Two of the finest minds in Japanese horror have discussed in a new interview what makes their projects far scarier and more impactful that Western horror.
In a joint interview with Famitsu, Silent Hill f producer Motoi Okamoto and Fatal Frame director Makoto Shibata shared the inspirations behind their works, particularly focusing on the elements that uniquely lend themselves to Japanese horror. The discussion between the two legends was to celebrate the crossover DLC for Silent Hill f which brings Fatal Frame costumes to the game.
Traditional Japanese Settings Enhance Fear, Say Creators
One of the primary points of agreement between Okamoto and Shibata was that games set in traditional Japanese spaces tend to only increase the fear and claustrophobia felt by players.
Speaking on this topic, Shibata explained he was inspired by homes from his childhood when creating his haunting locales. He said: “The Japanese houses in the Fatal Frame series are basically my relatives' houses… My grandfather was a carpenter, you see. He would just add extensions without asking. I grew up living in my parents' house and relatives' houses, which had strange layouts and connections.”
Okamoto agreed, saying that the realism of the Japanese settings (at least...
