How Dead Space Remake’s Scariest Moments Compare To The Original
Dead Space is a game famed for being frightening, so the Dead Space remake’s scariest moments had a daunting reputation to uphold. The original series had an impressive run before ending after the third game, and it has a chance to bring its brand of sci-fi horror back now that it’s returned. The only obstacle is ensuring that the new versions of its shocking scenes still have bite to them.
Dead Space is well-known for being gory and violent, with the player facing down hordes of disturbing Necromorphs. Even the gameplay itself plays into this, with the most efficient method of defeating Necromorphs being to dismember them, all but ensuring a gruesome encounter. The advertising for the sequel would even play into this, with the “Your Mom Hates Dead Space 2” commercials. While a lot of the horror comes from Dead Space‘s nightmarish, bloody Necromorphs, the claustrophobic and isolated location of the Ishimura makes these situations scarier, and the remake remembers to embody both of these feelings.
One Of Dead Space’s Creepiest Encounters Is Also Its Quietest
One of Dead Space‘s eeriest scenes doesn’t involve a Necromorph at all. At one point while Isaac is navigating the halls of the Ishimura, he will come across a man banging his head against the wall. The man doesn’t react to Isaac at all after his presence is revealed, continuing to bash his head into the wall. Once Isaac comes close enough, though, the man will smash his head one final, forceful time before falling over dead, giving the player a nasty shock even though they aren’t in danger.
In the original, the man is practically stripped of skin from the waist down, so he looks especially unnerving compared to other humans left on the ship. If this version was recreated with the Dead Space remake’s more detailed gore, he would have looked outright disgusting. Even worse, after his death the player can see that a large chunk of stomach below his ribs is missing, as though it had been scooped out; he looks almost as horrific as the Necromorphs. With the state he was in, it’s obvious that Isaac wouldn’t be able to save him, although that doesn’t make his actions less creepy.
In the remake, the man is instead wearing a hospital gown, albeit one that has been coated with blood. While it is less visually horrific than his skinned body from the original, the relative mundanity still manages to be creepy, especially since his behavior is still the same. If anything, it makes it more clear how quickly the Markers are tearing the crew of the Ishimura apart, making it a stronger scene in that sense. Isaac isn’t totally silent in Dead Space‘s remake, but him remaining quient here adds to the moment, as though he can only watch in horror at what’s unfolding around him.
Both versions of the headbanging scene are approximately on par with each other. The original is more visually horrific, while the Dead Space remake does a better job of carrying a tense atmosphere. This is a simple scene, so there isn’t a lot that could have been done different aside from what was changed, but since its effectiveness remains, it deserves recognition.
Hammond’s Death In The Dead Space Remake Became More Impressive
Zach Hammond is one of Isaac’s fellow crewmen and one of his few allies aboard the Ishimura. Unfortunately, he isn’t as lucky as Isaac, and gets one of the game’s more horrific death scenes. As he reunites with Isaac, he is ambushed by a large Necromorph who pins him down, pulls his leg off, and pummels him to death with its fists in a scene that’s gruesome even with the original Dead Space‘s graphics. After that display, it throws Hammond through the glass barrier separating them and comes after Isaac, forcing the player into combat.
In the remake, Hammond’s death is almost entirely different. With him alone in the chamber with the singularity core, he gets jumped by a blade-wielding Necromorph that was once his crewmate Chen. Unable to believe that Chen has turned, he demands that Isaac get medical assistance before Chen stabs him through the chest with both blades. Realizing that he’s dying and Chen has become a monster, Hammond uses the last of his strength to rush himself and Chen into the active core, vaporizing them both.
Hammond’s death in the original has a major impact not only for its brutality, but because it’s happening to a character that the player has had time to get to know and care about. The remake’s version of Hammond’s death is arguably an improvement for Dead Space‘s story, as it’s a better sendoff for the character despite being less scary. Rather than getting killed to set up a single enemy, he accomplishes the rare feat of killing a Necromorph with his bare hands. It’s a fitting farewell for the man who may have been Isaac’s most honest ally in the first game.
Challus Mercer’s Deaths In Dead Space Are Terrifying In Different Ways
Challus Mercer is Dead Space‘s most terrifying character. He is completely on the side of the Necromorphs and is willing to sacrifice as many people to them as he can in order to ensure their spread. He even carries this mindset with him to his eventual death scene. Isaac is treated to the sight of Mercer gladly giving himself over to be torn apart by a Necromorph and be made into a new one. After seeing all game how horrific the Necromorph transformations are, seeing someone under the influence of Dead Space‘s terrifying Markers submitting themselves to that willingly is a disturbing sight.
In the remake, Mercer’s motivation is different. He doesn’t want to die, but is still willing to sacrifice everyone else anyway, highlighting his cruel nature. When his time comes, it isn’t a willing sacrifice, but rather getting crushed to death between a massive tentacle and giant marker. Rather than gleefully hailing his death, Mercer dies panicking, and his body is dragged into the depths of the Ishimura, just in time for the camera to pan around and reveal Isaac being attacked as well.
Mercer’s two deaths are completely different, and each is a frightful scene. His original death portrays the fatal end result of his fanaticism, glad to resign himself to a horrific fate. Meanwhile, his remake death is amplified by his terrified reaction as the twisted horror squeezes the life out of him. This change to Dead Space‘s story shows two different sides to Mercer with different outlooks and motivations. Either way, he still goes down as the first game’s biggest monster despite being a mere human on a ship full of twisted Necromorphs.
The remake of Dead Space manages to be just as memorable as the original, with the scares remaining intact. The changes made to many of the game’s biggest or most memorable scenes retain the mood at worst, and actively enhance it at best. It’s safe to say that the remake of Dead Space is just as scary as the original.
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