Dead by Daylight made its debut back in 2016, and in the many years since, we’ve been delighted with an array of vicious killers. With the game thriving as of late, we’ve certainly got some interesting new killers, survivors, and maps ahead of us.
I’ve perhaps thought a little too long and hard about which killers I’d love to see, even theorising how the likes of gimmick characters might work in the game with my friends. We’ve regularly spoken about how Garfield, Goofy, Scooby-Doo, and Barney the Dinosaur might work, but alas, we know these characters respectfully have no place within Dead by Daylight’s realm.
That being said, there are a lot of possibilities for future licensed chapters and killers that are more plausible than letting Barney the Dinosaur wield a machete. I've done a deep dive into these concepts below and how they could work in Dead by Daylight.
Read More: Five Games Like Dead by Daylight
The Candyman
Theories about Daniel Robitaille becoming a part of Dead by Daylight have been floating around for a while now. When players were awaiting the announcement of a new killer after the release of the Resident Evil Chapter, many were sure that Candyman of the 1992 film would be next. Alas, it was not. Of the five possible killers noted here, The Candyman is perhaps the most plausible of them all. Also, Tony Todd is cool.
In the film, Candyman terrorises curious students, proving to them that urban legends can be real. He would definitely be an interesting killer to implement, and he would fit right in with other classic counterparts such as The Shape and Leatherface. In game, The Candyman’s abilities could consist of a few different things. Much like The Demogorgon’s portals, The Candyman could teleport around the map using mirrors that the survivors can break. As for his power, it would be wrong if the Candyman didn't have a swarm of bees that aggravated survivors, just like The Cenobite’s chains.
There is no real reason why Candyman couldn’t be a possibility, and for the longest time, it was believed that the introduction of the iconic character was being teased. Additionally, Tony Todd himself (the actor who plays Candyman) started following the Dead by Daylight Twitter account. It seems the devs might’ve had something up their sleeves, and Tony Todd appears to be on board with the idea too, so there’s a chance we may be seeing Candyman in Dead by Daylight sometime soon.
The Plant
We’re throwing it back to 1960 with this one and thinking about Little Shop of Horrors, or you might be more familiar with the 1986 musical. If you’re unfamiliar, the film follows Seymour Krelborn struggling to keep his job at a florist, until he discovers a rather unique plant that he names Audrey II. Audrey II has a thirst that goes beyond sunlight and water, and instead wishes for human flesh.
Implementing Audrey II as a killer, named The Plant, would be horrifying to look at but a whole load of fun. Imagine if The Demogorgon had a green cosmetic with leaves sprouting left, right, and centre. That’s how The Plant would look. As Audrey II grows with each feed, The Plant would become more powerful with each kill acquired, with garden shears ready to attack all those it gets close to.
Right now, I’m picturing a trailer for The Plant with a bright florist backdrop and a musical number as it chases after survivor, Seymour Krelborn, hungry for more flesh. It’s a slightly sillier concept that reminds me far too much of Mario’s Piranha Plant, but in practise, it’s everything Dead by Daylight fans could and would adore if done effectively.
The Alien
If anything is going to scare me senseless more than The Hag and her traps, it’s probably Xenomorph of Alien (1979). Dead by Daylight has some supernatural, alien elements with The Demogorgon, but he has no real scare value after being coined the ‘Demopuppy’.
Introducing Xenomorph as The Alien, Ripley as their corresponding survivor, and a map or two involving the U.S.S. Nostromo would be game-changing to an extent. The Alien’s ability could involve face-huggers, who would function similarly to when Victor of The Twins attacks a survivor. And who wouldn’t get a kick out of running around a map, seemingly in outer space, fleeing The Alien or trying to tear a face hugger off?
With this kind of crossover introduced, it would be exactly as if Alien Isolation met asymmetrical horror. Although, the issue that I find myself battling with when it comes to thinking about Xenomorph is a troubling one; would the sci-fi experience be too far removed from what Dead by Daylight is trying to offer players? And of course, like Jason Voorhees of Friday the 13th, Xenomorph has a game of their own already.
Most Dead by Daylight’s maps, excluding the now removed Hawkins Laboratory, have a genuine feel to them that players are trapped in some form of wasteland-meets-purgatory. Therefore, would the futuristic space-ship and sleek alien be fitting? I’m not entirely sure, but there’s no denying that it would be fun to see Xenomorph and Ripley sprinting through Dead by Daylight trials. For now, though, we still have Alien Isolation to revisit.
The Werewolf
We can all agree that when it comes to animalistic beasts, Dead by Daylight is lacking. If we’re going to employ any creature as a new killer, we need to consider The Werewolf. More specifically, David Kessler of An American Werewolf in London (1981).
First and foremost, as a standalone killer, The Werewolf would be unruly. I love the idea of this killer being one who can morph between human and inhuman, collecting tokens from the damage he inflicts that will turn him back into his human state, making him indiscernible from other survivors. However, I know that the idea of morphing would probably make The Werewolf a tad too powerful for the game, but it’s still interesting to consider.
As an entire Chapter in Dead by Daylight, it would only make sense to have a map based on a poorly-lit set of streets in London. Think Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, except David Kessler is blending into alleyways as he stalks his prey and takes them to the hook. With the full moon being present whenever you look up to the skies of most Dead by Daylight maps, it makes sense that a werewolf should be on the scene taunting survivors.
My only concern here would be that it would take five minutes for loyal fans to turn The Werewolf into yet another ‘Demopuppy’, finding him cuter than he is scary. Is that a bad thing, though?
The Writer
Saving the best for last, one concept I rarely see mentioned is that of The Writer. If there’s anything we need in Dead by Daylight, it’s The Overlook Hotel. The wasteland-meets-purgatory feeling that I mentioned earlier is embodied by the haunted hotel of The Shining (1980), and if there’s any killer on this list that I’d choose to see above all, it would be Jack Torrance.
You may be familiar with Stephen King’s novel or Stanley Kubrick’s film, both of which follow Jack Torrence’s descent into madness as he tries to write a book of his own while struggling with alcoholism. This aspiration takes him to a remote hotel that is a myriad of long corridors and peculiar people, and soon, the lines between life and death become very blurred.
As a Dead by Daylight Chapter, Jack Torrance would maniacally wield his axe as he tried to ‘correct’ survivors, as he had once attempted to do with his wife and son. The Overlook Hotel would certainly be worthy of a map or three, to avoid being as large and confusing as the Raccoon City Police Department is. And finally, Wendy would be able to flee from her husband over and over again as a survivor.
In many ways, the unseen Entity of Dead by Daylight’s lore very much reminds me of the unknown force that is present in The Overlook Hotel. There is a hopelessness involved in the story of The Shining that almost mirrors the hopelessness of Dead by Daylight’s survivors being trapped by the Entity that makes this so fitting. Additionally, there’s a personal need to be able to shout “Here’s Johnny!” as I down survivors, making The Writer a must-have (and completely plausible) character in Dead by Daylight. It’s a shame that Stephen King doesn’t really care about video games, because watching him play The Overlook Chapter in Dead by Daylight is something I’d pay to see.
As it stands, we already have a vast pool of colourful killers in Dead by Daylight, but there’s always room for more. Each killer in this list would arguably be a welcome addition for fans of the game and its loyalty to cult horror. And for the record, I simply will not cease to rest until I see Tony Todd or Jack Nicholson chasing me around a trial.