There are countless jumpscares to experience in the Dead Space Remake, not all of which come from sudden attacks by Necromorphs. In fact, some of the creepiest moments in the game occur when seemingly normal humans act in terrifying ways. If you want to get a taste for what to expect, this page will take you through some examples.

Dead Space Remake - Horror Atmosphere¶

One of the best new things about the Dead Space Remake comes in the form of the enhanced lighting, graphics, and sound design. You’ll experience deeper blacks (especially on a good OLED screen) which contrast with the diverse lighting effects cast throughout the USG Ishimura, and the subtle sounds that you hear in each new part of the ship that you explore will have you looking over your shoulder every few seconds, just in case there’s something in the room with you.

Although much of the USG Ishimura is in darkness as you wander through it, each area feels unique as it introduces slight changes to visual and sound effects. You’ll hear the dripping of water from a tap in the bathrooms, or the churning of mechanical instruments in the mining deck. Quite often, these sounds will become the focus of your attention, or even make it more difficult to listen out for the cues that there might be monsters lurking nearby. All of this leaves you on edge in almost every moment that you play, so if you crave that adrenaline rush in horror, you won’t be disappointed.

The Intensive Care Unit Suicide Nurse¶

This scene occurs as you enter the Intensive Care Unit towards the end of Chapter 2 - Intensive Care. The main reason why this is so creepy is that up until this point, you’ve mostly been assailed by different types of Necromorphs and you haven’t seen a trace of many other humans that are alive on the USG Ishimura. As you enter the room, there’s a glimmer of hope in the split second that you assume this nurse is working to heal people, as you see her gently place a hand on the head of the patient. That feeling soon dissipates as you see a knife drawn from her side, and the ensuing horror which culminates in an eerie act of suicide makes for one of the most memorable scenes in the game.

The Hallway Headbanger¶

There are distant noises present as you explore most of the USG Ishimura, keeping you on high alert as your imagination has you running through the possibilities of what could be just around the corner. Most of the time you expect to encounter a Necromorph in some form, ready to attack on sight. If we’re being honest, at a certain point in the game you begin to expect jumpscares in most places, and although this keeps you on edge, the resultant experience doesn’t always hit the mark when it comes to giving you that feeling of being genuinely anxious and scared to move forward. This expectation makes the below scene all the more unnerving, as you slowly realize that the noise in the distance is caused by a fellow human driven mad. In a game full of monsters, sometimes the most impactful scenes are defined by more familiar fears.

Screeching Baby Necromorphs¶

Most of the monsters that you encounter in the Dead Space Remake are some variation on the Necromorph theme, often in the form of larger entities which are capable of killing you in just a few hits on the highest difficulty settings. You definitely need to stay alert as you can expect these to smash through vents at any moment, but some of the scariest ambushes come from the baby Necromorphs, also known as Lurkers. These can jump out at you from practically any gap in the walls, or even burst through glass as in the example below. They don’t necessarily inflict much damage and they can be dealt with pretty easily, but they make for some of the best jumpscares with their deafening screeching, especially when you consider that they can appear from different places in each playthrough!

Terrifying Death Animations¶

There are numerous different death animations that you can succumb to in the Dead Space Remake, depending on the type of enemy that you’re eventually killed by, and how. These are often intricately designed to creep you out, as you witness Isaac being transformed into a Necromorph before your eyes. You know that this is a temporary thing because you’re just about to reload a save, but the sheer horror of the scene stays with you and adds to the sense of dread as you continue through the darkness.

Blood-Curdling Bathrooms¶

As you play through each chapter in the Dead Space Remake, you’ll find yourself walking (or running!) through hallways which often connect the main rooms. These hallways tend to have entrances to small bathrooms in them, and they become a prominent fixture in your memory as you play through the game. The immediate sense of trepidation that you experience as you enter the bathroom hits you alongside the subtle noises coming from dripping taps, splodgy puddles, and the visual warning from blood-stained surfaces. You might find that most of the time, the bathroom contains little more than a few dead bodies, which you can stomp for fun if you’re feeling particularly brave and / or sadistic. Don’t let the many bathroom settings lull you into a false sense of security though - there are sometimes creatures lurking in the holes…