Annabelle Comes Home director Gary Dauberman to channel an adaptation of Bloober Team’s horror game The Medium
With the success of video game adaptations like A Minecraft Movie, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and Paramount’s money-printing Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, studios are eager to bring more game-related titles to the silver screen than ever before. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Annabelle Comes Home and Salem’s Lot director Gary Dauberman will bring the award-winning horror game from Bloober Team, The Medium, to screens.
In The Medium, players explore the real world and the spirit world simultaneously. Using psychic abilities to solve puzzles spanning both realms, they uncover deeply disturbing secrets and survive encounters with The Maw, an entity born from an unspeakable tragedy. “Set in the post-communist era of Poland in the 1990s and taking place mainly in a fictional abandoned hotel in Krakow, the game tells of a woman named Marianna, imbued with psychic abilities, who is called to unravel the mystery of the death of an innocent child,” says THR.
The Medium is a third-person psychological horror game that features an innovative dual-reality gameplay, unique art style inspired by painter Zdzisław Beksiński, and original soundtrack co-composed by Arkadiusz Reikowski and Akira Yamaoka. The Medium’s spirit world is a dark mirror reflection of our reality, a grim and unsettling place where our unpunished deeds, evil urges, and vile secrets manifest themselves and can take on a form. This world has been invented and designed under the inspiration of Zdzisław Beksiński’s paintings, the Polish dystopian surrealist internationally recognized for his distinctive and strikingly ominous style.
“With its compelling story and incredibly cinematic visuals, The Medium is a natural for a feature film adaptation,” said Dauberman in a statement.
“When I talked to Piotr about it, we immediately connected on our mutual love of horror and his vision for where the genre is headed. I have no doubt anything Bloober develops is going to push horror forward in unique and terrifying ways, and I’m excited to be working alongside them,” continued Dauberman.
“Adapting games into films often involves balancing many interests, but with The Medium, I have a deep sense that Gary is the perfect partner for us,” said Bloober Team CEO Piotr Babieno. “From our very first conversation, I felt we were completely in sync. And every conversation since has only reinforced that feeling.”
Despite its mishandling of mental health issues, The Medium excels in creating an atmospheric world where horror unfolds around every corner. It should be interesting to see how Gary Dauberman approaches The Medium‘s story, themes, and troubling narrative. Adapting the game for the silver screen gives Dauberman and his creative partners a unique opportunity to alter aspects of the game, perhaps smoothing over elements that kept horror game fans from falling in love with the title. Thankfully, Bloober Team has learned a few lessons from The Medium, as the studio’s remake of Konami’s Silent Hill 2 was one of the best games of last year. I’ll give Dauberman and The Medium the benefit of the doubt until we see the finished product. I hope they do something great with the material at their disposal.
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