Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #14 May 2015 | Page 36

how to create a new system in which freedom can
survive. As we move forward into the new millennium, one that promises wondrous new technologies,
an increasing standard of living, but also increased
surveillance, an expanding national security state and
a seemingly insurmountable gap in power between
those at the top and the rest of us, the chances of us

accepted a ‘gilded caged’ is increasing. People would
not accept a horrendous world like Orwell’s Oceania.
However, would people accept a world of peace and
prosperity, where the price is giving political power to
a few people at the top of the economic ladder? Rollerball asks the viewer this question, one that resonates
now more than ever.

Fatal Frame
The best underrated & sophisticated horror game ever?
Daniel S. Liuzzi
Warning, this contains
spoilers.

I’ve played a lot of horror and survival horror games
since I began playing video games, I’ve had many
jumps and ‘curses under my breath’ moments but one
game has scared me to the point that, at times, I had to
shut off the console just to calm down. I’ve even had
nightmares because of it. That game, my friends, is
Fatal Frame (or ZERO in Japan).
Originally developed by Tecmo and released in 2001
for the Playstation 2, Xbox, & PC it was re-released
in 2013 on the Playstation Network for PS3. It earned
positive reviews although its scoring seemed low for
some of the platforms, which I found disappointing. It
seemed to rank badly even though at the time survival
horror games were at their peak with series like Resident Evil (Biohazard) and Silent Hill getting a lot of
attention, with loads of sequels, comics, Mangas and
even movies.
Fatal Frame has four sequels, two spinoffs and a
Manga. On the game jacket, and the beginning of the
game, it says it’s ‘based on a true story.’ That really
caught my attention at the time but sadly, as cool as it
would be, the game is in fact NOT based on an actu-

al event. Producer Makoto Shibata explained it was
inspired by the legend of a mansion outside of Tokyo
where a family of seven were murdered and there was
a curse caused by the deaths.
So without further ado, let’s look at Fatal Frame.
The story takes place in 1986 Japan and revolves
around a young woman named Miku who has a gift,
to see things that others cannot; ghosts. Miku goes to
Himuro Mansion, which is said to be haunted, to look
for her older brother Mafuyu, who has been missing
for two weeks. He went to the mansion to look for
his mentor and two other colleagues. Who in turn
vanished after going to the mansion to investigate the
legends revolving around the rituals performed by the
Himuro family.
Once there Miku discovers an old camera that resembles a cross between a bellows style and Polaroid that
has powers to capture pictures of ghosts. Miku later
discovers that there is a curse on the mansion upon
all who lived in it after a failed ritual opened a gate
leading to hell. The ritual involved a human sacrifice;
a shrine maiden named Kirie was supposed to die with
no connection left to this world. Unfortunately for the
Himuro family, who locked Kirie away in a room for
several years, she, by chance, meets a young man in

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