10 horror movies and shows about twisted games for people too scared of Saw

Squid Game: The Challenge. Episode 110 of Squid Game: The Challenge. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2023
Squid Game: The Challenge. Episode 110 of Squid Game: The Challenge. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2023 /
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Horror movies and shows about twisted games can be compelling and entertaining for many viewers. They provide a form of escapism that can be both thrilling and liberating. These films and shows often portray characters in extreme life-or-death situations, causing viewers to reflect on how they might react if they were placed in similar situations. The Saw film series is considered by many to be the best set of horror films revolving around deadly games.

However, they're not necessarily everyone's cup of tea. Some people find them to be too disturbing to watch. But that doesn't mean that these people don't like these types of films as a whole. They just prefer to watch something less intense and unsettling. Are you like the people we're talking about? If so, we have a bunch of horror movies and show recommendations centering around twisted games to share with you. Check out our list below!

Squid Game (2021-)

Squid Game is Netflix's most popular non-English show of all time, and this isn't surprising at all. It has a unique premise, offering a fresh take on the survival game genre. It centers around a group of cash-strapped individuals who are invited to participate in a series of traditional Korean children's games for a chance to win a massive cash prize of 45.6 billion won. But the stakes are deadly. If contestants fail to win a game, they face an immediate and brutal elimination, meaning death. A Squid Game season 2 will be coming to Netflix in late 2024.

Alice in Borderland (2020-)

Although they are two completely different shows, if you watch Squid Game, then you must watch Alice in Borderland. Alice in Borderland is a Japanese Netflix original series centering around a group of characters who suddenly find themselves transported to a deserted and parallel version of Tokyo, known as the "Borderland." While there, they soon discover that they must participate in a series of deadly games to survive. An Alice in Borderland season 3 is currently in the works.

The Collector (2009)

The Collector follows an ex-convict named Arkin O'Brien who decides to rob his wealthy employer's house so that he can pay off a debt and protect his family. But his plan goes awry when he arrives at the house to find that another intruder has already broken in. This intruder is a masked serial killer known as "The Collector," and he has imprisoned the wealthy employer's family and rigged the house with a series of elaborate and gruesome booby traps. Arkin's mission has now shifted as he tries to survive, outwit the Collector, and save his employer's remaining family members.

The Collection (2012)

Continuing the story of the sadistic serial killer, The Collection sees Arkin being freed of captivity by a young woman named Elena, only for Elena to then be captured by the Collector and taken to his booby-trapped lair. After being recruited by group of mercenaries who work for Elena's father, Arkin is then forced to go on a rescue mission to save her. As he and the mercenaries navigate the Collector's lair to find Elena, they come across many deadly traps that they must outsmart.

Escape Room (2019)

Escape Room follows a group of six strangers who all receive mysterious puzzle boxes, each containing an invitation to participate in an escape room challenge. They arrive at the escape room facility expecting to have a fun time, but they soon find themselves trapped in a series of deadly escape rooms filled with deadly traps and puzzles. Now, the participants must use their wits to survive.

Escape Room: Tournament of Champions (2021)

Serving as a sequel to Escape Room, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions follows a group of survivors from the first film who are joined by other survivors as they find themselves thrust into a series of elaborate and deadly escape rooms once again. Together, they must use their wits to outsmart their captors and find a way to escape.

Cube (1997)

Cube revolves around a group of strangers who awaken to find themselves trapped in separate cube-shaped rooms, each booby-trapped with deadly traps. With no idea of how they got there or why they're trapped, the strangers must work together and use their combined skills if they want to find a way out.

Ready or Not (2019)

Ready or Not centers around a young bride named Grace who is forced to participate in a dark and deadly family tradition that involves a game of hide and seek with her new husband's wealthy and eccentric family. But this isn't an innocent game of hide and seek. Grace's in-laws intends to hunt her down and kill her before sunrise. As Grace tries to evade her pursuers, she begins to uncover the truth behind the family's twisted rituals.

Battle Royale (2000)

Battle Royale is set in a near-future Japan where a Japanese totalitarian government enforces a deadly competition for rebellious teenagers as an attempt to curb juvenile delinquency. A junior high school class is chosen at random and is then forced to fight to the death on a remote island until only one student remains.

Would You Rather (2013)

Would You Rather stars Brittany Snow as a young woman named Iris, who in desperate need of money to care for her terminally ill brother, agrees to participate in a deadly game of "Would You Rather" with other participants in exchange for a large sum of money. Throughout the twisted game, participants must make increasingly horrific choices, and the consequences of their decisions are dire. Each wrong choice results in severe punishment, so each participant must navigate the game carefully.

Will you be watching any of these horror movies or shows?

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