I was struck when Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream) stated in a New York Times article on "Moments that Mattered" in 2008 that his came from a video game. To be precise, from the game Grand Theft Auto IV. It goes a long way to proving that video games have gone far beyond their origins as blocky sprites moving across a screen to true interactive entertainment. Horror is a genre that lends itself to this sort of medium, as the whole point of horror is to create an experience of dread or terror.

In the interest of honesty, I own an embarrassing set-up, including both the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3, so I come from a place where video games are not only accepted, it is a normal and valuable form of entertainment. Recently, there has been an explosion of horror in the gaming world, from the claustrophobic Dead Space to the recent action shooter Left 4 Dead.

The first experience I recall involving horror in this medium was the groundbreaking Resident Evil and its sequels. Back in the days of the Playstation, I was horrified by the dreadful acting of the cut scenes and the likewise terrible dialogue, but the game gave me the experience I'd always wanted. Stick me in a house with zombies and let me attempt to survive it. When Resident Evil 2 landed, it was revelatory. The came hummed along with better visuals, a compelling storyline and some great gaming moments. The others trailed off for me, but the series holds a place in my heart, for certain.

The truest horror game series may be Silent Hill. The gameplay has never been a strong suit for that franchise, but by God that scissor head dude is scary. There is something Lovecraftian about the town of Silent Hill, especially when the player is thrust into the alternate world where blood is smeared on the walls, all the metal is rusty and nurses have no faces, but still effectively wield a scalpel.

A few other titles made a mark, like Fatal Frame, which captured the wave of J-horror in an interactive medium nicely, or Siren, which again proudly displayed its Asian heritage. With Dead Space, horror seems to have made a leap forward in interactive entertainment. Not that the game is striking or innovative as a game, but it is notable because it embraces the atmosphere associated with horror cinema. The creators,

the nightmare will end. Gaming is quickly reaching a place where it rivals film in terms of the viewer experience. Now, not only can you witness the horror, you can live it in a way never possible before.

clearly influenced by Alien and The Thing, and who's to blame them from mining that rich vein, place emphasis on simply scaring the player. And, it tends to work.

Lately, I have spent some time with Left 4 Dead, a game that has split players due to its lack of story and somewhat unfulfilling single-player experience. Don't listen to that whining. It fulfills on a more important level. Stick me and three other people who understand the situation in a setting surrounded by a populace infected by a mysterious plague that has turned them into reanimated rugby fans, throw in some heavy weaponry, and let the fun ensue. It's satisfying, and, more importantly, it achieves moments of genuine dread. As a car alarm sounds, you hear the screams of the infected rise in volume as they approach, and you know you're in for it. That sings, baby.

Now that video games have moved from distraction to true interactivity, it gives creators the ability to create and sustain a mood, wrap the user in an immersive and atmospheric world and let the horrors unfold. Horror movies have always been the place where one can go and experience the worst of an artist's imagination, knowing that the nightmare will end. Gaming is quickly reaching a place where it rivals film in terms of the viewer experience. Now, not only can you witness the horror, you can live it in a way never possible before.