Horror Game 'Madison' Heads to the Big Screen via Story Kitchen

Story Kitchen has signed a deal with developer Bloodious Games to produce a feature film adaptation of "Madison," the psychological horror game that launched in 2022 and won best game at EVA 2022.

The Los Angeles-based production company, which specializes in game-to-screen adaptations, is targeting a theatrical release. No director, screenwriter, cast or distribution partner has been announced, and the project has no release date.

The game follows Luca Maxwell, a teenager who receives an instant camera for his 16th birthday. The camera houses a demon that forces him to continue a murderous ritual begun decades earlier by a satanist serial killer named Madison. Players solve puzzles with the camera to break the cycle.

Who is behind the film?

Story Kitchen was co-founded by Dmitri Johnson, a producer on the "Sonic the Hedgehog" movie franchise. The company's slate of game adaptations includes:

• "Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft," an animated series for Netflix
• "Life Is Strange" for Prime Video
• "Streets of Rage" at Lionsgate

Story Kitchen holds a TV first-look deal at Amazon MGM Studios and an animated film first-look deal at DreamWorks Animation. The company is repped by WME and Pryor Cashman.

What do the partners say?

"'Madison' earned its reputation one heartbeat at a time. Players don't just remember the story; they remember what it did to them," Story Kitchen co-founders Dmitri Johnson and Mike Goldberg said. "Our job is to carry that physical experience into a theater without losing what makes it Bloodious's world."

Bloodious founder Alexis Di Stefano, the game's creator and director, framed the choice of partner in similar terms. "We built 'Madison' to be felt, not just played. Story Kitchen understood from the first conversation that the camera, the house, the Maxwell family, and the terrifying entities behind it all aren't just set dressing; they're the franchise. That's who we wanted to build the next chapter with," Di Stefano said.

What does this change for the franchise?

The film deal arrives as Bloodious expands the game's universe. "The Maxwells' Curse," a new story expansion, is set to arrive in 2027, free for all "Madison" owners. A free Halloween update adds two difficulty modes: an expanded Normal Mode aimed at newcomers to horror and puzzle games, and Possession Mode, described as an "intense new challenge that pushes even the most experienced players to their limits."

Beyond its EVA 2022 honor, "Madison" took best narrative, grand winner, at the NYX Game Awards. Bloodious has also released an immersive VR version of the game.

With a film in development, a 2027 expansion on the schedule and no cast or director yet attached, "Madison" now moves from a cult horror title toward a cross-media franchise, with the camera and the Maxwell family at its center.