The Mortuary Assistant (2026) Delivers Sub-Par Supernatural Scares
Title: The Mortuary Assistant
First Non-Festival Release: February 13, 2026 (Theatrical Release)
Director: Jeremiah Kipp
Writer: Tracee Beebe, Brian Clarke
Runtime: 91 Minutes
Starring: Willa Holland, Paul Sparks, John Adams
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
Another video game adaptation in 2026, The Mortuary Assistant is Shudder’s take on the 2022 indie survival horror game that sees viewers take on the role of a mortician fighting off the insatiable thirst of demons seeking to possess her while doing her job. Players must find the correct possessed body, identify the correct demon name, and perform the requisite exorcism.
Enthusiastic mortuary assistant, Rebecca (Willa Holland), has completed her studies and apprenticeship at River Fields Mortuary under the guidance of Raymond Delver (Paul Sparks), the owner of the Mortuary. Her days consist of embalming, cremation, and a litany of other mundane tasks one might need to complete in any job. Shortly after earning her one-year sobriety chip, Raymond calls Rebecca into work late one night to handle some special corpses. Unbeknownst to Rebecca, Paul has secrets stored deep in the basement of the Mortuary that have the ability to upend her life permanently. Now, Rebecca must follow all instructions left behind to escape the powerful presence determined to take her from this mortal plane.
Bogged down with too many elements, The Mortuary Assistant is a boring, ugly supernatural horror film wrapped in a stale addiction metaphor.
Taking a twisty approach to its demonic video game source material, The Mortuary Assistant starts off familiar and never lets up. Quick introductions to Rebecca and Raymond set the geography of the story up while dropping hints that something sinister has yet to come. Once Rebecca returns at night, The Mortuary Assistant wastes no time instigating a series of scares dressed as minor annoyances to acclimate Rebecca, and the viewer, to the dark energy onscreen. The more time Rebecca spends in the funeral home, the more she is manipulated by the entity that lurks in the shadows. Each twist that The Mortuary Assistant adds sheds further credibility from its premise, as little thought goes into how all the rules of this entity operates. The ridiculousness of the plot points gets hairier too.
Rebecca’s substance use disorder serves as the in for the supernatural horror to start affecting her. Throughout her horrid evening in the mortuary, reminders of her addiction haunt her as much as the demons. Using her shame against her, the demon manipulates Rebecca and her surroundings to mimic the effects of drug use. Blackouts, memory loss, hallucinations, all contribute to Rebecca’s increasingly erratic behavior. It takes her sponsor Kelly (Keena Ferguson Frasier) to connect the dots for her as she is right in the middle of the storm. Unfortunately, the metaphor never breaks past the surface, pushed aside for the over-complicated ritual that Rebecca is ushered to complete.
This keeps The Mortuary Assistant in constant supernatural danger, making it hard to effectively build up to its scares. Using every trick in the book, Rebecca’s situation deteriorates quickly before leaving her to meander through the middling paranormal scares. The mortuary is adequately used with most major set pieces being relatively easy to anticipate. Its scares lack weight, mainly due to their impotency. Rebecca’s isolation and ignorance to the demon provides plenty of opportunities to build a grounded narrative that keeps her in the dark without sacrificing scares. Writers Tracee Beebe and Brian Clarke opt to keep the mile-a-minute approach anyway to the detriment of The Mortuary Assistant’s impact.
Clearly, there is plenty of issues with The Mortuary Assistant but its most insurmountable obstacle lies in its performances. The dynamic between Rebecca and Raymond is hollow thanks to the lack of chemistry between the two. Wooden line deliveries and muted facial expressions make the production feel low stakes. It never meshes, which leads to some awkward moments when the horror finally arrives. Even actors who have given excellent performances in other projects are struggling here. John Adams and Emily Bennett, normally excellent as character actors or straight leads, do not connect with the material or the other performers. The only solid performance comes from Keena Ferguson Frasier, whose screen time likely amounts to less than ten minutes.
A muddy, forgettable affair, The Mortuary Assistant conjures up lame carnival ride frights against otherwise generic story beats. There are some cool ideas within its expansive lore and intimate setting, but the film otherwise leaves an underwhelming feeling long after the blood stills and flames die. All but the most hardcore fans of the video game will likely be disappointed with the final product along with casual moviegoers. Stiff acting, a rushed script, and tonal inconsistency makes The Mortuary Assistant dead-on arrival.
Overall Score? 4/10
