Despite a plethora of disastrous films in the past, films based on iconic gaming franchises have had a major boom in recent years, with the latest Iron Lung being a perfect example of what a fantastic adaptation can look like. Despite Iron Lung‘s indie game source material being only roughly an hour long, the film is one of the few gaming adaptations that took full advantage of its uniquely dreadful and isolating setting.
With the Mario Bros. and Sonic films achieving even greater mainstream appeal, Hollywood seems to be taking a renewed interest in the concept of adapting gaming franchises moving forward. With the new push for creative source material and horror being the easiest gaming genre to adapt into film, it’s the perfect chance for these nightmarish and legendary franchises to get their chance in the spotlight next.
10
The Forest’s Horror Could Work Even Better On The Big Screen
Focusing On The Greatest Strengths Of The Iconic Survival Franchise
With a survival horror experience set in an isolating wood with a foreboding mystery lurking beneath the surface, The Forest’s horror potential is ripe for a proper adaptation. Offering a familiar yet haunting atmosphere with mutated creatures and body horror galore, a film version of The Forest could focus even more on its spooky setting without being muddied down by as much building and resource gathering as its survival origins.
Combined with a complex mystery and psychological thriller aspects that make up the lore beneath the surface, there’s still plenty of freedom that a film adaptation of The Forest can take advantage of while retaining what makes it so frightening.
9
Prey Would Make For An Unforgettable Viewing Experience
A Mindbending Adventure On A Derelict Space Station
Set aboard the Talos 1 Space Station, 2017’s Prey follows the amnesiac Morgan Yu attempting to uncover what caused the station’s downfall and fight back against its strange alien inhabitants. Although it sounds like a somewhat generic horror premise, Prey‘s unique presentation, reality-warping enemies, and shapeshifting monsters create a consistently suspenseful and tense experience.
With a strong focus on its sci-fi horror narrative and creative puzzle-solving mechanics, a film that showcases the incident from start to finish or simply another story of Yu slowly uncovering its conspiracies through environmental storytelling and character interactions would make for a satisfying yet dreadful viewing experience that’s ripe for the big screen.
8
The Evil Within’s Horror Premise Has Great Movie Potential
A Second Life For This Forgotten Horror Franchise
Despite being directed by the mind behind the original Resident Evil games, The Evil Within often gets overlooked when compared to the much more popular cousin. Even with the mixed reception, the reality-warping nightmare that makes up the bulk of The Evil Within‘s narrative has plenty of potential for a tension-filled, dream-like viewing experience.
Following a detective attempting to navigate and battle his way through a false reality by powerful psychic forces, the original game sees you battling through plenty of disfigured horrors while uncovering a long-held conspiracy within its game world. With plenty of suspense not only from visceral action scenes, but psychological horror that comes to life through its surreal horror visuals and monster designs, The Evil Within could easily make for a great film today.
7
A Film Adaptation Could Give P.T. A Second Chance At Life
It’s Hard To Let Go Of Kojima’s Infamous Horror Demo
Although Silent Hill‘s P.T. is a bit on the fence, given that it never actually had a full-release video game released and only exists as a now-defunct demo, the unforgettable horror game absolutely deserves a second chance at life through a film adaptation.
Even without a fully fleshed-out game to use as source material, the uniquely horrifying mechanics of P.T.‘s’ haunted suburban home are still ingrained in the memory of fans through its disturbing imagery and storytelling premise. Combined with Hideo Kojima’s own love for film and horror that inspired the upcoming OD, the chance of getting a P.T. film adaptation might not be as far off as we think, albeit under a new title.
6
Alan Wake Is Practically Begging For A Film Adaptation
The Next Logical Step For The Horror Series
With a series that has taken heavy inspiration from horror novels and plenty of other media from the genre, a proper Alan Wake film adaptation could take full advantage of its reality-bending, cosmic horror-inspired setting. Following crime novelist Alan Wake himself, the series follows his attempts to fight back against the shadowy figures from his novels that have seemingly come ot life, which eventually evolves into a world much larger than his own.
Having come a long way since the original game, Alan Wake 2 already has several live-action cutscenes that helped push the experience beyond its gaming boundaries, which could easily be translated into a fully fledged film. With a mix of noir detective thriller and paranormal survival gameplay, the Alan Wake experience could be an excellent addition alongside the likes of Twin Peaks and other mystery franchises.
5
The Depths Of SOMA Is An Excellently Spooky Setting
A Perfect Follow-Up For 2026’s Iron Lung
Made by the same developers who created the iconic Amnesia franchise, SOMA‘s psychological horror mixed with a visually distinct setting could certainly take advantage of Iron Lung‘s box office success for another underwater thriller story.
Even if SOMA‘s walking simulator and voiced protagonist is quite a bit different than Iron Lung‘s suffocating dread, SOMA still has plenty of the same haunting atmosphere and cosmic horror that make both franchises stand out, with a film adaptation being able to take the story-driven existentialism to even greater heights.
4
Dead Space Could Make For The Perfect R-Rated Horror
Mixing Psychological Horror With Over-The-Top Slashers
The Dead Space franchise is easily one of the most iconic horror gaming franchises out there, but a film adaptation could make its already grotesquely graphic Necromorphs even more lifelike than before. With an isolated spaceship absolutely crawling with cosmic abominations and an overwhelming sense of dread and hopelessness, few games nail the horror atmosphere as excellently as Isaac Clarke’s misadventures in Dead Space.
From disturbing body horror, visceral action, and more than enough psychological horror elements to offer a memorable viewing experience, Dead Space could easily see a revival through a big-screen adaptation, even if we never get a fourth entry in the series.
3
Resident Evil 7 Is Already A Great Standalone Horror
The Best Chance For A Successful Resident Evil Movie
The Resident Evil franchise has more than a few infamous adaptations, but Resident Evil 7, which follows a brand-new protagonist named Ethan Winters searching for his missing wife, is by far the scariest entry in the series. Last seen at haunting Baker’s residence, a film adaptation could take full advantage of its uniquely grotesque setting, which already pays homage to classic horror films like The Evil Dead, SAW, and the Blair Witch Project.
Being the follow-up to Resident Evil 6, which was heavily criticized for leaning far too heavily into over-the-top action, RE7 pulled back right to the series’ roots with a survival horror focus while still taking full advantage of the gameplay improvements made in later entries. Aside from offering a fresh and horrifying experience, RE7‘s practically standalone nature makes it a perfect jumping-in point for anyone who hasn’t experienced the series for themselves before.
2
SCP: Containment Breach Is Long Overdue For A Film Adaptation
The Horror Franchise That Needs Little Introduction
The SCP series as a whole has been around far longer than SCP: Containment Breach, but the indie horror game is by far one of the simplest ways the franchise could be adapted to the big screen. Out of all the best SCP stories out there from the collaborative writing project, the most interesting stories tend to come after everything goes wrong, and the foundation’s supernatural test subjects find a way to escape.
SCP: Containment Breach also has the unique potential of showcasing different perspectives on a catastrophic event, with a cast of characters ranging from scientists, security guards, and researchers working together, or even against each other to survive.
1
Still Wakes The Deep Deserves Way More Attention
The Chance For A Truly Haunting Cosmic Horror Film
Released in 2024 from the studio behind Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, The Chinese Room’s Still Wakes The Deep is an utterly unforgettable horror experience from start to finish that is well worth its short runtime. Taking place on an oil rig that drills deeper than humanity was meant to, the environmental and creature design has a stunning level of grotesque detail, with cosmic body horror that puts even the best horror media to shame.
Given that the biggest complaint behind Still Wakes The Deep is that its gameplay is closer to a walking sim with the occasional stealth segments, a true film adaptation could take full advantage of its nightmarish narrative and already legendary character performances to push the experience even closer to its full horror potential, much like the 2026 film adaptation for Iron Lung.
- Release Date
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January 30, 2026
- Runtime
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127 Minutes
- Director
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Mark Fischbach
- Writers
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Mark Fischbach
- Producers
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Will Hyde, Amy Nelson, Jeff Guerrero
Cast
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Mark Fischbach
Speaker #2 (Voice)
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