The Mortuary Assistant review – A horror-inspired game that convincingly emulates the work of a morgue | film

THis horror film, based on Brian Clark’s popular indie video game of the same name, takes the lead with its greatest strength: practical effects. The body is prepared for cremation by Rebecca (Willa Holland) and Raymond (Paul Sparks), and the various mummification techniques are convincingly – and even lovingly – recreated. This parallels the game, where the player can learn more about mummification techniques than is possible from most forms of on-screen entertainment.

It’s this element of simulation – a big part of the game’s appeal – where the film works best, albeit without the interplay of the original. A morgue assistant successfully puts you in the shoes of someone who connects a corpse’s jaw, injects chemicals into the arteries and removes fluids from various body cavities. It goes without saying that the audience for this aspect is probably more specific than the average horror film.

A wider audience could be better served in areas where the film falls flat. When Rebecca begins a solitary night shift, it soon becomes clear that demons possess different bodies. This is communicated through techniques similar to those used in films like Insidious or The Conjuring, which are ghost train films that involve brightly lit contrasting narratives.

The Mortuary Assistant lacks light to contrast with the shadows: Rebecca and Raymond are both dark, tormented, and twisted characters, occupying dark, tormented, and stylized worlds, and there is very little light to balance them out. After a while, you adapt: ​​what should be scary stops being scary; It’s just the norm for these guys.

It’s a shame, because the film is well directed, the practical effects are aces throughout and it’s certainly an original premise. It would be interesting to see a sequel that either fully adheres to the complex, genre-bending characterization required to make a bleak narrative sing, or becomes more convoluted and more formulaic, with some craven good guys that are genuinely scary.