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- Image of Grave Seasons courtesy of Blumhouse Games

Blumhouse Games: Proving Horror Isn’t Just Jump Scares

Originally posted on Total Apex Gaming | By David Gilbert | Last updated Aug 3, 2025 12:29 AM ET

Just last year, Blumhouse Games officially launched its publishing initiative. Since then, the company has actively pursued its goal of delivering diverse horror experiences. The first title revealed following the announcement is called Fear the Spotlight, which was showcased during Summer Game Fest 2024. To introduce younger and novice players, did this retro-styled adventure successfully serve as a lower-stakes, creepy entry point into horror gaming?

Romance Options: Blacksmith, Barista, or Serial Killer

Blumhouse Games purposefully designed Fear the Spotlight to reach this specific audience, offering accessible fun within the genre. Furthermore, this well-received mystery game, developed by Cozy Game Pals, channels a distinct ’90s aesthetic and follows two teenage girls investigating a past crime at their high school. At this time, the company announced three new projects, including Sleep Awake, Grave Seasons to Life, and Crisol: Theater of Idols, significantly amplifying scares and gameplay complexity during both Summer Game Fest 2025 and the Tribeca Film Festival.

Cory Davis and Nine Inch Nails guitarist Robin Finck leads Eyes Out to develop Sleep Awake, a first-person horror narrative exploring the terrifying consequences of relying on psychedelic drugs to stay awake and avoid vanishing. The second game, Grave Seasons to life, will be brought to life by Perfect Garbage’s team, including Son M., Emmett Nahil, and Nikky Armstrong. This game presents a dark twist on 2D farming simulations where players cultivate crops while simultaneously solving a potential murder mystery lurking within the beautiful gardens.

Lastly, Crisol: Theater of Idols, a survival horror game deeply rooted in Spanish folklore, religious themes, and art history, was crafted by Vermila Studios under David Carrasco and David Tornero. Interestingly, the game shares similar tense gameplay mechanics found in iconic series like Resident Evil and BioShock. Ultimately, Blumhouse Games’ ongoing strategy to broaden the scope and intensity of interactive horror is best demonstrated with these three distinct projects.

Psychedelics vs. Sleep Demons: Pick Your Poison

Blumhouse Games: Proving Horror Isn’t Just Jump Scares 4 Screenshot of Crisol Theater of Idols courtesy of Blumhouse Games and Future Games Show Live 2025

Thanks to Blumhouse Games, players are presented with diverse horror scenarios that offer satisfying scares and terror. These games allow players a choice between various concepts, including:

potentially romancing a killer hidden within a farming community
enduring medically induced insomnia for survival
confronting ancient deities on a haunted Spanish island

Given these varied experiences, Blumhouse Games demonstrates a steadfast commitment to creative inclusivity within the horror genre. Not only that, but the company actively seeks to expand the boundaries of horror gaming beyond conventional expectations. By deliberately focusing on diverse sub-genres, do these games effectively attract players who might normally avoid horror? According to creative lead Louise Blain, the company prioritizes discovering many different types of scary experiences.

Blumhouse Games: Horror Newbs Welcome! (Mwahaha.)

Moreover, these concepts move far beyond what people might assume a typical Blumhouse Game to be. Furthermore, Blain observed that varied sub-genres like found footage, psychological thrillers, or horror comedies are readily accepted by horror movie audiences. Additionally, survival horror titles like Silent Hill or Resident Evil are the most well-known within the genre by the core horror gaming community.

Even though Blumhouse Games acknowledges the quality of those established franchises, convincing a broader audience that horror games offer something for them is their main objective. Indeed, the company aims to show that all horror sub-genres can find representation within interactive entertainment. In the end, Blain expressed pride in their current game slate due to its distinct experiences designed to appeal to a wide spectrum of players. With this inclusive approach, the company hopes to bring more newcomers to the genre, enriching the horror landscape.

This article first appeared on Total Apex Gaming and was syndicated with permission.

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