DreadXP, an independent horror production and publication label and its parent company Epic Pictures Group has announced that a live-action feature film adaptation of DarkStone Digital’s supernatural first-person horror game The Mortuary Assistant is in pre-production.
Ever since it launched in August 2022, The Mortuary Assistant went on to become one of the top 10 most streamed games on Twitch, became a Top Seller on Steam and is immensely popular on TikTok. Popular gaming YouTubers like Markiplier and Jacksepticeye have played the game and amassed millions of views.
Jeremiah Kipp who will write and direct the film stated, “There’s a quiet, unnerving intensity to The Mortuary Assistant that creeps into the player, creating a sense that something terrible could happen at any moment. Writing the adaptation, I wanted to celebrate all of the games that terrified me as well as create a companion piece to it — honouring the dense creepy world developer Brian Clarke (DarkStone Digital) made and translating it into the visual storytelling and character-driven horror of narrative filmmaking.”
Kipp continued, “I want to retain the minimalist setting in and around the mortuary, the fascination with the process of embalming, and the nerve-shredding terror of the gameplay. Rebecca Owens is a fascinating character, vulnerable because of a traumatic past and committed in her self-reliance. It has been a truly crazy ride living in Brian’s twisted world, and that’s the experience we want to give the viewer.”
Everyone’s favourite mortuary simulator
The Mortuary Assistant challenges you to perform routine mortician tasks while enduring increasingly bizarre and horrifying encounters with demonic entities. In order to survive, you must identify the correct demon as well as the corpse it bounds itself to and exorcise it.
Patrick Ewald, CEO of Epic Pictures Group commented, “The incredible reception to The Mortuary Assistant has cemented it as one of DreadXP’s most successful games to date. The world Brian Clarke created is rich with lore and the perfect subject to expand upon with a live-action feature film. DreadXP’s parent company Epic Pictures Group is already in a prime position to make that happen, having financed, produced, and distributed over 100 films over the past 15 years.”
The Mortuary Assistant creator, Brian Clarke spoke about his excitement to see his work adapted to film and mentioned that “it’s certainly something I never imagined would happen to me when I started developing the game two years ago. Movies have always been the main inspiration for the style of my games. I’m always trying to create a story, dialogue, and moments that feel filmic, so an opportunity to bring this project full circle is making a dream of mine a reality.”
Clarke continued, “These characters and their stories are extremely important and personal to me. I’m honored to have people as talented as Jeremiah Kipp and devoted as Patrick Ewald, Ted Hentschke (Head of Production at DreadXP), and Abbey Smith (co-producer at DreadXP) to bring it all to life. Jeremiah is an amazingly skilled storyteller and I’m so excited to see him expand The Mortuary Assistant in new and different ways. I want the adaptation to be a great movie before anything else and I know it’s in great hands. I’m thrilled to be working with such passionate people.”
Ewald will produce the film while Clarke and Ted Hentschke will act as executive producers with Abbey Smith co-producing the film.
Isa Muhammad is a writer and video game journalist covering many aspects of entertainment media including the film industry. He's steadily writing his way to the sharp end of journalism and enjoys staying informed. If he's not reading, playing video games or catching up on his favourite TV series, then he's probably writing about them.
