‘The Mortuary Assistant’ Review: Willa Holland Elevates Flawed Adaptation of Viral Video Game

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This stage adaptation of the popular video game, The Mortuary Assistant, follows an intern haunted by a difficult past and now battling demonic possession. While the play struggles with a slow pace and infrequent scares, Willa Holland’s compelling performance and strong technical aspects – like creepy lighting and sound, and camera angles inspired by the game – help to elevate the story. Fans of the game will likely enjoy it the most, but those unfamiliar with the source material might not find it particularly frightening.

Okay, so the film immediately throws you into this incredibly unsettling atmosphere – all squelching sounds and a really intense first embalming scene. We meet Rebecca, the new assistant, and she seems… surprisingly good at her job, but then things get weird. The lights start flickering, she briefly zones out, and her boss, Dr. Delver, quickly puts a stop to her heading down to the basement – which, naturally, is off-limits. He’s okay with her working solo, but only during daylight hours. That immediately screamed ‘danger’ to me, and set a really creepy tone. It’s clear something’s lurking down there, and he’s desperate to keep her away from it at night.

Rebecca attends a support group meeting for people recovering from drug addiction. Her counselor, Kelly, celebrates her one-year milestone with a sobriety chip. Though initially pleased, Rebecca becomes disturbed when she spots a shadowy figure watching her. A sense of unease follows her home, and she notices things are disturbed and marked with a peculiar symbol.

Rebecca was shocked when Raymond asked her to work the night shift despite a terrible storm. As she began preparing bodies for embalming, she noticed something horrifying: the new arrivals were covered in deep claw marks and had been ripped open. Just then, thunder crashed, the lights went out, and Rebecca was plunged into darkness. She spun around and screamed when she saw a pair of glowing red eyes staring back at her.

The Mortuary Assistant has trouble maintaining suspense because its story gets bogged down in too much detail. The ghostly presence of Rebecca is mixed with frequent flashbacks to a difficult event from her past. While these flashbacks ultimately explain things and help us understand the main character, they interrupt the flow of the story. It’s a mistake to move away from exciting moments when viewers are most engaged. These reveals should build intrigue and keep the audience hooked, but the game doesn’t quite master the pacing and layering needed to create a truly thrilling experience.

Even though the story gets more exciting in the second half, a major issue remains throughout the game. Rebecca needs to figure out what’s going on, how Raymond is involved, and complete missions to fight back. The game is most engaging when your decisions lead to different results and require you to think things through. However, it’s hard to stay invested because Rebecca doesn’t actually solve the mystery – the answers are simply given to her without much believable investigation. She never makes any significant mistakes or faces real obstacles, and always manages to move forward. It feels like playing with a cheat code, as there’s no risk of failure.

The game’s creator, Brian Clarke, teamed up with horror short film writer Tracee Beebe to write the movie’s script. While they tried to stay faithful to the source material, they also aimed to add emotional complexity to the character of Rebecca. Unfortunately, the story feels disjointed and suffers from numerous unresolved plot issues. Director Jeremiah Kipp (known for Slapface) could have improved things during editing, creating a more polished and engaging final product. It’s disappointing, because the film looks and sounds good, and audiences will likely find themselves hoping for the best for the main character.

Ignoring the minor issues, the mortuary setting is genuinely unsettling, with dull gray and silver tones and shifting lights. The embalming table is lit like an operating room, highlighting the incredibly realistic makeup and prosthetics used to create gruesome effects – like cutting into pale skin. When Rebecca walks through the space, a yellow haze around her gives her a ghostly appearance. This lighting choice visually represents her internal struggle against a cruel, controlling force that preys on her deepest fears. These scenes are powerfully effective and perfectly matched by the chilling sound design. The sound of embalming fluid rushing into cavities and filling the empty space is truly horrifying. Clearly, the director understands how to create a terrifying atmosphere and deserves recognition for their skillful filmmaking.

Holland is a consistently strong performer, as fans of shows like Gossip Girl, Arrow, and The Flash already know. She perfectly balances Rebecca’s fragility with her determination. The character is haunted by past mistakes, but still finds the strength to face her deepest, most terrifying fears, which are presented through supernatural elements. However, the use of religious imagery isn’t as effective as it is in the original game – it feels somewhat haphazard. While Holland does a great job making the script as good as it can be, it’s not enough to make this a fully recommendable adaptation, though it remains a positive aspect of the show.

The Mortuary Assistant has a streaming premiere March 26th on Shudder.

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2026-03-27 14:49