2024 is set to be a big year for film and TV adaptations of some of the biggest IPs in videogames. We’ve got the likes of Amazon Prime’s Fallout show, a Borderlands movie, and a new season of Halo to look forward to. However, this is one adaptation we weren’t expecting. One of the most controversial and gruesome PlayStation and Xbox games of recent times, Martha is Dead, is set to get its very own horror movie.
Revealed in a press release, Italian game studio LKA and Swedish film-production company Studios Extraordinaires are partnering for a feature film adaptation of Martha is Dead. While it won’t really go down in the annals of history as one of the best horror games on PS5 and Xbox, it will be remembered as one of the most controversial games of this console generation. Its graphic content saw PlayStation step in to censor certain elements in the PS4 and PS5 versions of the game, which is a very rare move.
Martha is Dead tells the haunting story of Giulia, a young woman trying to solve the mystery of her dead twin sister, the titular Martha against the backdrop of Tuscany, Italy in 1944. “Every element of ‘Martha Is Dead’ was created with extraordinary precision and care”, notes Luca Dalcò, founder and director of developer LKA and the writer and designer of Martha Is Dead. He goes on to express that “bringing this to life as a film is a dream come true.”
However, while many celebrated it for its captivating mystery, it did meet its fair share of criticism upon release. Specifically, the PlayStation versions of Martha is Dead received last-minute changes to the experience, including removing interactivity from several exceptionally graphic and disturbing scenes as well as references to masturbation. Alongside this was a more detailed warning as to the mature content players would experience. In fact, the PS5 and PS4 versions also received an expanded censored mode that would entirely remove graphic scenes of bodily mutilation, miscarriage, and suicide.
With its heavy themes, the charity Safe In Our World supported the developers at release with a message to players struggling with their mental health that is now displayed in all versions of the game.
“We’re eager to bring this haunting tale to life, offering both fans and newcomers a cinematic tour-de-force, while staying true to the game’s soul-stirring essence,” explains André Hedetoft and Andreas Troedsson of Studios Extraordinaires. Currently in active development with close collaboration with the game’s developers, it will be interesting to see how these scenes are adapted – if they are included at all. Given the wording of Hedetoft and Troedsson’s sentiments, it’s apparent they want to faithfully adapt the game while also making some changes. Nevertheless, we’re sure it will be an impactful and horrifying experience in film, just as it is as a game.
Martha is Dead is not the only adaptation currently under work at Studios Extraordinaires, with the sci-fi horror game Fort Solis also making the jump to film. We can only hope that Studios Extraordinaire’s knack for making high-end action, horror, and science-fiction films can offer faithful and powerful film adaptations.
In the meantime, dive into the best PS5 horror games and best Xbox horror games if you’re feeling brave. In fact, true horror royalty has arrived on Xbox Game Pass and PS Plus this month, so there’s plenty to enjoy between all the new PS5 games and new Xbox games coming out.