What is the best fantasy-horror module you've played?

[DM_Running_Farland_3.5]

We're talking horror, not gore. So. Whatcho got? Homebrew modules are cool.

I ran a 100% role-playing, no combat homebrew module about a ghost haunting a house that the PCs were asked to clear out. The wizard (being very intelligent) had to help figure out why they were a ghost. The rogue had a puzzle trap to disable. The fighter had some bars to break and such. The cleric had some divine counseling to provide. It was great. Scared the players a LOT.
As each PC did something related to their class, they uncovered clues that were creepy and scary.


So...what are yours?

[Arkhemedes]

The best published module, some friends and I have always said is the original Ravenloft module though any of its later versions will do nicely.

One of my favorite homebrew horror adventures I did before there was a Ravenloft campaign setting. I made a 'haunted house' adventure that took scenes out of more than 30 classic horror movies and shows from The Munsters to The Exorcist and placed them some where in or around the house. Then everytime the players encountered one of these scenes I awarded bonus experience to the first player who could correctly identify the movie it came from.

[templeorder]

Yea, i gotta say Ravenloft was great because the setting already set the tone and expectation - heightening the feeling. I honestly cannot think of the best one, though i have a graveyard 'module' that i have used over and over... the Olani Graveyard. Ask all my players of the years, they've all got to see it in some incarnation... and they all fear it and are intrigued by it.

The last Dunstrand Rising adventure group from a week ago ended up eating human flesh at a Bed and Breakfast... the knight even dropping 2 extra silver on the kindly old couple to make sure the group got "seconds". There were a few sanity checks by the end of that one.

[Windstar]

I agree Ravenloft is a great venue for this and I really enjoyed it. Does Tomb of Horrors count as a horror module? It was a really nasty module and it IMHO would be a very hard to choose between the of them.

[Arch Lich Thoth-Amon]

While running a WLD (Worlds Largest Dungeon) campaign at high levels, i incorporated a side adventure which included elements of ToH, some Ravenloft, a Yochol, and a couple other classic modules and old horror movies, for the party. They were definitely kinda spooked about the whole situation, even going so far as to debate how to backtrack said side adventure.

Result of side adventure: 1 dead--forever, 1 magically mutated--permanently, and 1 becoming a kind of lich (which the party wasn't aware of till later--player loved it after he was done being upset). There's a whole lot more to this but i will save it for another time.

[Arkhemedes]

Despite its name and its nastiness I would say no to the Tomb of Horrors being a horror module, even though it gave some of my players quite a fright. There are a lot of modules out there that are quite horrific, but they just don't have the mood or the feel of a true 'horror' setting or story. I could list quite a few like this that have elements of horror in them, but the list would just go on and on.

[Oldgamer]

The Keep. D&D meets Nazi's meets Demon.

[templeorder]

Despite its name and its nastiness I would say no to the Tomb of Horrors being a horror module, even though it gave some of my players quite a fright. There are a lot of modules out there that are quite horrific, but they just don't have the mood or the feel of a true 'horror' setting or story. I could list quite a few like this that have elements of horror in them, but the list would just go on and on.

Agreed, ToH was not scary (except for the thought of instant death around the corner). For me, horror has to mean sanity checks or some equivalent.

[MortonStromgal]

nWOD Mortals, they were working on or near a theater rebuild. So we had construction workers, police officer, waitress (diner across the street), journalist, etc. It ended up being "haunted". So they began to investigate and or get sucked into the plot. Eventually in the end (5am we started playing at 6pm) they all died. The last PC figured out it wasnt a spirit at all but a moster as the Nosferatu came out from his hiding spot the PC screamed in horror shooting the pistol he had taken off the cops body but it was too late.

[Baldwin Stonewood]

I'm not sure if its the best, but a fun one, I recently ran "Mysteries of Razor Sea" written by Nicholas Logue and published by Sinister Adventures. Basically, a low level adventure on a ghost ship. Let's just say all the of the party members were acting strangely by the time they inadvertently sank the ship.

[DM_Running_Farland_3.5]

Wow...thanks guys.

I think there is certainly something to be said about a non-ravenloft type adventure, though. Where, the players are going along and then, WHAM, they're hit with the spookiest thing in the world, one of their characters dies, their sister becomes an unwilling lover to a ghoul-lord, the king is a lich and they can only fix one problem.

[korhal23]

Tomb of Horrors is scary only because death is not only imminent but virtually guaranteed because the traps are, well, BS, and the puzzles are nonsensical and the monsters are no cakewalk either. This is assuming of course, that you aren't killed by the false entrances TO the tomb.

I'm not normally one for horror, but All Flesh Must Be Eaten was a fun one (I've told the story elsewhere in these forums... nothing like turning your gun on yourself when you doom your girlfriend to death because you're too afraid to help her). Also, Weird War II: Blood on the Rhine was fun for a WWII supernatural horror game. I'm not so fond of it's sequels though...

[Baldwin Stonewood]

Wow...thanks guys.

I think there is certainly something to be said about a non-ravenloft type adventure, though. Where, the players are going along and then, WHAM, they're hit with the spookiest thing in the world, one of their characters dies, their sister becomes an unwilling lover to a ghoul-lord, the king is a lich and they can only fix one problem.

One other thing about the Mysteries of the Razor Sea published by sinister Adventure. Its pretty affordable at $2.50 for the 13 page pdf. Its available through the downloads at the paizo.com site.

[Parzival]

Masks of Nyarlathotep. By far.

[templeorder]

Tomb of Horrors is scary only because death is not only imminent but virtually guaranteed because the traps are, well, BS, and the puzzles are nonsensical and the monsters are no cakewalk either. This is assuming of course, that you aren't killed by the false entrances TO the tomb.

I know its off topic, but read carefully the original text. We mined the precious metals/materials out of it after 6 of 8 high level PC's were killed in that BS module. We got one back out of the teeth of the demi-lich later, but our characters were able to equip a bunch (and i mean hundreds) of soldiers with the finest armor and weapons. It should have caused a global economic collapse... it was ridiculous.