Ep. 361 - Specdracular 2024, with merritt k

The Insert Credit Show

Writer and game designer merritt k joins the Insert Credit panel on the most haunted podcast of the year, delving into how one really evokes fear in games, Skibidi Toilet costumes, and vampire streaming services. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Brandon Sheffield, and merritt k. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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SHOW NOTES:

• The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
• The Thing (1982)
• John Carpenter
• Sonic the Hedgehog
• Halloween (1978)
• Warhammer 40,000
• Fledgling Manor
• Guys: Episode 27
• The Mist (2007)
• The Fog (1980)
• The Exorcist III (1990)
• The Exorcist (1973)
• Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
• Jamie Lee Curtis
• Ryu

1: What’s the most you were ever scared by a video game? (08:34)

• Resident Evil 2
• Silent Hill
• Cloverfield (2008)
• Silent Hill 2
• Silent Hill 3
• Phantasy Star
• Wizardry
• Resident Evil 4
• Amnesia series
• Phantasy Star Online
• Yuji Naka
• Balan Wonderworld
• World of Warcraft
• Burning Man
• EverQuest
• Renaissance fair
• Destiny 2

2: How do you scare someone in a text or turn-based game where you aren’t required to act immediately? (16:32)

• Dark Souls series
• Bloodborne
• EarthBound
• Dragon Quest
• Undertale

3: What are the best ghosts in video games? (22:26)

• The Addams Family
• Fester’s Quest
• Ocean Software
• Boo
• Super Mario Maker series
• Hungry Ghosts
• Pac-Man
• Billy Mitchell
• Sonic & Knuckles
• Sonic Mania
• Mother 3
• Bubble Ghost
• Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

4: What are some last-minute DIY video game costumes our listeners can make at home? (28:03)

• Tetris
• Harry Mason
• James Sunderland
• OZZY OSBOURNE - “Perry Mason” (Official Video)
• Grand Theft Auto III
• Claude
• Ugly Sonic
• Donkey Kong
• Ryu
• Taekwondo
• The Atlantic
• Ian Bogost
• Skibidi Toilet
• Garry’s Mod
• Watch_Dogs series
• inFAMOUS: Second Son
• Helldivers II
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
• Astro Bot
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
• Miles “Tails” Prower
• Miqo’te
• Stray
• UFO 50

5: Nineteenletterslong asks, what are the grossest looking hands in video games? (35:17)

• Yakuza 0
• 30 Rock
• Elden Ring
• Wallmaster
• Shenmue
• Marvel Snap
• Balatro
• DC Heroes United
• Vampire Survivors
• Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
• Why Batman Doesn’t Kill
• Solomon Grundy
• Splatterhouse
• Ethan Winters
• Resident Evil 7
• Resident Evil: Village
• Resident Evil 5
• Resident Evil 6

6: Without looking anything up, what do you think the “Tails Doll” creepypasta is about? (41:23)

• Tails Doll
• Tails Doll Creepypasta
• Sonic Adventure
• Sonic R
• Traveller’s Tales
• Metal Sonic
• Christian Whitehead
• Sonic Mania
• Sonic CD
• Five Nights at Freddy’s
• Rad Mobile

7: What is the The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) of video games? (45:41)

• The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
• Tobe Hooper
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)
• Lifeforce (1985)
• Deadly Premonition
• Cavia
• Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days
• Disco Elysium
• The Cave

8: Merritt, have you worked on any video games with compelling narratives about awful people? (49:34)

• Fledgling Manor
• Visual novel
• Big Brother
• What We Do in the Shadows
• In Secret Places
• Friday Night Funkin’
• Vertigo Comics
• Shade, the Changing Man
• Chakan
• Demonschool
• Baldur’s Gate III

FRIGHTENING ROUND: Dating Draculas (58:53)

Recommendations and Outro (01:09:22):

• Merritt: Fledgling Manor on Steam and itch.io, Retro Game Zine Issue 001 - It Came From The Desert,
• Frank: Vote, and not Republican.
• Brandon: Vote for Harris regardless of whether or not you like her and her many problems, let’s get those fascists back in the ground where they belong, Hiruko the Goblin (1991), Desert Golfing
• Jaffe: Consider phone banking for the Environmental Voter Project, send us your homemade Horrible Buzzers to possibly hear them in the show!

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