Going beyond horror with Martha is Dead

Though the terracotta floor tiles are worn, and the plaster on the walls is pockmarked with age, it’s gorgeous here. Umbrellas sit in a large urn beside the cold marble fireplace, but there’s no need for them today; today, sunshine pours in through the unshuttered windows and everything it touches is bathed in its golden glow. Two oversized, squishy leather chairs bracket a small table upon which a fan oscillates – slowly and without much enthusiasm – blowing a light breeze into the centre of the bright room. Beside that stands an upright piano – it looks well-used but in good repair – and while there are candles dotted around, this neat and modest dining room boasts a stately electric candelabra that sits directly above the dining table. A dining table with a body on it.

Martha is DeadPublisher: Wired ProductionsDeveloper: LKAAvailability: Out later this year on PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One

While not wholly unexpected – this is called Martha Is Dead, after all; the dead-ness is baked right into the bloody title – the sight of the corpse in the coffin is somehow all the more unsettling given the mundane backdrop of this bright, homely place. Our protagonist, Giulia, doesn’t say anything as she passes by it, even though her head has been full of Martha since she awoke that morning. Instead, she steps out of the rustic Tuscan home and out into a lush courtyard with citrus trees and giant clay urns and a stunning, green vista.

Now, I know what you’re thinking because I felt it, too. It’s the classic horror bait-and-switch, isn’t it? The game will draw us in with its stunning recreation of 1940s Tuscany, a world stuffed with colour and charm, just long enough to let us get comfortable before the sun sets and things get spooky. It’s Horror 101, and wholly predictable.

Martha is Dead – Reveal Trailer | PS5, PS4 Watch on YouTube

But that’s the thing, you see; Martha Is Dead isn’t a horror: it’s a thriller. And it’s only being described as a psychological thriller because what creator Luca Dalcò really thinks it is – a horror drama – is a genre that doesn’t really exist yet, and that’s a hard sell in any industry keen to neatly pigeonhole its products.