Review: The Mortuary Assistant (2026)

A new film from the horror streaming channel Shudder ... and apparently it's based on a bestselling video game. I've never heard of it, but then I don't 'do' computer games so I'm not the target market in that regard.

I suspect though that this background is at the same time the film's greatest strength and it's greatest weakness.

I'm reminded of other films taken from computer games where I've never played the games. Movies like Silent Hill, Resident Evil and Doom. In each case the film makers took the apparent essence of the game, and managed to construct a decent plot around it, so that the viewers were not left in the dark about what was going on. In the case of The Mortuary Assistant, it's the plot that's lacking. The script could have done with another draft or two to really nail what was going on and to translate that to scares on the screen. Instead I assume they've taken the 'plot' of the video game and established that the fact that the location is so key there, that so it is in the film (they mention this in the brief behind the scenes documentary that accompanies the film on blu-ray). Except that it isn't really.

I'm reminded of a film with an apparently similar premise, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, which is again set in a mortuary and has limited characters. That film manages to be terrifying and intriguing (mainly due to a brilliant performance from Brian Cox), but The Mortuary Assistant, despite heaps of atmosphere and scares, just manages to be confusing for the early to mid part of its runtime.

The plot revolves around the eponymous assistant, Rebecca Owens, who has just passed her 'exams' or whatever they are, and can now look after things in the mortuary on her own. Thus her creepy boss suddenly asks her to do a night shift as bodies have come in that need processing. And so she's on her own in the place with these cadavers.  But the cadavers don't seem to be that dead and start moving and coming back to life ... except maybe they're not, and perhaps she's hallucinating. Or not.

It's this uncertainty about what's happening which loses the audience. I started not to really care what happened as it was never 'real' and we reset back to where we were before. Lots of great jump moments and creepiness abounds, but it never amounts to anything.

But then the film turns and it's suddenly a possession movie, where an ancient demon wants to possess Rebecca's body (not sure why her's and no-one elses - it seemed to possess a lot of the corpses ... if that was what was happening)  And to stop it she needs to find out it's name and create it on a large pendant thing and burn it on her chest or something.  The runes which make up the name are, for some reason, burned into the walls of the mortuary, but she can only see them in the flame from a lit piece of parchment.

As you can see, the 'but why?' factor is high here, and there are few answers. You just need to go with it and hope it all sort of comes out ok at the end.  Cue lots of creeping around the mortuary with a single flame looking for the marks and trying to avoid the hallucinations and the demon ... great video game fare!

In the film's favour are just about every element except the plot!  The practical effects are exceedingly effective, but also gratuitous. The gore of the dissections and attacks are wincingly realistic, and to be honest a little too much for me. But they are superbly done! The performances are first rate, with a great central character in Rebecca (Willa Holland). The set design, lighting and direction are excellent, providing some fascinating angles and prowling camera throughout, and the music and sound design is also first rate, adding to the atmosphere and general ambience of the film.  It's just the script which lets it down.

Overall it was an entertaining watch, but because of the gore and body horror which starts from virtually the first frame and doesn't let up, it's not a film I would rush to watch again. I guess if you love a film with some great gruesome effects in, and are not too worried about it all making total sense, then you may love this to pieces!

The film is now available as a blu-ray which also contains a single behind the scenes featurette from Acorn Media.