Aside from costumes, big bowls of sweets and the impending fear that I'm A Celebrity will soon dominate TV again, if there is one thing that you can bank on over Halloween, it's lots, and lots of scary video games. The spooky season has an annoying habit of seeking out those of us — this writer included — who are not the best with things that go bump in the night, plastering our news feeds with lists of 'Top Ten Games To Ruin Your Sleep Schedule' or 'Video Game Moments That Will Make You Think Twice Before Turning The Light Off'. Yes, we've read them, and yes, they keep us up at night every time.
For some people, horror just does not click — books, films or, importantly, games. But many of us do, however, still like to get involved in the festivities, albeit in a much more cozy, less give-you-sleepless-nights-for-a-week kind of way.
That is why we have assembled the following list. Made up of games that are very much not spooky, we have picked out some suitably spooky levels so that we can all feel like we are part of the same celebration without breaking into cold dread-induced sweats. Importantly, each of the following picks comes from Nintendo games which are not horror-themed. You'll find no Luigi's Mansion or Majora's Mask (look, it's scary, okay?) here, we're afraid.
Instead, these are much lighter games, which have the odd sprinkling of a Halloween flavour thrown into a particular zone or level. There are a whole host of levels that we could have included here (Nintendo has a real thing for taking unexpectedly spooky turns), but we have decided to keep it limited to 13 entries, because, you know, scary number.
Even if the scares of Halloween are a little too much, there's no reason why we can't all do some festive gaming!
The Spookiest Levels in Non-Spooky Games
Big Boo's Haunt, Super Mario 64
It's one thing to have the odd Boo-based level in a Mario game — a fact that we have all begrudgingly come to accept — but to go from the soothing strings of the Super Mario 64 castle grounds to the empty and metallic wind theme of Big Boo's Haunt? Now that's just asking to give us the creeps.
Look, a lot of these spooky levels are emphasised in our minds through a certain level of nostalgia, but Big Boo's Haunt is genuinely still creepy today. Perhaps it's the blank walls and pointy profiles of the N64 graphics, but an environment like that is the kind of nightmare fuel that Slenderman could only dream of achieving. It's no wonder the title has been modded into a first-person horror game.
Creepy Castle, Donkey Kong 64
You know you have a properly creepy level when the game designers put it in the title. Creepy Castle is just that. The Donkey Kong 64 stage has everything that we are after for some low-stakes spooks. There's an opening cutscene featuring one of the slowest 'jump scares' ever committed to screen, creepy organ music from Grant Kirkhope, a full moon, rain, a giant rolling gorilla — it's got it all.
True, this might be one of the more linear levels in Donkey Kong 64, but we didn't come here to linger in the spookiness. Oh no, for the modest amount of scares that we're after, linearity works a treat, thank you very much.
Ghost Ship, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
For a game which is generally so filled with brightness and joy, Wind Waker's Ghost Ship always side-swiped us in our younger years. To go from the jolly Ocean Theme straight into a room full of terrifying monsters? Nah, youre alright, thanks.
Seriously, Ghost Ship wastes no time in throwing you face to face with the Wizzrobe's haunting manifestations, and then you clear the room for what? A Triforce Shard, yes, but most notable thing in our mind is the cackling laugh before waking up on King of Red Lions. This is not what we signed up for in the jolly little boat game!
Haunted Mansion, Kirby: Triple Deluxe
Look, we couldn't include anything from Luigi's Mansion in this list because those games wear their spookiness right on their sleeve, but what we can do is include levels that match the Luigi's Mansion vibe to a T. One such ghostly appearance can be found in Kirby: Triple Deluxe's Haunted Mansion, a level full of catching ghosts and sucking them up, only the capturing is a little less vaccum-cleaner-based.
There are a lot of spooky-themed levels across the Kirby franchise, and we'll admit it, none of them are going to keep you up at night - but hey, isn't that the whole point? The Haunted Mansion in Triple Deluxe may not be any more or any less spooky than the franchise's other offerings, but you can't really go wrong with the low-stakes platforming of Nintendo's least threatening character.
Just don't tell Kirby that we said that.
Horror Land, Mario Party 2
As if the thought of putting your relationships on the line for nothing more than a few stars wasn't scary enough, Horror Land in Mario Party 2 ups the stakes with some seasonal spooks to boot.
What could be better over Halloween than to substitute the genuine jumps and screams of horror games for a bit of Mario Party over a big ol' bowl of sweets? The characters dress in spooky outfits for this board (a tradition that we see as a must for the real world, too), and there is enough Halloween iconography to make sure that you feel involved in the festivities without actually, you know, doing any of the scary stuff.
Lavender Town, Pokémon Red and Blue
Many of the other levels on this list have just been inspired by horror, or carry some sort of Halloween theme as a fun little token for the festive folk out there; but Lavender Town, Lavender Town is a straight-up horror show.
Rarely is a name so iconic that merely hearing it is enough to bring haunting memories of a soundtrack back to mind years after playing, and oh what a creepy track it is. From these cursed stings to the Pokémon Tower and the concept of actual death, Lavender Town is one of the creepiest locations in all of gaming. Period.
If it wasn't for the sheer jollity of the rest of Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow (and Green), you know that this would be booted straight off of this list and in with all the other horror titles.
Mad Monster Mansion, Banjo-Kazooie
When you think of horror in Banjo-Kazooie, there's a lot which might immediately come to mind, but what is the spookiest of them all? That's right, the camera controls Mad Monster Mansion! [*raises eyebrow* - Ed]
The level has got everything that a good Halloween bash should have: gravestones, Mummies, pooping eggs into flower pots, etc. Throw in some creepy organs — the musical kind from maestro Kirkhope — and you have a recipe for spooky success.
Of course, all of this is met by Kazooie's squeaking and the odd interlude of Banjo music, so it is pretty forgiving on the scares front. That being said, the pointy N64 polygons once again play their horrific role to perfection — never has a cartoon witch looked creepier.
Seven down, six to go in this round up of 13 creepy levels in otherwise non-creepy Nintendo games...
Comments 61
dont forget the terrifying "girl power station" from splatoon 2 octo expansion
I was talking about it earlier on funnily enough, but my pick would probably be the Abandoned Megamart from Pokemon Sun/Moon. There are obviously many great spooky locales to choose from with Pokemon games (Lavender Town, Mt Pyre, Old Chateau, etc.) but between the wholly unique setting, gameplay mechanic making it feel like a found-footage movie, an in-game showcase of Mimikyu's horrific backstory and that damn music, it left such a lasting impression on me.
I guess I'd also put in Splatoon here as well though it's not that there's not any one particular level that's creepy, moreso the entire series if you look deep enough.
The title immediately made me think of A Hat in Time.
I would like to add the level "Be afraid of the dark" from Yoshi's Crafted World, which I find surprisingly scary for such a game. Particularly because of the Bunmawashi Dolls, which are clown like doll enemies which chase Yoshi around with an axe and can't be defeated, only stunned with light.
The chimera lab segment of Mother 3 is genuinely messed up if you take the time to read all the flavour text that alludes to the inhumane experiments being conducted on the animals. Really captures the horror that gets hidden behind bureaucracy. Then, of course, there’s the Ultimate Chimera.
This was a great article, I enjoyed reading it. I'm happy to see Lavender Town, from Pokémon make the list. Twisted Mansion is also one of my favourite Mario Kart 8 Deluxe courses.
I'd add Zelda Minish Cap's Royal Valley to that list
I have a couple of Zelda related areas.
One is the Dark Temple of ALttP-- As if the Dark World wasn't already creeping you out, you go to this dark place and get hit with a "WTF?!" boss you would not have expected up to that point in the game.
The other is Zelda II: TAoL when you get to Old Kasuto Town, realize there's no inhabitants, and just start getting wrecked by invisible forces until you understand what you need.
Be Afraid of the Dark - Yoshi's Crafted World 👻
The never ending staircase in Super Mario 64 (although technically a hub area than a level). For some reason, scared the hell out of me as a kid
Big Boo's Haunt and the eels in Jolly Roger Bay were absolute nightmare fuel for my younger self
I definitely second the Submerged Castle. Music is sure unsettling at first, until the Water Wraith (which is completely invulnerable, at least until the final floor) falls in and the music turns almost Jaws-like in an instant.
Pikmin 3 has a similar vibe at the end as well, though not as anxiety-inducing as the former.
There’s a level in Yoshi’s Crafted World that is kinda creepy, especially as the rest of the game is colourful rainbows. Have people chasing you with axes I remember.
And the bottom of the well in Ocarina of Time is freaky.
Shadow Temple yet puts up an image from the Forest Temple
I would say stone tower temple from majoras mask fits the bill pretty well here.
I love this stuff. Creepy Castle is one of my fave silly-scare levels. The music is great.
I'd like to add Magica DeSpell's Manor from Donald Duck: Goin' Quackers/Quack Attack.
Secret of Mana. The Ruins in Pandora.
Trials of Mana. Ghost ship.
I’d add the laboratory from Kirby and the Forgotten Land, it gave a hearty does of “This ain’t right.” On my first play through. Definitely more eerie than I was expecting
Twilight Princess - Snowpeak Ruins
Also, remember the re-dead in Wind Waker? Those still freak me out XD
Shadow Temple is rad, but that's the Forest Temple... and the caption is for the wrong temple too! Editor, do better.
Ocarina of Time might have the largest variety of spooky areas outside of the outright dark Zelda games, but Skyward Sword's silent realms got my heart racing faster than anything else in the series.
How could you miss this one from Yoshi’s Crafted World? (Warning: keep fresh undies on standby!)
https://youtu.be/KSk0QP5LuXs
While Twisted Mansion is a good track, only 1/64 tracks being the spooky kind in MK8 Deluxe really feels off.
Threed in Earthbound is one of my favorites. As a 90s kid that was prolly my first exposure to a zombie horde and a haunted circus.
OoT picture from the Forest Temple.
The dark mine levels in Donkey Kong Country that have the "Misty Menace" music playing, especially Stop 'N Go Station and Loopy Lights, are certainly spooky.
I thought the large temple in Donkey Kong 64's Angry Aztec in which one Kong enters one-by-one is unnerving thanks to Krosshair, an off-screen enemy with a reticle that says "GET OUT" in a deep voice and targets you. Once I got that golden banana, I would long jump out of there in a hurry!
what about the Van Gogh level on New Super Mario Bros U?
*forest temple
@JimNorman As others have pointed out, that's a picture of the boss of the Forest Temple in Ocarina of Time, although that's still a spooky place with its music and ghosts.
Persona Q has a genuinely creepy dungeon. With a real horror theme to it, but every time you enter combat the music shifts to the (awesome) battle music that is very much not creepy.
Ugh...the Mario + Rabbids level, it isn't scary, it's insanely glitchy as hell. I even had to close the game itself to get rid of the flickering textures/models everywhere...which would just come back if you stayed in that level.
@Grumblevolcano Fingers crossed that they'll bring back Luigi's Mansion for the DLC!
One major omission.Yoshi's Crafted World - Haunted Level with Clowns and Knives!
Wow was that something else. Such a calm gentle game and then you're suddenly running from a giggling knive wielding maniac clown. I can't think of a bigger contrast in gaming.
Queen Vanessa’s mansion in “A hat in time”. Legitimately scary for someone with low spook tolerance
Outer Wilds. Dark Bramble is creepy and those anglerfish are terrifying. I've not explored the Stranger enough to get there but I've heard there are similar things there.
Ikana Canyon from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. From the Music Box House, where Pamela and her father (who is turning into a Gibdo) live, to the fountain where the Poe musician lives, to the Bottom of the Well, where adventurers trapped down there turn into Gibdos, to the Ikana Graveyard, to the Ancient Castle of Ikana.
The entire region is filled with undead creatures, such as Poes, Gobdos, Stalchildren (including a giant one), and ReDeads. And then you have the bosses of Ikana Castle, which are basically like Stalfos, but tougher. The king can even drain your health if his head latches onto you, like a ReDead or Gibdo can.
I'd say it's one of the spookiest locations in the entire Zelda franchise.
The best 3D Sonic games have quite a few so I'll give a shoutout to:
Cryptic Castle from Shadow the Hedgehog.
It's the only part in the game where you see Cream and what is essentially a massive Chao garden.
The expert mode version of the level has a new puzzle gimmick near the end, and I'd say it's one of the harder levels in all Sonic games.
@Yosher That level was actually horrifying. I barely remember that game as a whole but that level definitely stuck with me because of how unexpected it was.
Be Afraid of the Dark from Yoshi's Crafted World is a glaring omission from this list. Yoshi games are always so cute and cuddly but suddenly you have crazed axe murderers bursting out and trying to chase you around. Never expected to see something so dark in a Yoshi game.
good parameters for a feature,
but strange to omit so many SNES games.
Submerged Castle.
Enough said. I would have said the Shadow Temple as well, but then I remembered just how much of Hyrule turns into a dystopian nightmare hellscape when you're adult Link and stopped myself. Just Castle Town alone gets frightening enough.
@Goat_FromBOTW Haha, yeah, I feel ya. You're just going around this happy go lucky game with all the cuteness in the world and then suddenly, killer clown with axe.
I love Big Boo's Haunt and it's certainly an iconic stage in 3D Mario, but it doesn't hold a candle to the creepiness of Super Mario Land 2's Pumpkin Zone.
Maybe it isn't spooky per se, but one level that left an impact on me was in Kirby and the Forgotten Land (behind a spoiler from here on because it is near the completion of the game), it is the level Forgo Land, that level has an eerie environment and the distorted music made by the Lab Discovera and the Dream Tour Guide voice (which is translated depending on the language of the system) gave me legit creeps.
Endless Ocean is kinda spooky when you have to complete the deepsea dive missions.
Also Fire Emblem Path of Radiance can be a bit unnerving when the Black Knight pops up on stage.
Super Mario Bros. 3's Dark Land used to give me the creeps when I first played it as a kid back on the NES.
I found Chrono Trigger so engrossing as a kid. Yet, I still set it aside for a week when I got to Magus' Castle because it freaked me out so much.
My all-time two from non-horror games:
Diamond/Pearl's Old Chateau: Imagine someone took Lavender town and added random probabilities that you can have NPC's show up in an empty house in adjacent rooms walking out. For someone who was used to NPCs standing still in D/P, and for Old Chateau to have nobody in it, the night I was playing and encountered this scared the heck outta me as a kid.
Warframe, Chains of Harrow: Okay this one is cheating...kinda. Warframe is not a horror game by trade...there are some ghostly creatures here and there that exist in the world, but no horror elements. But plenty of the lore in the game has the potential for horror elements to exist, and Chains of Harrow is their most concentrated effort to make a horror-dedicated quest. This one is part of the main story quests, and as someone who doesn't play horror games...I was not having a good time. Jumpscares, dark rooms, running from twisted void manifestations...and a horror-esque story premise all made for a really good horror quest and a really unsettling time for me. (also their recent Angels of the Zariman content is a decent runner-up)
Sonic 2 - Mystic Cave Zone or something? That is pretty spooky.
Streets of Rage 2 - There is a level that is very eerie. Foggy. Spooky music. And has a boss that is a robot(?) chinese dragon head thing for some reason.
Toads treasure tracker has a few spooky levels
Thyphlo Ruins/Lost Woods - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Just yesterday we played the "Haunted Maker Mansion" level from Yoshi's Crafted World with my child. I forgot how spooky it was! Tons of jump-scares, ghosts turning red and chasing you to death, scary people with axes. We played "Luigi's Mansion 3" before, and it wasn't as scary as this.
what about The Underwhere from Super Paper Mario?
@Tandy255 That scene with the snowman's wife still haunts my dreams
Marry'o
The dark forest in Super Mario Oddyssey got a creepy vibe to it.
What Dead Hand or whatever it is called in Ocarina of Time. I remember that being creepy the first time I saw it. And I was in college when that came out!
Probably gathering of the qurios in monster hunter rise, out of all the quests in the monster hunter series that was the most unsettling one because everything but you and your quest target are dead.
Super Late to this, and this isn't scary, moreover Creepy:
The Fun Fair in KH 3D: Dream Drop Distance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWbuYr1IuAE
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