Controversial Antichrist film gets game

By Robert Purchese Published 22 June, 2009

Has "dead kids, nudity, graphic violence".

Lars Von Trier's controversial Antichrist movie will be turned into an equally disturbing videogame that contains "dead kids, nudity and graphical violence".

"[The movie] goes against all the conventions of how you make games and what you can do in games. Dead kids, nudity, graphic violence. It will be a very controversial game, and it’ll be a game that doesn’t really compare with anything else," game director Morten Iversen told MTV Multiplayer.

The film Antichrist, a two-hander starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg, was screened at Cannes last month. Despite consternation, the BBFC has passed the film for UK release as an 18-rated picture. Antichrist is expected to arrive later this year.

The story follows a couple who traipse into the woods to pursue some kind of psychiatric course of therapy. It doesn't go well, as the movie trailer shows.

Zentropa, Von Trier's production company, will develop the game, which is dubbed Eden - the same name as the forest cabin the couple stay at.

"I admire Lars von Trier’s work immensely, and look forward to developing this game based on his work and hopefully with his creative input. He’s an extremely creative, condescending, misogynist genius with a shipload of phobias rattling him every day, so we’re like kindred spirits," added Iversen, a former member of the IO Interactive Hitman team.

Eden's release is penned for next year. Platforms aren't mentioned, and Iversen's not sure Microsoft's keen on Eden for Project Natal.

"Of course if Microsoft is interested, they could bring us an offer. Chopping of axes and stuff like that, I’m not sure Microsoft would be extremely happy to have a nihilist game with their technology," he said.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (29) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Domovoi #1 3 years ago

    Does it also have shaky camerawork, annoying cuts, crappy lighting, and the ever pervasive air of pretentiousness that comes with a Lars von Trier film?

  • menage #2 3 years ago

    I'm all for "new" stuff. but I fail yo see a game here.

  • The-Bodybuilder #3 3 years ago

    Film looks AWEFUL.

  • Bigglesworth #4 3 years ago

    Good test of PEGI's de facto regulations, then. But will there be enough room on the box for all the symbols?

  • SleepyDeathFred #5 3 years ago

    Is it April 1st?

  • Doctor_What #6 3 years ago

    @ Domovoi: "pervasive air of pretentiousness" - PSN release is for sure then ;)

  • kangarootoo #7 3 years ago

    The trailer looked interesting, but I'm not sure how a film like this would translate into being a game. It feels like it would be a repeat of turning Fight Club into a beat-em-up (not saying this is as good as Fight Club, just saying it seems much more about the mind than anything else).

  • Hamflank #8 3 years ago

    OMG I hope it will be sick like MK9!

  • Xerx3s #9 3 years ago

    "Nature is satans church"

    Does that mean that environmentalists are satanists? I KNEW we shouldn't have trusted that scum. >:/

  • t8yman #10 3 years ago

    two hander?

    edited to add

    Two-hander is a term for a play or movie with only two main characters.

    thanks wiki
    Edited by 1 at 22/06/09 @ 11:12

  • ChrisS #11 3 years ago

    "He’s an extremely creative, condescending, misogynist genius with a shipload of phobias rattling him every day, so we’re like kindred spirits"

    Yay for misogyny, says Io! Er...is that really something you want to admit to?

  • LazyDan #12 3 years ago

    Goreshock games are generally terrible. I still maintain that Braid is the creepiest game I've played all year - monsters and blood do not the fear create.

  • brof #13 3 years ago

    quote: we’re like kindred spirits

    talking of kindred spirits. When will Icarian: Kindred Spirits be reviewed?
    Edited by 1 at 22/06/09 @ 11:44

  • AphoticCosmos #14 3 years ago

    THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU!

    Or something.

  • SirPhobos #15 3 years ago

    Antichrist is a fantastic movie (if you like LVT's movies) - it has been hugely hyped over here in Denmark (the cinema was filled with young girls strangely), but is out and out arthouse, with a budget. It isn't like the Dogme95 films, it's a beautiful polished film (a lot of the film could be freeze framed and viewed as a photographic work of art).

    How they make this into a game I don't know. Focussing on the "controversial" aspects is to miss the point completely. It may have graphic clitoris snipping and bloody ejaculations, but in my mind the interesting part is as a psychological horror, with an impending sense of overwhelming dread. And as seems to be the case with a lot of Trier's work, I wouldn't want to take the narrative as anything other than symbolic.

    Very interested to see how this pans out (Iversen has been involved in some interesting, well made, but rather populist stuff. I also know someone that worked for him on a games project that was panned - I heard it wasnt the most focussed of projects). At least Zentropa is behind this, so there might be some artistic thoughtfulness involved.

  • Freek #16 3 years ago

    How is graphic violence and nudity controversial in games or movies?? It's not 1970 anymore.

  • peak_performance #17 3 years ago

    The movie looks very interesting, too bad it doesn't play at my location as me and a few friends were thinking of seeing it. From the trailer it doesn't look like a von Trier film at all I'd say, very beautiful.

    A game based on it though? How on earth will it be good?

  • mashk #18 3 years ago

    It'd be good on the Wii. Wanking motions for the masturbationy bits, and cutting motions for the genital mutilation.

  • creepylizard #19 3 years ago

    Lars von Trier is a brilliant writerand director. This film doesn't look too impressive though..

  • The_Inquisitor #20 3 years ago

    I hope 'dead kids, nudity and graphic violence' isn't the games only selling point. God help us all if it is...

  • dominalien #21 3 years ago

    How is graphic violence and nudity controversial in games or movies?? It's not 1970 anymore.

    Precisely because this isn't the 1970s ;-)

  • anomagnus #22 3 years ago

    A woman cuts her bits off with rusty scissors in this movie.

    its not very nice.

  • superdelphinus #23 3 years ago

    isn't there a bit where basically sex and death occur at the same time? if that isn't a sign of a psychopath i don't know what is!

  • dingo75 #24 3 years ago

    I call it!

    2/10

  • AOFanboi #25 3 years ago

    I guess someone needs to prove not only the Japanese can make rape sims... :p

  • hiddenranbir #26 3 years ago

    Dead kids? Do movies even allow that?

    Will it actually have the act of being able to kill children?!

  • Daymare #27 3 years ago

    Does it also have shaky camerawork, annoying cuts, crappy lighting, and the ever pervasive air of pretentiousness that comes with a Lars von Trier film?

    Oh, how very pretentious of you.

  • SleepyDeathFred #28 3 years ago

    The developer seems to utterly miss the point of the movie, which is precisely why this shouldn't be made. Also because I can't help but feel that videogames just aren't ready for extreme torture and genital mutilation, at least, I'm not.

  • Sharks #29 3 years ago

    Sounds utterly dull