Horror has seen a resurgence in recent years, where more original movies have come out of the woodwork to terrify their audience. With the rise of original ideas such as Sinners, Weapons, Bring Her Back, and Obsession, it’s clear that people want more horror. But there’s uncharted territory that indie directors are only now dipping their toes into, and it’s the world of indie games.
Video game adaptations have been hit-or-miss for years, most recently with Return to Silent Hill‘s poor attempt at psychological horror, Until Dawn‘s lackluster interpretation of the supernatural-slasher genre, and Uncharted, Minecraft, and Borderlands‘ awful casting and questionable on-screen chemistry.
The rise of adaptations
The success of Backrooms, Iron Lung, and The Exit 8 is reflected both in the games’ social media reach and their box office numbers. YouTubers Markiplier and Pixels have moved their content from mobile devices to the big screen, adapting David Szymanski’s Iron Lung and Pixels’ YouTube found footage series, The Backrooms.
We’ve also seen how budget movies like Obsession can do unbelievably well so long as the film itself is great. And really, isn’t that all we care about: watching a great movie? Big names aren’t needed to sell a good idea, and not everything needs to be a blockbuster.
Marketing and a product’s existing fanbase are important to consider too, alongside our biases for the very director who’s debuting their version of an already popular game. Backrooms backed by A24, Markiplier’s huge social media presence, and Obsession‘s innovative campaign to make us scared of Nikki before we ever saw her are all part of what makes an adaptation succeed.
What comes next?
We already have a Resident Evil adaptation on the horizon, which has immense potential considering director Zach Cregger’s strong portfolio: Barbarian, Weapons and Companion. Perhaps comedians tackling horror is where it’s at. Or maybe the reason these adaptations work is because each had a passionate director behind it, who understood what made the game special in the first place.
I would love to see more psychological horror on the big screen that tackles grief, nihilism, and mortality (what Return to Silent Hill was supposed to be). I’m a huge fan of cosmic horror (Coherence, Annihilation, NOPE), so Jacksepticeye’s Bloodborne animated movie could be fantastic, considering how much of a fan he is of FromSoftware’s gothic horror. A24 is looking for another win with Alex Garland tackling a live-action Elden Ring.
Who you backing?
When it comes to indies, SOMA, Disco Elysium, The Alters, MOLE, LUTO, Look Outside, s.p.l.i.t., Mouthwashing, and No, I’m not a Human (similar to Perry Blackshear’s They Look Like People) could be equally amazing if adapted. These ideas would be fresh on the big screen, too. I feel there’s even more possibility with animation.
The majority of the highest-grossing films are sequels, but at least we’re getting more standalone and original products, inspired by solo devs and small studios. It’s impressive, regardless, to see how far Kane Parsons, Scott Cawthon (FNAF), and Mark Fischbach have come. You’ve got to respect it. I pray this is just the start for indie game adaptations, and that audiences go to support more original content crafted by independent studios like LAIKA. It’s vital we preserve creativity and originality.
So, I open the floor to you. Which indie game adaptation would you love to see next? No budget, no limits, any genre you want. We’d love to hear your take.
