NO ESCAPE ROOM is a new horror movie on Netflix in the US and yes, the title does sound like a spoof of other horror movies. I mean, we’ve had No Escape and two movies with the title Escape Room within the past few years and now we get this.
However, it is worth noting that this Netflix addition was actually released on SyFy back in October of 2018. That alone makes it seem more original than the title indicates. Also, the title is ultimately very fitting for several reasons.
As already mentioned, the title did make me think that I shouldn’t expect too much from this movie. However, from the beginning of this movie, it was obvious that both the production quality and acting style had all the making of an entertaining horror-mystery.
To me, this one is better than Will Wernick’s Escape Room from 2017 and on par with his No Escape from 2020. It’s not as good as Adam Robitel’s Escape Room from 2019 (which has a sequel coming). Then again, I’m sure this SyFy production had nowhere near the budget that Robitel did and that also counts for something.
And yes, No Escape Room turned out to be a surprisingly good horror-mystery that keeps you guessing. Whether you’ll love or hate the ending is another thing. Along the way, you’ll keep wondering whether the contestants have been drugged (they’re served tea, to begin with) or if something supernatural is going on.
Also, it could just be a really good escape room. You won’t know for sure until the final scene – which I loved!
No Escape Room was directed by Alex Merkin. He previously directed the movie House of the Witch (2017), so he’s not new to us. However, despite both movies being produced as TV movies, this newer movie was much better in many ways. You will also notice that scenes are built up towards commercial breaks, but that’s just part of the game with TV movies.
The script was written by Jesse Mittelstadt who also wrote the script for Alex Merkin’s Across the Hall from 2009. Maybe the two of them should continue working together because it clearly works much better than other combinations. Then again, the two also did Altitude (2017) which currently holds an IMDb rating of 4.0, so I guess you can’t win them all.
Whatever either of them has done in the past, the formula used for their latest movie was certainly one that worked. I felt entertained and kept guessing until the very end. Also, the acting and the production quality were definitely at an impressive level – both for a TV movie and a film production in general. Do check out this one for a fun movie night at home.
No Escape Room (2018) is out on Netflix in the US on February 18, 2021.
