Inside the Creation of the Terrifying Teacher from 'Little Nightmares 2'

It's not much of a surprise that a game called "Little Nightmares" has its fair share of ghoulish creatures roaming about. The original Little Nightmares got under my nerves, but the monstrosities of Little Nightmares 2 are a step beyond, prompting me to actively yelp in the presence of other people, when I was playing the game while the sun was still present.

The one that refused to leave my mind, however, was...a teacher. There's a lot that's brilliant and special about the Little Nightmares games, but part of the reason the imagery can be so arresting is because it's frequently borrowing from otherwise common images, like a school teacher, and twisting them in unexpected ways. It exploits otherwise normal anxieties, like a teacher craning their neck around in a classroom, looking for a child that's causing trouble.

The second area of Little Nightmares 2 takes place in a school full of traps trying to kill you, and pretty quickly you are introduced to, well, a thing called The Teacher. Like everything else in Little Nightmares 2, this teacher certainly looks off, but in a way that's consistent with a game that's supposed to feel so. It's not until you raise the teacher's attention and they begin looking for you that it becomes clear exactly how messed up the current situation is. 

Their neck, it turns out, has the ability to crane around—and never stop. It just keeps going. 

It's bad. Very bad! And I love it. Real Beetlejuice vibes from this one, except if Beetlejuice wasn't a movie made for families and, instead, the ghosts wanted to violently kill everyone.

Even the most horrific imagery has humble beginnings, and The Teacher began as a series of sketches from concept artist Jonas Berlin. Here's what The Teacher looked like early on:

As someone who plays a game after years of work has gone into making it, I'm always curious about what it's like for developers to work on a horror game for years, trying to hold onto the idea that made them scared and intrigued in the first place. Fortunately, the same person who made those first drawings of The Teacher was willing to answer my questions. 

Waypoint: What's the creative process like for coming up with a creature in Little Nightmares? Do people sit around in a room and share stories about what kept them up at night as a kid?
Jonas Berlin: Not necessarily! It is a collaborative team effort and all concept meetings are initially kicked off by our Art Director, Per Bergman. At the meetings we look at reference images and discuss visions we have for specific characters such as; a teacher, a chef or a janitor. After that, the concept art team tries to interpret the information and we start to draw, let our minds wander and create the characters on our own. 

During the process, we receive constant feedback and then go back to implement, change, take away etc. We are always pushing ourselves to achieve what we think is the absolute best version of the character. In most cases the characters that you see in the final game are derived from some of the initial pitches and creative meetings that the concept art team had in the early stages of designing the aesthetic of the game.

Was there a direct inspiration for the teacher? What's the creative origin story?
Our art director had a vision of a strict teacher, so among the reference images was Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which has an iconic stern face and an ice cold stare. Another image was of the Japanese yōkai (demon) rokurokubi, which has a neck that can stretch very far. They were the two biggest sources of inspiration, but we also looked for Gif images from old b-horror movies that use practical  effects, and tried to get it into the character and animations.

Can you talk about what changed with the teacher over time? How different is the version the team originally imagined versus what actually ended up in the game and releasing?
In terms of appearance, the Teacher is quite similar to the first concept art, but during the development we had to rebuild her 3D model because we were not happy with the way she looked. We also had to triple the length of the teacher's neck for it to work well in the game. There was also an idea to give her wings, due to her bird-like face, but that idea was quickly scrapped.

Is it numbing to work on something scary for years at a time? How do you keep the character in perspective, and remind yourself why it was scary in the first place?
Yes, it's a bit numbing after all these years. But later in the production, (when the character has gone from concept art, to 3D model and into the game) when you finally get to play against the teacher, you are reminded of how scary the character is. When everything comes together, the Teacher's appearance, animations and sound, is when you understand that we have succeeded in creating a memorable character. It is a very rewarding feeling for the whole team.

Teachers are a pretty common fear. Why do you think people are scared of teachers?
Teachers come in a position of power and are also the first real leader you meet in life which might be a little scary! In the past, that job had a stigma with strict harsh penalties when children acted out and has definitely contributed to individuals' fears that can be seen today.

Follow Patrick on Twitter. His email is patrick.klepek@vice.com, and available privately on Signal (224-707-1561).