Digital Ritual and Analog Horror in FAITH: The Unholy Trinity

This multimedia presentation examines how the 2022 retro-style horror video game FAITH: The Unholy Trinity constructs religious haunting through minimalist visual aesthetics, analog-horror strategies, and making ritual activity interactive. Set during the 1980s Satanic Panic, players assume the role of Father John Ward, a Catholic priest confronting failed exorcisms and demonic cult activity. Sparse pixel graphics and limited animation are punctuated by sudden rotoscoped cutscenes, generating affective dissonance and heightening the sense of intrusion. The crucifix functions simultaneously as a narrative symbol and a gameplay interface, translating liturgical gestures into embodied, interactive ritual. The presentation will integrate curated gameplay clips, in-game “easter egg” production materials, and brief audience participation in a guided playthrough to illustrate these dynamics. By foregrounding how analog-horror aesthetics and digital interaction shape ritualized haunting, this project situates video games as an emergent site for exploring religious imagination and visual culture in contemporary horror media.