Over the last few years, we’ve seen some pretty successful video game adaptations in the horror realm. Already in 2026, Iron Lung and The Mortuary Assistant performed well, with films such as Exit 8, Backrooms and Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil on their way. But that hasn’t always been the case. Not by a long shot.
Back in 2005, Universal Pictures released an adaptation of Doom, based on id Software’s mega-popular horror shooter franchise. Directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak (Romeo Must Die) and starring the likes of Karl Urban (Dredd), Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl) and Dwayne Johnson (The Scorpion King), the film was a total flop. It was critically gutted. And just recently, Pike spoke about how it almost sent her career to Hell, reports Gizmodo.
According to the outlet, while speaking on Elizabeth Day’s How to Fail podcast, Pike discussed her experience with the failed adaptation, saying she realized, “how utterly ill-equipped I am to be an action star.”
Continues Pike, “I was just out of my comfort zone, out of my league, my depth, and the film was an absolute bomb,” adding, “Probably one of the worst films ever made. [It] could’ve ended my career…I don’t read the reviews, but you get the sense you’re lucky to have survived that one.”
Yikes. Thankfully, it did not killer her career, as Pike has continued to appear in well-received films such as the excellent Gone Girl, Saltburn and The World’s End.
While I would argue there are plenty worse films than Doom, it’s no gem, either. What could have been a horror film for the ages missed the mark by a mile and then some. The Doom Slayer would never.
Another crack at the franchise was attempted in 2019 with Doom: Annihilation. This time directed by Tony Giglio, it was also a bit of a dud. Like Resident Evil and Silent Hill, the Doom franchise has yet to see a truly exceptional film come out of it. For RE, that may soon change with Cregger’s take. And for Doom? Well, let’s hope the continued popularity of the games convinces a studio to finally deliver an adaptation that manages to take fans straight to hell and back.
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