Combining the luxurious and high-octane world of gambling with the heart palpitation inducing medium of horror films seems to be a bit of an unconventional pairing. However, with many things in cinema, it always seems that the most creative ideas come from ingenuity, such as this and a deviation from the standard format.
There have been plenty of horror films that have been released over the years that have utilized the suspense of gambling to enhance their work and create something that’s truly scary and good quality. Here’s a look at some films that any gambling or casino enthusiast should watch.
Leprechaun 3
Gambling has always been associated with ideas of luck, and you can’t get luckier than the Irish; they’re famous for it, and especially their fay creatures, leprechauns. These mythical creatures are heavily associated with gambling and casino games, with many slot games, such as Rainbow riches, focusing on them and their mythology.
In the film, which is directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith, the leprechaun has been warped into a demonic figure, looking for revenge in the streets of Las Vegas. The film stars British icon Warwick Davis as the leprechaun, but apart from that, it isn’t laden with star power.
The film wasn’t a critical success, getting negatively favored by the press, but has since developed a cult following in recent years. If you don’t take it too seriously, there’s definitely fun to be had, and if you feel like you’re craving more after watching it, you can always complete the franchise and watch the original two iterations of the series.
The Haunted Casino
This film is one with a fun, yet spooky premise, being that a group of friends find themselves inheriting an abandoned and critically haunted casino on the outskirts of Las Vegas. The group quickly gets disturbed by the ghosts of mobsters who lived during the 1940s who are causing mayhem in the casino, threatening the main cast and their lives.
The film is also known as ‘Dead Man’s Hand’ in some regions, which in itself is a brilliant play on words, as that is a term that is used to describe a bad hand in a poker game. The film plays out as your classic slasher film but isn’t anything revolutionary. However, despite that, it still has its value and is definitely creepy enough to warrant a watch as part of a casino themed scary movie marathon, where you can add to the excitement by playing online casino games at Ruby Fortune casino. Check out this review to see why you should play here.
Tzameti
Tzameti is an interesting and unique horror film from Georgia, using the suspense of gambling to really add shock and dread to the film. Also known as ‘13’ in its native language, the central theme about the film is all focused on a game of Russian roulette, definitely making it a film focused on chance.
It follows a Georgian construction worker who moves to France to find work and is given an envelope that contains what he believes to be directions to a job. Instead, he finds himself in an isolated cabin where he needs to partake in the deadly game of chance in order to get out and survive.
It’s by far the most well-acclaimed film on this list, as it expertly crafts suspense and dread, putting the viewer in a state of anxiety for pretty much it’s entire runtime. The only catch is that you’ll need to be happy with subtitles, but the added need for concentration almost makes you more invested.