Ice Nine Kills have teamed up with the long running horror game Dead By Daylight for the bands newest track ‘Play Dead’. This comes as the game celebrates its 10 year anniversary with INK being a part of its in game celebration.
“Play Dead” also welcomes skateboard legend Tony Hawk, Devon Sawa (Idle Hands), Krsy Fox (Terrifier 3) into the INKverse video world.
Ice Nine Kills mastermind Spencer Charnas shares:
“Ice Nine Kills has always lived somewhere between menace and mischief. ‘Play Dead,’ our take on Dead by Daylight, is a collision of hooks, horror, and total chaos. As lifelong horror fans, we find it surreal and an absolute honor to have Ice Nine Kills’ music officially tied to Terrifier, Scream, Ready or Not, and now, the iconic survival horror game Dead by Daylight.
Collaborating with Dead by Daylight gave us the chance to step into a world that feels deeply aligned with our creative instincts. The game has an incredible legacy, and that chaotic, eerie, immersive energy is something we respect and admire. We wanted the song to feel like a real extension of that universe, not just inspired by it, but genuinely part of it.
We worked closely with longtime composer Michel F. April to ensure every detail, from the atmosphere to the intensity, felt true to the game, and we spent time on set with Dead by Daylight creatives Mathieu Cote and Eric Pope, as well as player experts like SpookyLoopz.
The video also features iconic genre star Devon Sawa. He’s one of my favorite actors, from Idle Hands and Final Destination to literally playing “Stan” in the Eminem video. And we’ve got Krsy Fox, one of the new modern horror scream queens, who not only had a showstopping performance in Terrifier 3, but is a kickass indie horror film producer, too.
Having Tony Hawk appear with us felt essential because he isn’t just the Michael Jordan of skateboarding. He’s synonymous with the marriage of music, gaming, and subculture. We bonded over the same offbeat pop-culture touchstones, from punk rock to the irreverent ’80s comedies like The Naked Gun that shaped my brain just as much as horror did.
And of course, Dingbar Tarbani slithered in to make things even stranger.”
“Dead by Daylight has always been about celebrating horror in all its forms, and Ice Nine Kills shares that same passion for the genre we have,” said Mat Côté, Head of Partnerships for Dead by Daylight. “We’ve always been big fans of their music, and their creativity and deep connection to horror culture made this collab feel incredibly natural. We’re excited for our players to represent the band in-game with the Collection we created together, and we can’t wait for everyone to experience the new Dead by Daylight crossover track the guys cooked up.”
“Play Dead” follows a succession of high-profile horror collaborations that have cemented Ice Nine Kills as one of the genre’s most natural musical counterparts. “A Work of Art” served as the official song from Terrifier 3, the highest-grossing unrated film ever. “Twisting The Knife (feat. Mckenna Grace)” played over the closing credits of Scream 7,the blockbuster sequel that delivered the biggest domestic opening weekend in the franchise’s history. Ice Nine Kills Presents “Hell or High Slaughter (Grave Diggler: Pt. 2)” then blazed into Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, deepening the band’s expanding lore with the introduction of their “fathers’” band. Most recently, it was revealed that Spencer will also be voicing a character in the highly anticipated Halloween: The Game exclusively available as part of the game’s Digital Deluxe Edition releasing on September 4, 2026.
