The Mortuary Assistant (2026) Review by Phil Newton

The Mortuary Assistant (2026) Review by Phil Newton

The Mortuary Assistant, I am reliably informed, is based on the “critically acclaimed, best-selling” 2022 video game of the same name. My most rudimentary research indicates that this is a first-person perspective simulator in which a Mortuary Assistant (you) has to perform embalming tasks while avoiding demonic possession. Word has it that the gameplay was pretty atmospheric and scary – so how will this translate to the big (bigger) screen?

We’re introduced to our Mortuary Assistant – Rebecca Owens (Willa Holland) – as she’s finishing her internship under the watchful eye of River Fields mortuary owner, Raymond Delver (Paul Sparks). He praises her attention to detail as she performs an embalmment, wiring a jaw shut and draining fluids. Satisfied with her work, the formal Delver coldly outlines the basics of the job to Rebecca; she’ll work the day shifts and most importantly, she mustn’t venture down into the creepy basement.

We quickly learn that Rebecca is one year sober, and after a celebratory meeting with her sponsor Kelly (Keena Ferguson Frasier) she receives a call from Delver asking her to come into work; despite what he said about not doing night shifts, River Fields is expecting several transfers from the city morgue and he’s unable to be there. Naturally it’s a stormy night, so Rebecca’s finds herself all alone and up to her elbows in entrails as the lights flicker and strange noises are heard around the building. At this point I’d be questioning River Fields’ risk assessment and lone-working policy, however Rebecca dutifully perseveres with the tasks in hand.

As the night drags on Rebecca begins to hallucinate and hears a ringing phone, which triggers flashbacks to a time when she was 14 years old and went missing. Next thing we know, she’s woken at home by Kelly who says Rebecca asked her to come over. Suspecting her of dropping off the waggon, the pair argue and Rebecca attacks her, seemingly possessed. Cue Delver, aka Mr Exposition, with a lengthy spiel about an entity that will exploit her weaknesses and use her darkest secrets against her until she submits. To prevent the demon possessing her body she must first identify it and say its name, by looking for symbols and markers around the mortuary.

It’s at this point that any goodwill the film has built up drains away, as it lumbers from one pedestrian scene to the next. You really do get the sense that this is based on a game or some kind of escape room, but as a viewer rather than an active participant it’s just dull as dishwater – matched by a colour palette of browns, blues and grays. It’s also not helped by the fact that it’s not even remotely scary. Even Jumpy, the jumpiest jumping bean would be hard pressed to jump at the scares this film serves up. Where there should be atmosphere and suspense there’s just a vacuum.

Directed by Jeremiah Kipp (Slapface) there’s very little here to recommend The Mortuary Assistant unless perhaps you’re a die-hard fan of the game upon which the film is adapted. Willa Holland does her best with the material she’s given, but Paul Sparks is unusually stilted – given his excellent work in Boardwalk Empire and House Of Cards – maybe he’d already clocked out and was just going through the motions here? It is nice to see John Adams (from the Adams family of filmmakers) pop up as Rebecca’s father in some flashback scenes, but that was about the one thing that piqued my interest as the film limped to its conclusion.

The Mortuary Assistant is the latest Shudder original title to get a home entertainment release courtesy of Acorn Media International on both DVD and Blu-ray formats. Special features are slim on the ground, consisting solely of a Behind-the-Scenes Featurette. With fewer titles receiving physical releases nowadays we should be thankful that Acorn remain committed to making some Shudder films available to buy, but it’s a crying shame they selected this one from their roster when the likes of Influencer, Impetigore and Mother Of Flies remain streaming only.