Sony Pictures has acquired the film rights to indie horror game Mouthwashing, with Karyn Kusama directing and Scott Derrickson producing. Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay will write the screenplay.
Sony Pictures is developing a feature film based on Mouthwashing, the psychological horror game created by Wrong Organ and published by Critical Reflex. Karyn Kusama, whose directing credits include Jennifer’s Body, The Invitation and Destroyer, is attached to direct.
The Hollywood Reporter reported that Sony acquired the film rights to the game. The project is being developed through Screen Gems, with Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill and Vince Cheng producing under the Crooked Highway banner. Crooked Highway has a feature-film agreement with Sony Pictures Entertainment.
A psychological horror story in deep space
Mouthwashing follows five crew members stranded aboard the space freighter Tulpar after it crash-lands on an asteroid. With supplies declining, isolation and paranoia begin to expose divisions among the crew. The game’s setting combines a confined spacecraft with surreal imagery and a story focused on the crew’s deteriorating circumstances.
Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay are writing the screenplay. The pair previously worked with Kusama on The Invitation and Destroyer, reuniting the director and writers for another psychological horror project. Derrickson is producing rather than directing the adaptation; his directing credits include Sinister and The Black Phone.
The game’s audience
Wrong Organ released Mouthwashing on PC in 2024. The game received an 88 from Metacritic and earned “overwhelmingly positive” user reviews on Steam, according to the report. It also won the Best Narrative and Players’ Choice awards at the Horror Game Awards and was named Best Hidden Gem at the New York Game Awards.
- Developer: Wrong Organ
- Publisher: Critical Reflex
- Film director: Karyn Kusama
- Screenwriters: Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay
- Producers: Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill and Vince Cheng
The game has sold nearly 1 million units on PC, while content related to it has generated 63 million views on YouTube and nearly 1 billion views on TikTok, according to the report. Those figures follow the game’s recognition at several awards events and its growth beyond its original PC release.
Sony has not announced a release date for the film. The production is currently at the development stage, with Kusama directing, Manfredi and Hay writing, and the Crooked Highway team producing for Sony’s Screen Gems.
