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Stay Alive
2006 86 min United States of America PG-13 16+
★4.7
Horror, Mystery, Science Fiction
Director: William Brent Bell
Trailers
Description
After the brutal death of a friend, a group of friends find themselves in possession of a video-game called "Stay Alive," a blood-curdling true story of a 17th century noblewoman known as the Blood Countess. After playing the game when they know they shouldn't, however, the friends realize that once they die in the game — they die for real!
Budget:
$9M
US Gross:
$23.09M
Worldwide:
$27.11M
Starring
Jon Foster
Actor
Samaire Armstrong
Actor
Frankie Muniz
Actor
Key opinion
Stay Alive is widely considered a derivative teen horror film that suffers from a thin, illogical screenplay and poor production values. While some viewers appreciate its unique concept of a reality-warping video game and specific atmospheric elements, most critics and audiences find the execution generic, amateurish, and unintentionally comedic.
| Originality | The premise of a lethal video game bridging the gap to reality offers an intriguing and unique hook for the horror genre. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay is consistently criticized for being thin, riddled with nonsensical gaps, and relying on tired genre tropes. | |
| Production | The visual effects and production design are widely viewed as cheap, ineffective, and overly reliant on artificial darkness that obscures detail. | |
| Acting | Opinions on the cast are sharply divided: some viewers praise the performances of Sofia Bush and Frankie Muniz, while others dismiss the acting as wooden, amateurish, and stereotyped. | |
| Emotion | The film's tone is polarizing, as some find the atmosphere and score effectively chilling while others find the narrative so absurd that it becomes unintentionally funny. |