‘Exit 8’ And 6 Other Must-Watch Horror Movies Inspired By Video Games

A subtly creepy journey through an endless subway station, Exit 8 showcases how good video games can be as inspiration for horror movies. Director Genki Kawamura does a terrific job with the film, which follows a nameless protagonist as he tries to find an exit in a reality-bending and seemingly endless train station. 

The film is rooted in some deeply emotional reflections on life, but the growing sense of dread brought to life by the filmmakers grabs ahold of the viewer and doesn't let go. If you liked the slow-burning intensity of something like Squid Game (2021), this film's tight direction, blend of tense psychological horror, and sudden bursts of genuine terror deliver a pitch-perfect adaptation of the dread-inducing video game that inspired it.

While the film doesn’t do a great job of replicating the more intense horror of the video game series of the same name, Resident Evil is at least a fun early showcase for what the medium could do as inspiration for films. The first in the Resident Evil film franchise that focuses on Alice’s battle with the Umbrella Corporation, Resident Evil goes big with the bombastic action. 

The right amount of gory touches separates the film from the rest of the genre, giving the straightforward stable of commandos some memorably over-the-top deaths. While these movies aren’t the best pick for audiences looking for a more subtle scare or are looking for complex characterization, action fans will find plenty to love in the increasingly ridiculous film series.

The atmospheric scares and unique visual touches of Silent Hill are a good tease of what makes the source material some of the best horror stories in video games. The film follows a mother as she ventures deeper into a seemingly haunted town in search of her missing daughter. 

The film’s moody atmosphere lends it an underlying visual power that helps elevate the movie beyond its confusingly told narrative. Coupled with some solid central performances and just the right amount of creepy turns, Silent Hill works as a supernatural scare. The sequel, Return to Silent Hill (2026) feels more like a direct adaptation of the games and suffers by comparison, meaning the more bombastic movie version of Silent Hill at least stands apart from the source material.

The funniest movie on this list, Josh Ruben’s Werewolves Within, completely reinvents the game of rooting out a werewolf. Sam Richardson uses all the comic energy he honed on shows like Detroiters (2017) and The Afterparty (2022) to anchor an increasingly grisly story about neighbors trying to root out a werewolf, only to descend into violence as their feuds take a harsher turn. 

It’s a film that gets better on rewatches too, as the underlying tensions and secret monster add some fun layers to the comedy. A grimly hilarious dark comedy from the same filmmaker responsible for Heart Eyes (2025) and Scare Me (2020), Werewolves Within’s monstrous turns take the fairly simple game into a more ridiculous space that delivers plenty of laughs akin to other genre fusions like Young Frankenstein (1974) and Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Five Nights at Freddy’s uses the underlying lore of the video games to create a more specific story about a haunted pizza parlor. The jump-scare-heavy game gives way to a more haunting narrative about a desperate security guard’s efforts to stay alive and save his younger sister from the possessed animatronics at the closed restaurant. 

Grim without being too gory—this is the only film on this list that isn’t rated R—Five Nights at Freddy’s works as a good entry-level horror movie for younger audiences excited by the genre. While older horror fans might be less than surprised by the film’s twists and turns, there are enough fun scares in Five Nights at Freddy’s to keep it entertaining—and certainly keep it from falling into the self-referential tropes that sink the sequel.

A fusion of the time-loop mechanic in Groundhog Day (1993) with as many horror ideas that Annabelle: Creation (2017) director David F. Sandberg can come up with, Until Dawn is a devilishly gruesome riff on the underlying construction of the genre. The film follows a group of friends who find themselves in a seemingly haunted house, reborn each time they are killed by a different kind of supernatural threat. 

The inventive touches of the horror and the strong central cast are a departure from the game of the same name, although a final tease at the end of the movie suggests a firmer connection between the two properties than was initially set up. Similar to The Cabin in the Woods (2012), Until Dawn is a fun love letter to horror as a genre that uses video game elements as a setup.

Based on the video game of the same name, Iron Lung is a sci-fi horror film that benefits from a claustrophobic execution by filmmaker Mark Edward Fischbach, otherwise known as his online personality Markiplier. Set in an alien ocean of blood, a convict tries to pilot a submarine to safety. While the acting isn't necessarily top-notch, the production design and tension elevate the material, helping to create a more memorable and grisly story. 

Made in conjunction with the game's creator and with enough intensity to be intriguing even if the central elements don’t all quite come together, Iron Lung is a tight little sci-fi horror thriller for fans of movies like Alien (1979) that lays the groundwork for internet personality Markiplier to take on bigger horror projects.