Summary
- Dead Space: Downfall sets up the USG Ishimura's fall with Necromorphs and gore, aligning with the game.
- Resident Evil (2002) had entertaining action, a unique setting, and spawned successful sequels despite lore discrepancies.
- The Last of Us season one is a near-perfect adaptation, featuring a great cast, chemistry, and a mix of scares, emotions, and action.
Super Mario Bros. Was the first theatrically released live-action movie based on a video game, and while it was nothing like the games, it has created a cult following over the years. Not all games have entered into the "so bad it's good" adaptation territory, though, with many being outright forgettable. That was consistently the case for a while, but now the tides have been turning, and there are legitimately good movies and TV shows based on video games now.
Between shows and movies, there have been many adaptations based on horror games or franchises, with the latest being Until Dawn and The Last of Us Season 2, which is currently airing on Max. In celebration of those two achievements, let's rank the best horror game adaptations based on their quality.
7 Dead Space: Downfall
Setting Up The First Game
Dead Space: Downfall
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 27, 2008
- Runtime
- 74 minutes
- Director
- Chuck Patton
- Cast
- Bruce Boxleitner, Kelly Hu, Jeff Bennett, Jim Cummings, Nika Futterman, Maurice LaMarche, Phil Morris, Bob Neill, Jim Piddock, Kevin Michael Richardson, Lia Sargent, Hal Sparks, Keith Szarabajka, Grey DeLisle, David Zyler, Kirk Baily, Shelly O'Neill
Dead Space: Downfall is a prequel to the first game , setting up the fall of the USG Ishimura, a planet-cracker spaceship where theevents of the first Dead Space take place. After finding a mythical relic, the ship's crew starts to go wild, turning them into mutated monsters called Necromorphs.
Even though it’s animated, the movie does not shy away from the gore. Fans of Dead Space can assume the worst for the USG Ishimura, since they know how the first game starts, so there’s not much unpredictability, but Downfall still offers plenty of lore and interesting details about the Marker and the Ishimura. Additionally, there is a prequel game called Dead Space: Extraction that also covers these events.
6 Resident Evil (2002)
Hello Alice
Resident Evil
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- March 15, 2002
- Cast
- Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Eric Mabius, James Purefoy, Martin Crewes, Colin Salmon
- Runtime
- 100 minutes
- Director
- Paul W. S. Anderson
The 2002 Resident Evil movie kicked off an impressive film run, and they all did relatively well at the box office despite the lore not matching up to the games. The recent reboot film, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, sticks more to the original narrative, but the 2002 movie is still the superior offering.
8 Best Horror Games Based On Horror Movies
In an inversion of the "movie tie-in" games of the 90s and 00s, these horror games are direct follow-up adaptations of classic horror movies.
In hindsight, fans can appreciate the more action-centered approach to the film and the unique underground Umbrella facility. The laser grid is also a highlight that even made it into a future game: Resident Evil 4. Resident Evil is pure popcorn entertainment, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
5 Silent Hill (2006)
That Pyramid Head Scene
Silent Hill
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- April 21, 2006
WHERE TO WATCH
- Cast
- Radha Mitchell, Sean Bean, Laurie Holden, Deborah Kara Unger, Kim Coates, Tanya Allen
- Runtime
- 127 minutes
- Director
- Christophe Gans
From a horror movie perspective, the 2006 Silent Hill adaptation arguably does a better job of creating an ambiance for game fans. It’s mostly mirroring the first game, setting things up for a nightmarish adventure in the town of Silent Hill, complete with thick fog and derelict buildings.
There are some nods from the other games too, like the appearance of Pyramid Head, who has one of the most shocking scenes in the movie, even if it's not particularly lore-accurate. It’s not worth spoiling here, but the movie is worth it for that scene alone. While this first movie is still a fun, spooky ride, fans should steer clear of the sequel, Silent Hill: Revelation.
4 Until Dawn (2025)
Survive The Night
Until Dawn
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- April 25, 2025
- Cast
- Ella Rubin, Michael Cimino, Odessa A'zion, Ji-young Yoo, Belmont Cameli, Maia Mitchell, Peter Stormare, Lotta Losten, Mariann Hermányi, Willem van der Vegt
- Runtime
- 103 Minutes
- Director
- David F. Sandberg
Until Dawn is the latest horror game-to-film adaptation, and it is nothing like the source material, technically. Saying anything more would ruin the surprise for first-time viewers, but the basic plot of the film is a time loop scenario, which is far from anything that goes on in the plot of its video game namesake.
Five young adults are trapped in a building and keep dying in new ways every night, before waking up the next day in a new horror-homage situation. What the film gets right is the gore, which is quite literally explosive. It’s funny in some contexts, though, like another recent horror film, The Monkey. Divorced from the game, it’s just a good horror movie with some interesting twists.
3 Werewolves Within
A Supernatural Whodunit
Werewolves Within
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- June 25, 2021
WHERE TO WATCH
- Cast
- Sam Richardson, Milana Vayntrub, George Basil, Sarah Burns, Michael Chernus, Catherine Curtin, Wayne Duvall, Harvey Guillén, Rebecca Henderson, Cheyenne Jackson, Michaela Watkins, Glenn Fleshler, Patrick M. Walsh, Anni Krueger, Ritz
- Runtime
- 97 minutes
- Director
- Josh Ruben
Werewolves Within is based on a concept that has been around in board games for a long time, but specifically, it is an adaptation of a Ubisoft VR game. In the game, players have to ask each other questions to figure out who among them is secretly a werewolf, which transfers well into a whodunit mystery plot.
A new mailman arrives in a remote town in Vermont where strange murders keep happening. While unnerving in some bits, the kills are played more for laughs, and the cast sells the comedy well. The only drawback is that Werewolves Within was released around the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, so not many people had the opportunity to see it in theaters or were exposed to its advertising, making it a bit of an underrated gem.
2 Castlevania (2017)
Dracula’s Curse
Castlevania
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2017 - 2021-00-00
WHERE TO WATCH
- Cast
- Lance Reddick, Jaime Murray, Emily Swallow, Adetokumboh M'Cormack, Bill Nighy, Graham McTavish, Tony Amendola, Jason Isaacs, Jessica Brown Findlay, Matt Frewer, Toru Uchikado, Richard Armitage, Rila Fukushima, Alejandra Reynoso, Theo James, Ivana Miličević, Peter Stormare, James Callis
- Seasons
- 4
Netflix’s animated Castlevania series is one of the most successful video game adaptations ever. This first series had four seasons, which were all based on Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse, along with some other spinoffs. The monsters, animation style, and bloody gore are beyond unsettling, but that's good since the action is very well-animated.
The series adds a lot to the Belmont source material since it was thin to begin with, coming from an NES game. The second series, Castlevania: Nocturne, is based largely on Castlevania: Rondo of Blood and is equally entertaining, although it is still ongoing as of this writing.
1 The Last Of Us
An Almost One-To-One Recreation
The Last of Us
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- January 15, 2023
- Cast
- Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, John Hannah, Josh Brener, Christopher Heyerdahl, Brad Leland, Marcia Bennett, Brendan Fletcher, Jerry Wasserman, Wendy Gorling, Jessica Belbin, Haysam Kadri, Sarah Himadeh, Caitlin Howden, Max Montesi, Natasha Mumba, Gina Louise Phillips, Taylor St. Pierre, Ryan D. Clarke, Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah, Logan Pierce, Corina Akeson, Jason Burkart, Andrea Greening, Arran Henn
- Showrunner
- Craig Mazin
As good as these other movies and shows are, The Last of Us is leagues above them. Except for a few changes here and there, Season 1 is almost an exact recreation of the first game, and they did it in only nine episodes.
The cast is great, especially the dynamic between Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, who play Joel and Ellie, respectively. If that chemistry was off, then the whole show would be ruined. The Last of Us doesn’t pull any punches either and is equal parts scary, heart-breaking, and action-packed, with a few droplets of humor too. If fans only watch the first season, they will be satisfied; however, Season 2 is currently airing as of this writing, and appears to be maintaining that momentum.
7 Lingering Questions We Have After The End Of Until Dawn Movie
When the credits roll on the Until Dawn movie, some unanswered questions linger in the background, leaving the door open for a sequel.