Creepy children in horror media are a grand tradition from the possessed Regan of The Exorcist to the sinister twins of The Shining and many more. When developing the re-imagining of the horror classic Alone in the Dark, Pieces Interactive quickly found the perfect chilling child to include: Grace Saunders, a character from the previous Alone in the Dark games. Re-imagined as an inhabitant of the Derceto Manor sanitarium, Grace serves as a key figure in the new Alone in the Dark title as one of the figures at the heart of the mansion's mystery.

In an interview with Game ZXC, the team at THQ Nordic and Pieces Interactive discussed the choice to bring back Grace Saunders alongside returning protagonists Edward Carnby and Emily Hartwood. Grace is the point-of-view character for the game's Prologue and has also played a key role in many of the trailers released for Alone in the Dark. She is a major part of the series' mythos who is being given a new life in the re-imagining - and perhaps an even more terrifying one than before.

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Who Is Grace Saunders?

Grace Saunders is a young child who initially appeared in Jack in the Dark, a short game that was released around Christmas 1993 to promote the then-upcoming release of Alone in the Dark 2. In this game, Grace became trapped inside a toy store populated by living toys, where she had to rescue Santa Claus from an evil jack-in-the-box. Mikael Hedberg, the creative director and writer of Alone in the Dark, explained that this game was what inspired the team to choose Grace for the prologue player character. As Hedberg said,

"Since we had already repurposed Grace to be a patient at the asylum, it would almost be silly not to take the opportunity to play as her."

The character of Grace Saunders made another appearance in Alone in the Dark 2, where she was kidnapped. Her kidnapping was investigated by recurring series protagonist Edward Carnby. With Carnby's help, Grace survived the events of the game but did not go on to appear in any further Alone in the Dark sequels.

The New Grace Saunders Provides A Unique Lens for Horror Storytelling

Grace as she is re-imagined is not simply an innocent victim. The trailers for Alone in the Dark are quick to portray her more sinister side, featuring her voice actress Glory Joy Rose singing a chilling, slowed-down version of the classic folk song "House of the Rising Sun," a song which perfectly encapsulates the Southern Gothic feel of Derceto Manor. She's also shown performing various creepy actions, like ripping up an Alone in the Dark manuscript or hanging dolls from nooses. Describing the team's interpretation of the character, Hedberg said,

"Playing with the innocence of Grace is fun. While she is a cute kid, Grace is definitely not alright. She is seemingly okay with a lot of things and used to a bit of insanity."

Grace Saunders has always been a character willing to face the supernatural and believe in monsters beyond human comprehension. She seems to be to some degree already aware of the chilling, Lovecraft-influenced horrors inhabiting Derceto Manor. This serves as a foil to Edward Carnby and Emily Hartwood, who discover the horrors in store for them only gradually throughout the game, at least in the original anyway. Exactly what Grace Saunders' full role in the Alone in the Dark re-imagining is will likely not be revealed until the game's full release, but the previews and trailers already indicate that she is not a character who players will be likely to forget anytime soon.