John McDonald tells me how his newest indie RPG book links into his favorite “Found Footage” film, and how leaning into the tropes of the genre can enhance the players’ doomed journey.
I love the Hell House LLC franchise. The first irony of loving Hell House LLC as my favorite found footage film is that it does use the tropes of the found footage genre: a group goes into already proven haunted location, makes dumb choices, clearly Judeo-Christian influenced demonic forces are at play, etc…, but also twists them on their head.
About halfway through the film you realize in real time that the head guy in charge, Alex, has an ulterior motive to an already satisfying story, and the ending of the film reinforces the fact that no matter what you do, you are doomed to lose your body and soul to the hotel, and maybe always were. It’s both a liberating and terrifying treatise in equal measures. That is where Feats of Fright was born.
Much like its forebearers Ten Candles or Dread (for instance), Feats of Fright celebrates the actual doom of fighting against the inevitable. It reveals something about who we are as individuals and as a corporate species. Nobody that’s playtested the adventure has ever balked at the premise and, indeed, for seasoned TTRPG players, the doomed story itself is sometimes the draw.
The mechanics have a classic Outlast video game flavor where it’s less about creating weapons against bad guys to shoot your way to victory and more about telling a fatal story together. Feats of Fright is one of the most personable and intimate versions of the story of Hell House and it’s cult leader CEO hotelier, Andrew Tully. Given the timelines available in this first core book, it has consistently felt like a side adventure of the main film storyline, even without any of the main cast present.
At the same time, there’s a space for people that are spooky curious or maybe have played a Kids on Bikes or mafia/werewolf game at some point and want to do something a bit more adventurous. It isn’t a secret that nobody leaves the Hotel alive, and that’s certainly not shied away from in character creation. However, the secret in this particular bloody sauce is the journey of getting there.
In the playtests, I’ve captured the souls of indie rock bands, competitive game show crews, late night horror podcasters, and more. Even within these premises there’s so much room to tell the story in a symphony of ways, even if the ending will always be the “same.”
The job of the Host (GM) isn’t just about snatching bodies and murder. It’s about atmosphere. Crafting suspicion. Doubt. Even that classic devil’s bargain, if that’s the way the game pursues itself. I blame my love of Vincent Price movies for that part, but it’s in the Hell House films, too. Anyone could sell you out to try and save themselves, and anyone could go at any time.
That’s the beauty of Feats of Fright. The story is yours to tell, and its always going to end badly. It’s only a matter of (spooky) time.
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John McDonald (he/they) is a queer playwright and TTRPG content creator telling intimate stories not just about connection but what happens when connection breaks both in human and supernatural ways. Currently in Chicago, IL, John is a baker of brownies, a devotee of Carole King’s Tapestry album, an ongoing Power Rangers GM and has had plays shown in both Rhino Fest and Fertile Ground indie play fests. In 2027, you’ll be able to see his work in the Leeds Theater Festival for the first time abroad in Cobblestone Kingdom, a new queer musical take on the Cinderella mythology.
