That's not to say that the other mediums aren't fit for horror. A good horror story in the hands of a talented author like Steven King or Koji Suzuki can do a fantastic job of freaking you out. Koji Suzuki is a particularly good example for this because video games of Ring suck massive ass and the imagery that my head conjured up for the cursed tape based on his descriptions in the novel did a much better job of making me feel uneasy than the movies depiction of it. There are also TONS of great horror movies, way too many to even attempt to list off. I have a friend and every time we go drinking together we talk for HOURS about different horror movies each time.
But gaming though, gaming is special. It takes all these things like these mediums have, the writing, visuals, music etc and makes YOU actively be a part of it. You're the one that has to fight for survival and brave the nightmares ahead. You can watch a movie like Friday the 13th where you can just watch someone run away from the murderous killer or you can play a game like Amnesia where YOU have to run away from the monster lurking in the shadows. If you play something like Silent Hill you can all the excellent parts from the other mediums AND you have the horror compounded by the fact that you are the one that has to navigate your hero though. You're not just a passive observer in the terror, you're right there experiencing it with the character.
Also because gaming is an interactive medium it can use this to its advantage to further enhance the fear that you feel. Resident Evil did this early on by turning the games save system against you. In most games you just save as much as you want but in RE if you didn't have an Ink Ribbon then tough shit, and your first time through you never knew when you were going to get your next spool. Fatal Frame does it by forcing the player to get right up in the grill of the ghosts that you're fighting. Not only that, if you want to really succeed at the combat, you have to wait until right before it's going to hit you. Amnesia did it by making the player freak out if they were to stare at the creature for too long. It's not like a movie where someone might say "Don't look at that thing you'll go mad" and you just have to sit there going "wow I sure hope he doesn't look at that creature", the responsibility for the characters sanity is entirely on you.
All this said though, I'd much rather have an excellently crafted horror novel or a well made horror movie over a mediocre or shit horror game. I'd much rather have a copy of Nightmares and Dreamscapes in my hand or The Shining on my TV rather than some shit like The Evil Within or Outlast. But when a horror game does get it just right it really is unforgettable.
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