Hello friends. Dan Ryan here, you… there. Thank you so much for checking in and if you like what you see please comment and share. Back when Geekade was more than a podcast platform we used to do a thing called 31 Days of Halloween. Every October the entire writing staff would post articles related to Spooky Season through the lens of their particular geek. Mine, obviously, had to do with video games but included movies, music, wrestling, and beer. And honestly, I kind of miss it. It was a lot of fun, and a lot of work according to Kris, and brought some great content. So it is in that spirit that I decided to do this column here, every Friday in October, to highlight some of my favorite retro, and retro adjace, “horror” titles. Submitted for your approval this is Friday Night Frights: Fatal Frame. As with all reviews here on the blog I will be using the wholly original, not copied at all from any defunct gaming magazine, patent pending SAG Pod Ranking System, which is explained below…

First, some necessary, heavy, historical context. In 1945 the United States, with the consent of the Allied Forces, detonated the only two nuclear weapons ever used in military combat over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And while this is certainly not the space for the moral and ethical debate on the use of these weapons, their impact on the world at large cannot be understated. The devastation wrought by these bombings has left an indelible mark on the conscience of those who lived through it, fewer now obviously, and those who have studied it. Without editorializing I think it is safe to say that these two attacks are the most terrifying examples of what man can do in the real world. Decisions have consequences and the use of these two bombs, “Fat Man” and “Little Boy” did bring about the end of World War II albeit at the cost of an estimated 236,000 civilians. And while certainly not the most important, not by a longshot, outcome of this reality, the impact of the bombings on pop culture and creative endeavors is significant. The most obvious response to the devastation of the nuclear attacks is Godzilla. Released in 1954 Godzilla was a direct response to the nuclear weapons used not just in World War II but the ongoing testing and development of various nuclear weapons programs around the world. The opening scene was ripped directly from the headlines of the times as the testing of the 15 megaton bomb by the United States at Bikini Atoll, and the subsequent damage and fallout as a result is mirrored almost one to one. There is no denying the messaging behind the original film, though censorship boards and importers around the world sure did try.

It wasn’t just Kaiju that rose to prominence following the war however. Ghost stories in particular, a theme prevalent throughout Japanese history, saw a definitive resurgence. Onibaba, 1964, is a historical film set amidst a Japanese civil war. Director Kaneto Shindo revealed that the look of the make-up used in the pivotal unmasking scene was directly inspired by the scarring he saw after the bombings. The film Kwaiden, also 1964, is perhaps the most relevant piece here as regards the game Fatal Frame and the influence of Japanese horror on the world. An anthology picture comprising four different stories it is one of the first and most prominent examples of the now common trope of the girl with long, dark hair, usually messy and disheveled, covering the face a la Ringu and Ju-On. It was those films, alongside their American remakes The Ring and The Grudge respectively, along with the popularity of titles like Resident Evil and Silent Hill, 1996 and 1999, that laid the foundation for Fatal Frame.

Released in North America in 2002 by Tecmo, Fatal Frame is, for my money, one of the most effectively, actually scary games ever released. Eschewing the easy like jump scares (okay there are a couple)  or gratuitous violence, Fatal Frame accomplishes its fear through performance (yes the voice acting is bad), atmosphere, and story. The team behind Fatal Frame, most notably director Makoto Shibata, set out to make the scariest game possible. The presentation of the ghosts, their look and movements, are unnatural and unsettling. The stereo nature of the sound design presented players with a living world filled with things both seen and unseen. The lore is as dark and twisted as it gets with the appearance of rope burns on the player character throughout particularly chilling. I absolutely adore this game and find it to be one of the most unique, and worthwhile, experiences one can have on the PS2. And wouldn’t you know, we just so happen to have some pretty great ways to enhance your PS2 gaming available right here on the site.

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Graphics: 4.0 Fatal Frame is an early PS2 game and it shows. That said, what is here works very well, especially the environment and character designs. The mansion setting is beautiful and creepy. The ghosts range from eerie to downright horrifying. The use of color, black/white/red, stands out as incredibly clever and further elevates the experience. While other titles would go on to show how much more the PS2 was capable of, Fatal Frame is impressive in its own right. Most importantly, what is here holds up well and doesn’t suffer the way Silent Hill does when going back to revisit the original.

Sound: 4.0 The sound design in Fatal Frame really is top notch. The use of stereo to give depth to the world is really impressive. The score is unsettling, creepy, and adds to the overall vibe incredibly well. The voice acting is admittedly awful but even so, it doesn’t ruin the overall experience.

Control: 5.0 One of the coolest things about Fatal Frame is the combat system. Using the Camera Obsucra, players fight ghosts by filming them. When using the camera the view switches to 1st-Person with the left stick moving the camera and the right stick moving the character. It works really well and adds to the tension as in order to get away from the thing that is scaring you, you need to stare it down. This is confronting your fears made real.  

Fun Factor: 4.0 Your mileage may vary but if you like scary games in particular, or unique gameplay experiences in general, Fatal Frame is a great time. As an early PS2 game there are some moments where it shows its age. But, it really does hold up incredibly well. It will creep you out, challenge you, and make you think. Can’t ask for much more than that.

But I want to know what you think. Join the Stone Age Gamer discord, or you can find me on Bluesky to let me know your thoughts. In the immortal words of Billy Joel, “Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes; I'm afraid it's time for goodbye again.” See you soon.