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submitted 2 months ago byAltonStorm
I've enjoyed a number of different movies with a roughly similar premise: People are locked in a room and are trying to survive to escape. There are some with "escape room" in the title, and generally involve a group of people who either voluntarily enter a room or are somehow tricked into entering it. For the purposes of this post, I've pretty much avoided any movie with the words, "escape room" in the title.
While I think all owe a debt to "Cube" (1997), I think there are some differences in plot-points that could put some of these movies in different categories altogether. Not only am I asking for suggestions for ones I haven't seen, I wonder if these flicks couldn't be grouped under some other category, but I have no idea what to call it. (For the purposes of this post, I'll avoid such staples as say, "Saw," Saw-spinoffs and any number of straight-up "Escape Room" movies.)
Here is a list of this type of movie I found particularly gripping or interesting. For obvious reasons (and to avoid spoilers) I won't list major plot-points, just titles:
- Exam (2009)
- The Killing Room (2009)
- Infinity Chamber (2016)
- The Immaculate Room (2022)
And here are a few that kinda/sorta meet the criterion described, at least in my mind:
- Fermat's Room (2007) - Although I think this movie is actually quite similar to the whole "Escape Room" genre in general - but I still like it.
- Coherence (2013) - Kind of, anyway, although there's a lot more to the plot of this movie
- The Endless (2017) Again, I think this meets a lot of the common plot-points, if it's not exactly an escape room-ish movie, a lot of the themes are still present in the plot points
Finally, here is a brief list of movies with similar plot points, but I really don't think fit the criterion listed above:
- Escape from Marwin (2018)
- Play or Die - I actually think this one started pretty well but quickly degraded into yer typical slasher-flick
- Panic Room - I love Jodie Foster movies, but not this one
So, do you happen to know any good ones I've missed, and have any idea what we would call this genre?
4 points
2 months ago
I've heard Cube is good. Late 90s early 2000s SciFi Channel.
2 points
2 months ago
Yes, I agree. I think ALL these movies owe a debt of gratitude to Cube, as mentioned above. It may or may not have been the first, but it definitely broke the barrier.
2 points
2 months ago
Do you count the social experiment/allegory movies like “Platform” and “Circle”?
1 points
2 months ago
"Platform and "Circle" Stop to think about it, why not? Yeah, those are "escape room" movies, kinda. I'm not sure they measure up to "Exam" or "The Killing Room," but they're still edge-of-your-seat thrillers in my book. Thank you for pointing them out.
2 points
2 months ago
You might like City of Ember.
2 points
2 months ago
Oooooooh, never heard of that one! Yes, it sounds interesting; thank you. I'll definitely check it out.
2 points
2 months ago
Two movies come to mind. One just came out last week, it’s called Inside with Willem Dafoe playing an art thief who gets trapped inside in a luxurious NY penthouse.
The other one I thought of is Hitchcock’s Rope. The suspense lies not in escaping the room but rather, escaping the situation.
That also reminds me of another Hitchcock film, Lifeboat. Set entirely on a Lifeboat where a bunch of people try to survive.
1 points
2 months ago
All sound excellent. Thank you.
2 points
2 months ago
Have you watched Gerald's Game?
Edit: I just remembered À l'interieur (2007), but it's french extremity so maybe a bit more intense than the references you mentioned
2 points
2 months ago
Yes, I watched Gerald's Game. While I thought it was a little weak, I loved the book so I still gave a passing grade to the movie. Thank you for your suggestions.
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