{"id":2017985,"date":"2026-06-29T12:47:27","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T09:47:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2017985"},"modified":"2026-06-29T12:47:27","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T09:47:27","slug":"ice-nine-kills-on-their-intense-dead-by-daylight-collab-and-why-horror-will-never-die","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2017985","title":{"rendered":"Ice Nine Kills on their \u201cintense\u201d \u2018Dead By Daylight\u2019 collab and why horror will never die"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/INK_Terrifier_Credit-Scott-F-Schaferjpg.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-2749694\" class=\"post-2749694 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_71 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>News<\/span><span>Gaming News<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_72 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_72\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Ice Nine Kills on their \u201cintense\u201d \u2018Dead By Daylight\u2019 collab and why horror will never die<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_73 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_73\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Spencer Charnas tells us about &#8216;Tony Hawk&#8217;s Pro Skater&#8217;, &#8216;Scream&#8217; and the horror revival<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_75 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_75\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Ali Shutler<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-06-29T13:47:27+01:00\">29th June 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_77\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_78  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_80  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span8\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_81 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"696\" height=\"442\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/INK_Terrifier_Credit-Scott-F-Schaferjpg-696x442.jpg\" alt title=\"INK_Terrifier_Credit Scott F Schaferjpg\"><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">Ice Nine Kills and Terrifier&#8217;s Art The Clown. CREDIT: Scott F. Schafer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_83 article-content-row vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Ice Nine Kills\u2019 Spencer Charnas has spoken to<em> NME<\/em> about their new single \u2018Play Dead\u2019 \u2013 which was created in collaboration with online survival horror multiplayer game <i>Dead By Daylight<\/i> \u2013<i>\u00a0<\/i>wanting to reconnect rock music with horror, and what the future of the band holds.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE: \u2018KPop Demon Hunters\u2019 Kevin Woo talks \u2018Dead By Daylight\u2019 collab<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><i>Dead By Daylight <\/i>is the \u201cmost-played horror game in history\u201d and sees groups of four players taking on the role of a survivor as they try to escape a killer. Over the course of the online game\u2019s 10-year history, <i>Dead By Daylight <\/i>has featured collaborations with iconic horror franchises <i>Stranger Things<\/i><i>, <\/i><i>Saw<\/i><i>, <\/i><i>Alien<\/i><i>, <\/i><i>Resident Evil<\/i> and <i>Silent Hill<\/i> as well as bands such as <i>Iron Maiden<\/i> and <i>Slipknot<\/i>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>On Friday (June 26), Ice Nine Kills shared their new <i>Dead By Daylight<\/i> anthem \u2018Play Dead\u2019 alongside a gory video that features skating legend Tony Hawk, <i>Final Destination <\/i>actor Devon Sawa and <i>Terrifier 3<\/i> star Krsy Fox<\/p>\n<p>The Boston band have already released two horror-themed albums and contributed to the soundtracks of<i> Scream 7<\/i> (\u2018Twisting The Knife\u2019), <i>Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come<\/i> (\u2018Hell Of High Slaughter 2\u2019) and <i>Terrifier 3<\/i> (\u2018A Work Of Art\u2019). This time around, they worked closely with longtime <i>Dead By Daylight<\/i> composer Michel F. April to \u201censure the atmosphere, tension, and intensity felt authentic to the game.\u201d They also spent time with the game\u2019s creative team as well as diehard fans.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ice Nine Kills x Dead by Daylight - Play Dead (Official Music Video Part 1)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7WpxyUbltqw?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>\u201cGetting to collaborate with <i>Dead By Daylight <\/i>felt like entering a universe that already shared a lot of our creative DNA,\u201d Charnas told <em>NME<\/em>. \u201cIt has built such a strong legacy, and we have a lot of respect for the game\u2019s strange, sinister, and completely immersive atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor us, the goal was to make the track feel less like something merely influenced by that world and more like something that could naturally exist inside it. That meant paying close attention to the details,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>Check out the full interview below, where Charnas talks about his love for the influential <em>Tony Hawk\u2019s Pro Skater<\/em> games, what the band\u2019s recent run of singles means for the future and why horror is so important when the world feels so uncertain.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>NME<\/em>: Hi Spencer, what makes horror, gaming and guitar music such a perfect combo?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Spencer Charnas:<\/strong> \u201cMy favourite albums and games are often the ones that show movies aren\u2019t the only medium that can feel \u2018cinematic\u2019. At their best, each of those things is not only intense but completely immersive. It can be equally thrilling to get swept away into the stylistic storytelling of a great game, a killer movie, or a captivating song.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s something to be said for how each of them can be relaxing, as well. So naturally, whether it\u2019s the killer songs in the first <i>Scream<\/i> or the enchanting scores that drive hours of gaming, putting all those things together creates a trifecta of creative and aesthetic experiences that can cross over into different fandoms.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p><strong>What are your favourite scary video games?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2018Rainy Day\u2019 from \u2018The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood\u2019 was our homage to <i>Resident Evil<\/i>, both the film franchise and the game series that inspired it.\u00a0<i>Silent Hill<\/i> is rightly always part of any conversation about horror gaming. I naturally gravitate towards games based on classic horror franchises, like the forthcoming <i>Halloween: The Game<\/i>, where I got to voice a character for the digital deluxe edition. <i>Dead By Daylight<\/i>, of course, is the reigning champion of the survival horror genre. And I must give a big shout-out to <i>Five Nights At Freddy\u2019s<\/i> now that our beloved<i> Scream<\/i> icon and OG Ghostface, Matthew Lillard, is a major part of the movie adaptations.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3953928\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3953928\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3953928\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/INK-Matthew-Lillard-and-Mckenna-Grace_Scream-7-Premiere_Credit-Han-Kim-_-Paramount-Corporation-.jpg\" alt=\"Ice Nine Kills, McKenna Grace and Matthew Lillard at the &apos;Scream 7&apos; premiere. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3953928\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ice Nine Kills, McKenna Grace and Matthew Lillard at the \u2018Scream 7\u2019 premiere. CREDIT: Han Kim<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Do you play any non-spooky games?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe old <i>Tony Hawk<\/i> games were essential to me, not only for the gameplay and graphics but also for the finely curated soundtracks. Those games were immersive pathways to musical discoveries, offering a chance to learn about bands that weren\u2019t typically played on MTV or the radio. The first <i>Tony Hawk\u2019s Pro Skater<\/i> game alone featured Goldfinger, Dead Kennedys, Suicidal Tendencies and The Vandals Then came Bad Religion, Lagwagon, Millencolin, Swingin\u2019 Utters Less Than Jake, My Chemical Romance and so many more cool and important bands.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs someone who loved those games, I felt that having Tony Hawk appear with us in the \u2018Play Dead\u2019 video was a full-circle moment and yet another dream come true. On set, we bonded over many of the same offbeat pop-culture cornerstones, from punk to the irreverent \u201980s comedies like <i>The Naked Gun<\/i>, which shaped my brain as much as horror did. And he was kind enough to put up with Dingbar.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Is \u2018Play Dead\u2019 a good hint at where the band are heading next?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll leave it to our fans to trace the trajectory since our last full-length album and keep guessing. Together [recent singles] \u2018The Art Of Dying\u2019, \u2018The Great Unknown\u2019, \u2018The Laugh Track\u2019, \u2018Twisting The Knife\u2019 and \u2018Play Dead\u2019 paint a picture of the diverse places our creative spirits wander within the musical identity we\u2019ve built and continue to expand as Ice Nine Kills. \u2018Twisting The Knife\u2019 gave us our first Number One Active Rock Radio hit in America. Following it up with something as heavy and intense as \u2018Play Dead\u2019 is exactly the kind of colouring outside the lines we love to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3953927\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3953927\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3953927\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Ice-Nine-Kills-Play-Dead-art.jpg\" alt=\"Ice Nine Kills&apos; &apos;Play Dead&apos; single artwork. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3953927\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ice Nine Kills\u2019 \u2018Play Dead\u2019 single artwork.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>\u2018Twisting The Knife\u2019 was part of the <em>Scream 7<\/em> soundtrack. What\u2019s it been like to go from making musical love letters to iconic horror franchises on \u2018The Silver Screen\u2019 albums to actually being part of those worlds?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor us, having Ice Nine Kills connected in an official way to <i>Terrifier, Scream, Ready Or Not<\/i>, and now <i>Dead by Daylight<\/i> is still hard to fully wrap our heads around. As someone who grew up obsessed with horror, I find it both surreal and incredibly meaningful.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<i>Scream<\/i> has always loomed large for us creatively, and its music has been just as essential to that impact as the films themselves, beginning with Marco Beltrami\u2019s incredible score. The original <i>Scream<\/i> soundtrack, in particular, left a huge mark on me, from Soho\u2019s \u2018Whisper To A Scream\u2019 to Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds\u2019 unmistakable \u2018Red Right Hand.\u2019 Those songs immediately put me back in that era whenever I hear them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo now have our own music become part of that franchise\u2019s musical history is one of the biggest honours we could imagine. It also means a great deal to help reconnect rock music and horror cinema. There was a time when those two worlds felt deeply intertwined, and although that bond has not been as visible in recent years, we\u2019re proud to contribute in some small way to bringing that energy back.\u201d<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ice Nine Kills ft Mckenna Grace - Twisting The Knife | From SCREAM 7 | (Official Music Video Part 1)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8sMdT9pkvKE?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p><strong>There have been plenty of \u2018elevated\u2019 horrors in recent years such as <em>Obsession<\/em> and <em>Weapons<\/em>. That\u2019s got to be exciting for a band who readily pulls from that world?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeveral excellent horror films, big and small, have emerged in recent years. Historically, there are always peaks and valleys, but the genre never truly dies, and there are always invigorating, challenging or just outright fun entries to uncover if you know where to look. At home, I still tend to rewatch the same classics I\u2019ve always loved, and there are plenty of places left to explore. We could make a hundred albums and never run out of killer cinematic inspiration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why do you think horror has such a wide appeal at times when the world feels uncertain?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven when it injects cutting social commentary (from multiple points of view) or draws on true crimes for inspiration, horror as an art form offers a unique kind of escapism that lets us set aside real-world terrors in favour of fantasy thrills and chills. Death has terrified, intrigued, and bewildered humankind for as long as we\u2019ve been able to grasp its reality. Horror is a way to engage with those fears and questions in safe, smart, and often wonderfully silly ways.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Ice Nine Kills\u2019 collab with \u2018Dead By Daylight\u2019 is out now. The band have also confirmed details of a UK arena tour for early 2027 which will include their biggest ever headline gig at London\u2019s O2 Arena on March 28. You can get tickets here.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_tags tdi_87 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_87\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Related Topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Dead by Daylight<\/li>\n<li>Ice Nine Kills<\/li>\n<li>Metal<\/li>\n<li>Resident Evil<\/li>\n<li>Scream 7<\/li>\n<li>Silent Hill<\/li>\n<li>Terrifier 3<\/li>\n<li>Tony Hawk&#8217;s Pro Skater<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_89 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>You May Also Like<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_91  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span4 td-is-sticky\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td-a-rec td-a-rec-id-sidebar  tdi_92 td_block_template_2\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap 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class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Iron Maiden issue statement after plans to film phones-free Paris gig derailed by massive city-wide power cut<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Stacked line-up announced for Dia De Los Deftones 2026<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/article>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Ice Nine Kills\u2019 Spencer Charnas has spoken to<em> NME<\/em> about their new single \u2018Play Dead\u2019 \u2013 which was created in collaboration with online survival horror multiplayer game <i>Dead By Daylight<\/i> \u2013<i>\u00a0<\/i>wanting to reconnect rock music with horror, and what the future of the band holds.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE: \u2018KPop Demon Hunters\u2019 Kevin Woo talks \u2018Dead By Daylight\u2019 collab<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><i>Dead By Daylight <\/i>is the \u201cmost-played horror game in history\u201d and sees groups of four players taking on the role of a survivor as they try to escape a killer. Over the course of the online game\u2019s 10-year history, <i>Dead By Daylight <\/i>has featured collaborations with iconic horror franchises <i>Stranger Things<\/i><i>, <\/i><i>Saw<\/i><i>, <\/i><i>Alien<\/i><i>, <\/i><i>Resident Evil<\/i> and <i>Silent Hill<\/i> as well as bands such as <i>Iron Maiden<\/i> and <i>Slipknot<\/i>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>On Friday (June 26), Ice Nine Kills shared their new <i>Dead By Daylight<\/i> anthem \u2018Play Dead\u2019 alongside a gory video that features skating legend Tony Hawk, <i>Final Destination <\/i>actor Devon Sawa and <i>Terrifier 3<\/i> star Krsy Fox<\/p>\n<p>The Boston band have already released two horror-themed albums and contributed to the soundtracks of<i> Scream 7<\/i> (\u2018Twisting The Knife\u2019), <i>Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come<\/i> (\u2018Hell Of High Slaughter 2\u2019) and <i>Terrifier 3<\/i> (\u2018A Work Of Art\u2019). This time around, they worked closely with longtime <i>Dead By Daylight<\/i> composer Michel F. April to \u201censure the atmosphere, tension, and intensity felt authentic to the game.\u201d They also spent time with the game\u2019s creative team as well as diehard fans.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ice Nine Kills x Dead by Daylight - Play Dead (Official Music Video Part 1)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7WpxyUbltqw?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>\u201cGetting to collaborate with <i>Dead By Daylight <\/i>felt like entering a universe that already shared a lot of our creative DNA,\u201d Charnas told <em>NME<\/em>. \u201cIt has built such a strong legacy, and we have a lot of respect for the game\u2019s strange, sinister, and completely immersive atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor us, the goal was to make the track feel less like something merely influenced by that world and more like something that could naturally exist inside it. That meant paying close attention to the details,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>Check out the full interview below, where Charnas talks about his love for the influential <em>Tony Hawk\u2019s Pro Skater<\/em> games, what the band\u2019s recent run of singles means for the future and why horror is so important when the world feels so uncertain.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>NME<\/em>: Hi Spencer, what makes horror, gaming and guitar music such a perfect combo?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Spencer Charnas:<\/strong> \u201cMy favourite albums and games are often the ones that show movies aren\u2019t the only medium that can feel \u2018cinematic\u2019. At their best, each of those things is not only intense but completely immersive. It can be equally thrilling to get swept away into the stylistic storytelling of a great game, a killer movie, or a captivating song.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s something to be said for how each of them can be relaxing, as well. So naturally, whether it\u2019s the killer songs in the first <i>Scream<\/i> or the enchanting scores that drive hours of gaming, putting all those things together creates a trifecta of creative and aesthetic experiences that can cross over into different fandoms.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p><strong>What are your favourite scary video games?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2018Rainy Day\u2019 from \u2018The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood\u2019 was our homage to <i>Resident Evil<\/i>, both the film franchise and the game series that inspired it.\u00a0<i>Silent Hill<\/i> is rightly always part of any conversation about horror gaming. I naturally gravitate towards games based on classic horror franchises, like the forthcoming <i>Halloween: The Game<\/i>, where I got to voice a character for the digital deluxe edition. <i>Dead By Daylight<\/i>, of course, is the reigning champion of the survival horror genre. And I must give a big shout-out to <i>Five Nights At Freddy\u2019s<\/i> now that our beloved<i> Scream<\/i> icon and OG Ghostface, Matthew Lillard, is a major part of the movie adaptations.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3953928\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3953928\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3953928\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/INK-Matthew-Lillard-and-Mckenna-Grace_Scream-7-Premiere_Credit-Han-Kim-_-Paramount-Corporation-.jpg\" alt=\"Ice Nine Kills, McKenna Grace and Matthew Lillard at the &apos;Scream 7&apos; premiere. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3953928\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ice Nine Kills, McKenna Grace and Matthew Lillard at the \u2018Scream 7\u2019 premiere. CREDIT: Han Kim<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Do you play any non-spooky games?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe old <i>Tony Hawk<\/i> games were essential to me, not only for the gameplay and graphics but also for the finely curated soundtracks. Those games were immersive pathways to musical discoveries, offering a chance to learn about bands that weren\u2019t typically played on MTV or the radio. The first <i>Tony Hawk\u2019s Pro Skater<\/i> game alone featured Goldfinger, Dead Kennedys, Suicidal Tendencies and The Vandals Then came Bad Religion, Lagwagon, Millencolin, Swingin\u2019 Utters Less Than Jake, My Chemical Romance and so many more cool and important bands.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs someone who loved those games, I felt that having Tony Hawk appear with us in the \u2018Play Dead\u2019 video was a full-circle moment and yet another dream come true. On set, we bonded over many of the same offbeat pop-culture cornerstones, from punk to the irreverent \u201980s comedies like <i>The Naked Gun<\/i>, which shaped my brain as much as horror did. And he was kind enough to put up with Dingbar.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Is \u2018Play Dead\u2019 a good hint at where the band are heading next?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll leave it to our fans to trace the trajectory since our last full-length album and keep guessing. Together [recent singles] \u2018The Art Of Dying\u2019, \u2018The Great Unknown\u2019, \u2018The Laugh Track\u2019, \u2018Twisting The Knife\u2019 and \u2018Play Dead\u2019 paint a picture of the diverse places our creative spirits wander within the musical identity we\u2019ve built and continue to expand as Ice Nine Kills. \u2018Twisting The Knife\u2019 gave us our first Number One Active Rock Radio hit in America. Following it up with something as heavy and intense as \u2018Play Dead\u2019 is exactly the kind of colouring outside the lines we love to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3953927\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3953927\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3953927\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Ice-Nine-Kills-Play-Dead-art.jpg\" alt=\"Ice Nine Kills&apos; &apos;Play Dead&apos; single artwork. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3953927\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ice Nine Kills\u2019 \u2018Play Dead\u2019 single artwork.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>\u2018Twisting The Knife\u2019 was part of the <em>Scream 7<\/em> soundtrack. What\u2019s it been like to go from making musical love letters to iconic horror franchises on \u2018The Silver Screen\u2019 albums to actually being part of those worlds?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor us, having Ice Nine Kills connected in an official way to <i>Terrifier, Scream, Ready Or Not<\/i>, and now <i>Dead by Daylight<\/i> is still hard to fully wrap our heads around. As someone who grew up obsessed with horror, I find it both surreal and incredibly meaningful.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<i>Scream<\/i> has always loomed large for us creatively, and its music has been just as essential to that impact as the films themselves, beginning with Marco Beltrami\u2019s incredible score. The original <i>Scream<\/i> soundtrack, in particular, left a huge mark on me, from Soho\u2019s \u2018Whisper To A Scream\u2019 to Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds\u2019 unmistakable \u2018Red Right Hand.\u2019 Those songs immediately put me back in that era whenever I hear them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo now have our own music become part of that franchise\u2019s musical history is one of the biggest honours we could imagine. It also means a great deal to help reconnect rock music and horror cinema. There was a time when those two worlds felt deeply intertwined, and although that bond has not been as visible in recent years, we\u2019re proud to contribute in some small way to bringing that energy back.\u201d<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ice Nine Kills ft Mckenna Grace - Twisting The Knife | From SCREAM 7 | (Official Music Video Part 1)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8sMdT9pkvKE?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p><strong>There have been plenty of \u2018elevated\u2019 horrors in recent years such as <em>Obsession<\/em> and <em>Weapons<\/em>. That\u2019s got to be exciting for a band who readily pulls from that world?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeveral excellent horror films, big and small, have emerged in recent years. Historically, there are always peaks and valleys, but the genre never truly dies, and there are always invigorating, challenging or just outright fun entries to uncover if you know where to look. At home, I still tend to rewatch the same classics I\u2019ve always loved, and there are plenty of places left to explore. We could make a hundred albums and never run out of killer cinematic inspiration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why do you think horror has such a wide appeal at times when the world feels uncertain?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven when it injects cutting social commentary (from multiple points of view) or draws on true crimes for inspiration, horror as an art form offers a unique kind of escapism that lets us set aside real-world terrors in favour of fantasy thrills and chills. Death has terrified, intrigued, and bewildered humankind for as long as we\u2019ve been able to grasp its reality. Horror is a way to engage with those fears and questions in safe, smart, and often wonderfully silly ways.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Ice Nine Kills\u2019 collab with \u2018Dead By Daylight\u2019 is out now. The band have also confirmed details of a UK arena tour for early 2027 which will include their biggest ever headline gig at London\u2019s O2 Arena on March 28. You can get tickets here.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/gaming-news\/ice-nine-kills-interview-dead-by-daylight-spencher-charnas-scream-tony-hawk-3953926&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/INK_Terrifier_Credit-Scott-F-Schaferjpg.jpg&#8221;] NewsGaming News Ice Nine Kills on their \u201cintense\u201d \u2018Dead By Daylight\u2019 collab and why horror will never die Spencer Charnas tells us about &#8216;Tony Hawk&#8217;s Pro Skater&#8217;, &#8216;Scream&#8217; and the horror revival By Ali Shutler 29th June 2026 Ice Nine Kills and Terrifier&#8217;s Art The Clown. CREDIT: Scott F. Schafer Ice Nine [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-2017985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2017985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2017985"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2017985\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2017985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2017985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2017985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}