What really creeps you out? *Possible Spoilers*

yrthwyndandfyre · #1 (**permalink**) 06-29-2006, 10:02 PM

My question is what messes you up the most? For me:

1) Ghosts (Ocean House). Yeah, whatever. Been there, done that.
2) Vampires. Uhuh (yawn). We have creepier people in the Village. Next.
3) Fiends. Sure. Demons. Bad crazyness. Met my first when I was five (Yawn). Next.
4) Fiend Creations. Sure. Monsters (Yawn). Anybody got a burrito?
5) Nosferatu. I've had uglier girlfriends. How about 'tater tots?
6) Kuei-Jin. Barely not normal.
7) Werewolves. Sure. See Ghosts above.
8) Zombies. Brain-eating what? Eeewww. Now that's creepy.

I've always been a King fan, and he made his bone making the non-descript terrifying (Cujo, et al), but for me Romero did it right with the brain-eating zombies. I got freaked out by the original slasher flick when I was a kid (Black Christmas), but since then not much freaks me out. The Cube wasn't bad. Jason and Freddie still give me the giggles after all these years. The zombies still make my skin crawl, though. Maybe that's why I'm so fascinated by Resident Evil (the movies). Well, that and Milla Jojovich.

Sure the Ocean House is nice. Atmospheric, creepy, yadda yadda. Mostly harmless. A lot of people give that top billing, but I've actually seen ghosts, and lived in creepier places than that. Mostly a large case of Big Deal. Zombies, though. They've creeped me out for as long as I can remember. Maybe it's something to do with being eaten alive, although apartment-sized Anacondas have never been particularly terrifying to me, or rats (see Willard) for that matter.

Zombies still terrify, though. Strange, too, because the one thing I can draw fairly well is a zombie. From an old comic book. Simon Garth. See the Avatar. Of course, Simon was a good zombie. Went around saving people.

So what puts you in a flop-sweat? You know. Chills, diaphoresis, shortness of breath, shaky hands. Flop-sweat.

mr_sir · #2 (**permalink**) 06-30-2006, 03:22 AM

I'm pretty hard to scare - visual things do not scare me at all. To scare me or creep me out, something has to get into my head. Its all purely pyschological stuff and for that reason the ocean house is the only part of the game that creeps me out at all. Not because of the ghosts, or the eerie atmosphere, just my imagination running amok with the stories in the newspapers you read around the house together with the noises here and there etc. Purely stuff that can give me something to imagine in my head

shana · #3 (**permalink**) 06-30-2006, 01:26 PM

The part of Ocean House that scared me was the ghost with the axe. I turned around and he was right behind me, very shocking. In real life, I tend to scare myself more with my own imagination. Thinking about "what could have happened" in some situations frightens me most.

Lestat · #4 (**permalink**) 06-30-2006, 04:39 PM

I'm going with Lovecraft here:

THE OLDEST and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.

The scariest is when you don't know what is exactly the threat, a good example being the first part of Alien. Suggestion can work 100 times better than gore.

In the game, the Ocean House is somewhat scary because of that. Certainly if you play it the first time it's the regular surprises you get that make it scary.

As for the more visible ones, I'd go for the zombies, because of the relentless masses that just don't give up.

shana · #5 (**permalink**) 06-30-2006, 10:34 PM

I hate zombies, too, just because they never give up!!

Anaximander · #6 (**permalink**) 06-30-2006, 11:25 PM

Fear of the unknown is powerful indeed. It's because of this that I was actually a little creeped out by the abandoned warehouse that Pisha inhabits. You can hear and see the humans dying, but you have no idea what's doing it. The very first time I entered that place I had my shotgun out and was spinning around every corner as fast as i could just in case something was about to jump out at me.

The Ocean House never bothered me in the least. Therese tells you before you go there that ghosts are perfectly harmless, and it doesn't take long to see that she's absolutely correct. I found the male ghosts efforts to scare me and impede my progress more irritating than frightening. He's like a child throwing a tantrum, and I deal with him accordingly - by ignoring him.

Zombies, now... They really make my skin crawl. I think it's a combination of things. Their rotting flesh is horrific to behold. They are relentless - they have no fear, no pain, and they never tire. They always come in large numbers, and if you're not careful it's easy to get surrounded. I have to really focus to keep from freaking out when I enter any area with zombies in it.

mr_sir · #7 (**permalink**) 06-30-2006, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anaximander

Fear of the unknown is powerful indeed. It's because of this that I was actually a little creeped out by the abandoned warehouse that Pisha inhabits. You can hear and see the humans dying, but you have no idea what's doing it. The very first time I entered that place I had my shotgun out and was spinning around every corner as fast as i could just in case something was about to jump out at me.

I forgot about that -its been so long since I played it for the first time. Now the Pisha bit is just routine etc. but I do remember being like you the first time through and just a little jumpy lol.

VelvetVelour · #8 (**permalink**) 07-01-2006, 02:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shana

The part of Ocean House that scared me was the ghost with the axe. I turned around and he was right behind me, very shocking. In real life, I tend to scare myself more with my own imagination. Thinking about "what could have happened" in some situations frightens me most.

I dont remember a ghost with an axe.. where was this? like what part of the house?

Lestat · #9 (**permalink**) 07-01-2006, 03:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anaximander

The Ocean House never bothered me in the least. Therese tells you before you go there that ghosts are perfectly harmless, and it doesn't take long to see that she's absolutely correct. I found the male ghosts efforts to scare me and impede my progress more irritating than frightening. He's like a child throwing a tantrum, and I deal with him accordingly - by ignoring him.

Perfectly harmless? Well, Therese might have been fibbing, you know... *remembers elevator and hot steam* Yes those are easy to avoid, just as the flying objects, but if you run into a few of these right after each other..., actually I died the first time through (steam in the corridor of the fourth floor).

yrthwyndandfyre · #10 (**permalink**) 07-01-2006, 04:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lestat

In the game, the Ocean House is somewhat scary because of that. Certainly if you play it the first time it's the regular surprises you get that make it scary.

As for the more visible ones, I'd go for the zombies, because of the relentless masses that just don't give up.

Yoiks! Yanking out the old HP sauce. Good point, though. By this time, there is nothing unknown anywhere in the game for me (aside from some violent and randomly generated incursions). Having said that, the first pass through the Ocean House was the best, if for no other reason than I never knew what was going to happen next, and the stage was set for something pretty awful.
Having said that, having a vase thrown telekinecially at one's head was kind of a downer. What? That the best you got, spook? OTOH, first seeing the ghost of the father! Yeah, now *that* kind of made my blood run cold. 50 times though the game, and I'd never seen *that*. In unknown situations, I usually have my most lethal and/or protective spell on standby, and I almost tried to trance the ghost of the father out of sheer reflex.
(possible spoilers)

yrthwyndandfyre · #11 (**permalink**) 07-01-2006, 04:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VelvetVelour

I dont remember a ghost with an axe.. where was this? like what part of the house?

(spoiler)
I bumped into it in the boiler room, but I had cheated my perception and Auspex up to the max specifically so I could find all the ghosts. I was actually looking for the 'hanging ghost' at the time, though. I had no idea that this one existed. I'm not sure if its a random incursion with a low probability, or if you have to have a specific combination of traits/abilities activated at once to see him. I've only ever seen him that one time.

Anaximander · #12 (**permalink**) 07-03-2006, 12:42 AM

You can actually see the axe-weilding male ghost several times. The first is when you enter the hotel. Look to your right, where the light is flickering in the distance. He'll appear very breifly then vanish. Then turn and move left then right to a dead end. When you reach it, the female ghost will whisper "He's here". Turn around and he'll be right behind you, with axe poised as if to strike. He vanishes immediately once you've got a glimpse of him. The third is in the boiler room, as yrth said. Everyone should be able to see him regardless of clan, disciplines, etc. As soon as you enter the boiler room, look to your right. He creeps by slowly with his axe raised. He vanishes instantly the second you round the first boiler.

Those are the only times I know of that you actually see him.

Darkstone · #13 (**permalink**) 07-05-2006, 09:36 AM

For me it's Ming in her temptress form. Imagine waking up next to her in the morning without her makeup.

shana · #14 (**permalink**) 07-06-2006, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VelvetVelour

I dont remember a ghost with an axe.. where was this? like what part of the house?

He's in the boiler room. You can see him again on the main floor by one of the boarded up doors in the side hall.

Theoris · #15 (**permalink**) 07-08-2006, 04:29 PM

Ghosties and zombies don’t get the blood drainin’ from me but rather the unknown and the overall gothic atmosphere. Little parts of the game really get to me, like king’s way and the warrens; you could hear the creations breathing heavily behind you, then bam they slash you across the face. Or what about that abandoned hospital with pisha, that part always manages to make me soil myself (that’s a lie). Seriously this game has psychologically scarred me, but hey I wouldn’t want it any other way. I guess what im trying to say is, is that the fact that you’ve been spit out into this dark isolated world surrounded by mystery scandal gets to your brain (maybe im just a wimp) but the fact that the unknown is waiting for you in a dark alley way and your only friend and confidant now is yourself really makes that scary world all the more real.

Bottom line i think this game deserves a 10/10 for atmosphere and being able to make me sleep with the lights on….sometimes. it’s the atmosphere that really brings out the disturbingness of certain situations you find yourself in. bloodlines I take my hat off to you…you really scared me.