The Dark Carnival and Films We Love

The Concept
The Dark Carnival invites users into an eerie, dreamlike VR world set in an abandoned Midway-style amusement park, where nothing is quite what it seems. The atmosphere is steeped in mystery—rides creak to life under moonlight, operated by twitchy, shadowlike creatures and short, elf-like attendants who watch your every move.

The goal was to design not just a game, but a living hallucination—a place that plays with scale, emotion, and perception to immerse users in a playful but unsettling narrative space.

The Design Approach
As Creative Director, I led the development of a surreal experience that blended:
• Environmental storytelling with subtle narrative reveals through interactive spaces
• Mixed reality elements that allowed real-world surroundings to bleed into the fantasy
• Adaptive soundscapes that shift based on user gaze and movement
• Environment design and animations that spark discomfort and curiosity simultaneously

Each attraction within the carnival—whether a haunted carousel, a crumbling mirror maze, or a derailed Ferris wheel—was treated as a standalone interactive moment woven into a larger, interconnected mystery.

Gameplay Philosophy
We focused on presence over challenge, designing interactions that encouraged exploration, unease, and emotional engagement rather than speed or competition. Users don’t “win” The Dark Carnival—they survive it, remember it, and maybe come away changed.

Results & Reception
• Praised in user testing for its atmosphere, visual style, and emotional immersion
• Demonstrated the power of VR as a medium for psychological storytelling
• Created a unique blend of fantasy and horror that lingered long after the headset came off
• Inspired further work in spatial narrative design and reactive environments