Where I get reflective on the visual and thematic inspirations for the new module.
We’ve successfully funded our newest module! There is still time to back here: bit.ly/HungryHollow
I’m definitely excited to see where this campaign goes (and looking forward to all the backerkit exclusive sneak peaks we have planned). I felt it pertinent to highlight a few of the inspirations behind the module (these are things that inspired us as we wrote/developed the module) and help guide us (either thematically, aesthetically, or both).
First and foremost is N1, the biggest touchstone of all. The Parthenogenis of Hungry Hollow is directly inspired by this classic module, and is a modern reimagining (for some context on how we veiw the type of reimagining you can watch our Seminar on Adapting A Mystery or download the slide deck on the LH Investigators itch page)
I was inspired to pick up the module (it can be found on the internet archive) after listening to the Between Two Cairns episode. As I listened to them talk about it, I couldn’t help but thing that the set up of a small town where some of the townsfolk are being changed would make a perfect modern horror scenario. So I read through the text, taking notes on the different dynamics and tensions within the text, and then created a new story and framing around what is going on. The core mystery is quite different, but the heart of it being about a town in decline, with some citizens spinning as they try to hold on to normalcy, still beats in our reimagining.
It is hard to not write in the modern horror space and not be influenced by this series. Especially the themes of cults, rebirth, gods, pregnancy create such a fantastic source for inspiration, especially when creating Hungry Hollow. Not only that, but the focus on a single city gives lessons on how to present a space in which to explore and unravel a mystery.
Something Rotten did a fantastic mini-series on Silent Hill, and it does a great job laying the foundations we learned/pulled from for this module.
Much like Silent Hill, Parasite Eve provides a major foundation for inspiration (thematically and visually). This was a game I saw advertised in PlayStation magazine all of the time, but never got to play. My mind made up stories about what it was about, and so it is exciting to use that to draw inspiration for our game.
A major throughline that can be seen is in the boss forms. I was heavily inspired by how Eve changes throughout the game, and our main antagonist Brea (and the unborn Trigona, God-Queen of the Flesh Hive) changes forms throughout the text. Hopefully our book, along with Amanda’s art, will inspire someone like the images of Parasite Eve inspired me all those years ago.
I don’t think there has been a single thing I’ve written for Liminal Horror that has not drawn at least some inspiration or touchstone from John Carpenter’s work, and this is no different.
The town of Hobbs End specifically, with the rotten doom seeping from it’s church, heavily inspired Hungry Hollow. Whereas Carpenters fever dream all is already lost, Hungry Hollow has a sliver of hope that the players can avert disaster and stop what is gestating.
Aliens (1986) - James Cameron
Josh and I had a joke that if The Bloom was our Alien, then Hungry Hollow is our Aliens. The inherent framing of the text has it have it not be the Investigators’ first mission. Many groups will play characters with some experience with the weird, so like Ripley they understand what is at stake.
Civilians captured and glued with sticky masses in a goopy dungeon. A queen laying larva hoping to grow her flock. There is a lot of inspirations drawn from this film.
Don’t forget to back us over at Backerkit: bit.ly/HungryHollow
In this twitter thread I also cover some of the influences/touchstones: https://x.com/goblin_archives/status/1801138062107570624
We’ll also take a look at some of the design influences Josh used to create the visual language for Hungry Hollow.
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