It’s been around for a long while, but has only recently gained mass exposure because of the 2017 film Get Out, a film that uses horror as a tool to explore racism against black people in America.

The Social Thriller

Social thrillers are social critiques in cinematic form. They can tackle a wide variety of issues about race, sexuality, politics, religion, environmentalism, and class. They’re often embedded in genre films such as drama, comedy, and especially horror.

The horror genre has always made people feel like something’s crawling under their skin by way of unearthly creatures, horrible people, and the concepts of death and self-preservation. Social thrillers do much the same; the only difference is that society itself is the villain of the story.

As far back as the 1970s, the term “social thriller” was used in film criticism to describe films that created dramatic tension using social inequity. It wasn’t used to denote a specific and cohesive genre.

All of that changed in 2017, when director Jordan Peele gave it its modern incarnation. He defines it as “thriller/horror movies where the ultimate villain is society.” The social thriller, as a modern genre, is then about confronting the evils that humanity is capable of collectively.

Examples of the Social Thriller

Social thrillers have always been an important part of cinema, but in recent years, attention to it has reached an all-time high. Below are a few excellent examples of this popular genre.

Spoiler Alert! In explaining why these films are social thrillers, it was necessary to include minor and major details from their plots.

1. Invasion of the Body Snatchers

In the fictional California town of Santa Mira, an extraterrestrial invasion is budding. Alien spores fall from space and grow into large seed pods that can produce a near-perfect replica of a human, albeit with no human emotions. As the humans are slowly outnumbered, a local doctor sets out to uncover and stop the invasion.

Why it is a social thriller:

The film was released just over a decade after World War 2, however, America was already facing a new problem: the Cold War. One of the biggest fears of Americans at the time was the spread of communism, not only to their country’s allies, but also at home.

Considering this atmosphere of suspicion, it’s easy to see the film as an artistic take on the fear of an “other” infiltrating the community.

2. Parasite

The Kims live in a shabby, cramped apartment, are used to operating small scams to get by, and do the minimum work required in their jobs. Meanwhile, the Parks are wealthy, live in a modern house designed by a famed architect, and have everything the Kims want.

As both families form a symbiotic relationship, differences, greed, and discrimination threaten to destroy both of their worlds.

Why it is a social thriller:

Parasite is a study on class conflict, social inequality, and wealth disparity. It juxtaposes how the rich and poor utilize their resources and live their lives, particularly when it comes to education, employment, and property acquisition.

Perhaps the biggest example of the divide is the monsoon scene. The Kim’s semi-basement apartment is flooded with sewer water, forcing them to shelter in a gymnasium. The Park’s simply consider the rain as a blessing that washes away pollution.

3. The Stepford Wives

Joanna Eberhart and her family move from busy New York to the idyllic suburb of Stepford in Fairfield County, Connecticut. She quickly finds that all the women in the neighborhood look flawless, are obsessed with housework, and live only to please their husbands.

When her husband succumbs to the other men’s way of thinking, Joanna discovers that the Stepford husbands have replaced their wives with android duplicates, and she’s the next target.

Why it is a social thriller:

The Stepford Wives is a commentary on sexism and women’s liberty. It parodies the mistaken thinking of the time that every woman should be fashionable, have curvy figures, know how to cook and clean, and always submit to the husband—a vision that ultimately fails.

4. The People Under the Stairs

Poindexter “Fool” Williams needs money to pay for his mother’s surgery and avoid being evicted. Desperate. he and two others break into their landlord’s house.

But soon after breaking in, Fool’s associates quickly die from what they find inside. With nowhere to run, Fool must play a deadly game of hide-and-seek with cannibalistic children and a pair of deranged, money-obsessed siblings.

Why it is a social thriller:

At surface level, the story seems like a hodgepodge of horror tropes but underlying themes poke fun at society’s many problems. The landlords’ aggressive takeover of the neighborhood (gentrification), their obsession with money (capitalism), and their willingness to take advantage of the less fortunate (class warfare) are explored throughout the film.

The ending even offers somewhat of a solution to these issues. Fool sets of explosives and demolishes the house, the landlords die, and their hoarded money is blown into the streets by the explosion, leaving them for the people.

5. Red State

Three teenagers drive all the way to Cooper’s Dell for the promise of sex from an older woman. However, their fantasy turns into a trap when they’re drugged and caged by a fanatical preacher with so much hatred, even the Nazis stay away.

The preacher and his church terrorize the teens before eventually murdering them for their “sins.” But the unexpected arrival of a federal agent derails their plans, giving the boys a slim chance to escape.

Why it is a social thriller:

Red State is a commentary on religious fanaticism and its capacity for destruction. It shows how people may look normal but have extreme convictions that drive them to hurt other people.

The film doesn’t hide its satirization of a real-world example of absolute bigotry. It pokes fun of the Westboro Baptist Church and its previous leader, Fred Waldron Phelps. The church is famous for its views against Jews, Muslims, the LGBTQ+ community, and is known for its aggressive picketing against these groups.

6. His House

A couple flees from war-torn South Sudan in search of a better and more peaceful life. Granted probational asylum, they are assigned a house and strict restrictions they need to follow or risk being deported.

As they settle in, they are visited by strange visions and disturbing phenomena around the house. Believing that an evil entity has followed them all the way from Sudan, they begin to look for ways on how to vanquish it.

Why it is a social thriller:

The film explores the challenges of assimilation and displacement that many immigrants experience, delivered side-by-side with the supernatural aspect of the film’s horror.

On one hand, the husband hides the supernatural violence going on inside the house, fearing its effect on their asylum. On the other, the wife wants nothing more than to leave and is honest about what’s really going on inside their walls.

Added to this is the constant racism they experience from their neighbors, along with the general dismissiveness exhibited by the government.

Movies as Social Commentary

Many movies tackle socially relevant topics, regardless of whatever genre they may be. But social thrillers have an almost exclusive relationship with the thriller and horror genre. If you look close enough, they’re full of social commentary, their subtext loaded with humanity’s shared traumas and fears.

Take Night of the Living Dead as an example. Ben (the only character played by an African-American actor in the film) is shown to be smarter, more resourceful, and generally better than those he interacts with. He even defies the cliche that people of color always die first in a horror film.

Then you get to the end, where he wrongly dies because a posse mistakes him for a zombie. It’s an unfair ending made more tragic when you consider that the film is one of the first few mainstream films to feature an African American lead.

A key component to understanding these social thrillers is awareness. While some of them can be in-your-face about the societal issues they discuss, many are also subtle in their storytelling.

The topics they tackle are emotionally, politically, and socially charged—subjects that go viral or things that are relevant to a large number of people. These are things you would most likely know about. They don’t require you to do research, they only ask that you listen.

Cole Salao

Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!

The post What Is a Social Thriller? appeared first on killerthrillers.net.

Technology has made games more interactive, pairing great ambiance, music, and graphics with excellent storytelling to create extremely immersive worlds you can dive into for a great time.

Mystery is a genre that benefits well from this type of format. As a genre that gives importance to the story’s atmosphere, the added stimulation of your other senses makes for a more “complete” story.

Video games reinforce your imagination with the necessary elements to bring the story to life—whether it’s the slow plinking of a piano in the background, the gory visuals of a murder, or the haunting laughter of a killer on the loose.

Best Mystery Video Games

From the gritty backstreets of detective noir to the dark places that populate horror, these are the best mystery video games that you can play. The mystery is afoot so grab your magnifying glass and let’s carry on!

Note: Some of these games aren’t strictly categorized as mysteries but showcase enough major elements of the genre—such as red herrings, a trail of clues, and the pursuit of a criminal—to be considered as such.

1. Return of the Obra Dinn

Available platforms: macOS, Microsoft Windows, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One

Released in 2018, Return of the Obra Dinn is a first-person perspective game that uses a 1-bit monochromatic art style reminiscent of retro games.

The Obra Dinn, an East India ship that disappeared five years ago, has resurfaced off the coast of England with no living souls aboard. As an analyst employed by the British East India Company, you are tasked with discovering what happened five years ago and confirming if the ship’s crew is still alive.

To aid you in your investigation, you are given the Memento Mortem, a magical stopwatch that allows you to revisit the moment of death of any corpse you locate.

2. The Wolf Among Us

Available platforms: Android, iOS, PlayStation 3, 4 &Vita, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One & 360

The Wolf Among Us is an episodic graphic mystery-drama adventure game based on a comic book series called Fables. The game takes place in a place called Fabletown, whose inhabitants are characters from fairytales and folklore.

You play as Bigby Wolf, sheriff of Fabletown, and formerly the Big Bad Wolf. Not only must you keep order in the crime-infested town, but you must also get to the bottom of a series of violent crimes.

Story progress is made by gathering clues and conversations with non-placer characters made through dialogue options. How you proceed with the dialogue can have positive or negative effects on the storyline later on.

3. Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments

Available platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Crimes & Punishments is perhaps the best installment in a whole line of Sherlock Holmes video games. What makes it so good is that you have extreme freedom in how you play the game.

While Sherlock’s legendary intuition helps you out from time to time, it’s mostly up to you to piece together evidence and deduce a solution; you can definitely make the wrong assumptions and your moral decisions will affect further gameplay.

In the game, a group calling themselves the “Merry Men” are trying to overthrow the government and free the people from debt. As you gather more clues about these terrorists, you also tackle six separate cases, some of which are direct adaptations from the Sherlock Holmes canon.

4. L.A. Noire

Available platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

L.A. Noire is a neo-noir action-adventure game with an open-world design that lets you freely explore the city of Los Angeles. You play as Cole Phelps, a former marine-turned patrolman-turned detective. You must work your way up the police force while maintaining your moral compass.

To progress, you must solve the numerous crimes occurring all over the city. How well you do in uncovering clues, interrogating suspects, and your own investigative intuition will affect your ratings on each case, and how much of each case’s story is revealed.

5. Heavy Rain

Available platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows

Heavy Rain is an interactive action-drama video game that revolves around the mystery of the Origami Killer, who’s searching for a father willing to sacrifice himself for the life of his children. It is a game heavily focused on dramatic storytelling and mystery-solving.

The story is centered on four playable characters involved in the most recent Origami Killer case: Ethan Mars, a father, and the main protagonist; Norman Jayden, an FBI agent: Scott Shelby, a private eye; and Madison Paige, a photojournalist.

Ethan’s son has just been abducted by the serial killer. With a fast-moving deadline on his son’s life, he is forced to endure horrific and exhausting tests to prove his fatherly love.

6. What Remains Of Edith Finch

Available platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS

What Remains Of Edith Finch is an adventure game with an almost anthological format of gameplay. It revolves around a particular family under a curse that kills off all but one member of each generation of the family.

You follow the titular character as they return to the family home, abandoned years ago after a slew of tragedies. As you explore the house, you learn more about the family’s tragic past by interacting with shrines meant to memorialize deceased family members.

7. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

Available platforms: Game Boy Advance, Windows, Wii, iOS, Android, Nintendo DS, 3DS & Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a visual novel adventure game, a format that utilizes literature mixed in with static images and dialogue options. It’s the first entry to a long-standing series of lawyer/detective games.

You play as a rookie lawyer whose main goal is to prove the innocence of your clients from the crimes they’re accused of. Most of the gameplay is focused on searching crime scenes and interrogating any witnesses for anything that can exonerate your client. Cases culminate into a showdown between you and a prosecutor as you present any evidence you have found.

8. Alan Wake

Available platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox One & 360

Alan Wake is an action-adventure game that features elements of mystery and survival horror. Its developer, Remedy Entertainment, calls it the combination of  “the mind of a psychological thriller” and “the body of a cinematic action game”.

You play as the titular character, a best-selling thriller writer suffering from writer’s block. To help clear the block, you and your wife go on a vacation to the small town of Bright Falls, Washington. But your wife soon disappears and the events in your latest novel—which you can’t remember writing—begin to come to life.

9. The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter

Available platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter is an investigative action-adventure game centered on an investigator’s search for a missing child. There’s minimal supervision and explanation, letting you do as you wish as you explore its open-world environment.

You step into the role of paranormal investigator Paul Prospero, who receives a fan letter from one Ethan Carter. Inspired to meet him, you travel to Ethan’s hometown, only to encounter numerous paranormal phenomena and recent evidence of extreme violence.

To discover what happened, you must investigate the deaths of the Carter family by using your paranormal abilities.

10. Murdered: Soul Suspect

Available platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 & 4, Xbox 360 & One

Murdered: Soul Suspect is a game that combines elements of detective fiction and supernatural horror to create an interesting concept. You play as police detective Ronan O’Connor, who manages to corner the “Bell Killer,” but is thrown out a window and shot to death.

You return to the world as a ghost, who must discover the true identity of your killer before passing on to the afterlife. As a ghost, you have access to a number of ghostly abilities such as possession and teleportation to aid you in your quest.

Mysterious Games

Video games have become a popular form of entertainment for people from all walks of life. They’ve become so popular that they occupy a huge chunk of popular and internet culture. This enthusiasm for video games has made creators push the boundaries with the games they put out, especially in genres such as horror and mystery.

These genres, which rely on creating tense and heart-racing situations, do extremely well with the immersive quality of video games. There’s an added realism to being able to use your eyes and ears with the game in combination with your imagination.

Video game makers are even making strides into audio interactive technology and virtual reality. Soon you’ll be playing mystery and horror games that react to the sounds you make in real life, or maybe VR games will transport you to terrifying situations that are hard to distinguish from reality. There’s an exciting future ahead for these kinds of games — something to look forward to for gamers and gamers-to-be.

Cole Salao

Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!

The post 10 Mystery Video Games That Let Gamers Play Detective appeared first on killerthrillers.net.

Board games are a quick and easy way to keep a party alive. Whether it’s a family occasion or game night with the crew, they’re something that everyone can easily get into.

It so happens that some of the best board games out there cater to mystery fans. There are a lot of tabletop games for people who want to experience solving a crime, catching culprits, and adventuring in the most thrilling places.

Whether the game requires cooperation or encourages you to go toe-to-toe against each other, mystry board games are some of the best games to play when you’re looking to have a great time.

Best Mystery Board Games

As someone who regularly does game nights with his friends, I consider myself a veteran of board games. And the very first quandary we always need to solve first is “What do we play?” In our seven years of playing together, we’ve discovered that some of the board games we loved were those that required critical thinking, finesse, and getting to the bottom of a mystery.

That’s why mystery games are something we always love to try out. Though they’re no longer as popular as before, I’ve found that they can still immerse you into a world full of compelling narratives and challenging conundrums—perfect for game night. So here are some of the best mystery board games you can play with others.

1. Clue/Cluedo

Number of players: 3 – 6 (depends on the edition you’re playing)

Objective: Solve a murder.

Cluedo (known as Clue in the U.S.) is one of the oldest mystery board games on the market. It’s also one of the most successful, having been popular since it was first released in 1949. It’s a classic whodunnit mystery with easy-to-follow rules and an equally easy-to-imagine situation.

The “solution” to the crime is chosen by picking three cards at random—which depict a suspect, a murder weapon, and a room—which are then put into a special envelope. The remaining cards are distributed to the players who must use them to deduce the cards inside the envelope without giving the game away to the others.

2. Betrayal at House On The Hill

Number of players: 3 – 6

Objective: Heroes must defeat the Traitor and vice versa.

First released in 2004, Betrayal at House On The Hill is a delightfully thick board game with a huge potential for replaying. There are 6 characters, 80 cards, 45 room tiles, more than 200 various tokens, and 50 scenarios to play with.

Each player chooses a character to explore a creepy old house. As you explore the house, you can either find something… or something finds you. Characters grow stronger or weaker depending on how you deal with events. At some random point, a scenario called a “haunt” is triggered, turning one of the characters into a traitor bent on defeating their former friends. From then on, it’s a battle to the death.

It’s complex, but extremely fun, as you don’t really know how the game plays out. There’s also a Scooby-Doo and Dungeons and Dragons version for fans of those franchises.

3. Spy Alley

Number of players: 2 – 6

Objective: Gather the required components and be the first to reach your character’s embassy.

Spy Alley is one of those board games perfect for family gatherings. It’s simple enough that anyone can quickly understand how it is played, and long enough (30 – 45 minutes of play) to keep family members entertained.

Each player becomes a spy for one of six countries that must gather the codebook, disguise, key, and password corresponding to their countries.

Once they’ve gathered all of these components, they must then safely reach their country’s embassy to win the game. Be careful though—the other players can try to deduce and expose each other’s identities.

4. Deception: Murder in Hong Kong

Number of players: 4 – 12

Objective: Find the murderer or thwart the investigation.

Deception has the same premise as Clue, although it’s a little more complicated. It’s one of the games that’s perfect for when a lot of people want to play. With over 250 cards included in the set, it has a ton of replay value. There’s a lot of deception needed in this fast-paced game, so players need to be cunning in solving or thwarting the case.

Just like Clue, the mission is to discover the culprit of a grisly murder. Roles are randomly assigned, with two of the players being given the Murderer and Forensic Scientist with the rest playing Investigators.

The Forensic Scientist knows who the killer is, but can only express information through clues. Investigators must then deduce the killer’s identity, while the killer tries to impede their progress.

5. Mysterium

Number of players: 2 – 7

Objective: Solve a murder.

If you’re more into games that don’t require competition, then Mysterium might be a great option for your next game night. The game requires all the players to work together to win the game. The more players there are, the easier it is to solve the mystery. But if you’re into playing as a small group, the game offers special rules for 2 – 3 players to spice things up.

The premise of the game is that 30 years ago, a murder happened in Warwick Manor, and the victim now haunts the place. One of the players takes on the role of the ghost while the others play as psychics. Throughout the game, the psychics must try to discover what happened while the ghost tries to lead them to their killer.

6. Detective

Number of players: 1 – 5

Objective: Solve a crime.

Detective is a campaign-style board game, so prepare for a long one. The makers themselves estimate one game to last as long as 2-3 hours. Being campaign-style, characters can change over time, which can possibly affect future plays.

One of its best features that I found enjoyable is the WiFi icon which encourages you to browse a given topic on the internet. The information you find might be helpful to the game.

There are five interconnected cases to solve, creating a massive story for you to enjoy. The players take on the roles of investigators for the Antares National Investigation Agency, who must solve the cases by any means necessary—even if it’s illegal.

7. Letters from Whitechapel

Number of players: 2 – 5

Objective: Catch Jack the Ripper before he claims five victims.

Letters from Whitechapel is one of those games that grows more tense as it goes on. It’s a one-versus-many scenario where the police get more desperate as Jack finishes his victims one by one.

One of the players takes on the role of Jack the Ripper, who must carry out five murders before being caught. They must also maintain a hideout they will return to after every murder and keep it secret. The others must try to catch Jack before he completes his nefarious activities and disappears forever.

8. One Night Ultimate Werewolf

Number of players: 3 – 10 players

Objective: Eliminate the werewolf from the game.

One Night Ultimate Werewolf is a quick and simple game that’s all about taking on a role. Players are assigned characters with each of their own abilities. The game happens in the course of one “night” where the goal is to quickly find the werewolf, with the number of werewolves depending on how many people are playing. A single game lasts an average of 10 minutes.

If you want a longer version of the game, you can absolutely try the original, Ultimate Werewolf, instead. Players can range from 5 – 75 in number, so all of your guests can join. The game stays the same, with people trying to out the werewolf, but it happens over the course of many “nights” until the werewolf is dead or is the only one left standing.

Playing With Mysteries

Before computers and consoles led the way to video games, board games were all the rage. And while they’re no longer as popular as they once were, a large fanbase still exists for them.

There are times when people want to disconnect themselves from the babble of technology, and board games present the perfect opportunity for that. And if you think that board games are just for kids or that they lack a challenge, you’ll find that they’re actually quite demanding and fun at the same time.

So next time you have a party, why not try playing these mystery board games? They’re the perfect combination of enjoyable and cognitively stimulating to help you make the evening memorable for everyone.

Cole Salao

Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!

The post 8 Mystery Board Games for Your Next Game Night appeared first on killerthrillers.net.