Oculus Rift owners can now watch a feature-length horror film adapted for virtual reality -- a first for the platform.
Banshee Chapter, which originally debuted on VOD, was adapted to be compatible with the head-mounted display. Produced by Star Trek's Zachary Quinto, the 2013 film was released for free on the platform Friday.
Banshee Chapter follows a journalist investigating the disappearance of her college friend, as well as a mysterious experimental drug that ties the mystery together. Loosely based on an H.P. Lovecraft story, it stars Sleepy Hollow's Katia Winter, Silence of the Lambs' Ted Levine and True Blood's Michael McMillian.
The film was transformed into a virtual-reality experience by studio Jamwix. Engineer Bill Booth said Banshee Chapter was adapted for the Oculus Rift by creating software that simulated placing the viewer inside the scenes. However, it isn't a 360-degree view; instead, the film wraps 120 degrees around the viewer.
"It allows you to look left and right within the scene itself, and tracks your head to display that part of the scene in full motion and depth," Booth told Mashable. "The effect is incredibly powerful and immersive as it quickly creates the sensation that you're inside the movie itself."
Bloom said Jamwix wanted to release Banshee Chapter for free to allow current Oculus Rift owners, who mostly consist of developers and virtual-reality enthusiasts, to test the technology. The film is available for free through the Oculus Rift developer site, though it only is compatible with the latest, second-generation development kit and Macs.