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Video Game-Based Horror Movies

Video game-based horror movies mostly fall in the survival horror sub-genre. The characters typically have to struggle to survive some powerful threat. Some of these movies manage to be faithful renditions of the story depicted in the game. Others used cinematic license to make dramatic changes in the story. Few of them were critically-well received though one franchise, "Resident Evil," turned out to be a consistent box-office success.
  1. "Silent Hill"

    • The 2006 movie "Silent Hill" retained the themes and concepts from the video game. It also replicated the game's intense, eerie and ghost town-like atmosphere as the parent character searched for a missing daughter in the strange, desolate, foggy and haunted town of Silent Hill. The film, which was directed by Christophe Gans, has some slight changes from the game though done drastically alter its mood, pace or basic story. For example, the cult leader and the parent are men in the game, but they're females in the movie.

    "Alone in the Dark"

    • The 2005 movie "Alone in the Dark" was based on one of the early groundbreaking horror games of the 1990s. Both feature paranormal detective Edward Carnby, who is trying to unravel a series of mysterious events. Critics and the general audience despised the movie. Its Rotten Tomatoes rating was only 1 percent positive (out of 100), and its IMDb rating was 2.3 out of 10. Apart from the technical issues including continuity errors and poor editing, the movie also suffered from poor characterization and storytelling.

    "House of the Dead"

    • "House of the Dead" from 2003 was based on the rail shooter video game where players aim and shoot at approaching monstrous enemies. Human experimentation and the quest to prolong life are the only common elements between the game and the movie. The game plot had agents investigating a series of disappearances in the mansion home and laboratory of a renowned biochemist and geneticist. They end up fighting gargoyles and spider-like creatures. The movie is about a group of teens on an island for a rave. The teens are attacked by zombies, and have to make a stand in a nearby house.

    "Resident Evil"

    • "Resident Evil" is one of the most commercially successful survival horror franchises. The first video game appeared in 1996, and the series was still going strong as of 2011. It spawned several comic books, novels, sound dramas, action figures and a series of movies. The initial "Resident Evil" movie adaptation from 2002 followed the game's plot as commandos attempt to contain a virus outbreak threatening the existence of the human race. The sequels strayed from the video game plot but retained most of the characters.

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