Just a few years after the horror game’s release, a movie adaptation based on The Mortuary Assistant has been announced. According to a report from Deadline, the movie will star Arrow‘s Willa Holland in the lead role, alongside Paul Sparks, who has previously appeared in shows such as House of Cards and Boardwalk Empire. The Mortuary Assistant will be directed by Jeremiah Kipp. Kipp has a background in the horror genre, having written and directed Slapface for Shudder and Epic Pictures. The director will reunite with Epic Pictures on The Mortuary Assistant, with the movie being released under the company’s DreadXP label.
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At this time, details about the movie are slim, but Kipp tells Deadline that it will be “scary as hell.” The Mortuary Assistant currently holds a Very Positive rating on Steam, and many of those that have played the game have praised its horror elements. Hopefully this means the film will do a nice job capturing the elements that fans have embraced over the years. With a director in place, and both lead roles cast, production on the film is already underway in Missouri. That means we could see the finished movie sooner, rather than later!
From the description, it sounds like the movie will follow the events of the video game, which sees Rebecca Owens begin a new job at a mortuary in River Fields, Connecticut. Holland will play the role of Rebecca in the movie, with Sparks as the mortuary’s owner, Raymond Delver. An indie game, The Mortuary Assistant was developed by just one person, Brian Clarke. In a statement to Deadline, Clarke talked about seeing his game turned into a movie.
“Seeing The Mortuary Assistant evolve over the years from a small prototype to a full feature film is beyond anything I could have imagined as a solo developer,” Clarke told Deadline. “Jeremiah Kipp is an insanely skilled director, and it has been one of the highlights of my life working with him. Jeremiah and the entire team at Epic Pictures have done an amazing job capturing the spirit of the game while adding their own unique cinematic flair. It is an honor to see Willa and Paul bring these characters to life along with the rest of the film crew. I feel extremely fortunate and can’t wait for fans to see The Mortuary Assistant expand into new territory.”
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The Mortuary Assistant might seem like an unusual choice for a video game adaptation, but there’s currently something of a video game renaissance happening in Hollywood. Just about every video game big and small seems to be getting gobbled up by studios, in the hopes of finding the next Sonic, Mario, or Five Nights at Freddy’s. It seems that not a week goes by without a TV or movie adaptation being announced for some game. Hopefully The Mortuary Assistant will do a nice job of honoring the source material, while also delivering an experience that can be enjoyed by those that haven’t played the game.
Have you ever played The Mortuary Assistant? How do you feel about this adaptation? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
