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The Science Fiction Horror and Fantasy Film Review

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Theme: Games

Games are very similar to Sports – both are competitive in nature, can be played solo or in teams, involve a series of rules regarding play and crown a winner at the end. The principal difference as far as dictionary definitions seems to be that sports are more physical and competitive, whereas games are more often played seated and for fun. However there are plenty of examples where this is not the case.

This listing concerns itself with ways in which games appear in fantastic cinema. Games included here cover card, board, gambling and role-playing games. Videogames get their own entry under Films About Videogames.

Card games turn up with regularity in various settings, most notedly in the various adaptations of Alice in Wonderland (1865). Chess seems to be a game favoured by serial killers. There have been a surprise number of horror films centred around deadly versions of party games.

Both board and role-playing games have a habit of spilling over into reality or unleashing demonic forces. There are some films centred around games that might be played in the future.

For occasions on which actual games such as Battleship and Dungeons & Dragons have been adapted into films see Films Based on Toys and Games.


13 Demons (2016)

13 April 202130 August 2024

Rating: 0­

Evil Boardgame

Director: Daniel E. Falicki
Actors: Stephen Grey, Michael Cunningham, Daniel E. Falicki, Steve Taber, …
Category: Horror

13 Sins (2014)

5 June 201514 April 2025

Rating: ★★

Game of Deadly and Extreme Challenges

Director: Daniel Stamm
Actors: Mark Webber, Rutina Wesley, Ron Perlman, Devon Graye, …
Category: Horror

Adventures of a Teenage Dragonslayer (2010)

9 June 201320 June 2025

Rating: ½

Children’s Fantasy Adventure

Director: Andrew Lauer
Actors: Lea Thompson, Wendie Malick, Eric Lutes, Amy Pietz
Category: Fantasy

Alice (1988)

6 August 199910 August 2019

Rating: ★★★★★

Surreal Claymation Alice in Wonderland Adaptation

Director: Jan Svankmajer
Actors: Kristyna Kohoutova, Camilla Power
Category: Fantasy

Alice (2009)

17 February 201124 June 2025

Rating: ★★★

SF Version of Alice in Wonderland

Director: Nick Willing
Actors: Caterina Scorsone, Andrew Lee Potts, Matt Frewer, Kathy Bates, …
Category: Fantasy, Science Fiction

Alice in Wonderland (1933)

1 June 200027 July 2020

Rating: ★★★★

Alice in Wonderland Adaptation

Director: Norman McLeod
Actors: Gary Cooper, W.C. Fields, Charlotte Henry, Edward Everett Horton, …
Category: Fantasy

Alice in Wonderland (1951)

7 January 200310 August 2019

Rating: ★★★★

Disney Animation/Alice in Wonderland Adaptation

Director: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske
Actors: Kathryn Beaumont, Verna Felton, Ed Wynn, Sterling Holloway, …
Category: Fantasy

Alice in Wonderland (1985)

3 May 20233 May 2023

Rating: ★

Alice in Wonderland TV Adaptation

Director: Harry Harris
Actors: Natalie Gregory, Roddy McDowall, Telly Savalas, Ernest Borgnine, …
Category: Fantasy

Alice in Wonderland (1999)

30 June 20033 July 2019

Rating: ★★★

Alice in Wonderland TV Adaptation

Director: Nick Willing
Actors: Tina Majorino, Miranda Richardson, Martin Short, Christopher Lloyd, …
Category: Fantasy

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

9 March 20105 December 2024

Rating: ★★

Alice in Wonderland Adaptation/Epic Adventure

Director: Tim Burton
Actors: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, …
Category: Fantasy

Alice Through the Looking Glass (1987)

29 June 200825 June 2025

Rating: ★

Animation/Alice in Wonderland Film

Director: Andrea Presciani, Richard Slapczynski
Actors: Janet Waldo, Townsend Coleman, Phyllis Diller, George Gobel, …
Category: Fantasy

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1972)

6 May 199926 July 2019

Rating: ★★½

Alice in Wonderland Adaptation

Director: William Sterling
Actors: Fiona Fullerton, Michael Crawford, Peter Sellers, Dudley Moore, …
Category: Fantasy

All Fun & Games (2023)

19 May 202519 May 2025

Rating: ★

Cursed Knife/Deadly Games

Director: Eren Celeboglu, Ari Costa
Actors: Asa Butterfield, Natalia Dyer, Annabeth Gish, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, …
Category: Horror

Battlestar Galactica (1978)

26 June 199914 October 2022

Rating: ★★

Space Opera

Director: Richard A. Colla
Actors: Lorne Green, Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict, Jane Seymour, …
Category: Science Fiction

Beyond the Gates (2016)

25 February 201912 August 2024

Rating: ★★

Deadly Video Boardgame

Director: Jackson Stewart
Actors: Graham Skipper, Chase Williamson, Brea Grant, Barbara Crampton, …
Category: Horror

Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991)

1 June 20015 September 2020

Rating: ★★

Slackers in the Afterlife

Director: Peter Hewitt
Actors: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, William Sadler, Joss Ackland, …
Category: Fantasy, Science Fiction

The Black Cat (1934)

4 December 200012 September 2024

Rating: ★★★½

Revenge and Satanism

Director: Edgar G. Ulmer
Actors: Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, David Manners
Category: Horror

The Black Waters of Echo’s Pond (2009)

18 May 202213 March 2023

Rating: ★½

Sinister Board Game

Director: Gabriel Bologna
Actors: Danielle Harris, Robert Patrick, Mircea Monroe, Electra Avellan, …
Category: Horror

Blasted (2022)

29 January 202429 January 2024

Rating: ★★

Laser Tag Team vs Alien Invaders Comedy

Director: Martin Sofiedal
Actors: Axel Bøyum, Fredrik Skogsrud, Andre Sørum, Mathias Luppichini, …
Category: Science Fiction

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)

8 October 202226 December 2024

Rating: ★★★

Killer Lurks at a Party

Director: Halina Reijn
Actors: Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Pete Davidson, Myha'la Herrold, …
Category: Horror

The Bunker Game (2022)

5 December 20225 December 2022

Rating: ★★

LARPers Trapped in a Haunted Bunker

Director: Roberto Zazzara
Actors: Gaia Weiss, Mark Ryder, Amina Ben Small, Felice Jankell, …
Category: Horror

The Card Player (2004)

27 January 20067 June 2022

Rating: ★★

Giallo Psycho-Thriller

Director: Dario Argento
Actors: Stefania Rocca, Liam Cunningham, Antonio Cantafora, Claudio Santamaria, …
Category: Horror

The Cat from Outer Space (1978)

5 July 200428 March 2020

Rating: ★★

Cat Alien Visitor/Disney Comedy

Director: Norman Tokar
Actors: Ken Berry, Sandy Duncan, Roddy McDowall, Ronnie Schell, …
Category: Science Fiction

Charlie Charlie (2016)

11 April 201929 October 2020

Rating: ★

Oracular Game

Director: Derek Presley
Actors: Tom Zembrod
Category: Horror

Cheap Thrills (2013)

7 March 201416 March 2025

Rating: ★★★

Two Men in a Series of Extreme Bets

Director: E.L. Katz
Actors: Pat Healy, Ethan Embry, David Koechner, Sara Paxton, …
Category: Horror

Cinderella Game (2016)

13 December 202213 December 2022

Rating: ★★

Deadly Elimination Card Game

Director: Hayato Kano
Actors: Kasumi Yamaya, Taro Suruga, Miku Yoshida, Meiku Harakawa, …
Category: Horror

The Cooler (2003)

5 July 20048 December 2021

Rating: ★★★

Man with Very Bad Luck

Director: Wayne Kramer
Actors: William H. Macy, Maria Bello, Alec Baldwin, Ron Livingston, …
Category: Fantasy

Cry Wolf (2005)

2 April 200631 May 2020

Rating: ★★★

Slasher Film

Director: Jeff Wadlow
Actors: Julian Morris, Lindy Booth, Jon Bon Jovi, Jared Padalecki, …
Category: Horror

The Dead Pool (1988)

12 September 200029 June 2020

Rating: ★

Dirty Harry vs a Psycho

Director: Buddy Van Horn
Actors: Clint Eastwood, Liam Neeson, Patricia Clarkson, Evan C. Kim
Category: Horror

Escape Room (2017)

12 December 201817 September 2021

Rating: ★★

Group Trapped in an Escape Room with a Demonic Force

Director: Peter Dukes
Actors: Skeet Ulrich, Christine Donlon, Randy Wayne, Matt McVay, …
Category: Horror

Escape Room (2019)

21 April 20192 September 2022

Rating: ★★½

Escape Room of Death Traps

Director: Adam Robitel
Actors: Taylor Russell, Logan Miller, Jay Ellis, Deborah Ann Woll, …
Category: Horror

Escape Room: Tournament of Champions (2021)

19 September 202111 January 2024

Rating: ★★

Escape Room of Death Traps

Director: Adam Robitel
Actors: Taylor Russell, Logan Miller, James Frain, Isabelle Fuhrman, …
Category: Horror

The Game (1997)

18 November 200719 November 2020

Rating: ★★

Reality Games

Director: David Fincher
Actors: Michael Douglas, Deborah Kara Unger, Sean Penn, James Rebhorn, …
Category: Fantasy

Game of Death (2017)

13 March 20231 March 2025

Rating: ★★

Boardgame Where Players Must Kill People

Director: Sebastien Landry, Laurence Baz Morais
Actors: Sam Earle, Victoria Diamond, Emelia Hellman, Erniel Baez D, …
Category: Horror

Hangman (2000)

29 March 200831 May 2021

Rating: ★★

Serial Killer Thriller

Director: Ken Girotti
Actors: Lou Diamond Phillips, Mädchen Amick, Vincent Corazza, Rosemary Dunsmore, …
Category: Horror

Hangman (2017)

8 January 201823 August 2021

Rating: ★

Serial Killer Thriller

Director: Johnny Martin
Actors: Al Pacino, Karl Urban, Brittany Snow, Sarah Shahi, …
Category: Horror

Intacto (2001)

8 August 200319 March 2024

Rating: ★★★

Gambling on People’s Luck Quotient/Thriller

Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Actors: Leonardo Sbaraglia, Max Von Sydow, Eusebio Poncela, Antonio Dechent
Category: Fantasy

Jumanji (1995)

31 December 20012 March 2020

Rating: ★★

Chaos-Unleashing Boardgame

Director: Joe Johnston
Actors: Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, Bonnie Hunt, Bradley Pierce, …
Category: Fantasy

Knight Moves (1992)

3 August 200020 December 2024

Rating: ★★

Chess-Playing Serial Killer

Director: Carl Schenkel
Actors: Christopher Lambert, Diane Lane, Tom Skerritt, Daniel Baldwin, …
Category: Horror

Knights of Badassdom (2013)

20 April 201420 December 2024

Rating: ★★

Live-Action Roleplayers Encounter a Demon

Director: Joe Lynch
Actors: Ryan Kwanten, Summer Glau, Steve Zahn, Peter Dinklage, …
Category: Fantasy

Mahabharat (1965)

6 June 200613 September 2024

Rating: ★★½

Indian Epic Legend

Director: Babubhai Mistry
Category: Fantasy

Metegol (2013)

4 January 201824 June 2020

Rating: ★★

Animation/Table Football Team Come to Life

Director: Juan Jose Campanella
Category: Fantasy

Nemesis Game (2003)

31 December 200317 January 2025

Rating: ★

Enigmatic Game/Reality Bender

Director: Jesse Warn
Actors: Carly Pope, Adrian Paul, Ian McShane, Jay Baruchel, …
Category: Fantasy

Nerve (2016)

20 November 20164 September 2022

Rating: ★★

Internet Site That Offers Deadly Challenges

Director: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman
Actors: Emma Roberts, Dave Franco, Emily Meade, Miles Heizer, …
Category: Horror

The OctoGames (2022)

28 February 202428 February 2024

Rating: ★

Deadly Elimination Games

Director: Aaron Mirtes
Actors: Lacy Hartselle, Cael Adcock, Luv Patel, Henry Haggard, …
Category: Horror

The One Game (1988)

22 June 202222 June 2022

Rating: ★★★

Reality Games

Director: Mike Vardy
Actors: Stephen Dillane, Patrick Malahide, Pippa Haywood, Kate McKenzie, …
Category: Fantasy

One Spy Too Many (1966)

19 April 20172 June 2020

Rating: ★★★

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Film/Spy Film

Director: Joseph Sargent
Actors: Robert Vaughn, David McCallum, Rip Torn, Dorothy Provine, …
Category: Science Fiction

Onward (2020)

5 April 202021 June 2021

Rating: ★★★

Pixar Animation/Alternate Present Inhabited by Magic Creatures

Director: Dan Scanlon
Actors: Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer, …
Category: Fantasy

A Pass from the Back (2004)

21 June 200630 April 2020

Rating: ★★½

Toy Footballer Comes to Life

Director: Gil Mehmert
Category: Fantasy

The Prophet’s Game (1999)

31 December 199919 January 2024

Rating: ★★½

Serial Killer Thriller

Director: David Worth
Actors: Dennis Hopper, Stephanie Zimbalist, Joe Penny, Sondra Locke, …
Category: Horror

The Queen of Spades (1949)

16 July 202416 July 2024

Rating: ★★★

Diabolical Pact for a Winning Hand in Cards

Director: Thorold Dickinson
Actors: Anton Walbrook, Yvonne Mitchell, Edith Evans, Anthony Dawson, …
Category: Fantasy

Quintet (1979)

4 July 200311 August 2023

Rating: ★

Frozen Future/Enigmatic Game

Director: Robert Altman
Actors: Paul Newman, Fernando Rey, Bibi Andersson, Vittorio Gassman, …
Category: Science Fiction

Ready or Not (2019)

29 November 20194 June 2025

Rating: ★★

Deadly Game of Hide and Seek

Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Actors: Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Henry Czerny, Andie McDowell, …
Category: Horror

Red Room: The Forbidden King Game (1999)

19 May 20151 January 2023

Rating: ★★★

Japanese Torture and Degradation Reality TV Show

Director: Daisuke Yamanouchi
Category: Horror

The Seventh Seal (1957)

20 January 200111 March 2025

Rating: ★★★★★

Death Incarnate

Director: Ingmar Bergman
Actors: Max Von Sydow, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Bibi Andersson, Åke Fridell, …
Category: Fantasy

Stay Tuned (1992)

17 August 200225 March 2025

Rating: ½

Hell as a TV Show Comedy

Director: Peter Hyams
Actors: John Ritter, Pam Dawber, Jeffrey Jones, David Tom, …
Category: Fantasy

TAG: The Assassination Game (1982)

29 March 200813 September 2024

Rating: ★★

Psycho in a Campus Mock Killing Game

Director: Nick Castle
Actors: Robert Carradine, Linda Hamilton, Bruce Abbott, Perry Lang, …
Category: Horror

To Your Last Death (2019)

20 November 20207 March 2023

Rating: ★★

Animation/Brutal Survival in an Office Building/Alien Game

Director: Jason Axinn
Actors: Morena Baccarin, Ray Wise, William Shatner, Bill Moseley, …
Category: Horror

Truth or Dare (2018)

15 March 20201 March 2025

Rating: ★★

Deadly Game/Demonic Curse

Director: Jeff Wadlow
Actors: Lucy Hale, Violett Beane, Tyler Posey, Landon Liboiron, …
Category: Horror

Would You Rather (2012)

26 May 201325 September 2020

Rating: ★½

Deadly Party Game

Director: David Guy Levy
Actors: Brittany Snow, Jeffrey Combs, Jonny Coyne, Enver Gjokaj, …
Category: Horror

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

29 April 200916 June 2025

Rating: ★★

Comic-Book Superhero

Director: Gavin Hood
Actors: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, Lynn Collins, …
Category: Science Fiction

Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie – Pyramid of Light (2004)

4 October 200424 December 2023

Rating: ★★

Anime/Playing Card Dueling

Director: Hatsuki Suji
Actors: Dan Green, Eric Stuart
Category: Fantasy

Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)

27 January 20062 March 2020

Rating: ★★★

Space Opera Boardgame

Director: Jon Favreau
Actors: Josh Hutcherson, Dax Shepard, Kristen Stewart, Tim Robbins
Category: Science Fiction

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Contact Moria

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Theme Essays

  • Films About Atlantis
  • Werewolf Films
  • Virtual Reality
  • Imprisonment Thrillers
  • Films Depicting NASA and the Space Program
  • Human Bloodsports and Death Games
  • Animals Attack Films
  • Films About Plague and Pandemic
  • Disaster Movies
  • Steampunk Films
  • Documentaries
  • Films About Halloween
  • Films About Prophecy
  • Magicians and Sorcerers
  • Secret Societies
  • Real-Life People in Fiction
  • Techno-Thrillers
  • Twins in Fantastic Cinema
  • Asylums
  • Possession Films
  • Films About Imaginary and Magical Lands
  • Religion in Fantastic Cinema
  • Romantic Comedies
  • Film Noir
  • Spy Films
  • Jekyll and Hyde Films
  • Films That Make Dubious Claims to Being True Stories
  • Coming of Age Stories in Fantastic Cinema
  • Films About Cryogenics and Suspended Animation
  • Alternate History Films
  • Disturbed Psychology as Portrayed on Film
  • Law Enforcement in Fantastic Cinema
  • Weird Westerns
∧

Copyright Richard Scheib 1999-2025

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