Video game adaptations are notorious for their poor quality, with only the ones in the past six years or so, like theSonic the Hedgehogseries, achieving any real critical success. Even fans of the original video games themselves oftencringe at the attempts to bring a beloved franchise to lifeon the big screen – which may explain the handful of movies, likeGamer, that instead try to capture the feeling of playing video games in general rather than adapting a specific title.
Video games are also perfect for the “techno horror” subgenre, resulting in virtual reality thrillers likeeXistenZand the supernatural horrorStay Alive(which is mostly remembered for the memetic trailer line “if you die in the game, you die in real life” rather than for its quality). These films are usually more hit than miss, but Netflix’sChoose or Diefrom 2022 is a lot more entertaining than its initial reviews might have you believe. Turning a retro computer game into a source of torture,Choose or Diehas some pretty inventive kills and a talented cast, includingAsa ButterfieldandEddie Marsan. As long as you go into it with the right expectations, you should be pretty satisfied with your choice to watch.
Every Decision Leads to Horror in ‘Choose or Die’
Choose or DiestarsIola Evansas Kayla, an aspiring but struggling programmer who finds a computer game calledCURS>Rin a pile of old tech, with a box that claimswhoever beats the game will win a $125,000 prize.Although it appears to be from the ’80s, the hotline number on the box is still active (and leads to a recording by none other than horror iconRobert Englundplaying a fictionalized version of himself), and Kayla and her friend Isaac (Butterfield) decide to attempt to collect the prize. For those not familiar with their video game history, text adventures, also known as interactive fiction games, were likedigital “choose your own adventure” books; the computer would show a description of a location, and then ask the player what they wanted to do. The player could then type in very basic commands like “look at object” or “go through door,” and the story would continue based on those choices. InChoose or Die,Kayla plays the first level ofCURS>Rby herself in a late-night diner, thinking it’s just a normal text adventure, but the normalcy ends and the horror begins whenKayla realizes that the game can manipulate her reality: the setting of the game is the exact diner she’s sitting in and the “story” includes the actions of those around her.
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Faced with the threat of a painful death if she doesn’t play,Kayla is sadistically forced to make choicesthat inevitably result in grievous harm to innocent people. No two levels are the same, allowing for more creativity when it comes to themethods of physical torture; the most memorable is Kayla’s first level, in which a waitress is forced to put broken pieces of glass in her mouth and eat them. It’s one of the goriest moments of the movie,complete with audible crunchingand several close-ups of the glass slowly entering this poor woman’s mouth; it’s also a great example ofthe psychological torment the game is able to inflict. The waitress is clearly aware that her body isn’t in her control and looks at Kayla in pain and terror as she continues to push more glass in her mouth, only able to tell Kayla “it hurts.” The desperation in her face is mirrored by Kayla, who is not only unable to stop her, but is in fact the cause of her suffering (or so the game wants her to believe). The characters' awareness of what’s coming but inability to stop it is part of what makes their fates so horrifying.
‘Choose or Die’ Is Closer to ‘Saw’ Than ‘Ready Player One’
A common complaint from criticswas thatChoose or Diedidn’t work with its video-game-inspired premise enough,leaving audiences wanting more of an authentic text adventure feelto the movie. But in reality, there are plenty of video game tropes and imagery throughoutChoose or Die, even if they’re not exclusive to one genre; two sequences feature 8-bit and even 1-bit graphics, characters glitch out, and there’s a unique “boss battle” for the climax. Even so, expectingChoose or Dieto more closely emulate video games misses the real aim of the game, so to speak. Think about it: the movie is about a mysterious figure who forces people into deadly, game-like scenarios for their own benefit. In other words,Choose or Dieis more of a fresh, techno spin on “trap” horror media likeSaworSquid Game.
It’s true thatChoose or Diecould have pushed the video game aspect of the deaths themselves further and really stood out as something original. However, to say it fails to do anything interesting with its premise not only dismisses the clear gaming inspiration throughout, but also misses that its core conceit is much closer to sadistic-style horror than it is to techno horror.
Choose or Die
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