Netflix, available now

After firing up a lost 80s survival horror game, a young coder unleashes a hidden curse that tears reality apart, forcing her to make terrifying decisions and face deadly consequences.

Toby Meakins’ retro-themed horror, from a screenplay by Simon Allen (The Watch), inevitably works best for those with a passion for the text-based computer games of the period, and one suspects that younger viewers might wonder what the fuss was all about.

When Hal (the excellent Eddie Marsan) plays game Curs>r he unleashes evil forces, forcing life or death decisions that will affect others. The main players in the movie are Iola Evans as damaged Kayla and Asa Butterfield (Ender’s Game) as her friend Isaac. They too are sucked into the demonic game, witnessing some inventive deaths along their quest. There’s some nice touches, including Robert Englund as the voice of a premium rate phone line, and check out those vibrant green ASCII text graphics.

Verdict: A gateway horror for teens or those wishing to revisit their youth – Netflix is the ideal platform for these chills and thrills. 7/10

Nick Joy