When the original Fatal Frame was revealed, nobody expected the game to become such an enduring cult hit in America. The game's unusual concept, that you battle ghosts using a mystical camera, and its uniquely Japanese feel seemed like too much of a barrier to entry. But, here we are, looking at the third entry in the series for the PS2 platform. We recently had a chance to talk to the game's director, Makoto Shibata, as well as its producer Keisuke Kikuchi and Tecmo USA's general manager, John Inada about the latest entry into the company's popular horror franchise.



Inada: So, you know Mr. Kikuchi. Here's a new face, Mr. Shibata. He's actually the director of Fatal Frame. We kept him behind the scenes, because he's the one who actually came up with all of the sick ideas. He's the one who actually practices and believes in the spirit world.
GameSpy: I remember, a couple of years ago, you had the Fatal Frame II unveiling event, and Kikuchi-san said there's someone in Japan...
Inada: That's him. [Laughs] The infamous guy.
Shibata and Kikuchi

GameSpy: I was wondering if you could give me a little bit of a background on Fatal Frame III?
Shibata: The main character, Rei, gets into a car accident where she ends up killing her boyfriend. After the accident, she goes to this mansion, a ruined mansion, and starts to interact with the spirit world, and that's how the story starts. You will see a character from Fatal Frame 1, Miki, who joins the adventure.
GameSpy: Does this take place a few years after the original Fatal Frame game, timeline-wise?
Kikuchi: Of course, Fatal Frame 1, II, and III are three independent stories, yet at the same time, it is a parallel story. [Fatal Frame III is] set up as a story that takes place roughly two years after Fatal Frame 1's story.