We all love escape rooms with themes inspired after popular movies. But have you ever wondered how many escape room movies are there?
Escape room movie plotlines might not always be as on-the-nose as a group of friends heading into a commercial escape room. But the concept of being trapped in an enclosed space with a limited time to work out how to escape it is a theme we’ve loved in cinema since the 1950s.
From horror classics like ‘Saw’ to the straightforwardly titled ‘Escape Room’, here are some of the many movies incorporating escape room elements into their narratives.
Table of Contents
- Saw (1994)
- The Belko Experiment (2016)
- The Cube (1997)
- Escape Room (2019)
- 12 Angry Men (1957)
- Exam (2009)
- Inside No. 39 – Ctrl Alt Esc (2024)
- How Many Escape Room Movies Are There? Too Many To List!
Saw (1994)
A film that was impressively shot entirely within a single room, this gripping, gory storyline follows two men who wake up chained inside a filthy industrial bathroom featuring a corpse holding a tape recorder and a gun. These tapes feature cryptic instructions set by a killer who likes to set elaborate traps as twisted punishments for those he believes wastes or undervalues life. Aside from the gruesome nature of the tasks (which by the way – is not something you’ll find in a real escape room), this was one of the first majorly successful horror films that explored themes of entrapment and escaping high-pressure situations.
The Belko Experiment (2016)
This film explores the dynamics of teamwork and morality when it comes to difficult decision-making in enclosed environments. Employees discover their isolated office building is sealed off when a mysterious voice over the intercom announces that they must kill a certain number of coworkers within a specific timeframe or face deadly consequences. The storyline is also a subtle critique of the competitive nature of corporate culture, so if you’re thinking about booking a team-bonding corporate escape room game, perhaps you’re better off not recommending this one ahead of your slot!
The Cube (1997)
Another founding figure in the escape room movie genre, The Cube is essentially a film about escape rooms before they existed. With what could be considered an early prototype of the real-life game concept opening in 2003, perhaps this film even provided some original inspiration. Six strangers wake up inside a seemingly endless maze of cubic rooms, filled with traps and puzzles. The group must use logic, math, and co-operation to navigate the puzzle-like maze and escape before thirst and hunger take over. This is a great one to watch if you’re into the spookier side of escape rooms and don’t mind amping up the fear factor before you tackle your own.
Escape Room (2019)
Considered to be the first mainstream, commercially successful explicitly escape-room-themed movie, ‘Escape Room’ puts a psychological thriller twist on an otherwise fun activity! Members of the public are selected ‘at random’ to try to be the first people to escape a brand new room and win $1,000,000. Quickly they learn that this is no ordinary game, as secrets are uncovered and smart strategies must be developed in order to survive. Watch it with a pinch of salt – it’s not a depiction of a standard escape room experience! If you love it – there’s a sequel too, ‘Escape Room: Tournament of Champions.’
12 Angry Men (1957)
Perhaps one of the earliest films exploring themes of entrapment and decision; 12 jurors are locked in a room to decide the fate of a young man on trial for murder. Tensions rise as they argue and reanalyse evidence. If you’re seeking tips as an escape room beginner, this storyline may provide some insight on what qualities are needed for effective collaborative decision-making, using the hints and clues in the room at your disposal. It also demonstrates the importance of questioning your evidence and information; both within the context of the game and beyond.
Exam (2009)
In this intense psychological drama, eight job candidates are locked in a windowless room for a final recruitment test. They’re given a simple instruction: to answer a single question without breaking any rules. Panic and paranoia set in as the clock ticks. Even though these unwitting players have 80 minutes to solve the puzzle – a whole ten minutes longer than most rooms allow, this game has no hints and much higher stakes. The good news is that our escape rooms don’t feature the same level of fear-inducing tasks, unless you’re up for a real challenge with our most difficult and most terrifying game, ‘Fractured’.
Inside No. 39 – Ctrl Alt Esc (2024)
This episode is part of a longer, cult-favourite UK TV series, featuring award-winning actors Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton. A family led by an escape-room fanatic father put their teamwork skills to the test. But all is not as it seems; the escape room is malfunctioning, the gamemaster is taking his role as ‘Doctor Death’ a little too seriously, and arguments between the team are threatening to jeopardise the experience. This easily digestible 30-minute segment features a stimulating twist that asks what it means (and what it takes) to escape the walls in your mind.
How Many Escape Room Movies Are There? Too Many To List!
So, the answer to the question of how many escape rooms are there is – many. If you’re a fan of all things escape room related, there’s no shortage of similarly themed and widely celebrated films that amp up the drama, adrenaline and story-telling, as well as escape room films centered around conventional, modern game formats. Take this list as a great starting point for a range of escape room movies that lean into both the psychological elements of entrapment, and the sometimes violent and gory consequences of the made-up settings behind these situations.
Luckily; we don’t have any saws involved in any of our games here at our Melbourne venue, but we do have the first escape room in Australia! If you’re looking for total immersion without the danger, we’ve spent plenty of time and effort curating clever plotlines you get to be the main character in.
Check out our escape rooms perfect for birthdays or even hen and buck’s parties. You can book your slot straight away, or contact our team with any questions regarding your upcoming experience.
We can’t promise you’ll beat the clock, but we can promise you’ll make it out safely!
