When John Carpenter’s Halloween was released in 1978, not only did it become one of the most successful independent films of all time, but also one of the most iconic slasher films of all time, introducing viewers to a number of movie icons, including Michael Myers and Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode. Now, more than 40 years later, the Halloween franchise has grown to encompass 13 films, multiple continuities, and tons of fan-made content, including Halloween 1, a fan-made tribute game created by Damián González on itch.io.
The game was released on itch.io on October 31, 2021, with the last update arriving on July 19, 2022. Described as “a fan-made game based on John Carpenter’s Halloween,” the game is a role-playing game that puts the player directly in the film, fighting for their life against Michael Myers. As the player, you are tasked with looking after Tommy on Halloween night, a nod to Laurie’s role as Tommy Doyle’s babysitter on Halloween night 1978. However, a seemingly normal night takes a suspenseful turn when the player gets a mysterious phone call, with Michael Myers bursting through the door, unraveling “a horrifying nightmare where you have to fight for your life,” per the game’s official description. Throughout the game, players can either use whatever resources they have at their disposal to fight against the masked intruder, or they can attempt to escape.
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The game has been widely praised by those who have played it, with one person writing that it was “was well done” and had a “very nostalgic vibe.” Another person said the game “brought that great feeling of horror from old films,” that same person congratulating “the developers for the great experience they conveyed in this game.” Several people noted that the game managed to maintain much of the suspense of the film, one person commenting, “This game scared me so bad, it was super fun to play,” with somebody else adding, “This game is very interesting and scary, definitely inspired by the Halloween movie.”
Following Halloween 1‘s release in 2021, Gonzalez went on to release Halloween 2 – Asylum, which centers around Dani, a cook at Haddonfield Psychiatric Hospital, where Michael Myers has been locked up for the last 30 years. Per the official synopsis, “this rainy Halloween night won’t be as expected: things will get out of control and Dani may end up fighting for his life in a relentless battle against Myers itself.” Similar to the original game, Asylum is a first-person role-playing game that draws inspiration from the iconic horror franchise.
Halloween 1 can be downloaded on itch.io here. Halloween 2 – Asylum is available here.
