REVEALED: The most popular scary Halloween movies to watch based on the thrill of survival… 

• Uno: The Movie is the most popular scary movie based on a game to watch this Halloween
• In second place is The Game, with an IMDb rating of 7.7 out of 10
• Saw takes the third spot with an IMDb rating of 7.6

New research has revealed the most popular scary movies to watch this Halloween based on games, with Uno: The Movie taking the top spot in the rankings.

The research conducted by online gaming experts at I’m-A-Puzzle established the most popular scary movies based on games to watch this Halloween by analyzing each film’s ratings on IMDb.

The analysis revealed that Uno: The Movie (2016) had the highest rating on IMDb, making it the most popular scary movie to watch this Halloween, based on a game. The movie had a rating of 9.2 out of 10, securing its first-place spot. Written by Geoff Ramsey and starring Ryan Haywood, Gavin Free, and Jack Pattillo, the movie follows five co-workers playing an intense, psychologically harrowing game of UNO!.

The Game (1997) places second with an IMDb rating of 7.7. The movie follows a wealthy banker from San Francisco (Michael Douglas) who is given a chance to participate in a game which soon turns his life upside down. The movie, directed by David Fincher, had an estimated budget of $50 million and a worldwide gross of almost $110 million.

With an estimated budget of $1.2 million, Saw (2004) took survival games to a new level when director James Wan introduced Billy, also known as Jigsaw Killer or John Kramer. This creepy ventriloquist puppet communicated messages and descriptions of the traps in which the characters were stuck in. Saw is the third most popular scary movie, with an IMDb rating of 7.6 out of 10.

The fourth most popular scary film is Cube (1997) directed by Vincenzo Natali. The movie characters are trapped in deadly labyrinth cube-shaped rooms entangled with mazes which they are desperate to escape. The budget for this film was significantly lower than its compared movies in the rankings at CA $365,000, but its worldwide gross saw takings of $565,727. The IMDb rating for Cube is 7.2.

In fifth place is The Platform (2019), which has an IMDb rating of 7. The movie is based on a vertical prison which holds two people per cell. There is one cell on each level, and only one platform has access to food for just two minutes a day, leading to a brutal fight for survival. The movie had 12 successful wins and 24 nominations and had the original title of El Hoyo.

The next two movies in the rankings share sixth place as they both have an IMDb rating of 6.8 out of 10:

Ready or Not (2019) – The storyline follows a newly-wed bride trying to fit into her husband’s wealthy dynasty. The movie has an IMDb rating of 6.8 and an estimated budget of $6 million, followed by $57.6 million in worldwide gross.

Exam (2009) – Exam, directed by Stuart Hazeldine, took corporate office exams to another level when eight of the most talented candidates that have been selected reached the final test for a job in a mysterious corporation. To be the successor, the invigilator allows the group 80 minutes to answer one simple question, only leading the candidates to become confused and desperate to be the last one standing, all with no inkling of the end job. The movie on IMDb is rated 6.8.

The seventh most popular scary film is Wicked Games (2021). Set on Halloween night, a young girl, Harley, travels to her boyfriend’s estate in the countryside for the weekend. But Harley and her boyfriend get more than they bargained for when they are met by a group of masked intruders and are forced to play their harrowing game. The thrilling movie is rated 6.7 on IMDb.

The next two movies in the rankings share eighth place as they both have an IMDb rating of 6.5 out of 10:

Gerald’s Game (2017) – When a couple tries to spice up their marriage at a lakeside retreat, things take a turn for the worst when Jesse and Gerald get more than they had signed up for. Instead of rekindling affection and reigniting passion into their relationship, the trip takes the most sinister turn for the worst and Jesse is left fighting to escape. Gerald’s Game has won four awards and has had five nominations.

The Hunt (2020) – The Hunt hasn’t been given the slogan ‘The Ultimate Human Hunting Experience’ for nothing, as 12 strangers wake up with no recollection of how they ended up together in a terrifying hunting game, all trying to survive. The cast includes Emma Roberts, Ethan Suplee and Wayne Duvall, just to name a few, and the film’s budget was estimated at $14 million. The movie’s gross worldwide takings surpassed just over $40 million.

In ninth place is Escape Room (2019) which had an estimated budget of $9 million and grossed $155.7 million worldwide. The psychological horror follows six strangers who all discover themselves navigating their way through various deadly escape rooms. The movie was directed by Adam Robitel, written by Bragi F. Schut and Maria Melnik and has an IMDb rating of 6.4.

The final movie in the rankings taking tenth place is Bodies, Bodies, Bodies (2022). This comedy-slasher movie follows a group of wealthy twenty-something-year-olds who have planned a hurricane party to shield themselves from a raging storm. The party soon becomes cut off from the outside world as a game of murder mystery unfolds, and terrible consequences happen to each guest. The budget for the film is unknown, yet box office takings reached $13.6 million. IMDb rates this film 6.3.

A spokesperson from I’m-A-Puzzle commented on the findings: “Watching scary movies is one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to get into the Halloween spirit, especially with so many incredible ones to choose from. One of the most thrilling genres of scary movies is those which incorporate a ‘game’ or theme of survival, turning something, which is often fun, into a nightmare.

By watching movies that are based around familiar games such as truth or dare and hide and seek, they can play with a viewer’s perceptions of the game and whether or not they would be able to survive. This helps a viewer to feel connected to the plot yet engaged with the fear and unknown of the ending.