The best movies and TV like the Alan Wake games

29.10.2023 - 13:23 / polygon.com / Mads Mikkelsen / Saga Anderson / Sam Lake / Hideo Kojima / Best

The long-awaited sequel to Remedy Entertainment’s action-horror cult classic Alan Wake has finally escaped the Dark Place of development hell, and it is glorious.

Picking up 13 in-game years after the original, Alan Wake 2 follows both the cult horror writer and a new protagonist in the form of FBI profiler Saga Anderson as they battle the machinations of a deranged murder cult and the possessed minions of Alan’s evil doppelganger, Mr. Scratch. Apart from brushing up on the events of the first game and all that’s transpired since, the release of Alan Wake 2 offers a wonderful opportunity to dive back into the movies and TV shows that inspired the story and characters of the series.

Like Hideo Kojima, Remedy Entertainment creative director Sam Lake is an avid and omnivorous lover of books, films, and television, seldom neglecting an opportunity to pay homage to the influences behind his work and talk at length about how they’ve informed his creative process. With that in mind, we’ve assembled a list of some of the best movies and TV that have either inspired the Alan Wake games or resemble them so strongly that fans would be remiss not to check them out or revisit them.

Let’s dive in!

Year: 2013-2015
Showrunner/creator: Bryan Fuller
Cast: Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas
Where to watch: Hulu

Saga Anderson, the deuteragonist of Alan Wake 2, is a talented criminal profiler much like Hannibal’s Will Graham, routinely diving into the minds of suspects to unearth clues and connections that can aid her in the investigation of the brutal ritualistic killings surrounding the fictional town of Bright Falls, Washington.

Year: 1994
Director: John Carpenter
Cast: Sam Neill, Julie Carmen, Jürgen Prochnow
Where to watch: Criterion Channel, Tubi

Although not explicitly cited as an influence, Alan Wake 2 and this movie share a surprising amount in common when viewed side by side. Both Remedy Entertainment’s latest game and In the Mouth of Madness center on investigations into the disappearance of famous writers whose works have taken on a life of their own, blurring the line between fiction and reality as their respective protagonists march on in a search for answers that may or may not destroy them in the process. They also both delight in surprising their audiences with fourth-wall-breaking scenes heavily inspired by the cosmic horror of H.P. Lovecraft.

Year: 2004-2010
Showrunners/creators: Jeffrey Lieber, J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof
Cast: Naveen Andrews, Emilie de Ravin, Matthew Fox
Where to watch: Hulu

Lost was a bona fide cultural phenomenon during the early 2000s, introducing a whole generation of viewers to the joys and frustrations of their particular brand of “mystery box” storytelling. It only makes