Halloween

WARNING: Spoilers follow.

Like its comic book and television show counterparts, Telltale’s The Walking Dead video game tells a story about the living disguised as a story about the dead. Yes, zombies are cool, and blowing their heads off is even cooler, but after a while their rascally man-eating antics can get a bit predictable.

Instead, what fascinates most about The Walking Dead is seeing just how Lee Everett and his often-dysfunctional band of survivors carry on in the face of the apocalypse. The video game adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s acclaimed comic books is a grim, death-filled, and often depressing tale, but every so often it flashes signs of what it means to truly be alive. Sometimes, it shows that the world needs to crumble around us in order to understand what’s most important. Yeah, it’s pretty deep.

So, with that philosophy in mind, we’ve done some soul-searching and gathered together five life lessons that anyone can take away from The Walking Dead. Keep your Kleenex handy; this could get emotional.

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The scariest part to any story is the sliver of truth you hide in the horror. Sometimes its not about the axe wielding murder, but the fact that he’s lurking somewhere in your basement. Sure, you keep telling yourself that you’ll replace the burnt out light every week. But when you hear something downstairs, you’ll wish that you spent five minutes fixing the light rather than the rest of the night with a flashlight and a baseball bat in hand.

The House 2 mixes the real with the horror by combining realistic photos with virtual gore. As you click around the real world environments, you’ll slowly unravel the story of a family driven mad by their past deeds. Every room you encounter highlights a new member and how they met their grizzly end. As with any point and click adventure, you’ll spend most of your time poking around and clicking on anything that looks like you can interact with it.

One of the few problems with this game comes from the fact that you’ll often find yourself clicking on the same object multiple times in each room in order to forward the story. At the same time, the game doesn’t force you to combine seemingly random objects to accomplish your goals. Even if it feels as though you’ve flipped the note a dozen times, your actions keep you moving forward.

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Hollywood is the kind of town that likes to make everything larger than life: movie premieres, aging actress’ lips, and murders. Actors come from all over the world to find their sliver of fame on the street of L.A. Many stars rise, but many more fall.

Awhile back, we took a trip through the darkened halls and lonely alleyways of some of the famous murders that still haunts the minds of those who remain. Our very own Blair Butler dared to take on the Halloween Horrors Crime Bus Tour to take on the mystery of The Black Dahlia and other heinous acts that occurred in and around the Hollywood Hills. But will Blair survive her trip to the dark side of stardom?

She survives, but you should still check out the video anyway. 

Got a taste for the undead? Make sure that you stay tune to G4TV for more trick and treats until the big day arrives.

This year, Halloween hits on a Wednesday. Forget about trying to wrangle the last few bits of a costume you only half care about to drag yourself to some party that you’ll need to leave early just so you can go to work or class tomorrow. Take that bag of candy that you were going to pass out, lock the doors, turn off the lights, and play some great Halloween games again.

We look back at a list of some great games to give your Halloween spirits a lift. From busting ghosts to blowing apart necromorphs, we have you covered no matter your tastes in horror. Since the list is a couple of years old, you’ll probably find these titles for a reduced price. And you know what that means – more candy money for you.

If that doesn’t guarantee you an amazing Halloween this year, make sure that you check in with G4TV.com until the big day for all the tips and tricks you need. And while you’re at it, pick up that extra bag of candy anyway.

One name always stands out when it comes to actors taking on the monsters of our nightmares – Robert Englund. In the Nightmare on Elm Street series, Englund kept us awake as night with a striped shirt and his special glove. Any horror fan will instantly recognize this legend of the silver scream.

We take a look back at an interview with the monster of ceremonies as he talks about his biography, Hollywood Monster. Between these pages, you’ll find stories about Englund’s climb through the horror world and how he became the monster we all fear. Of course, we find out the actor’s favorite Freddy moments from the best kill to his favorite line in this interview.

Horror fans looking to get to know more about Freddy can find his book on Amazon. Tune into G4TV for more horror interviews and Halloween tips until the big day.

For hardcore horror fiends, a typical Halloween haunt is amateur night, like New Year's Eve is for alcoholics. Halloween is when suburban teenagers go to corporate approved "haunted hayrides" and freak out over fake skeletons and "scary" clowns with rubber knives--strictly for squares.

Vortex Production's Blackout Haunted House is the opposite scene. It’s an underground theater event cum torture chamber that brings real terror back to Halloween. Instead of yawning at hoary horror-clichés, customers of Blackout are thrown into a snuff movie and abused and terrified. Blackout strips the props and costumes from horror, and reveals the cruelty at its heart. It’s gritty, visceral and totally unique -- like Hostel in real life, or Guantanamo Bay as entertainment. 

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Late night YouTube trolling can result in all the lights being turned on in the house, random calls to a best friend to calm nerves, and flashlight location memorization. Of course we're talking the videos you stumble around the internet watching late at night for some reason while alone despite your crippling fear of everything even a little out of the ordinary. Everyone does it.

And everyone's doing it now, seeing as Halloween is right around the corner. But you don't have to sift through the scraps of YouTube for screamer videos or poorly shot "paranormal" footage. May we suggest a litany of awesome for your viewing orbs with a sampling of horrific web series that will send chills down your spine without insulting your intelligence or forcing you to visit the land of YouTube commenters? Shudder. Here are five spooky series to get you started.

Marble Hornets

You know you were way into the Blair Witch saga when it hit theaters way back when. The whole "found footage"/documentary trend has all but exploded since then, but nothing has been able to match the excitement the film culminated in exactly, though few have tried. Marble Hornets is an admirable project that follows in the same footsteps of the greats before it with creepy footage and bizarre goings-on, most of which should be more than enough nightmare fuel for skittish viewers.

A fictional movie was suddenly and mysteriously dropped from production due to some weird circumstances. The series of videos chronicle the raw footage a friend of the movie's creator was able to procure, and the disturbing events surrounding it. The project extends to video footage and unsettling tweets, and there's more here to get engaged if you're looking for a new ARG to get into. If creepypasta and related scares are your thing, Marble Hornets should be on your to-watch list.

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Killers aren’t born evil. They have to go to school for that.

Welcome back to Slasher School where they’re on the cutting edge of killing. Psychopaths and the undead go to learn the basics of what it takes to eviscerate young teenagers and anyone else daring enough to check out the basement at night. Who needs to get their degree in VCR repair when you can take an advanced course in mass murder? Check out everything Slasher School has to offer as we revisit the AOTS animated series.

Hungry for more blood? Hit the jump to check out the full course load of Slasher School films.

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Zombies might have the brains, but they don’t have a lot of cash to spare. This Halloween, look like the dead without killing your wallet with these simple but effective FX tricks. From showing off a little grey matter to pulling a prank on your friends, we show you how to do it all with only a couple of bucks.

Are you ready for the onslaught of ghouls and ghosts this Halloween? Be sure to check out G4TV.com until the big day for more tips and tricks.

Welcome to G4's Knuckle Up, where we bring you a byte-sized view of our five favorite mobile games every week. The phone and tablet space is filled with incredible games that will keep you busy for minutes, hours, or even days -- we'll let you know what we're playing and why we're playing it.

This is a special edition, dedicated to our 5 favorite scary mobile games!

DEAD SPACE

iPad ($9.99) iPhone ($6.99) | Android ($6.99) | BlackBerry PlayBook ($6.99)

First, we would like to point out that we’re huge fans of Dead Space’s availability across multiple mobile platforms (shout out to our PlayBook lovers!). That being said, let’s talk Dead Space, and why it’s so damn good. We love the console version of Dead Space, and this is an extension of that title: you play as “Vandal,” and it’s up to you to exact vengeance upon the aliens who’ve slaughtered the space colony “Sprawl.”

In the grand tradition of sci-fi/horror franchises like Alien and Resident Evil, Dead Space crafts a universe that’s both claustrophobic, yet lonely -- a perfect combination for creating uneasiness, bolstered by superb sound mixing. Play this one in the dark with headphones on, and you’re guaranteed a horror experience on par with the best in mobile gaming. Don’t miss the back rooms for additional goodies (and scares). Dead Space is a must-buy for anyone who’s a fan of the genre.

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It doesn’t matter how tough you are, Amnesia: The Dark Descent will make you sleep with the lights on for days. Now that the sequel to last year’s cult hit, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, hasbeendelayeduntilearly 2013, you have a few extra months to prepare yourself for the brutally-haunting madness. We chose a few games that you can play in the meantime.

Slender

Slender is the free game that has done the best at capturing the pure fright of a game like Amnesia. You spawn as an unknown character with a flashlight that is supposed to ‘find all 8 pages’. That’s all you know. It’s dark out and you have a flashlight. Even with the flashlight, the entire view isn’t revealed, only enough to see where you’re going. There’s a haunting tone playing and it increases at random moments.

There isn’t a map, so you’ll find yourself looking around at all times. When you first encounter the Slender Man, he’s just standing in the woods. It is perhaps one of the most frightening moments in horror games. As you attempt to run, your screen fills with static. Only being able to run for a short amount of time, you’ll likely be short on breath in a matter of seconds, starting to panic, and looking for an escape. Only there isn’t one, the Slender Man will again appear and this time you won’t make it out alive. His face flashes on the screen and the game is over. It’s possible to win, and you’ll get some cool unlocks, if you can make it through the game without quitting from fear.

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Hunting ghosts is serious business. The spirits of the dead are all around us, and with Halloween approaching; their restlessness is becoming palpable. Nevertheless, they'll only reveal their secrets to those with the tools to hear and see them.

To that end, we've put together this handy guide, with five must-have gadgets for aspiring and experienced ghost hunters alike. This high-tech gear would have cost a small fortune a decade ago, but today for the first time amateur spirit seekers can get in touch with dead relatives and old haunts just as easily as the pros. Here's everything you'll need to get started—now leave your skepticism at the door and jump in.

What you'll need: Handheld infrared night vision camcorder w/ optional Sima IR illuminator

How much: $99.95

Sure, EMF meters and audio recorders are essential, but what good is finding a ghost if you fail to capture any proof? Trust us—no one's going to believe you. But you don't need to carry around some shoulder-mounted monstrosity or military-grade goggles just to catch a spirit in the act.

This little night vision camera from GhostStop fits easily in your pocket and takes great daytime video, and it's easy to switch to night vision mode when a particularly bashful ghost might otherwise get scared away by the fury of your P2X flashlight. It outputs directly to AVI format and uses standard SD cards, so sharing footage of any "orbs" or other visual phenomena with other enthusiasts is as easy as uploading to Youtube. The optional Sima IR illuminator helps extend the night vision range, and the camera is even waterproof up to 16 feet for capturing lagoon-creatures and other under underwater apparitions.

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When you think back to the great great horror games of our time, few modern games compare to the original Resident Evil or Silent Hill 2, but one modern game, with little to no fanfare and by word of mouth alone, seems to have caught the hearts and fears of gamers around the world. With no ammo, RPG elements, or a massive boss to speak off; one title passes through the lips of gamers everywhere when it comes to horror.

I’m talking about Amnesia: The Dark Descent.

With the sequel, Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs, coming out next year; the team behind Dear Esther, thechineseroom, stepped forward to take on the darkness. Some may question if they have the chops to take on such a challenge. Dan Pinchbeck, creative director at thechineseroom, talked about what made Amnesia so scary at this year’s IndieCade 2012 and their focus for the sequel. The lessons here resonate not only with their games, but also with all horror games and how the player approaches the terror.

Here are just a few of the lessons I gleamed from the Dan's lecture about Amnesia.

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"Kart Driver" tells the story of Mario as he searches for his on-and-off again girlfriend, Pauline, but I doubt you've ever seen an imagining of the Super Mario Bros series quite like this. "Kart Driver" was the second film in the G4 Film Festival but we had to show it to you again. It was co-written and directed by Drew Daywalt. His co-writer is none-other than G4's Stephen Johnson.

"Kart Driver" pays homage to Mario's first love, Pauline and first nemesis, Donkey Kong. But don't worry; you'll recognize a few old friends here too.

Director Drew Daywalt knows a thing or two about horror; he directed several episodes of the MTV's new Horror-comedy television series Death Valley, the feature Stark Raving Mad and many horrific short films for the internet.

Check back tomorrow for another entry, "The Birds of Anger", and don't miss the opening selection, "The Hunt."

Take a look at the trailers and posters for all three films right here.

If you are looking to hit the haunts this Halloween but don’t have the money for a real costume, then fear not because our resident makeup FX extraordinaire is going to show you how you can look like the dead without killing your wallet. Even if you’re looking for little touches to spruce up your outfit, these tips will have your friends dying with envy this Halloween.

Fake blood? Check. Bruises? Check. An amazing Halloween? You’re almost there.

Make sure to check out G4TV all this week until the big day for more tips and tricks to make your costume this year the best yet.