Are you a fan of the heart-pounding, adrenaline-fueled thrill ride that is Escape Room? If you loved the suspense, the clever puzzles, and the life-or-death stakes, then you’re probably craving more movies that deliver the same exhilarating experience. Well, you’re in luck! I’ve put together a list of the 18 best movies like Escape Room that are sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.
These films all share similar themes and tones to Escape Room – strangers trapped together in a deadly game, forced to use their wits to survive as the tension ratchets up to unbearable levels. It’s a classic setup that never fails to entertain. So let’s dive in and explore some of the most gripping, mind-bending thrillers out there that Escape Room fans are sure to love.
18. The Belko Experiment (2016)
Kicking off our list is The Belko Experiment, a twisted social experiment that turns an ordinary office building into a bloody battleground. When 80 American employees are suddenly locked in their Colombian high-rise corporate office, an ominous voice comes over the intercom with a chilling ultimatum: kill 30 of your coworkers within 2 hours, or 60 will die.
Panic and paranoia quickly set in as the captive office workers grapple with the unthinkable choice before them. Alliances form and the body count rises in this gory, provocative thriller from the mind of James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy). With its claustrophobic setting and life-or-death stakes, The Belko Experiment is perfect for Escape Room fans who like their thrills bloody and merciless.
17. Exam (2009)
Next up is the British psychological thriller Exam. The premise is fiendishly simple: eight candidates vying for a prestigious job are locked in an exam room and given 80 minutes to answer one question. But there’s a catch – they can’t talk to the armed guard at the door or the exam moderator, can’t spoil their papers, and can’t leave the room. Anyone who breaks these rules is disqualified.
As the clock ticks down, the candidates wrestle with the cryptic question before them, tensions flare, and the true nature of the exam is slowly revealed. Exam is a slow-burn mystery that builds to a shattering conclusion, rewarding patient viewers. With its single-room setting and air of simmering paranoia, it’s an ideal pick for Escape Room fans who relish a good psychological puzzle.
16. Circle (2015)
Imagine waking up in a strange room with 49 other people, arranged in two concentric circles around a mysterious black dome. Every two minutes, the dome kills someone – and the group must quickly decide who dies next. That’s the chilling premise of Circle, a low-budget sci-fi thriller that’s light on answers but heavy on suspense.
As the characters plead their cases and form uneasy alliances, the film becomes a provocative study of human nature and herd mentality. Who will be sacrificed and who will be saved? The fun is in watching the social dynamics shift with each new revelation. While the ending may divide audiences, there’s no denying Circle’s nail-biting tension and ingenuity. It’s a must-watch for Escape Room fans who enjoy a good moral dilemma.
15. Fermat’s Room (2007)
Fermat’s Room is a clever Spanish thriller that combines mathematics and murder to delightfully mind-bending effect. Four mathematicians are invited to a remote house to solve a great enigma. But once inside, they find themselves trapped in a slowly shrinking room. The only way out is to solve a series of increasingly difficult mathematical puzzles using clues hidden around the room.
As the walls literally close in, old secrets come to light and the would-be puzzle solvers turn on each other. Fermat’s Room is a nifty, high-concept thriller that should appeal to Escape Room fans who appreciate a good brain teaser. With its deadly battle of wits and Agatha Christie-style mystery, it’s a fun, twisty little gem.
14. The Method (2005)
Another entry from Spain, The Method is a riveting boardroom thriller in the spirit of Exam. Seven job candidates are summoned to the headquarters of a multinational corporation for the final round of interviews. But when they arrive, they’re informed the interview will take the form of an unusual group dynamic test with hidden cameras monitoring their every move.
Ruthless head games and power plays ensue as the applicants vie to eliminate each other and secure the coveted position. The Method is a gripping psychological slow burn, using the claustrophobic office setting to steadily turn up the heat on its characters. It’s a natural fit for Escape Room fans drawn to single-location thrillers with Machiavellian mind games.
13. House of 9 (2005)
In the twisted thriller House of 9, nine strangers are abducted, drugged, and locked inside a house together. A mysterious voice informs them that they are to be killed one by one and that only the last person standing will survive. Forced to play by the madman’s rules, the captives form shaky alliances as they desperately try to outwit their captor and unmask the killer in their midst.
House of 9 makes the most of its simple setup, delivering plenty of wicked twists and turns as it builds to its bloody conclusion. The talented ensemble cast, which includes Dennis Hopper and Kelly Brook, helps elevate this nasty little B-movie. For Escape Room fans, it offers a similar thrill ride of betrayal and survival.
12. Breathing Room (2008)
Kicking things off is the low-budget indie gem Breathing Room. The premise will sound familiar: 14 strangers wake up in a sealed room with no memory of how they got there. An ominous voice informs them that they must kill each other one by one if they hope to survive. Cue the mind games and bloody eliminations!
While it may lack the polish of bigger-budget thrillers, Breathing Room delivers where it counts with nail-biting suspense and psychological intrigue. It’s a lean, mean, B-movie machine that Escape Room fans should appreciate.
11. Dread (2009)
Based on the Clive Barker short story, Dread follows a group of college students making a documentary about people’s deepest fears. But when one of the filmmakers decides to take the project to extremes, the subjects find themselves trapped in a deadly game where their worst nightmares come to life.
Dread is a vicious little psychological thriller that burrows under your skin and lays eggs. With its ghoulishly clever premise and sadistic puzzles, it feels like an Escape Room by way of Saw. Not for the faint of heart, but a twisted treat for hardened horror hounds.
10. Vile (2011)
In Vile, a group of kidnapped captives wake up in an abandoned building with tubes surgically attached to the backs of their necks. They quickly learn that the tubes are extracting a chemical from their brains that’s released when they experience pain and that they must torture each other if they want to fill a vat and secure their freedom.
Yes, it’s as nasty as it sounds. But if you can stomach the gore, Vile offers a perversely fascinating premise and some genuinely clever twists. It’s like Escape Room meets the Saw sequels – a full-throttle dive into torture porn territory.
9. Breathing Room (2017)
Not to be confused with the 2008 film of the same name, this Breathing Room is a sci-fi thriller about a woman who wakes up trapped in a small room with no memory of how she got there. As she fights to escape, she uncovers a conspiracy involving time travel, parallel universes, and her own fractured psyche.
While the plot gets a bit muddled by the end, Breathing Room deserves credit for its ambitious ideas and claustrophobic atmosphere. It’s a mind-bending little head trip that should appeal to fans of cerebral sci-fi thrillers like Cube and Coherence.
8. The Maze (2010)
In this British horror flick, a group of friends venture into a cornfield maze for a birthday party, only to find themselves stalked by a masked killer. As they desperately try to find their way out, they must also confront their own dark secrets and simmering resentments.
The Maze doesn’t reinvent the slasher wheel, but it executes its familiar tropes with style and suspense. The cornfield setting is appropriately creepy and the character dynamics add a welcome layer of psychological depth. It’s a solid pick for Escape Room fans looking for a more straightforward horror romp.
7. Elevator (2011)
Not to be outdone, the U.S. offers its own elevator thriller with the aptly titled Elevator. The setup is similar – nine strangers trapped together as temperatures rise and panic sets in. But this time, it’s a bomb scare in a Wall Street elevator, and one of the passengers is a psychopath with a deadly agenda.
Boasting a surprisingly stacked cast that includes Christopher Backus, Anita Briem, and John Getz, Elevator is a taut, sweat-soaked thriller that wrings every drop of suspense from its gimmicky premise. Escape Room fans should appreciate its pressure-cooker tension and crafty twists.
6. Escape (2012)
In this Russian sci-fi thriller, a team of volunteers agrees to be locked in an experimental prison to test a new security system. But when the system malfunctions and the doors remain sealed, they find themselves trapped in a deadly game where they must solve puzzles to survive.
With its high-concept premise and sleek visuals, Escape feels like a bigger-budget cousin to Escape Room. It’s got all the bells and whistles – elaborate traps, shocking deaths, hidden agendas – delivered with grim gusto. If you’re looking for a pumped-up puzzle thriller, Escape is your Huckleberry.
5. Are You Scared? (2006)
Six strangers agree to spend the night in an abandoned prison for a cash prize in this low-budget horror gem. But as you can probably guess, the game quickly turns deadly as they’re stalked by a masked killer and forced to unravel the dark secrets that bind them.
Are You Scared? is a scrappy, rough-around-the-edges indie that makes up for its lack of polish with gory gusto and wicked twists. It’s like Escape Room crossed with a nasty exploitation flick – perfect for fans who like their thrills cheap, dirty, and bloody.
4. Nine Dead (2010)
In Nine Dead, nine strangers are kidnapped and chained up in a room together. A masked man informs them that they will all die unless they figure out the connection they share. The catch? One of them must die every 10 minutes until they unravel the mystery. Let the finger-pointing and confessions begin!
While the setup may sound overly familiar, Nine Dead manages to keep viewers guessing with a series of clever reversals and revelations. The characters are a nicely diverse bunch and the film wisely keeps the action confined to the single room to amp up the tension. It’s a solid pick for Escape Room fans looking for a tidy, well-crafted thriller that doesn’t overstay its welcome.
3. Identity (2003)
A rainy night. A seedy motel in the middle of nowhere. Ten strangers with secrets to hide. These are the classic ingredients of Identity, a devilishly entertaining thriller with a killer twist. As the hapless guests at the motel are bumped off one by one, they must work together to unmask the murderer in their midst. But as the mysteries deepen and the bodies pile up, it becomes clear that nothing is quite what it seems.
Boasting an all-star cast that includes John Cusack, Ray Liotta, and Amanda Peet, Identity is a fiendishly clever mind-bender in the Agatha Christie tradition. The less you know going in the better, but suffice it to say the film has more than a few tricks up its sleeve. Escape Room fans looking for a pulpy mystery with style and surprises to spare will find much to enjoy here.
2. Saw (2004)
No list of deadly game thrillers would be complete without the grandaddy of them all, Saw. While the franchise descended into self-parody and torture porn in later installments, the original film remains a lean, devilishly clever thriller. The premise is elegantly simple: two men wake up chained in a dilapidated bathroom, victims of the notorious Jigsaw Killer. To survive, they must play his twisted game and make brutal sacrifices.
Saw kicked off a horror boom in the 2000s and its influence can be felt in many of the films on this list. But what sets it apart is the fiendish puzzle box plot and iconic villain. The industrial horror aesthetic and stomach-churning traps are just icing on the cake. For Escape Room fans, Saw is essential viewing – a horror classic that helped pave the way for the deadly escape room thrillers to come.
1. Cube (1997)
For my money, the greatest deadly escape room thriller of them all is Cube. Released in 1997, this ingenious Canadian sci-fi horror film was doing Escape Room-style puzzles and traps long before they were in vogue. The premise is deliciously simple: six strangers wake up trapped in a bizarre maze of cube-shaped rooms, some of which are booby trapped. To have any hope of escape, they must work together to navigate the ever-shifting labyrinth and uncover the secrets of their prison.
Shot on a single set, Cube wrings every ounce of claustrophobic tension and paranoia from its killer premise. The characters are distinct and engaging, the traps are diabolical, and the mystery is genuinely intriguing. But what really sets Cube apart is the rich vein of existential dread lurking beneath the surface. Who built the Cube and why? Are the prisoners being punished or tested? The film offers no easy answers, making the horror all the more unnerving.
With its dazzling geometric visuals, philosophical themes, and air of simmering menace, Cube isn’t just a great escape room thriller – it’s a certified cult classic. For Escape Room fans, it’s the gold standard against which all other deadly puzzle movies must be judged. Accept no substitutes.
So there you have it – the 18 best movies like Escape Room to scratch that deadly game itch. Whether you’re in the mood for gory social satire, twisty whodunits, or existential sci-fi horror, there’s something on this list for every kind of escape room thriller fan.
Did your favorite make the cut? Did I miss any must-see gems? Let me know in the comments below. And happy escaping!
