Dying Together: Six Underrated Co

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From Resident Evil 6 to Dead Space 3, multiplayer-focused horror games used to get a bad rap. This makes quite a bit of sense, as it’s hard to sustain interactive scares when players are distracted by their silly friends as they explore a spooky three-dimensional space. That being said, “hard” isn’t the same thing as “impossible,” and in recent years we’ve actually seen quite a few multiplayer horror games that manage to balance cooperative fun with legitimate digital scares.

And while there are plenty of well-known examples of cooperative horror out there (from the Dark Pictures Anthology titles to the recent Evil Dead game), today we’d like to highlight six of the most underrated Co-op horror games for players who have already experienced most of the famous ones. After all, there’s nothing quite like sharing interactive scares with your buddies – be it online or on the couch.

For the purposes of this list, we’ll be considering any game where players have to work together to survive as a cooperative title, though we’ll be shying away from more popular releases in favor of the less appreciated ones.

With that out of the way, don’t forget to comment below with your own co-op horror favorites if you think we missed a particularly fun or scary one.

Now, onto the list…

6. Forewarned (2021)

While it’s often overshadowed by its more popular cousin Phasmophobia, Dreambyte Games’ Forewarned stands out among its peers due to its unique setting and several throwbacks to classic archeological adventures. Putting players in the shoes of archeologists tasked with exploring ancient Egyptian ruins, the game even lets players continue to aid their friends after dying and becoming a mummy yourself!

While it’s technically still in early access, there’s nothing half-baked about the game’s puzzles or mechanics, and I especially appreciate the fact that the developers support offline play. It may not be the most polished horror experience out there, but I’d still recommend it for players who enjoy good old-fashioned Mummy-based frights.

5. Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop (2017)

An updated version of what was originally an Unreal Engine Mod, Alien Swarm is a free-to-play top-down shooter that clearly pays homage to James Cameron’s Aliens. Allowing up to four players to band together as they hunt down xenomorph-inspired extraterrestrials, this title doesn’t just rely on the titular swarm to scare you, but a grueling difficulty curve that requires complete cooperation between the squad in order to be overcome.

And don’t let Alien Swarm’s $0 price tag scare you, as this is a fully-fledged survival horror experience with more than enough content to justify even a hefty price tag. Just be sure to bring your most trusted friends along for the ride, as communication is key here.

4. Space Beast Terror Fright (2022)

Don’t you just love it when a game contains exactly what’s labeled on the tin? Nornware AB’s Space Beast Terror Fright is precisely one of these cases, with the rogue-like shooter featuring plenty of sci-fi scares as it challenges players with exploring procedurally generated spacecraft while dealing with hostile lifeforms and the spookiest game mechanic of all – permadeath!

While this is basically another homage to Aliens, the addicting gameplay and clever use of visual limitations make it a great time for friends on the look-out for claustrophobic sci-fi thrills. Just be aware that you’ll die often due to the sheer volume of one-hit-kill enemies, so good luck.

3. SCP: Secret Laboratory (2017)

It’s a shame that the SCP stories have yet to be properly adapted into film and television, but at least there are developers like Northwood Studios who take advantage of the narrative (and mechanical) potential hidden in the Foundation’s horrific anomalies. This is precisely what makes the multiplayer shooter SCP: Secret Laboratory such a fun time, with the title featuring oddities like quantum-locked monsters and unkillable predators as it tasks players with either restoring order to the facility or escaping it.

Originally inspired by Undertow Games’ infamous SCP: Containment Breach, Secret Laboratory has since seen a myriad of revisions and updates that have turned it into its own multiplayer experience. Sure, it’s still a little janky and the visuals aren’t anything to write home about, but it’s an incredibly fun time with friends that also happens to be surprisingly faithful to the SCP lore.

And the best part? It’s completely free!

2. Eronoctosis: Put Yourself Together (2021)

An experimental title that takes a couple of players and challenges them with going on a psychosexual journey into the darkness of the subconscious mind, Dream Toaster Games’ Eronoctosis definitely isn’t for the faint of heart. On the surface, it’s a low-poly survival-horror romp with combat that mixes Alan Wake with Fatal Frame, but the deeper you dive into this strange experience the more unnerving it gets.

It’s certainly not for everyone, featuring some disturbing sexual imagery and obtuse narrative design, but there’s no other game that quite takes advantage of the cooperative experience like this one. Plus, the mix of two-dimensional sprites with 3D assets looks absolutely gorgeous.

1. Obscure II: The Aftermath (2008)

The first Obscure is often remembered as one of the better Resident Evil clones, featuring difficult puzzles and chilling combat lifted straight from Capcom’s iconic franchise. However, the multiplayer aspect of the game certainly could have used some improvement, with the survival horror mechanics working better in a single-player context (especially when permadeath is a factor).

Fortunately, Hydravision Entertainment would address these concerns in the sequel, with Obscure 2 being completely rehauled in order to cater to cooperating players. While this action-packed sequel isn’t quite as fulfilling in solo play, lacking many of the survival horror idiosyncrasies that made the first game (and classic survival horror in general) so interesting, the smooth combat and better camera system make this the true pinnacle of horrific co-op.

Born Brazilian, raised Canadian, Luiz is a writer and Film student that spends most of his time watching movies and subsequently complaining about them.

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Death is the ultimate leveler. It comes for everyone in the end, no matter your station in life. Never is that more unsettlingly apparent than in 1988’s The Blob, directed by Chuck Russell from a script he co-wrote with Frank Darabont. The creature feature lets loose a gelatinous pink blob of goo upon the small town of Arborville, California, where it wreaks havoc with its insatiable appetite. It doesn’t care about archetypical hero or villain roles; its sole aim is to devour.

The eponymous Blob acts as a giant slithering stomach, dissolving its food for digestion with extreme acidity. That means that not only is the body count high for this ever-growing creature, but the deaths are deliciously mean-spirited and unforgettable thanks to gruesome special makeup effects from Tony Gardner (Zombieland, Cult of Chucky) and an incredible team of artists. Russell and Darabont reinforce the SFX showcase with unpredictability and meticulous characterization to ensure that not only do the character deaths look painful, but they also hurt emotionally.

It feels only fitting to celebrate The Blob turning 35 by paying tribute to the gnarliest deaths featured in the film. Here are the most memorable kills in The Blob, ranked by both narrative purpose and gore factor.

9) Vicki and Scott – Grabby Hands Comeuppance

Shortly after the first act’s most shocking demise, the creature slithers away from the hospital and crosses paths with teens Scott (Ricky Paull Goldin) and Vicki (Erika Eleniak) mid-date in Scott’s car at the make out point. This double death bides its time as Scott sets about plying Vicki with spiked drinks, eager to take advantage of her knocked-out state. As he makes final preparations from his trunk, the Blob silently pounces. Karma comes when Scott gets handsy with Vicki, and the Blob erupts from her face, using tentacle-like limbs to draw Scott into its fleshy body. This double kill reinforces the central modus operandi of its creature; the Blob doesn’t care about morality, it kills indiscriminately.

8) George Ruiz – Drain Clog

George Ruiz thought he was closing the kitchen on another average shift at the diner. Then the sink’s drain abruptly backs up. Fran’s attempts to unclog prompt George to take over. Russell coils the tension tight as George touches the pink slime bubbling up with the water. That’s when the Blob strikes, grabbing the bulky man and pulling him down a tiny pipe with gruesome force.

7) Hobbe – Air Duct Suck

The death of theater projectionist Hobbe (Frank Collison) preludes the slaughter to come, raising the stakes for Meg Penny (Shawnee Smith) and her younger brother. The horror movie showing goes off without a hitch until Hobbe gets sucked through the air vents, only to be discovered soon after; partially digested and writhing in pain from the ceiling. The usher that unwittingly finds Hobbes melting form also meets a similar fate.

6) Deputy Bill Briggs – Snapped in Half

The town Deputy (Paul McCrane) spends most of the film as a thorn in protagonist Brian Flagg’s (Kevin Dillon) side. That changes when the antagonistic military arrives to quarantine the creature and cover their tracks. Still, the tentative alliance between the Deputy and the town outcast only lasts for a short while. The Blob covers the barricaded town hall, slips a tentacle through the barrier, and pulls Briggs through a small opening. It contorts Briggs’ body into a grotesque backbend, snapping it wholly as he’s dragged through a shelf.

5) Dr. Christopher Meddows – Manhole Down

Meddows (Joe Seneca) appears as a friendly savior at first, but that cheery demeanor belies ruthless cruelty. Meddows’ relentless commitment to completing his mission threatens the lives of our protagonists and the entire town, making him the ultimate villain here. Keeping with form, Darabont and Russell don’t save this antagonist for last. They dole out punishment by having their man-made monster pull Meddows down through a manhole after invading his hazmat suit. Meddows fails his mission before the climax even begins.

4) Eddie Beckner – Sewer Melt

Meg saves her little brother, Kevin (Michael Kenworthy), and his pal Eddie (Douglas Emerson) from a gruesome massacre at the movies. When cornered by the amorphous entity, the trio evades into the sewers. All seems well until Eddie’s dragged underwater. But he’s okay because horror movies usually spare kids, right? Wrong. A half-melted Eddie resurfaces, reaching out to Meg for help as the Blob continues consuming its next meal. No one is safe in this movie. Not even kids. And Russell isn’t shy about showing it.

3) Can Man – Don’t Touch!

The Can Man (Billy Beck) and his pup keep to themselves on the outskirts of town, collecting cans and living an isolated life at a ramshackle campsite. The harmless man even claps for Randall when he attempts to jump his bike. The Can Man observes the meteorite crash land, and his curiosity overrides all logic as he pokes at it with a stick. The tiny gelatinous ball of goop latches on, finding a tasty meal in the man’s hand. Randall, Meg, and her date Paul (Donovan Leitch) come across the man and bring him to the hospital, where he’s left alone in a room as the Blob makes gruesome work of digesting his body, both outside and in. By the time anyone notices, only half of him remains.

2) Sheriff Herb Geller and Fran Hewitt – Missed Love Connection

The flirtations between kind Sheriff Geller (Jeffrey DeMunn) and nurturing waitress Fran (Candy Clark) are wholesomely sweet. An early scene sees the Sheriff slyly slide over his number, asking Fran for a date when her shift ends. The erstwhile lovebirds never get a chance, though. Fran’s shift ends with George’s demise via bad plumbing, sending her out into the street to call the Sheriff for help from a phone booth. The Blob follows her, and when it can’t get inside the booth, it swallows it whole, squeezing until the pressure crushes Fran. The knife twist comes just before Fran’s death; she sees the partially digested face of the Sheriff staring at her from within the Blob’s body.

1) Paul Taylor- Nice Guys Die First

The Blob introduces Paul as the football hero with a heart of gold, the precise type of character that seems designed to represent Steve McQueen’s character from the original. He timidly asks Meg on a date after a hard knock during a game, a meet-cute scenario that sets these two up as endgame material. Paul plays by the rules and always tries to do the right thing, including forgoing an anticipated date with the cheerleader to ensure the local homeless man receives proper medical attention. And that’s what ultimately dooms him. Paul becomes the Blob’s next victim when they discover the Can Man’s remains. His screams alert Meg, who finds Paul almost entirely encased in the entity, now rosier than ever from consuming so much flesh. Poor Meg tries to pull Paul free from his exposed arm as he screams in pain, but the acid severs it.

This shocking death doesn’t just subvert expectations by removing the conventional hero from the equation; it serves as a stunning SFX showcase and relays important information about the creature. Through Paul, we get a firmer picture of how the amorphous thing operates, namely in how it paints a revolting, horrific picture of what it’d be like for gastric juices to break down a living being.

Of course, this is only the start of the massive body count this movie monster doles out. Theater massacres and a buffet of military personal (including Bill Moseley!) round out the SFX feast.

Which kill in The Blob ’88 is your favorite? Sound off below.