Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Scary video games have existed since the release of 3D Monster Maze in 1982 and have evolved over time to rival the best that Hollywood has to offer.
As graphics have improved, frightening images seen in films such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Night of the Living Dead have come alive in video games that have made scary experiences all that more real while still paying homage to horror films that came before them.
To get into the Halloween spirit and to experience terror on a new interactive level, here are the Top 5 best modern horror games to play.
5. Until Dawn
Featuring the voice talents and likenesses of Rami Malek and Hayden Panettiere, Until Dawn is an interactive survival game where choices that the player makes determine who makes it out alive in this send-up of teen slasher films.
The title follows eight teenagers who the player controls at various times as they fight to survive the night against a crazed killer and supernatural elements while staying in a cabin located in the snowy, deserted mountains of Canada.
The way the game plays out like horror films such as Halloween or Friday the 13th, make it perfect to play during the Halloween season.
4. Telltale's The Walking Dead Season 1
While not the most frightening or scary game on this list, Telltale Games' interactive adventure game based on the Robert Kirkman's Walking Dead comic book series, features plenty of moments of dread and despair as you attempt to navigate a world overtaken by zombies.
Moment to moment, this title leaves players on the edge of their seats and, much like Until Dawn, the wrong decision can lead to a character's death. A living and breathing visual novel, Telltale's The Walking Dead follows main character Lee and 8-year-old Clementine whom he has taken upon himself to protect.
A game that captures the best aspects of the Walking Dead franchise, Telltale's title is simply one of the greatest and most heartbreaking zombie video games ever made.
3. Dead Space
In much the same vein as classic sci-fi horror film Alien, Dead Space is an eerie, sometimes claustrophobic venture into an abandoned space station where danger lurks around every corner.
Trapped in deep space where no one can hear you scream, main protagonist Isaac Clarke must fight against the abandoned station's deranged crew who have been transformed into horrible monsters by an ancient, alien artifact that was discovered on a distant planet.
Dead Space is horrifying, gory and filled with jump scares as Isaac Clarke cuts through the ship's old crew in search of his girlfriend, a mission that starts to affect his psyche.
2. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
The most recognizable horror franchise in gaming, Resident Evil returned in 2017 with a vengeance, going back to its roots and featuring an adventure set in a derelict plantation located in the swamps of Louisiana owned by the crazed Baker family.
What sets Resident Evil 7 apart from other entries in the mainline series is the switch to a first-person perspective that truly immerses players into the role of protagonist Ethan who must fight against mutated zombies and the seemingly immortal Bakers as he uncovers a dark and sinister plot.
True adrenaline junkies will want to play the game using Playstation's virtual reality headset which makes the horror of the game feel more real then ever before.
1. P.T.
P.T., which stands for Playable Teaser, was a strange demo released in August 2014 that featured players navigating the empty hallways of a spooky house that was meant to act as a preview of a new Silent Hill game starring actor Norman Reedus.
The game, from video game auteur Hideo Kojima and director Guillermo del Toro, has since been canceled and will never see the light of day, however, the teaser they made in P.T. has become the stuff of legends and is one of the scariest experiences ever created.
Now nearly impossible to play as the title has been taken off the Playstation Store, P.T. which can best be experienced by watching Let's Play videos on YouTube, has players repeatedly walking through the house's hallways as they learn about a gruesome incident that took place at the residence and how a family was torn apart.
Filled with puzzles and top-notch sound effects that leave you in suspense, P.T. is scary not because of the frightening visuals, but because players never know what to expect behind every door and around every corner.
