One of film’s masters of horror has set his sights on adapting one of 2024’s spookiest survival games into a television series. James Wan, director of modern horror classics such as the original Saw film, Insidious, and The Conjuring wants to turn driving-survival game Pacific Drive into a TV show.
That’s one hell of a team-up. Pacific Drive was my favorite survival game of this year, challenging you to make your way through a deadly anomalous exclusion zone in Washington State with only the help of a clunky old station wagon. It’s hectic and scary and oozing with atmosphere, which feels like it’s right in Wan’s horror wheelhouse. Wan has also directed mainstream action blockbusters like Furious 7, so he’s got plenty of car experience, and the Aquaman films, so he’s got… I don’t know, water experience? Let’s go with that. It rains a lot in the Pacific Northwest.
I’d say the biggest challenge for a Pacific Drive show is coming up with a main character. In the game you’re just a mute driver and your station wagon is the star of the show. There are characters who guide you through the world via radio, but it’s mostly just you and a car, and the car has far, far more personality than you do. All those blanks are gonna have to be filled in, hopefully with an interesting and well-written character.
Atmospherically, I think it’s a great choice for a series. The Pacific Northwest is a beautiful region and those thick forests and towering trees can already feel a bit unsettling in a sort of gorgeous way. The anomalies from the game varied from spooky to scary to downright terrifying, so there’s plenty to work with for a horror show. Pacific Drive also trickles a lot of lore your way while you explore, so there’s plenty to draw on from the source material.
According to Variety, Wan and Michael Clear (executive producer of recent horror show Teacup and the 2024 remake of Salem’s Lot) will executive produce the Pacific Drive series. Atomic Monster has acquired the rights to develop the show, but we don’t know when or where it will air yet: no streaming service or network partner has been announced.
