Dark Hearts brings back iOS-only horror

Last year Hooked Digital Media released Haunting Melissa, a serialized horror movie that was exclusive to iOS. Earlier this week the group released the sequel, Dark Hearts, which picks up where its predecessor left off. There's more creepy goodness here, released one chapter at a time.

There are a few fun things about the "Melissa" movies, as I've begun to call them. First, each chapter is released on an unpredictable schedule. Enable notifications for a creepy alert when your next chapter is ready. You'll often hear an eerie whisper or sound effect. It's scared the daylights out of my kids a few times.



The other compelling aspect is that subtle aspects change upon multiple viewings. For instance, the second time you watch a given chapter, there might be a ghostly woman standing where the wasn't one the first time you watched it. Hooked calls this technology Dynamic Story Elements, and in fact they invented it. That was a lot of fun with Haunting Melissa, and I look forward to playing with it again in Dark Hearts.

All that is well and good, but how's the movie? I've only see the intro blurb and the first chapter, but it feels like the production level has ramped way up. Not that it was ever bad, but you know you're watching a real movie on your device. Dark Hearts is directed by Neal Edelstein, who also produced The Ring among others, which is one of my favorite movies ("Seven days...").

Other niceties include built-in discussion boards and a super easy way to take screenshots for sharing. There are other creepy surprises throughout. I don't want to spoil those, but I will say when you're in the chapter view above, just let it sit for minute or two.

Note that you can get the first chapter for free, but subsequent chapters will cost you. A season pass costs US$5.99.

I've been a horror fan for many years, and this series is one that I enjoy. Turn down the lights, grab some headphones and figure out what's going on in Melissa's super creepy house.