It’s not clear why the Combine decided to use so many of these shells on Ravenholm given the relatively rare uses of the weapon outside of this instance, but it’s possible they felt the idea of enslaving a town whose residents resisted them for so long was too poetic of an opportunity to pass up. These headcrabs then burrow into the area just waiting to find someone to attack, infect, and effectively enslave.
It looks like a bomb, but instead of exploding upon impact, the Headcrab Shell unloads hundreds and hundreds of headcrabs upon a populated area. Essentially a biological weapon, the Headcrab Shell is an especially cruel instrument of war. Whatever peace Ravenholm offered was shattered when the Combine bombarded the town with Headcrab Shells. It was seemingly founded as a mining town, but when the Combine (the invading antagonists of Half-Life 2) took over much of the area around Ravenholm, that rustic mining town soon became one of the last safe havens from the technologically superior Combine and their evil intentions. Before the events of Half-Life 2, Ravenholm was a small village that consisted mostly of shabby wooden houses. The first is the story of the town itself as presented in Half-Life 2 and related supplementary materials. Ravenholm is a town with two stories, and you need to know both of them to fully understand what makes it so special. You could even argue that at least the first season of Stranger Things managed this rare feat. Creepshow (and the similar Tales from the Crypt) blended fun and frights remarkably smoothly. Bloodborne accomplished something similar in terms of the gothic horror genre. There have been few examples of horror over the years that manage to feature comfortably familiar horror tropes and be, at least at times, genuinely scary. The moment that someone actually tries to use them in a genuine way is usually the moment when you may start to feel contempt towards them. The cliches of horror are typically only appealing so long as they are treated like something that is fun. However, if you’re an adult and someone does something like wave a paper bat in front of your face with the intention of scaring you, not only will you not be scared but you might feel insulted. We’re reminded of that feeling every Halloween. At worst, the genre’s oldest trappings (dark and stormy nights, pearl white ghosts, bats, witches, and vampires) usually put a smile on your face as you recall your earliest memories of not only being scared, but being treated as if you were old and brave enough to be scared.
Half life 1 zombie free#
Horror has long been somewhat free from the contempt that familiarity brings.