Best Video Game Fan Films

The universe of Silent Hill is a great environment to set a film in - it's full of horrifying mythology, scary creatures and has lots of unanswered questions. Probably the best Silent Hill fan film is The Confined, produced by Nathan Quattrini. I have to say, this is probably a better evocation of the video game than the 2006 feature film; Quattrini was actually trying to get a gig working on the sequel, but it doesn't seem to have panned out. That's OK, he's better off without Hollywood anyway.

The post-apocalyptic world of Fallout is remarkably easy to replicate in the deserts of southern California, as the genius Nuka Break illustrates. This hilarious film made by Wayside Creations follows a vault dweller named Twig who leaves the comfort of his dome to pursue his own personal Holy Grail: an ice-cold Nuka Cola. Featuring a ragtag crew of mutates, scavengers and other creeps, this flick is one of the greatest video game fan films ever made.

Still on the post-apocalyptic tip, the awesome STALKER fan flick Krym perfectly captures the amazing atmosphere of Russia after the big one went off. Christoph Heimer made this project as a student, and it's a remarkably excellent piece of work, expertly weaving stock footage in to make up for its lack of budget. The acting, often the weakest point of fan films, is really good as well. The plot is simple: some weary survivors detect a strong radiation signature and must travel to it and shit it down before it exterminates what's left of humanity.

One of the most popular formats for a fan film is the "fake trailer" - it lets you shoot all of the hot parts of the story without having to worry about pesky crap like narrative consistency. One of the most awesome fake trailers ever is Pokemon Apocalypse, directed by Kial Natal. This awesome clip surfaced without fanfare on the Internet a few years ago and instantly produced a massive buzz - it's just realistic enough to be believable while still being totally insane. Gotta catch 'em all!