Top 10 Terrifying Death Games in TV & Film
#10: “The Condemned” (2007)
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Imagine: you wind up in prison, but are given a chance to avoid execution and win a cash prize. You just have to fight nine other condemned criminals on a deserted island … to the death. Don’t like it? Well there’s a bomb in your ankle with a 30 hour-timer, and an audience of online viewers eager for bloodshed. It’s a nightmare scenario, impossible to escape, which is what makes the death game in “The Condemned” so terrifying. It’s essentially “Survivor” meets “The Running Man”. The ruthless criminal contestants make it even scarier.
#9: “The Running Man” (1987)
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The idea of humans hunting each other to entertain television audiences goes back a long way. In 1958, Robert Sheckley published a short story “The Prize of Peril”, about a reality TV star pursued by gangland murderers. It was adapted into a French film “Le Prix Du Danger”, which arguably influenced 1987s’ “The Running Man” - itself based on a Stephen King novel. As in “The Condemned”, the protagonist of “The Running Man”, at least the film version, is another hapless prisoner. This time, he has to face off against professional killers. The fact that killing is literally their job makes the game especially petrifying - as does the bloodlust of the voyeuristic audience.
#8: “The Hunger Games” Franchise (2012-)
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These annual games see contestants fight to the death in an enclosed outdoor arena, with a horrible twist that makes it all even worse: the participants are children, aged between 12 to 18. Each contestant, or “tribute”, is selected at random, via lottery, although one can also volunteer. Frighteningly, some “career tributes” have trained their whole lives for the games and actually WANT to be there. The fact that viewers watching from the Capitol genuinely see the games as legitimate entertainment makes the whole thing that much more horrific. There’s no escape, except by killing all your peers or dying. That is, of course, unless you’re as resourceful and fortunate as Katniss Everdeen.
#7: “Escape Room” Franchise (2019-)
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Escape rooms are all about having fun right? They’re places to exercise your brain and work as a team with friends. Well, in these films starring Taylor Russell, the rooms are deadly games that punish failure with death. Wealthy voyeurs bet on who’ll survive the rooms, which in the first movie have been designed to evoke the past traumas of individual players. If you’re at all claustrophobic, it’s an especially terrifying prospect. The rooms tap into all our worst fears - who hasn’t had a nightmare about the walls closing in? The time limit to solve each adds intense pressure to boot. Think quick in these escape rooms, or you could die in a variety of creative ways.
#6: “Ready or Not” (2019)
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A wedding night is supposed to be a happy affair. But to marry into the Le Domas family, you have to partake in a ritual: pick a card, and play the game written on it. Just hope that you don’t pick up “Hide-and-Seek” - because it’s a version of the game where all your future in-laws try to kill you before sunrise. Part of the terror here is having people who are supposed to be family turn out to be deadly enemies. Worse, the game arena is the family mansion - their territory, not yours.
#5: “As the Gods Will” (2014)
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Based on the manga series of the same name, director Takashi Miike’s film “As the Gods Will” takes popular children’s games and makes them absolutely horrifying. High school students all over Japan are forced to participate in seemingly innocent games with deadly consequences. They include variations of Statues, Kick the Can, and Toss the Hoop. The supernatural element to the games, which are overseen by an inscrutable god, renders escape impossible, and makes them especially chilling. If you’ve seen “Squid Game”, parts of this premise will sound familiar - but while “As the Gods Will” came out first, the script for “Squid Game” was apparently written even earlier.
#4: “Squid Game” (2021-)
The games in this runaway Netflix hit are also based on classic children’s games. And again, the twist is that losing is fatal. But there’s an extra edge of desperation in “Squid Game”, because all of the players are in dire financial straits, and REALLY need that prize money. There’s also the added stress of shifting alliances - someone who was a friend in the last game could betray you in the next one. Plus, there are a LOT of competitors jostling to be the last one standing - 456 in total, at least at the start. The games might be simple, but with the stakes so high, they’re also extremely stressful.
#3: “Battle Royale” (2000)
The Hunger Games vs Battle Royale
When Suzanne Collins first published “The Hunger Games” in 2008, many people pointed out the similarities to “Battle Royale”, a novel published in 1996 and adapted into film in 2000. Both are about children forced to fight each other to death by a fascist government. “Battle Royale” follows high school students who are fitted with explosive collars and stranded on an island. Refuse to fight, and your head will explode; it’s kill or be killed. It’s terrifying enough to think about having to hurt your friends; even more chilling is the psychopathic tendencies that come out in the other students. Worst field trip ever.
#2: “The Most Dangerous Game” (1932)
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What’s the most dangerous animal? It’s pretty easy to argue that it’s us - humans. Adapted from a 1924 short story, this pre-Code 1932 classic follows a hunter who stalks shipwrecked survivors on his island. Zaroff, the hunter in question, has become “bored” of hunting regular game. So he turns to people to find a worthy adversary. Trapped on the island, his victims are forced to run into the forest and try to outwit him. But Zaroff is a cunning hunter, and - worse - he likes to play with his food, soaking up the thrill of the hunt. If that’s not terrifying, we don’t know what is. Before we name our number one pick, here are some honorable mentions! “Death Race 2000” (1975) A Death Game on Wheels “Rollerball” (1975) A Deadly Derby Run by Powerful Corporations “Alice in Borderland” (2020) Solve the Puzzles & Win the Games or Die “Tron” (1982) Fun to Watch, But Deadly to Play!
#1: “Saw” Franchise (2004-)
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The Jigsaw Killer’s traps come from a truly twisted mind. They’re the kind of sick inventions that make you wonder: could I do what it takes to escape them? Sure, there’s always a solution … well almost always … but the pain and cruelty of the solutions are actually part of the terror. Some traps are brutally simple, while others are elaborate, murderous contraptions, like reverse bear traps and laser collars. There’s often also a psychological intent that ties into past mistakes. The traps in the “Saw” franchise tap into our deepest fears, while the idea of being at the mercy of someone who knows our darkest secrets is pure nightmare fuel.
