Who wants to have a ‘Séance’?
Turn off the lights, and get ready to feel the forgotten adrenaline rush of anticipated childhood terror. I mean, who doesn’t like a good ghost story, am I right? Starting today, Holospark is releasing a free 5-minute demo of their new VR experience, Séance: The Unquiet, on Steam and the Oculus Store. Enter the haunted house where “a family confronts a tragedy not forgotten,” and witness the family’s fate for yourself through a virtual séance.
Like a scary movie on steroids, Séance features characters who stare directly into your eyes along with dynamic music and sound that adapts to the audience’s reactions. This frightening new experience evolves cinematic storytelling into the virtual reality realm.
“We wanted to create a VR film that was immediately accessible and entertaining for the Netflix generation,” said Holospark’s executive producer, John Scott Tynes, in a statement. “But using our experience as video game developers, we are able to dynamically craft emotional, cinematic moments in response to the audience’s attention and movements.”
Seattle-based Holospark breaks new ground with Séance by employing a combination of video game tools and techniques including the Unreal game engine, as well as the latest performance-capture technology to create an entirely unique audience experience. “Telling stories in this medium requires new tools and techniques,” said Bruce Sharp, art director at Holospark, in a statement. “But fundamentally we’re making an entertaining and frightening film with great characters and real emotion, using the very latest technology.”
The full version of Séance: The Unquiet will be available at the end of 2017 and will run approximately 20 minutes long.