5 Best Horror Video Game Movies, Ranked

For gamers, it should come as no surprise to hear that adapting video games into films has been an endeavor filled with fraught. It has been tough cracking the formula to find a game suitable for a feature-length narrative, but there have definitely been some better offerings as of late.

That especially holds true with some of the best horror video game movies of all time. Most of them hail from the last few years, but it's no surprise that many horror films based on games have had trouble in the past. A big part of the appeal of playing a horror game is that you're controlling the character. You're staring intently at the screen, so if something jumps out at you, it probably gets a reaction.

With a movie, you can fall into a more relaxed state. You're not controlling everything, so a simple jump scare may not be as effective. Still, quite a few films have cracked the code and have stayed true to what made the game so appealing while successfully translating its mechanics to the big screen. Some of the best horror video game movies ever could even be considered among the best video game adaptations of all time, regardless of genre.

For this list, we looked at how well each game was translated into film, as well as the overall quality of the movie itself. Critics' reviews aren't always kind, so we tried to look beyond that into what the fans had to say, too.

"Iron Lung" is one of those movies that has a pretty wide disparity among critics and audiences. On Rotten Tomatoes, only 59% of reviews from critics are positive. Meanwhile, audiences gave it a rating of 86%. Much of the disdain seems aimed toward the two-hour runtime and slow pacing, in addition to YouTuber Mark "Markiplier" Fischbach's lead performance. Hey, he's not a professional actor. But if you played the game, you understand why this is one of the best horror video game movies ever.

One thing Fischbach excels at is translating the game's atmosphere and tone successfully to the big screen. The film sees a convict, Simon (Fischbach), piloting a submarine through an ocean of blood on a desolate moon. His goal is to search for anomalies and retrieve samples, all while the universe has experienced the "Quiet Rapture," where all stars and planets have disappeared, leaving just those on space stations behind.

It's an exceptionally tense film, as Simon contends with blood leaking into his sub and a monster stalking him from the outside. It almost feels like a companion piece to "Event Horizon," successfully translating cosmic horror into a confined space. And since Fischbach independently financed "Iron Lung," he got to make the exact movie he wanted — and it shows. There's clearly no studio interference, so while it may be unwieldy at times, it's unlike most studio offerings out there.

And "Iron Lung" proves an adaptation of Harlan Ellison's "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" could work very well as a film. Someone just needs to be brave enough not to kowtow to studio interference and follow a singular vision, which is what happened here with "Iron Lung."

The 2000s weren't a particularly great time for horror video game movies. The "Resident Evil" series has its fans, but most of them fall apart on rewatch. And the less said about "Doom," the better. But one film from the era that's worth another watch is 2006's "Silent Hill." The dialogue may leave something to be desired, but ultimately, it's impressive how faithful the film was to the game and how it effectively utilized practical effects to bring its creatures to life.

The plot sees Rose (Radha Mitchell) enter the eponymous Silent Hill after her daughter goes missing there. Waiting for her are vicious monsters and a terrifying cult, but she has to get to the bottom of what happened to her daughter. Of course, the creatures provide ample scares, but the truly impressive aspect is how the film blends those visceral terrors with a more ambient dread. "Silent Hill" truly captures the moody environment with the ever-present fog encapsulating Rose, and you never know what might come out of the woodwork next.

"Silent Hill" deserves even more kudos for creating many of its monsters via practical effects and costumes. For example, the night nurses were played by dancers to embody their unnatural movements. Not everything will work for you, but it's probably better than you recall. And the ending of "Silent Hill" leaves everything on an appropriately grim note.

Video games have come a long way since the days of punching an opponent or jumping on brown, mushroom-like creatures. They can now tell incredible, immersive stories and offer real-world commentary, and that's precisely why "Detention" is worth a look. It exists among foreign video game movies you probably never knew existed, but you should put it on your radar.

The film follows a similar structure to the game, where two female students are stuck in their school at night. It takes place in Taiwan in the 1960s, as the country has cracked down on books that go against the government's beliefs. When their teacher goes missing, they'll maneuver around the school to figure out what's going on; but it feels like behind every corner, there's some other terror waiting for them.

"Detention" isn't another horror video game movie where characters just need to avoid monsters. In fact, one could argue the greatest threat of all is a government that wants to suppress information. It's not just a matter of the girls getting out alive, but whether they'll be able to continue having access to information that should be allotted to them. It's a monster movie and political thriller all in one, making for a captivating experience.

Perhaps the key to a great video game adaptation is taking a relatively obscure game that not many people have a strong connection to and mining it for a great story. The "Werewolves Within" game is pretty straightforward; it basically involves playing Mafia, where you're one of several townspeople trapped in a house and one of you is a werewolf. The film takes that basic premise and turns it into gold.

"Werewolves Within" is a classic whodunnit that's anchored by a committed performance from Sam Richardson as a polite forest ranger, but the entire ensemble gets their chance to shine. Since they're all cooped up in the same place for most of the runtime, we get to see how their attitudes and personalities rub one another the wrong way. It's a horror, mystery, and comedy film all wrapped into one.

The film is oddly successful in capturing the enjoyment from the game it's based on. You're generally supposed to play "Werewolves Within" with five to eight players, meaning that you and a few friends will be debating about who the werewolf might be. There will be arguments, but also probably a lot of joking around as well. "Werewolves Within" brings a lot of fun personalities front and center, and the film only had the unfortunate luck of coming out in 2021, when many movie theaters were still closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of that, it's definitely a low-budget horror movie gem from 2021 that's worth revisiting.

If you can't get enough of liminal spaces and want to check out more movies like "Backrooms," "Exit 8" is the perfect pick. It's hands-down the best horror video game movie made so far, and it accomplishes that without giant monsters running around.

Instead, you have a lost man (Kazunari Ninomiya) who gets stuck in a never-ending corridor underneath a Japanese subway station. He must go through the same corridor repeatedly, looking for anything out of the ordinary. If everything is normal, he can walk through just fine. If he spots an anomaly, then he needs to turn back. Failure to recognize anomalies results in starting the cycle over from scratch, leading to severe existential dread.

It's the same gimmick as the game, which, on the surface, would sound nearly unadaptable. At the very least, it should be a boring ride. But "Exit 8" uses its environment and repetitiveness to tell a story of a man who's unable to move forward in life. He might as well be walking around in circles on the outside, so finding a way out isn't just about survival, but living a fulfilling life after.

Like other horror movies about liminal spaces, "Exit 8" also functions as commentary on the monotony of everyday life. For a walking simulator, there's a ton of material to mine for thematic depth, all while throwing in a few good scares as well. "Exit 8" is a fantastic example of taking the bare bones of a game and adding in a relevant story to make for a successful transition from the PlayStation to the cineplex.