Director – Jeremiah Kipp (Slapface, The Geechee Witch: A Boo Hag Story)
Starring – Willa Holland (Legion, Arrow), John Adams (Hellbender, Where the Devil Roams), and Paul Sparks (Waco, The Lowdown)
Release Date – 2026
Rating – 3/5
I’m an avid gamer and have been most of my life. Horror as always been an obsession but I spend more time with a controller or keyboard and mouse in my hand than I do watching movies. I’ve been gaming on PC for a few years now and found dozens of fantastic indie horror games through Steam. One of those eerily creepy horror games was The Mortuary Assistant. This game was originally released in 2022 but it wasn’t until last summer that I decided to finally play it. I loved the atmosphere, the tension, and some of the little details they added into the game to really drive in that supernatural and occult aspect. While the jump scares didn’t always work, it still delivered one of the most genuinely unnerving playthroughs that I’ve experienced as an adult.
A few weeks back I received a press release for the film adaptation and was very excited for it. My mind immediately raced with the ideas of how the movie would play out and which parts of the game would be included. A few days later I received a link to review the film and I quickly jumped on it! I couldn’t wait to check it out.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a young woman who is recently hired as an assistant at a mortuary. She is then asked to cover a night shift after proving to the mortician that she is more than capable of taking care of things in his absence. He has her come in one night when several bodies are delivered. Alone, she starts preparing the bodies as normal but things are anything but. She starts to receive strange phone calls from her boss and other strange occurrences before realizing that something is in the mortuary with her. **Spoiler Alert**
As I stated earlier, The Mortuary Assistant is one of the creepiest indie games that I’ve been fortunate enough to play. It’s not a perfect game but it makes great use of the location and story. I had high hopes for this adaptation and was surprised to see that Jeremiah Kipp had brought the film to life. I recently reviewed Kipp’s The Geechee Witch: A Boo Hag Story and enjoyed it. This only fueled my excitement for the film.
The acting in this one is fantastic. The film really is a one person show with Willa Holland doing most of the heavy lifting. I’m a huge fan of the DC series Arrow and The Flash and knew she would do great in this role. She really gets into the role and makes it her own while showcasing a wide range of emotions. The supporting cast is effective in their roles but the movie is all eyes on Holland and she delivers.
The story for this one does make some minor changes from the game but still remains true to the game for the most part. These changes are noticeable but it makes sense as to why they were made. The location is very similar to the mortuary in the game and a lot of the trickets, symbols, and so on are very influenced by the game. With that being said, the film is unable to duplicate the spine-chilling atmosphere and tension that made the game so much fun. The film is dark and really tries to use the slow pacing to it’s advantage but it just doesn’t work like expected.
Finally, the film has some amazing effects. The autopsy scenes are fucking phenomenal. The effects for these scenes look top notch and unforgettable. We also have some fun make-up effects on some of the characters. Sadly, the main supernatural presence, shown on the film’s artwork, is goofy. I was hoping the film would take a more realistic look with the creature but what we get is laughable at best. Overall, The Mortuary Assistant is a faithful adaptation to a very underrated game. While it doesn’t have the atmosphere that the game has, it is still an entertaining horror film. Willa Holland is fantastic and the effects are a must see. Check it out especially if you dig the game like I do.
