Phobies: Four deliciously horrifying pop culture readings we'd love for Lippy to read

Phobies - Smoking Gun Interactive's strategic card game - may be all about facing your fears, but that doesn't mean it's a fan of cheap scares. In fact, there's nothing more tasteful than Phobies' own lovable Lippy, and when you add dramatic readings to the fray, you can expect those fears to come to life in an entirely new way.

In the lead up to Halloween, Lippy has been providing a spooky recital of Edgar Allan Poe’s classic poem, The Raven, which just so happens to coincide with the unveiling of a new Phobie (Edgar Allan) inspired by the misanthropic literary genius.

This got us thinking about other famous macabre works that we love to hear recited by the silver tongued narrator. From popular comic books to famous jumpscare-inducing games, these are just four of the most delightfully frightful works of art in pop culture we'd love to hear Lippy read from!

Season of Mists, Sandman by Neil Gaiman

“Why do they blame me for all their little failings? They use my name as if I spent my entire day sitting on their shoulders, forcing them to commit acts they would otherwise find repulsive. 'The devil made me do it.' I have never made one of them do anything. Never. They live their own tiny lives. I do not live their lives for them.”

Even before the streaming giant Netflix picked up this franchise as a live adaptation, the hit fantasy world of the Lord of Dreams has already been insanely popular among comic book fans and non-fans alike. After all, what's not to love about dreams, and what's not to fear about nightmares?

Phobies certainly knows a thing or two about those dreams that send you bolting upright in bed in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, but perhaps what's also a great big fright is the fear of the fiery depths of hell - something Gaiman's graphic novel portrays all too well in his character, Lucifer Morningstar. And what strikes fear into the hearts of men even more than the realisation that the atrocities they've done aren't caused by the devil - it's always been their own doing all along?

Five Nights at Freddy's by Scott Cawthon

"Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. A magical place for kids and grown-ups alike, where fantasy and fun come to life. Fazbear Entertainment is not responsible for damage to property or person. Upon discovering that damage or death has occurred, a missing person report will be filed within 90 days, or as soon property and premises have been thoroughly cleaned and bleached, and the carpets have been replaced."

If dead eyes and permanent smiles plastered on lifeless animatronic faces don't make your hair stand on end, then the idea that these supposedly friendly mascots come alive at night and go on murdering sprees definitely should. This video game series is a cult classic for a reason, and it's not just because of the irony in the fictional family pizza restaurant chain called "Freddy Fazbear's Pizza".

This survival horror franchise would be a perfect fit for Lippy to do a reading from, because who else but Phobies' own fourth-wall-breaking narrator can make murderous mascots even more spine-tingling?

The Divine Comedy - Inferno by Dante Alighieri

“Through me the way is to the city dolent; Through me the way is to eternal dole; Through me the way among the people lost. Justice incited my sublime Creator; created me divine omnipotence, the highest wisdom and the primal ;ove. Before me there were no created things, only eterne, and I eternal last.”

“All hope abandon, ye who enter in!”

To provide a sense of gravitas worthy of Lippy’s oratory prowess, we can think of nothing more fitting than Dante Alighieri’s epic 14th century poem which charts Dante’s journey into the circles of Hell, and eventual divine revelation at the threshold of Paradise. The poem is a must read for any goth-punk and a perfect choice in the lead-up to Halloween for Phobies’ red-lipped narrator.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

"He held up the curtain of the bed; and his eyes, if eyes they may be called, were fixed on me. His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks. He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped and rushed downstairs. I took refuge in the courtyard belonging to the house which I inhabited, where I remained during the rest of the night, walking up and down in the greatest agitation, listening attentively, catching and fearing each sound as if it were to announce the approach of the demoniacal corpse to which I had so miserably given life."

Of course, no list of reading material would be complete without a reference to a classic literary monster - Frankenstein. This Halloween fave follows the tale of young scientist Victor Frankenstein as he brings to life an unholy creature in a scientific experiment. There's always something to be afraid of when it comes to macabre monsters, and even more so when those monsters have been grafted together in the most gruesome ways from remnants of the dead.

Of course, Lippy can do this monstrosity justice by doing what he does best - bringing it to life not with electricity but with his lightning-quick wit and personality.

If you're yet to give Phobies a go and would like to hear the spind-tingling words of Lippy for yourself, you can find it available for free on the iOS App Store, the Google Play Store, and Steam today!