Stay Alive (2006)

9% of critics liked it
(57 reviews)
60% of users liked it
(110,625 ratings)

A group of teens discover that the next generation of survival horror games are more realistic than they thought when they begin dying in the same manner as their pixilated counterparts in director William Brent Bell's bloody tale of video games gone bad. In the days following the mysterious death… More A group of teens discover that the next generation of survival horror games are more realistic than they thought when they begin dying in the same manner as their pixilated counterparts in director William Brent Bell's bloody tale of video games gone bad. In the days following the mysterious death of an old friend, a young group of gaming enthusiasts comes into possession of a chillingly realistic game based on the exploits of a 17th century noblewoman who earned the name "The Blood Countess" for her murderous exploits. Their curiosity piqued by the fact that they were obviously not supposed to come into possession of the grisly game, the teens soon give in to temptation and begin doing battle for high score. When the chilling events of the game begin to bleed over into the real world and the real-life deaths of the players begin to mirror the deaths of their in-game characters, the race is on to defeat the murderous Blood Countess and ensure that other curious gamers don't fall into the same deadly trap that they did. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 26 min.
Directed By: William Brent Bell
Written By: William Brent Bell
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Horror

In Theaters: Mar 24, 2006 Wide
On DVD: Sep 19, 2006
Studio: Buena Vista Pictures

Critic Reviews

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
There's a gothic backstory to all this, which makes no sense but looks pretty cool.
Gregory Kirschling, Entertainment Weekly
Videogames are no longer brainless, so why are videogame movies so slow to evolve?
John Anderson, Variety
An anemic attempt to update the horror genre's imperiled-teens-meet-bloodletting-uber-fiend substratum.
Neva Chonin, San Francisco Chronicle
It's unlikely that Stay Alive could ever have been a good movie in the traditional sense, but it might have been better if Bell and co-writer Matthew Peterman had done more to exploit their gaming premise.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Perhaps the worst horror film to not have Uwe Boll's name in the credits.
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times
The star of Stay Alive is a cutting-edge video game, but the film still has hackneyed horror at its heart.
Brian Tallerico, UGO
One of those movies that thinks loud sounds and shaky cameras account for scares, and reminding of us of truly scary gaming experiences only amplifies its weaknesses.
Ethan Alter, Film Journal International
If Stay Alive teaches us anything, it's that videogames and horror films do not mix...at least in the same movie.
Ryan Cracknell, Calgary Movies
Might find its biggest fans with the huge gamer crowd.The extras are a little thin, although the interactive menus are intriguing but ultimately pointless.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...a little needless brutality would've almost certainly elevated the proceedings, albeit temporarily...
Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures
Yeah, the plot sounds like utter nonsense, but it's fun.
Joseph Proimakis, Movies for the Masses
click to read full review [Greek]
Staci Layne Wilson, Horror.com
One thing I can say in the movie's favor is that it's so bad it's good. It's never boring - not because it's at all scary, but because you just can't believe what you're seeing.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
- Aspirante a Terror em Silent Hill (jogo e filme) que, repleto de clichês e personagens caricaturais, revela-se apenas cansativo e previsível.
Steve "Uncle Creepy" Barton, Dread Central
If you hated the theatrical version of Stay Alive, you're not going to be very impressed by what was added.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...if the filmmakers had stuck to an entirely animated feature about just the game, they'd have been better off. (Unrated Director's Cut)
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...if the filmmakers could have dispensed with the actors and plot altogether, they might have had a better movie.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
Of interest to geeks are the interactive bonus menus, but this is still one of the worst looking discs we've seen from a major video distributor in years.
Michael Szymanski, Hollywood.com
This movie has a nostalgic retro feel to it, like the old Universal horror movies that we now find very funny. But alas, where are all the drive-in theaters to show it in?

Read all 19 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Matt G

It's so bad it's good. Really entertaining. Frankie Muniz! Grade: B-
Dead A

Creepy :O
KJ P

It's enjoyable, but when your watching it, you know that it's a bad movie!
Wahida K

It is not a bad Movie but I wish the game they played in the Movie would have been made as well, it would have been fun.
Film C

this is actually a pretty good horror its not exactly a great storyline and its not terrible its actually really worth a watch esppecially if your a horror fan !
Morgan S

Im given it 4 because it accually scared me! the whole movie i was on the edge of my seat wondering when would one of those creepy people pop up again.
Dr Blood

Although the plot was just a mixture of "Brainscan" and "Ghost Game", this was still entertaining for the first half an hour or so. There wasn't very much in the way of gore though as it was obviously made to appeal to kids. Characterisation was minimal and… More
Although the plot was just a mixture of "Brainscan" and "Ghost Game", this was still entertaining for the first half an hour or so. There wasn't very much in the way of gore though as it was obviously made to appeal to kids. Characterisation was minimal and there were no real scares either but it was filmed quite well. Some of the cuts between the game and reality were clever anyway. Even though I was mostly disappointed by this as a horror film, I really want the computer game that they were playing now.
Dean !

I really liked this low budget horror. If you love playing survival horror video games like Resident Evil, you should enjoy this. People start dying after they play a video game, exactly the same way as they die in the game. Is there a link and how can they survive before they are all… More
I really liked this low budget horror. If you love playing survival horror video games like Resident Evil, you should enjoy this. People start dying after they play a video game, exactly the same way as they die in the game. Is there a link and how can they survive before they are all killed off?
Lafe F

A group of kids play a videogame which links them to a Vampire Countess, and when they die in the game, they also die in real life. It has some cool gaming sequences, where things get quite scary. I don't know how much real kids would actually get into a vampire game.… More
A group of kids play a videogame which links them to a Vampire Countess, and when they die in the game, they also die in real life. It has some cool gaming sequences, where things get quite scary. I don't know how much real kids would actually get into a vampire game. There's a nice showdown at the end. This movie wasn't too bad.
Luke B

A complex allegory for how the youth of today live their lives through video games? No. Instead a bunch of geeks we couldn't care less about are killed in rather dire ways. If you're gonna make a teen kill-fest at least make the deaths inventive. I'll admit a couple of… More
A complex allegory for how the youth of today live their lives through video games? No. Instead a bunch of geeks we couldn't care less about are killed in rather dire ways. If you're gonna make a teen kill-fest at least make the deaths inventive. I'll admit a couple of moments were creepy and overall the film is worthwhile on that level of stupidity so high you just have to laugh. Ripping off just about any horror it can think of this film certainly wont be winning any prizes. Stupid, silly and short.
Drew S

For one thing, I HATE that this movie name-drops Fatal Frame. I felt like everything I'd ever worked for as a fan of obscure games had been raped on the spot. Yeah, this movie sucks, by the way. The video game contained therein actually looks really fun, and it has more… More
For one thing, I HATE that this movie name-drops Fatal Frame. I felt like everything I'd ever worked for as a fan of obscure games had been raped on the spot. Yeah, this movie sucks, by the way. The video game contained therein actually looks really fun, and it has more atmosphere than the movie itself. Outside the virtual realm, the movie is a mess of cliches, boring death scenes and really terrible comic relief.
Dean M

Incredible scary film from a video game turning into a reality where players are killed while the game's over. How come Frankie Muniz's character has survived after his video game character were killed at the ending? You must select director's cut better than the… More
Incredible scary film from a video game turning into a reality where players are killed while the game's over. How come Frankie Muniz's character has survived after his video game character were killed at the ending? You must select director's cut better than the theatrical version.
Aaron N

Agent Cody Banks plays a video game that kills for real...dun dun Dunnnn....
Todd S

Entertaining, but predictable, lacking the expected eye candy of most horror movies.
Andreia C

it didn't scare me, but i liked the videogame part
Yinalí R

Cool movie.
Quinto W

This is not even a good premise. This is a horrible and stupid premise with a horrible and stupid execution. The only enjoyable aspect of it was Liam McPoyle, not because he's any good in here, but because he kept reminding how awesome It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is.
Lovable M

Great concept, bad movie.
Nicky M

Much better than I thought it would be.
Rose G

i have no idea what the video game is about or of there really is one but i think they made a pretty good movie out of it. i also think the acting was decent.