As a kid, if your parents didn’t let you watch horror films, there was always a backdoor to get your horror fix. Horror video games have been around since the ‘80s, entertaining and causing many a sleepless night for gamers. The interactive element that allows a player to live out the terror, immersed inside the story of the game, is what separates video games from any other horror platform.  

As the video game industry has ballooned into the massive giant that it is today, so has the success of horror video games, becoming profitable and essential titles for companies like Xbox and PlayStation. Some become so popular that they get adapted into feature films like the Resident Evil series, while others get made into TV shows like the recently announced Castlevania series for Netflix.

Looking back at the games that made us play with the lights on or had us too embarrassed to play with friends due to the high-pitched screams, here are 10 retro horror video games that traumatized us (and still do)! 

Honorable Mentions:

Sweet Home (1989)

Maniac Mansion (1987)

Castlevania (1986)

We start off with the side-scroller that introduced us to Simon Belmont and his vampire hunting ways. Created by Konami, Simon was pitted against the head vampire himself, Dracula, having to work his way through monster bosses inside Dracula’s castle. This game was hard, unless you had Game Genie. As a child, I knew many kids who had the game but only a handful that actually beat it.

Not only did you battle Mr. Big Fangs, but there was also Medusa, mummies, Igor and tons of flying bats. The original that launched a successful franchise with 33 other sequels also had amazing catchy music, right up there with favorites like Super Mario Bros. and Zelda.