Dead Space series
It all starts innocently enough: You're space engineer Isaac Clarke. You're tending to whatever duties space engineers tend to when you and your crew are dispatched to respond to the distress call of some spaceship.
And then: Necromorphs! Hideous abominations who'll tear you off from limb to limb if you don't do it to them first! You've been separated from the rest of your crew, and nearly everyone's dead, maimed, or mutilated. You're all alone in outer space, and no one's going to hear you scream.
Video evidence: Head transplants, Necromorph-style.
Resident Evil series
It starts innocently enough: You're a special force operative/an eager rookie cop/the courageous, well-meaning sister of said special force operative. You're out to investigate...something. The illicit activites of a pharmaceutical company. The disappearance of a loved one. The kidnapping of the president's daughter. Ok, so things don't exactly start innocently.
And then: Zombies! And there are hordes of them. Some are of the classic slow-moving variety, while others, such as the pseudo-zombies in the later games can operate chainsaws. Super creatures are out to get you as well, and too bad for you, you wasted your magnum rounds blowing zombie heads off just because you think it's hilarious. Things will get hairy, and sometimes, the only thing standing between life and death is that last magical green herb you've thankfully kept in your inventory.
Video evidence: That tongue wasn't made for making out.
Fatal Frame series
It starts innocently enough: You're a cute Japanese girl. Most likely, you're wearing a short skirt. You're going about your own business when an odd series of events steer you towards creaky mansions and lost villages few would ever dare step in. Eventually, you find an ancient camera that's supposedly capable of destroying ghostly creatures.
And then: You discover that the camera actually works as advertised. And it better! These Japanese ghosts ain't no Casper, and they'd sooner choke you to death than shake your hand. You find yourself deep into the world of strange, sick rituals, into the chambers of tortured souls, and the madness of twisted occult practices.
Video evidence: Falling woman says "hello."
Silent Hill series
It starts innocently enough: You're on your way to a town called Silent Hill to enjoy a vacation with your daughter, to chastise some prankster who thought it funny to pretend as your deceased wife, or some other reason. The place seems quaint enough, so you make the trip. It sounds like the perfect destination where you can just get away from it all, kick back, and relax. The name makes it sound so picturesque--definitely not the place where you'd expect demonic things to be happening.
And then: Demonic things start happening. What should have been a peaceful weekend getaway turns into a trip to dimensions and alternate realities that has less to do with soul searching and more with mind-fucking. The town brings to life your deepest fears, manifesting themselves in the creepiest manner possible.
Video evidence: Never mess with people with pyramids on their head.
Clock Tower series
It starts innocently enough: You find yourself in a house of some sort, a big one at that--the kind of place you can run around and possibly get lost in. It has to be noted that the main character in the series is usually a girl, and visibly, not the type who'll be able to fight back. There are many rooms to explore, and a lot of cabinets and other places to hide in. Everything seems to be in good working order...
And then: You find out that you're sharing the place with knife-wielding psycho girls, stalkers with gigantic scissors and sickos whose hobby is to flatten people's skulls with a sledgehammer. Unlike most other survival horror games here, you don't have the ability to fight back directly. You don't have guns or weapons, and you simply run away and try to hide from these serial killers until you solve a certain puzzle to progress. It's probably the closest videogame version of a slasher movie.
Video evidence: A nightmare that started on the SNES.
