One of the surprise highlights of PlayStation’s recent State of Play showcase was The Callisto Protocol, a new horror game from the minds behind the original Dead Space. In the trailer, a humanoid creature is fused with a rock. It detaches itself with force, its skin stretching and snapping like melted cheese, pulling itself from its anchor point like an emergency room patient escaping from monitoring equipment. A hulking robot crushes heads like overripe pumpkins. Bodies and viscera cover the walls and floors. Tormented and demented creatures trundle towards the camera.
There’s something about the way the monsters move that makes them terrifying. It’s a kind of staccato, stop-motion effect. They lumber about, twitching, contorting, and twisting unnaturally as if puppeteered by some unseen force — a stylistic choice inspired by creative director and studio CEO Glen Schofield’s love for Korean horror movies.
