be familiar with, with titles such as Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and Dead Space having firmly lodged themselves not only in the gaming world, but in the psyches of those who play them.

Surprisingly (and oddly for me), Resident Evil and Silent Hill are games I’ve only ever watched being played rather than played myself. Maybe that needs to change? I have, however, played Dead Space, albeit quite a few years ago now.I remember playing it on the Xbox 360 and having the first alien leap out at me, causing me to yell in surprise and attack frantically. This panic somehow resulted in me earning the “Marksman” achievement (dismember 20 limbs). It was thrilling to play something that made me feel so immersed in its world.

From there, I moved on to BioShock (which I know some people argue isn’t horror, but I’d strongly disagree it absolutely has horror elements) and then became utterly obsessed with Left 4 Dead 2.

I couldn’t get enough of it. I was constantly hounding my friends to come online and work through campaigns with me. I was working at GAME at the time and became good enough that new players were often pointed in my direction. I lost so much sleep playing until the early hours, and I still think Dark Carnival is one of the most enjoyable campaigns ever created.

I did try Back 4 Blood a while back with my husband and some of his friends, and despite realising that men don’t watch their backs, it just couldn’t replicate the same enjoyment or challenge that L4D2 delivered. Maybe I’m waxing nostalgic, but I truly believe the Left 4 Dead games are among the finest zombie survival horror titles ever made.

Eventually, I got a gaming laptop, a decision I’m very glad my husband talked me into, as I can’t imagine going back to console-only gaming. For me, gameplay feels far more enjoyable and immersive on PC.

My husband and I attempted a playthrough of DayZ (a game he still plays and enjoys to this day across various PvP servers), but I personally found the mechanics a little too complex. I understand the goal was realism, but the crafting system felt overly fiddly for my tastes.

He then suggested 7 Days to Die, and I can confidently say it’s a game we’ve been playing together, and still enjoying, since 2021. Thanks to the ongoing updates from The Fun Pimps, we’ve been absolutely hammering the 2.5 version recently.

For those unfamiliar with the game, you start as a survivor with nothing. You must scavenge materials to craft clothing, weapons, and shelter but you only have seven days to prepare. When the Blood Moon arrives, you’ll be attacked by a relentless horde of zombies, and your only goal is to survive the night.

Repent? Nah, I’ll survive

Horde Night runs from 22:00 to 04:00 in-game and includes bloated zombie cops who spit corrosive green acid, zombified dogs and vultures, spider zombies that leap impossibly high, and demolition zombies who will explode if you hit the bombs attached to them, destroying your base and possibly you along with it.

As each day passes, your level increases, and there are five distinct biomes to explore: the Pine Forest (where you begin), Burnt Forest, Desert, Wasteland, and Snow Biome. Each presents its own climate and challenges, often making gameplay incredibly tense. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve cycled into the Burnt Forest or Wasteland to scavenge for supplies, only to be caught in a storm or attacked by Dire Wolves.

Every seven days brings another Blood Moon, and as your level and experience increase, so does the size and difficulty of the horde. Radiated zombies become more common, ammo becomes precious, and survival is never guaranteed. I once had to resort to using an iron spear with a burning shaft mod needless to say, it didn’t end well.

7 Days to Die is an incredibly enjoyable game packed with thrills, challenge, and re-playability. It’s a fantastic choice for horror fans, especially when you factor in the extensive modding community.

I’m particularly looking forward to The Asylum Overhaul, which promises an astonishing 600 custom entities, including some familiar faces for horror fans. Sadly, we’ll have to wait until it’s updated to run on version 2.5 but when it does drop, I’ll be diving in immediately and will, of course, share a full and honest review.

I’m so excited to try this one!

Horror gaming is such a thrill, yet it doesn’t always get the love it deserves. There are so many brilliant titles to lose yourself in 7 Days to Die being just one of them.

Other horror games I’ve enjoyed include Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead series, The Quarry, Little Hope (the second entry in The Dark Pictures Anthology), and Alan Wake. I’d love to revisit some of these to see how the different choices I make will impact their endings.

There are also titles I’ve only briefly dipped into but need to explore further, such as The Mortuary Assistant and Phasmophobia. That’s not even mentioning the many games currently sitting on my Steam Wishlist – Blair Witch, Song of Horror, Fears to Fathom, No, I’m Not Human, and Demonologist, to name a few.

There are plenty more due for release in Q2 2026, but I won’t tempt fate by listing them, delays happen. Needless to say, horror fans are spoiled for choice, with games that are even more fun when played with others as you feed off one another’s fear… and inevitably laugh after screaming like a slasher victim being chased by a masked killer.

So, why not show horror gaming some love and play something spooky tonight?!

Is there a horror title you adore, or one I’ve missed? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Stay spooky!
👻SG👻

For the Love of Horror

Hello Ghoul Friends,

For as long as I can remember I’ve always loved all things spooky. My earliest memories of horror are of my dad sharing ghost stories with me as a child, one of which I have shared previously on this blog. They pulled me in and made the hair stand up on the back of my neck and I found it thrilling. 

I remember one evening as a child, when I first saw the music video for Michael Jackson’s song Thriller. The lyrics seemed to be talking about all the things I was curious about and when Vincent Price’s rich unique voice appeared and zombies started clawing themselves from their graves, I was captivated. Not only did I want to go away and learn the all the lyrics and the dance immediately. But I also wanted to watch films with zombies in and devour more of this kind of stuff. Whatever it was, I wanted in.

I became obsessed with Vincent Price’s words in the songs and the images they conjured up, which is probably why my parents introduced me to a film that I still love and watch to this day.

It was the first time I watched a film and thought “I think this film was made for kids like me.” Beetlejuice had me hooked from the moment Danny Elfman’s score started playing and the title came on the screen.

I lost count of how many times I watched it. I fell in love with it and saw something of a kindred spirit in Lydia. A young girl who seemed something of an outsider and had macabre interests. It would always be my choice for family film nights, much to my parents chagrin. They even hid the VHS tape eventually in a bid to encourage me to choose something else. 

I’d definitely pinpoint it as the first horror film I fell in love with. I know there are people out there that wouldn’t class Beetlejuice as a horror, but I would argue that it has elements of horror and is the perfect gateway into the genre. At least it was for me.

After that I spent my time reading horror books aimed at my age group, so we’re talking things like Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids, Goosebumpsand Point Horror. And whilst these definitely kept me entertained, I desperately wanted to watch more horror as opposed to just reading stories. Not long after 11-year-old me was gifted with a VHS tape one Saturday, my dad told me he thought I’d like it and that it had vampires in it. 

I piled some cushions on the floor and pushed the tape into the VCR, static filled for the screen for a second and then the film started. A camera panned over a body of water slowly, and a haunting choir sang the words “Thou shall not fall” and a second later the title The Lost Boys filled the screen. I was hypnotized. Needless to say it became a regular rotation in my viewing. And become my other go to film on family film nights!

I’d say from that point it just spiraled. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t claim to be horror film connoisseur but I would say it’s a genre I have devoured a lot of. I’ve watched and enjoyed the groundwork layed by The Cabinet of Dr Caligari and appreciated modern day horrors such as Us, Glorious and Host (to name but a few) And I imagine most people will call me a cliché but from the moment I first watched John Carpenter’s 1978 classic Halloween I have always considered it my all time favourite horror film. Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I watch it every single Halloween without fail. I will probably dedicate a separate post to this film at some point. But needless to say viewing it has become a ritual.

I usually buy a load of snacks and a pumpkin. I carve the pumpkin, light a candle, stick it inside, turn out the lights and put the film on. I’ve seen it so many times yet there are still moments that make me jump. But I love that. And I love that horror films exist and can make that happen.

It could be the way you’re sure the Clown’s face was turned the other way a moment ago, like in Hell House LLC. Or you could be recoiling in horror at that infamous chest bursting scene from Alien. No one can deny that horror has the ability to make us react in the most hair raising, stomach churning, toe curling ways. 

It’s like a drug and it’s high I’ll probably keep chasing till the day I die. 

Stay Spooky!
👻 LWG👻