Another Iconic Horror Video Game Is Getting A Movie Adaptation

Video game IP is a hot commodity in Hollywood right now and another classic franchise has just been scooped up. Red Barrels’ Outlast is the next horror game set for the big screen.

Outlast was released in 2013 and quickly gained a reputation as one of the scariest horror games. The plot follows an investigative journalist named Miles Upshar, who looks into the Mount Massive Asylum psychiatric hospital in the remote mountains of Colorado. Once inside, Miles uncovers far more than he bargained for and must escape the hospital’s deranged inmates. The game was reviewed favorably upon release and still maintains an 80 on Metacritic.

Outlast Movie Adaptation Announced at Lionsgate

Now Outlast is headed to the big screen, as reported by Bloody Disgusting. Lionsgate is behind the development of the project. The studio is also known for producing iconic horror franchises SAW and The Descent. Roy Lee, producer of It, Barbarian, and Blair Witch, is attached to produce the film. On the writing side, J.T. Petty, who has written for the Outlast series of games, is working on the script, meaning the film should hopefully be a faithful adaptation of its source material. Red Barrels’ creative director David Chateauneuf said a film adaptation of Outlast was a “nightmare come true”, while Lee said the game’s “emergent lore has provided a perfect foundation for creating a film that delves into the psychological and physical horrors at the core of the franchise.”

“When Outlast launched in 2012, it changed the landscape of horror gaming, setting a new standard for immersion in the genre. Its deep, emergent lore has provided a perfect foundation for creating a film that delves into the psychological and physical horrors at the core of the franchise. I’m excited to bring this unique world to life for both new viewers and the series’ dedicated fans.”

Outlast Has The Potential to Become a Horror Movie Franchise

The project is still in early development so no cast or directors have been attached yet. It’s also unclear whether the Outlast movie will start with the events of the first game, or instead look to the plot of Outlast: Whistleblowers, which is a prequel to the first game and follows what happens to Waylon Park, the anonymous tipster who brought Miles to Mount Massive Asylum. Should things with the film adaptation go well, there’s also the opportunity to turn Outlast into a film franchise and adapt Outlast 2, which takes place in the Arizona desert with a new set of characters. The game also expanded into multiplayer space with Outlast Trials, a prequel set in the Cold War that requires players to complete tasks while avoiding some truly monstrous killers.

Outlast is just the latest in a string of horror games headed to the screen. The Until Dawn movie, an adaptation of Supermassive’s interactive horror game, recently wrapped filming and gained a release date. Meanwhile, following the success of 2023’s Five Nights at Freddy’s movie, Blumhoue is about to begin production on Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 and is also pursuing development on a Dead by Daylight film adaptation. Konami’s Silent Hill franchise is also continuing with a third movie titled Return to Silent Hill. This means that whenever the Outlast movie does end up being released, it will have plenty of competition at the cinema.

An Outlast movie is currently in development.

Hell is an experiment you can’t survive in Outlast, a first-person survival horror game developed by veterans of some of the biggest game franchises in history. As investigative journalist Miles Upshur, explore Mount Massive Asylum and try to survive long enough to discover its terrible secret… if you dare.

In the remote mountains of Colorado, horrors wait inside Mount Massive Asylum. A long-abandoned home for the mentally ill, recently re-opened by the “research and charity” branch of the transnational Murkoff Corporation, the asylum has been operating in strict secrecy… until now.

Acting on a tip from an anonymous source, independent journalist Miles Upshur breaks into the facility, and what he discovers walks a terrifying line between science and religion, nature and something else entirely. Once inside, his only hope of escape lies with the terrible truth at the heart of Mount Massive.

Outlast is a true survival horror experience which aims to show that the most terrifying monsters of all come from the human mind.
 

Released

November 4, 2013

Engine

Unreal Engine 3

ESRB

Mature // Intense Violence, Blood and Gore, Sexual Content, Nudity, Strong Language

How Long To Beat

5 hours

How Long To Beat (Completionist Runs)

11.5 hours

Steam Deck Compatibility

Playable

X|S Optimized

No

PS Plus Availability

No

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

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