Regarding his film, Pasolini said that "to scandalize is a duty." Art must be scandalous, unafraid of censorship, because it exists to open eyes, to unveil what is hidden, to show what society would like to conceal. The poet and director taught us that a work that serves as a starting point for reflection for the viewer—or, in this case, for the video game player—must not be complacent or harmless; instead, it must challenge them. Because only in crisis do we find the courage to look without turning away. Horses works precisely within this uncomfortable space: there is no reassuring distance between the one inflicting the harm and the player; we are not allowed to take refuge in passivity. The responsibility for our actions is ours, even when they are imposed by the video game, so as not to evade the questions about what it truly means to obey, to participate, to be complicit. To carry out orders.
And, indeed, the skuzzy and harrowing Horses gains much of its power through its linearity, shepherding you through your own complicity in a cycle of dehumanization with scarcely an option to offer a word of protest. The lack of meaningful choice makes the very act of playing the game feel practically unbearable, what with players themselves being led forward like animals.
Santa Ragione delivers a subversive, sometimes shocking, often funny first-person narrative horror that, while perhaps a little insubstantial, remains an engagingly unconventional exploration of some timely themes.
Horses is the kind of experience that doesn’t look for compromises and has no interest in pleasing everyone. Santa Ragione plays with incendiary material and does so with a confidence that’s almost disarming. It’s a “small” title, one that inevitably divides, because it demands from the viewer the willingness to look exactly where we usually turn away. And that’s precisely where its value lies: in its ability to dig, provoke, unsettle and, above all, leave a mark.
An impressively daring horror experience that pushes the boundaries of what most people would expect from a video game, in terms of subject matter and imagery.
Horses is a chilling, nerve-shredding short story that propels you through a series of increasingly heinous farm tasks. Sharp writing of morally repugnant characters creates a harrowing atmosphere, which is frustratingly diminished by repetitive activities and unclear signposting that sometimes pull you out of its silent film-like world. Even so, developer Santa Ragione’s admirably bracing vision does well to harness what can make the interactivity of video games so affecting, ensuring you’ll have plenty to think about as the credits roll.
SummaryAn enigmatic first person horror adventure that blurs the line between reality and the darkest corners of your imagination. Fourteen days, a horse farm, and a few rules to follow.