Video game adaptations typically aren’t among the best of the best, and it’s especially true when they have a horror element attached. That being said, with Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 coming out this weekend, it seemed like the right time to highlight some that mostly get things right. They may not be perfect, but they’re serviceable, and sometimes they’re better than they have any right to be. Will Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 join these ranks? Only time will tell, but let’s take a look at five horror movies based on video games that are actually good.
5. Until Dawn (2025)
Let’s get this out of the way now and fully establish that the Until Dawn film adaptation has a loose connection to the 2015 video game, but, as a horror film, it’s entertaining in its own right. Directed by David F. Sandberg from a screenplay by Gary Dauberman and Blair Butler, Until Dawn follows a group of friends who find themselves in a time loop where a threat results in them dying, thus restarting the night with a new threat out to get them. The only way to escape this endless loop of death is to survive until the morning, which proves to be a pretty difficult endeavor.
Until Dawn is suspenseful in all the right spots and actually has an effective atmosphere to go along with the over-the-top deaths that keep the entertainment level fairly high. As a popcorn horror film that doesn’t require much thought, it’s not a bad way to spend 103 minutes. There are Easter eggs to the games, including the mines, stalker mask, and psychiatrist, but as a video adaptation, it’s fair to admit that there isn’t enough connection to the source material. The plot of the movie takes a bit of a pivot from the game’s narrative, and that was an issue with fans.
That is a completely justifiable reason for fans to have turned their nose up at it, but it seemed like some found something to love as the film pulled in a decent $54 million worldwide on a $15 million budget. It’s best to be viewed as a serviceable entertainment rather than a faithful adaptation of the popular game.
4. Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023)
Kids need entry-level horror movies that give them a taste of the genre without leaving them completely disturbed, and that is exactly what Five Nights at Freddy’s provides. Based on the popular video game series created by Scott Cawthon, Five Nights at Freddy’s is helmed by Emma Tammi and comes from a screenplay by Cawthon, Tammi, and Seth Cuddeback. In the film, Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson) is a young man struggling with taking care of his younger sister, Abby (Piper Rubio), who takes a job as a night security guard at Freddy’s Fazbear’s Pizza.
After taking the job, it’s not long until he discovers that the animatronic mascots at the pizzeria are the possessed souls of children who were murdered decades before. While that premise may not sound like an entry-level horror film, Five Nights at Freddy’s is relatively light, due in large part to its PG-13 rating. In terms of its connection to the game series, the film does an admirable job of recreating the game’s atmosphere, and that is especially true of the production design and the practical effects used to bring the animatronics to life. The Jim Henson Corporation was responsible for recreating the mascots from the game, and despite a rating that isn’t too horror-inducing, they do a decent job of generating a level of fear due to their effective design.
The film is also littered with Easter eggs to the game series that make it appeal to fans, and it’s not afraid to indulge in a bit of fan service (YouTuber MatPat gets a cameo, and it features numerous references to the lore of the games). Throw in a solid lead performance from Hutcherson, alongside supporting turns from Rubio, Elizabeth Lail, and Matthew Lillard, Five Nights at Freddy’s ends up being a fun experience that shows there could be room for improvement that hopefully its sequel will explore.
3. Resident Evil (2002)
The first Resident Evil movie is another example of an adaptation that deviates from the original game, but it still proves to be a stylish and entertaining action horror film, thanks in large part to its direction and lead performance of its star, Milla Jovovich. Written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, Resident Evil is loosely based on the video game series and adapts elements of both the first game and Resident Evil 2. In the film, an amnesiac woman named Alice (Jovovich) and the Umbrella Corporation try to contain an outbreak of the T-virus following hundreds of scientists being mutated into flesh-eating zombies at a secret facility known as “The Hive.”
Resident Evil is a product of the early 2000s, and that is seen through some of the film’s stylized cinematography, courtesy of David Johnson, and its fast-paced action. While the film does stray from the game, it does offer some Easter eggs with some of the creature design, particularly the zombie dogs and other mutants throughout the movie. The film also has its share of iconic moments, including the laser hallways sequence, which still stands out today. Resident Evil functions more as an action film rather than a horror flick, but it blends some of the latter elements of the genre to solid effect.
In addition to the action, the film is aided by Jovovich’s performance as Alice, which is equal parts tough and vulnerable, alongside a fun supporting cast, including Michelle Rodriguez, Eric Mabius, James Purefoy, and Martin Crewes. Several sequels followed that set up their own continuity, but the first movie, despite the negative reviews it received from critics, still holds up as an entertaining guilty pleasure.
2. Detention (2019)
Not all horror video game adaptations come from local inspirations, and that is what makes 2019’s Detention stand out uniquely from he rest of the pack. Directed by John Hsu from a screenplay he co-wrote with Fu Kai-ling and Chien Shi-keng, Detention is a Taiwanese film that is based on the video game of the same name from Red Candle Games. The video game plays like a horror adventure set in 1960s Taiwan under martial law, while also incorporating elements of Taiwanese culture and mythology. In the film, which is set in 1962 during the White Terror period in Taiwan, two students are trapped at their high school in the dead of night. As they try to find their missing teacher, the pair encounters ghosts, facing the dark reality of their fate.
Detention has become gradually more well-known due to Hsu’s ability to effectively capture a moody atmosphere that gives the movie an eerie, claustrophobic aesthetic. There is also more going on here than being a simple video game horror adaptation as well. Incorporating Taiwan’s “White Terror” era gives it a more interesting historical angle that makes it far more intellectual than other adaptations might have been. Hsu captures a “you are there” visual style that becomes an immersive experience, and it’s enhanced by the performances of the cast, which gives the film significant emotional depth.
Of all the adaptations on this list and even the ones that didn’t come close to making it, Detention is one of the few horror video game adaptations to receive positive reviews from critics (86 percent on Rotten Tomatoes), and it even received some award recognition, going on to receive twelve nominations at the Golden Horse Awards, including Best Feature Film.
1. Silent Hill (2006)
Even though 2006’s Silent Hill received mostly negative reviews from critics, time has been very kind to this horror video game adaptation and has allowed it to now be viewed as one of the best adaptations of the bunch. It tops my list because it’s immersively atmospheric and captures the mystery, horror, and soul of the video game. Directed by Christophe Gans from a screenplay by Roger Avary, Silent Hill is based on the video game series published by Konami follows a mother named Rose Da Silva (Radha Mitchell) who is seeking a cure for her daughter Sharon’s (Jodelle Ferland) sleepwalking.
Rose takes Sharon to a quiet ghost town known as Silent Hill because Sharon mentions it frequently during her episodes, but after she goes missing once entering the town, Rose has to uncover its dark secrets while also encountering dangerous forces as she searches for her missing daughter. Silent Hill is all about mood, and thanks to Hans’ direction alongside some atmospheric cinematography from Dan Laustsen and unsettling sound design, the film captures the eerie aesthetic of the games. The shifts in the visuals are impressive as it goes from the white fog atmosphere of the ghost town into a more demonic setting that is filled with impressive creature design, including the infamous Pyramid Head.
Silent Hill is also a good example of how to craft an original story while staying mostly true to the source material. Hans’s choice to use the original soundtrack from the video games is a unique way to keep the game and film linked, and it still maintains the source material’s themes of trauma manifesting as physical and psychological torment. Silent Hill never loses the spirit of the game, and that’s what makes it stand out from most adaptations. Even though some critics denounced the movie at the time of its release, it has been reassessed positively and rightfully so. Silent Hill deserves all the praise for being one of the best of the best.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 opens nationwide this Friday.
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