The Mortuary Assistant: Willa Holland and Paul Sparks star in video game adaptation (2025)

Back in 2022, we heard that Jeremiah Kipp, who wrote and directed a very cool horror movie calledSlapface(available to watch on the Shudder streaming service), had signed on to helm a live-action feature adaptation of the video gameThe Mortuary Assistant. Now, Deadline reports that Willa Holland(Arrow) andPaul Sparks(House of Cards) have signed on to star in the film, which is currently in production in Missouri.

The Mortuary Assistantis a supernatural first-person horror game that brings players into the world of Mortician Rebecca Owens, who thinks her first night on the job will be embalming a surplus of corpses, though she soon learns a sinister presence resides at River Fields Mortuary. As the dead awaken and malevolent spirits bind themselves to her, Rebecca has to learn how to combat demons (including the figurative demons of her past), in order to survive the night. The film adaptation centers on Rebecca Owens, a recent mortuary science graduate who takes a night shift job at River Fields Mortuary. Initially, the job seems straightforward — embalming bodies, completing paperwork, and keeping things tidy. But once Rebecca starts working the night shift, things take a dark turn. Tracee Beebe and Brian Clarke wrote the screenplay.

Holland is taking on the role of Rebecca, with Sparks as Raymond Delver, her mysterious mortician boss, “who appears to be a mentor, but also a potential threat.” The adaptation is described as “a new chapter in the story that will expand on the game’s world and mythology, delving deeper into the lore of the demonic entities plaguing River Fields.”

The Mortuary Assistantwas developed by DarkStone Digital’s Brian Clarke. The film adaptation is coming to us from DreadXP and Epic Pictures Group. Patrick Ewald is producing alongside Cole Payne’s Traverse Media, with Clarke and Ted Hentschke serving as executive producers, and Abbey Smith co-producing.

Kipp told Deadline that he and Clarke “respond to character-driven storytelling within a disturbing horror space. Because his influences have been largely cinematic, the whole process has organically felt like an expansion of his unique gameplay. We’ve captured the atmosphere of singular dread that players responded to so powerfully – this movie will be scary as hell.” Clarke added, “Seeing The Mortuary Assistant evolve over the years from a small prototype to a full feature film is beyond anything I could have imagined as a solo developer. Jeremiah Kipp is an insanely skilled director, and it has been one of the highlights of my life working with him. Jeremiah and the entire team at Epic Pictures have done an amazing job capturing the spirit of the game while adding their own unique cinematic flair. It is an honor to see Willa and Paul bring these characters to life along with the rest of the film crew. I feel extremely fortunate and can’t wait for fans to seeThe Mortuary Assistantexpand into new territory.“

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