Half-Life 2 fans think this corpse model is based on a real body, so they're modding it out

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You might never look at Half-Life 2 the same after reading this

Half-Life 2
(Image credit: Valve)

Half-Life 2 fans are convinced one of the game's models is based on some seriously gruesome real-life photos, and they're already modding it out.

Before we go any further, in case the headline of this article wasn't enough of a trigger warning, we'll be discussing what appear to be grisly images of a real-life disfigured human corpse. We won't actually show or link to the image, but there will be a picture of a video game body which seems to be directly lifted from, or at least heavily based on an actual cadaver. If you suffer from thanatophobia or aren't comfortable reading about that sort of stuff, turn back now.

Half-Life 2

(Image credit: Valve)

The morbidly curious folks over on the r/eyeblech subreddit were recently poring over "some pretty gnarly forensic photographs," and a couple of days ago a commenter remarked that one of the pictures resembled a model of a badly burnt body in Half-Life 2. The model, referred to as Corpse01.mdl, is also a skin in the popular Garry's Mod, and yes, it sure does look a lot like an image of a dead body from a medical book. YouTuber Richter Overtime shared the Half-Life 2 model on his Twitter account, which in and of itself is pretty disturbing, but it's downright macabre after this revelation.

According to Metrocop (thanks, TheGamer), Half-Life 2's beta was originally designed with a much darker, grittier tone in mind compared to what would eventually be a much more mainstream-appropriate full release, and the Corpse01.mdl model seems to be a relic from that early development period. Compared to the body in the apparent reference photos, the only major change to the in-game model is two burnt-out eye sockets. 

Whether or not Corpse01.mdl is based on this actual corpse is still technically unconfirmed, though these findings do seem credible. It's not at all unheard of for game developers, like many artists, to reference disturbing imagery and photos when crafting gory scenes or other gruesome assets. If you want to play Half-Life 2 without having to think about any of that, there's already a PC mod that replaces the model with a composite of Dr. Kleiner and Breen's faces.

Or, if you'd rather play something else altogether, here are the best FPS games available now.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick
Staff Writer

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.