Every Friday we dive into the dark side of indie games — the chilling, the uncanny, the unforgettable. This week, our spotlight turns to Dead Take, a cinematic psychological horror FMV that feels like peeling back the curtain on Hollywood’s darkest secrets.
Feature: Dead Take
From indie developer Surgent Studios, Dead Take blends live-action footage with psychological horror. You play as actors investigating a disappearance inside a sinister Hollywood mansion. But as filming progresses, reality blurs with fiction — and the line between performance and possession starts to break.
What makes Dead Take stand out is its commitment to ambiguity. The FMV format heightens tension, making you question what’s scripted and what’s truly happening. Every choice feels like a trap, and every scene hints at a horror deeper than what’s on camera.
Official Trailer
Further Reading: What Critics Are Saying
- “No horror game has stunned me like this since 2022.” — GamesRadar+ praises Dead Take for its uncanny tension and live-action storytelling. GamesRadar+
- “Dead Take feels more like an artist’s point of view of the unsaid traumas and private despair that plague the lives of actors than a horror adventure game.” — GameSpot highlights the emotionally resonant perspective and realism brought by its FMV performances. GameSpot
- “Dead Take doesn’t announce itself with cheap shocks. Instead, it creeps in like a bad memory… a slow walk into moral quicksand.” — The Sixth Axis emphasizes how tension and thematic storytelling drive the game’s horror. TheSixthAxis
Developer Spotlight: Surgent Studios
Dead Take is in development at Surgent Studios, an independent team focused on creating immersive, story-driven experiences. Founded with a mission to blend cinematic quality with interactive storytelling, the studio has been experimenting with FMV and psychological themes to push the boundaries of how games deliver fear.
With Dead Take, Surgent Studios leans into cinematic horror — crafting a game that blurs the line between acting and reality. By placing players inside a haunted film set, the studio explores not only supernatural scares but also the darker side of performance, fame, and illusion.
What makes Surgent Studios stand out:
- Cinematic vision:Â Treats games as interactive films, prioritizing performance and mood.
- Psychological edge: Focus on ambiguity, letting players interpret what’s real.
- Indie confidence:Â Launching a bold FMV project in a market dominated by traditional horror games.
With Dead Take, Surgent Studios is proving that indie horror doesn’t need jump scares to be terrifying — sometimes the scariest thing is not knowing where the performance ends and reality begins.
Other Horrors Lurking This Week
- Little Nightmares III – Launching in October 2025, the next entry in the acclaimed series introduces online co-op for the first time. Players guide Low and Alone through distorted dreamscapes filled with creepy creatures and environmental puzzles.
- Reanimal – From the creators of Little Nightmares, this upcoming horror game focuses on two children trapped in surreal, nightmarish landscapes. Built around cooperation, it mixes platforming with psychological tension and a haunting art style.
- No I’m Not a Human – A stylish indie horror where Earth is scorched and only strangers remain. You decide whether to open your home to “Visitors” who look human — or lock them out and risk isolation. With its striking pixel art and eerie premise, it’s one of the most unique horror indies on the horizon.
Final Thoughts
Dead Take shows how horror can bend genre boundaries, turning cinema into something interactive, personal, and terrifying. Meanwhile, indies like Little Nightmares III, Reanimal, and No I’m Not a Human remind us that fear takes many shapes — from the surreal to the deeply human.
Which one would you dare to play first? Drop your pick in the comments — we’d love to hear.
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