Kult Watchlist

 

Here's a list of movies and series I watched and found either spot-on Kultesque, or at least roughly Kult-adjacent, and thus in some aspect(s) inspirational for Horror RPGing. 

This post will naturally expand as the Illusion of Time progresses. 

I'll list them by year of release, except for sequels, prequels, spin-offs etc, which I'll keep together as a franchise or series (but still listing the year).

That's it, just titles. 

No reviews, no spoilers, no value judgment.

Suffice it to say that, while not everyone may see all the same sparks in all the same movies, every entry on this list has given me at least something that I wouldn't like to miss in my ongoing quest for dark enlightenment.

Movies:

Alien  (1979)

  Aliens  (1986)

The Thing  (1982) 

The Terminator  (1984)

  Terminator II - Judgment Day  (1991)

A Nightmare on Elmstreet  (1984, 1985, 1987, 2010)

Prince of Darkness  (1987)

Hellraiser  (1987)

  Hellbound: Hellraiser II  (1988)

Predator  (1987)

  Predator II  (1990)

They Live  (1988)

Moontrap  (1989)

Jacob's Ladder  (1990, 2019)

Split Second  (1992)

Judgment Night  (1993)

The Crow  (1994)

In the Mouth of Madness  (1994)

Demon Knight  (1995)

Seven  (1995)

Showgirls  (1995)

Scream  (1996)

From Dusk Til Dawn  (1996)

The Craft  (1996)

I Know What You Did Last Summer  (1997)

Event Horizon  (1997)

Lost Highway  (1997)

What Dreams May Come  (1998)

The Truman Show  (1998)

Fight Club  (1999)

The Matrix  (1999, 2003, 2021)

The Devil's Rejects  (2005)

Constantine  (2005)

The Descent  (2005)

30 Days of Night  (2007)

  30 Days of Night: Dark Days  (2010)

Jennifer's Body  (2009)

Necromentia  (2009)

Shutter Island  (2010)

Absentia  (2011) 

A Field in England  (2013)

The Power of Few  (2013)

The Conjuring  (2013)

  The Conjuring II  (2016)

It Follows  (2014)

A Cure For Wellness  (2016)

Antibirth  (2016)

A Dark Song  (2016)

Housewife  (2017)

Atterados (Terrified)  (2017)

Galaxy of Horrors  (2017)

Night Shift  (2018)

Mandy  (2018)

Hereditary  (2018)

Midsommar  (2019)

Wounds  (2019)

Bliss  (2019)

Black Phone  (2021)

Series:

Masters of Horror  (2005)

True Detective  (2014)

Constantine  (2014)

Mr. Robot  (2015)

Preacher  (2016)

Future Man  (2017)

Dark  (2017)

Titans  (2018)

Sharp Objects  (2018)

Doom Patrol  (2019)

Messiah  (2020)

Brand New Cherry Flavor  (2021)

Midnight Mass  (2021)

Comment section:

Tell me about your own favorites,

Leave must-watch recommendations.

Feel free to generally debate Kultish media!

Your First Forays Into This Darkness...

 

...can be a prospect as intimidating as it is tantalizing, right?

 

So you're new to KULT: Divinity Lost and in love with the setting and lore and can dig the mechanics and now you wanna run your first game soon. But you're not sure which of the available scenarios would offer the best first steps for both you and your group?

Fortunately, we're not hearing this concern for the first time - and we got quite a fine little selection of good choices accumulated by now. 

And they're all for free, too.

Here goes my all-time favorite recommends to new GMs / new groups / both:

Oakwood Heights

https://kultdivinitylost.com/resources/

The introductory scenario for KULT: Divinity Lost. Top notch atmosphere and subject matter, up to four premade PCs. Suffers a tiny little bit from you needing to figure out how to handle the big infodump in the beginning, but then goes on to evoke a bizarrely sinister 2010s Detroit and address the PCs' personal horror issues, before beautifully segueing into a character-driven, play to find out, supernatural horror third act after a more railroady first half. Possible one-shot. Really popular with many who played and ran it.

Island of the Dead

https://kultdivinitylost.com/resources/

Plane crash on a jungle island. Survival and exploration horror for up to four premade PCs, low prep, medium improv, featuring pirates, cannibals, predatory animals, remains of a former expedition, ancient ruins, and the insane cult of a bloodthirsty god. Uses a nifty (and horrifying) trick to make high lethality gameplay work while still maintaining the characters' ongoing story.

Homebrew fan expansion exists here:

https://suchsights.blogspot.com/2021/04/hacking-scenario-island-of-dead-pt1.html

This features additional locations, creatures, special rules, factions, and four more doomed PCs for making it into an even longer, even richer campaign.

Gallery of Souls

https://kultdivinitylost.com/resources/

Investigation/mystery gameplay, up to four premade PCs, low prep, low improv. 1950s Nevada/California, very noir in style. Highly accessible to traditional players due to its Cthulhu-alike "missing person case leads to supernatural horror" plot, while still using solidly Kult-ish elements and creatures. Quickly became very popular for these reasons.

The Driver

https://t.co/N6kKwm8FRq?amp=1

Horror Starter for 1 GM and 1 player. That means high improv, no prep, play to find out what happens. No premade char, but has a setup phase with questions that define the fugitive titular character and strong starting situation. Several possible story elements to be used after that are suggested. Designed as a one-shot.

Divided We Run

https://kult.tools/Memorial/

Horror Starter, designed to be "The Driver but for more players": Offers no premade PCs but has a setup phase to create up to five of them - and their problems, relations to each other, etc - during the opening of the game. High improv, no prep, several possible paths sketched out. Thorny PvP element in addition to strong PvE atmosphere (though the intraparty conflict can be freely toned down if you prefer). Designed as a one-shot.

Hunter's Ice House

https://kult.tools/Memorial/

Collection of five plot seeds centering around a certain dubious motel/bar just a little way outside of Austin, Texas. No premade PCs, but suggests strong concepts for making characters of your own.
[e.g. hapless guests stuck for the night / a police squad doing a raid on the place / cursed occultists seeking help...]
Depending on how you roll with these, they may need medium to high prep to get them going to your liking, or may be played with high improv. Possible one-shots.

An Echo From the Past

https://kultdivinitylost.com/resources/

Oldie but goldie. Used to be the original authors' default convention scenario when promoting the game during the early 90s. Updated and adapted to the new rules. Four premade characters in 1990 Europe discover over a series of grizzly murders that both the world and they themselves are far darker than they thought. Starts with a bang, ends with a showdown legendary even in hell (and oldtimer-horror-RPG-circles). Possible one-shot, though you'd probably have to rush it quite a bit.

Desert Whispers

The new kid on the block. Due for release in the upcoming Screams and Whispers scenario collection. Classic 80s slasher survival horror. Up to 4 premade characters, weaves in a nice thematic focus through interplay between character traits and main antagonist's metaphysical nature. Possible one-shot.

This post may update if and when new releases warrant further additions.

 

Pictured: Kult GM lovingly preparing their first campaign.