Over the last ten years, there has been a lot of overlap between the horror genre and the online casino industry. This may be surprising to some people, considering online casinos often favor games with cheerful names, bright colors, and upbeat background music. That said, we have also seen several casino game developers release horror-themed offerings in modern times.
Horror in the American Bingo Hall
Even though it is surprising, this intersection really makes sense. Why? Well, because the combination of horror movies and casino games is such an interesting concept. One of the most recent instances of this connection came in Fall 2021, when the horror movie Bingo Hell was released by Amazon Studios together with Blumhouse Productions and Blumhouse Television.
Like slots, bingo is one of the most popular online casino games. Today, gamblers can play 75-ball bingo, jackpot bingo, or use an online bingo scratch card to reveal hidden symbols and win prizes. In Bingo Hell, directed and co-written by Gigi Saul Guerrero of Mexico, the audience is taken back to a time when land-based bingo halls were the norm rather than online casino platforms that now offer many different variations of this game.
In this American comedy horror movie, the traditional offline bingo hall is not a place of excitement and fun. Instead, it’s a place of diabolical, supernatural happenings and grisly murders. Bingo Hell did not receive critical acclaim, the movie only has a 63% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, some critics on that website praised the horror movie’s emotional intelligence and the strong story based on social themes.
Those who enjoyed Bingo Hell are likely among the movie buffs who also appreciated the 2009 murder thriller Rampage, written and directed by German filmmaker Uwe Boll and starring Brendan Fletcher. This movie famously also features a bingo hall scene. The audience watches as a ruthless killer in full body armor eerily walks around as people play bingo, and except for a few confused looks no one there seems to notice. This hair-raising scene is interesting because it was shot in a real bingo hall with real players, not actors, and it’s said that no one knew it was a movie.
Casinos and scenes featuring games like bingo and poker have become a staple in the movie industry. Some of the most famous and award-winning movies have scenes in casinos, including Rain Man and Casino Royale. However, the release of Bingo Hell is a reminder that there is a cinematic niche where casinos and bingo halls do not always have to be a place of fun or excitement. Instead, they can also be used to portray horror, mystery, and gore.
At first glance, this niche is surprising, but once you think more about it, the overlap starts to make sense. Horror movies are known for their thrill and so are casino games. In both forms of entertainment, the viewer and the player do not know what is going to happen next, but they are interested enough to stick around to find out.
