Fan-Favorite Survival Horror Game ‘Outlast’ To Receive Hollywood Film Adaptation Written And Directed By Original Creator

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Nov 4, 2024
View from Miles's camcorder in Outlast (2012), Red Barrels

In collaboration with Red Barrels, Lionsgate has acquired rights for the live-action Outlast adaptation. Over a decade ago, Outlast changed the entire horror genre in the gaming industry. Now the franchise is set to bring its story from darkness into the light – or dive deeper into the shadows. 

Miles Upshur (Shawn Baichoo) exploring Asylum in Outlast (2012), Red Barrels

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With a rock-solid first-look deal with Lionsgate, producer Roy Lee is the executive producer. For those unaware, Roy Lee is the name behind such horror staples as The Ring, It, and Poltergeist, among many other titles. With Lee at the helm of the project, Outlast’s terrifying atmosphere on the big screen may match the events from the games. 

Alongside him is the Outlast’s original game writer, J.T. Petty, who will pen the film’s screenplay. This is excellent news for those who want the franchise’s terrifying roots to be preserved. Petty is not only a writer but a director as well. Nevertheless, it is yet to be confirmed whether he will direct this venture, though his experience as both writer and director on such horror films as The Burrowers (2008) and Hellbebenders (2012), could make him more than suitable for the directorial chair. 

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The Outlast story revolves around investigative journalist, Miles Upshur who receives a tip about strange experiments at the remote Mount Massive Asylum, a private mental facility controlled by the sinister Murkoff Corporation. Miles discovers the asylum’s staff brutally murdered and is warned by a mortally wounded guard that the asylum’s violent inmates, known as “variants,” are now loose and murderous. Amid his escape attempts, Miles is ambushed by Chris Walker, a massive variant, and is later caught by Father Martin, a delusional priest who views Miles as a chosen “apostle.”

More sinister creatures lurk deeper in the asylum, including a nanite entity Walrider, created by Dr. Rudolf Wernicke’s experiments on patients. The game’s ending has a horrifying twist, and it is to be seen how it will be handled in the upcoming live-action adaptation. 

That said, Outlast as a film will probably best benefit as a found-footage film, with Miles’ encounters captured through his camera. This would match the original, tense, atmosphere of the game, mimicking the Blair Witch effect, showing Miles’s face in minimal fashion. It is important not to neglect the brutal, psychological roots of the game with all the monsters lurking in the shadows, and moments with Richard Trager, who as a sadistic and mass-murdering psychopath is a perfect antagonist. Not to mention the iconic bone shears scene in Outlast. 

Richard Tragger (Alex Ivanovici) with his infamous bone shears in Outlast (2012), Red Barrels

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It remains to be seen if Outlast story will be a retelling of the game, or a new story set in the more-than-terrifying Outlast universe, with deep lore around Mount Massive Asylum and the Murkoff Corporation’s dark experiments. If done right, Outlast as a film could outperform the sense of dread the games instilled in players.

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