At first look, science fiction and horror appear to be just too distinct to work together well. However, in science fiction, the emphasis on spectacle frequently resulted in engaging films with fascinating themes and compelling atmospheres, whereas in horror, the emphasis on suspense often resulted in engaging films with intriguing concepts and absorbing atmospheres. Flicks that blend science fiction with horror are known as science fiction horror films. Aliens, crazed scientists, and/or experiments that went wrong are all common themes in these flicks. Because of the wide range of ideas and notions that may be displayed to the audience, the genre is highly diversified.
Making a good horror film takes talent. Making a fantastic sci-fi horror picture necessitates a certain level of genius. Whether it’s supporting the science behind the narrative of creating a distinct ambiance that keeps the audience interested and riveted to the screen, this mixed-genre is probably the ultimate exercise in suspension of disbelief. Today, we’ve compiled a list of 45 films that do honor the genre. If you’re running out of horror movies to watch, this list will most likely expose you to some new ones, because it’s not always the big-budget flicks that can terrify you to death.
The Thing (1982)
This one is the first movie on our list and horror connoisseurs will testify to our statement when we say that the 80s had amazing horror films. The Thing is a science fiction horror film directed by John Carpenter and written by Bill Lancaster that was released in 1982. It depicts the narrative of a group of American researchers in Antarctica who encounter the eponymous “Thing,” a parasitic extraterrestrial life-form that assimilates, and then imitates other organisms, based on the 1938 John W. Campbell Jr. novella Who Goes There? As they find that they can no longer trust each other and that any of them could be the Thing, the gang is overtaken by paranoia and conflict.
The movie, unfortunately, received heavily negative reviews. The special effects were condemned in reviews, with some criticizing their aesthetic repulsiveness, while others felt the characterization to be underdeveloped. However, when the film was released on home video and television, it was well-received. It has now been re-evaluated as one of the best science fiction and horror films ever made, and it has developed a cult following. It has influenced filmmakers’ work, and it has been mentioned in various media such as television and video games.
The Mist (2007)
The Mist is a science-fiction horror film from the United States that was released in 2007. It is based on Stephen King’s 1980 novella “The Mist.” Frank Darabont co-wrote and directed the film. Since the 1980s, Darabont had been interested in adapting “The Mist” for the big screen. Despite being a monster film, the core theme examines what ordinary people are inspired to accomplish when confronted with exceptional situations. The plot centers around residents of Bridgton, Maine, who gather in a store to stock up on groceries after a severe rainstorm knocked out electricity the night before. As the survivor’s fight to stay alive, an odd mist descends upon the town, concealing terrible, Lovecraftian monsters as high tensions build among the survivors.
The Mist contains creepy, slimy, strange creatures shrouded by the amorphous. People turn on one other rather than protecting themselves from the Unknown, as massive tentacles tied to impossible giants emerge from a vaporous cloud, stretching out from their foggy nightmare into reality. Darabont demonstrates himself to be a fearsome horror director who understands that his story is driven by humanity, not monsters. However, the creature design in this film is also pretty remarkable making this one an absolute must-watch for horror lovers.
Alien (1979)
Ridley Scott’s terrifying and claustrophobic journey into space with the crew of the Nostromo is the scariest film in the Alien saga. It follows the crew of the commercial space tug Nostromo as they confront the eponymous Alien, a hostile and lethal extraterrestrial released loose on the ship, based on a screenplay by O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett. Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, and YaphetKotto are among the cast members. Gordon Carroll, David Giler, and Walter Hill produced this film through their business Brandywine Productions, and 20th Century Fox released it. This movie was the beginning of a massive Alien franchise and is regarded as one of the fathers of the space survival horror genre and continues to be a revered masterpiece.
With grand frames of industrial machinery drifting through space, debris-swept planetoids, and a damaged alien ship, Scott’s artistry elevates the material, which is juxtaposed by a close-quarters spacecraft environment and empty passageways packed with claustrophobic terror. Scott’s deliberate pacing prolongs our fear of the Unknown by delaying the alien’s arrival for as long as possible and when the monster is revealed it is only with hints that defy precise description. The alien’s mysterious manifestations thus secure the alien an eternal place in our nightmares.
The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)
The Cloverfield Paradox is a science fiction horror film directed by Julius Onah and written by Oren Uziel, based on a scenario by Uziel and Doug Jung, and produced by J. J. Abrams’s Bad Robot Productions. Following Cloverfield (2008) and 10 Cloverfield Lane, this is the third installment in the Cloverfield saga (2016).
Daniel Brühl, Elizabeth Debicki, Aksel Hennie, GuguMbatha-Raw, Chris O’Dowd, John Ortiz, David Oyelowo, and Zhang Ziyi star in the film, which follows an international group of astronauts who are all aboard a space station. They must find a way to return home after using a particle accelerator to try to solve Earth’s energy crisis. The particle accelerator catastrophe was seen by Abrams as a dramatic way for future events to affect changes in the past, tying the Cloverfield franchise together narratively.
The PR surrounding this movie was great as it was officially announced during the Super Bowl but unfortunately, this one doesn’t live up to its predecessors and thus doesn’t deliver much in terms of a cohesive and interesting storyline. The visuals however are quite nice thus if you have watched the previous two movies, watch this one to round off the trilogy.
Predator (1987)
Director John McTiernan’s second ’80s masterwork, Predator, was released a year before Die Hard. Taking a page from Aliens, the sci-fi horror action film sends a team of elite commandos led by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch into an inhospitable jungle to fight an invisible alien predator. Despite the soldiers’ considerable firepower and training, the titular danger that converts their spines and skulls into trophies is insurmountable.
After a needless exhibition of gun pornography in the first act, the actual action and thrills begin as the Predator hunts down and executes each member of Dutch’s unit before facing Arnold in a final fight. While the scares and gore aren’t subtle, McT excels at delivering them in a gripping and effective manner as Predator builds to one of cinema’s greatest showdowns.
The alien’s ultimate design used classic science-fiction notions as to their reference such as H.G. Welles’ use of technology in War of the Worlds, inverting the roles of individuals who were accustomed to being the most advanced predators in their ecosystem. Predator is a better science-fiction movie than it’s given credit for, and it has some seriously undervalued creeping horror amongst the bloodier parts while being drenched with machismo action. This is a definite must-watch for anyone who is exploring the genre.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2hBYGwKh3I
Life (2017)
Life is a 2017 American science fiction horror film directed by Daniel Espinosa and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, and Ryan Reynolds. It was written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick and produced by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. The video follows a six-member International Space Station team as they discover the first signs of life on Mars. It got mixed reviews at its initial release, with some praising the acting, aesthetics, and writing while others criticizing it for its lack of originality.
The film is nearly entirely set in a claustrophobic, labyrinthine space station; in one early sequence, director Espinosa and cinematographer Seamus McGarveysaid they have a lot of fun “floating” the camera alongside the space station workers. “Life” isn’t just about making a significant discovery that could shed light on the “nature, origin, and perhaps even meaning” of life; it’s also about the biological imperative for survival, and how even the most intelligent humans will disregard their training in order to save their own lives and the lives of those they care about. While the characters aren’t the best-written ones in the genre, they are enough to add to the visuals and the dread of the film in general making it a solid movie to watch.
Cold Skin (2017)
Cold Skin is a French-Spanish science fiction horror film directed by Xavier Gens. It is based on Albert Sánchez Piol’s widely translated 2002 novel of the same name. On October 20, 2017, the film was released in Spain. The picture was released in the United States by Samuel Goldwyn Films. Xavier Gens, the filmmaker of “The Divide,” returns with a gory but surprisingly philosophical creature feature about a man on a monster-infested island. In the film, a young man lands up on a secluded island to seek a job as a weather watcher, only to find himself defending the watchtower from dangerous animals that lurk on the island’s beaches.
Each night, two men in a remote setting beat off an army of amphibious assailants in this well-looking and well-crafted, if familiar, piece of creature-siege horror. Even the creatures themselves have a resemblance to the pale-white, slimy humanoid predators from the film “Descent.” The film’s primary setting of an island lighthouse over a century ago adds to the film’s unique mood. Daniel Aranyo’s very gorgeous widescreen lensing has a lush, slightly storybook aspect to it, aided by clever design contributions including first-rate CGI. Despite the fact that the exteriors were shot on the Canary Islands, they successfully convey an arctic extreme.
Annihilation (2018)
Writer-director Alex Garland’s unsettling adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer’s best-selling novel is both terrifying and captivating. Garland’s interpretation of the material is a frank and disturbing examination of how destruction and creation are both vital parts of life, that both are core elements of existence’s dreadful privilege and magnificent instability. When Natalie Portman and her all-female team of scientists travel to Area X, a territory off the coast of the United States, they find all of the above to be true.
In search of redemption and her estranged spouse, Portman leads her crew into this perilous landscape. Her quest takes her to a place where she is pelted with shrapnel from watching the laws of physics and genetics crumble and unveil the next stage of evolution, which threatens to infect the world as a cancerous tumor does to the body.
Annihilation is a must-watch; it is psychedelic and is further anchored by Portman’s powerful and emotional lead performance as she fights to make sense of the film’s fundamental issues of identity, which she is confronted with both physically and poetically. However, the film’s sci-fi aspects aren’t just surface-level, and the plot addresses self-destruction and metamorphosis in both human relationships and organic life itself.
Event Horizon (1997)
Event Horizon isn’t a brilliant or remarkable work of cinema, but it is a creepy and disturbing space horror-thriller. It’s a spin-off of the haunted home genre, with a lost spaceship serving as the focal point for all the weird stuff that happens at night. When the Event Horizon, a lost spacecraft, emerges, the rescue crew discovers that it was destroyed by a rip in the spacetime continuum, allowing a horrific thing from another dimension to take control. For an unforgettably horrific trip, supernatural terror and theoretical physics collide.
This spaceship, dubbed the Event Horizon, has recently returned from a voyage to Hell, bringing with it some particularly hellish and hedonistic adventures. Event Horizon overcomes its flaws just enough to provide a horrifying experience among the stars that audiences have never seen before, thanks to its amazing production design and practical model work, as well as the terrifying fundamental notion of “The Shining in space.”
Event Horizon has gone on to become a cult classic adored by sci-fi and horror enthusiasts alike, despite being panned by critics and failing at the box office. This phenomenon of re-evaluating films post-release has given a platform and new appreciation to many movies in this genre and Event Horizon has benefitted from it.
Prometheus (2012)
Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green, and Charlize Theron star in Ridley Scott’s 2012 science fiction horror film Prometheus, which was written by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof and directed by Scott. It takes place in the late twenty-first century and follows the crew of the starship Prometheus as they follow a star map found amid the artifacts of various ancient Earth cultures. The group arrives on a faraway world in search of humanity’s origins and discovers a peril that threatens to exterminate humanity.
What amounts to a prequel story to Ridley Scott’s renowned sci-fi horror picture Alien digs further into the issues explored in the director’s other famed sci-fi film, Blade Runner. More directly philosophical or religious notions, such as the relationship between creator and created, as well as humanity’s incessant search for answers and meaning, are incorporated into Prometheus.
The picture contains plenty of scary alien designs and body horror, but the ultimate terror comes from the film’s genuine monster, David, the murderously Machiavellian robot butler. The simmering wickedness behind Michael Fassbender’s sophisticated mannerisms transforms the character into a true horror movie villain in the mold of Universal’s legendary monsters, such as Frankenstein and Frankenstein’s monster combined.
The Invisible Man (2020)
The Invisible Man is the only horror film released in 2020 that deserved an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. The terrifying and timely update of the H.G. Wells classic by writer-director Leigh Whannel stars Elisabeth Moss as Cecilia Kass, an aspiring Bay Area architect who is gaslit into being a hostage in her own home by her abusive tech-mogul boyfriend, played by Oliver Jackson-Cohen from The Haunting of Hill House.
Cecilia is soon tormented and hunted by an invisible figure after she pulls off a Sleeping With the Enemy and escapes his violent grip and the stone walls of his post-modern home. This causes Cecilia to go on the attack and reclaim what she has lost before her ex takes any more.
Invisible Man carves out a particularly spooky niche of psychological horror, full of jump scares and calm, introspective moments of character connections that few horror films consider, let alone depict. In a set-piece where her would-be invisible attacker attacks her in a restricted kitchen, Moss gives an outstanding performance, putting her all to the physical terror. Cecilia’s ultimate encounter with her abuser is all the more cathartic and deserved since she ensures that audiences understand and sympathize with her character’s mounting sense of desperation.
War of the Worlds (2005)
War of the Worlds is a 2005 American science fiction action film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Josh Friedman and David Koepp, based on H. G. Wells’ 1898 novel of the same name. It was co-produced by Amblin Entertainment and Cruise/Wagner Productions and released by Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures.
It stars Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Justin Chatwin, Miranda Otto, and Tim Robbins, with Morgan Freeman providing narration. When extraterrestrials invade the Earth and wreck cities with huge war machines, an American dock worker is compelled to look after his children, from whom he lives apart, while he strives to protect them and reconnect them with their mother.
While it may not rank among Steven Spielberg’s top three or four films, his remake of 1953 original has its own identity, and with good tension throughout all three acts, it’s unquestionably a feature film that delivers time and time again, particularly in terms of sound. Spielberg grabs the imagination with a dark menace rarely seen in his cinematic approach, yet the narrative sticks to a simple formula, which in many ways explains its success and continuing appeal.
What’s fantastic about ‘War of the Worlds’ is that you can watch it without having seen the original and gain nothing in terms of understanding its apocalyptic scope.
Under The Skin (2013)
Under the Skin is a science fiction film directed by Jonathan Glazer and written by Glazer and Walter Campbell, based on the Michel Faber novel of the same name from 2000. Scarlett Johansson plays an unearthly woman in Scotland who preys on men. On August 29, 2013, the film had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival.
It was released on 14 March 2014 in the United Kingdom, 4 April 2014 in North America, 23 July 2014 in Switzerland, and 10 August 2014 globally. Glazer worked on Under the Skin for almost a decade, watered it down from an extravagant, special effects-heavy concept to a sparse story centered on an alien perspective of the human world with co-screenwriter Walter Campbell. Many sequences were filmed with concealed cameras, and the majority of the cast was recruited from applicants with no prior acting experience.
In this arthouse sci-fi thriller, Scarlett Johansson plays a gorgeous lady who is used by an alien to lure men into a fatal trap. The film has a fascinating atmosphere and was shot in a style that is almost documentary-like. The story focuses much more on subdued themes of identity and sexuality, but the minimalistic sci-fi designs still pack a big punch. With a high degree of realism in most of the scenes, there’s little of the fanfare that usually accompanies such high-concept ideas.
Attack The Block (2011)
Attack the Block, directed by Joe Cornish, brings the alien invasion genre to the streets of South London, complete with all the scares you’d expect from a classic monster movie. When a swarm of black, furry, neon-fanged aliens attacks the city, an inexperienced nurse is forced to link up with the gang of young gangsters who attacked her in order to make it through the night. Attack the Block flopped at the box office, but because to positive reviews and word of mouth, it gained a devoted following on home video. Cornish created an instant cult classic that is a tonal blend of Alien and Tremors, a film that helped launch John Boyega’s career as Moses, an unlikely hero who quips and cuts his way through the invasion.
With then-newcomer John Boyega stealing the show in his breakout lead role, the current cult classic blends comedy, horror, and sci-fi action to dizzying effect. If you haven’t watched this one yet, we recommend you give it a go!
Brightburn (2019)
Brightburn is a 2019 American supervillain horror film directed by David Yarovesky and produced by James Gunn and Kenneth Huang. It was written by Mark Gunn and Brian Gunn and directed by David Yarovesky. Brandon Breyer is a young kid of extraterrestrial origin who is raised on Earth and discovers he has abilities that are beyond ordinary.
The cast of this film includes Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, Jackson A. Dunn, Matt Jones, and Meredith Hagner. Brandon rejects his humanity and turns into something evil after learning of them and discovering the ship he had arrived on. He chooses to terrorize his hometown, including his parents. Screen Gems, Stage 6 Films, The H Collective, and Troll Court Entertainment produced and financed the film.
The movie turns the Superman story on its head, starting with a nearly identical premise before heading in a much darker direction. Tori and Kyle are trying to conceive in the small village of Brightburn, and when a meteor falls from the sky with a baby inside, they believe their luck has changed. However, when their adopted son Brandon grows older, they realize something is seriously wrong with their child. The film’s nefarious, toxic reversal of a trope we’ve all seen too many times proves to be a much-needed fresh perspective. The film does very well in exploring new avenues and gives us some stunning visuals along with gory deaths and violence that will keep you hooked as the plot unravels at a pretty quick pace.
Color Out of Space (2020)
Richard Stanley directed and co-wrote ColorOut of Space, a 2019 American science fiction Lovecraftian horror film inspired by H. P. Lovecraft’s short story “The Colour Out of Space.” Nicolas Cage, Joely Richardson, Elliot Knight, Madeleine Arthur, Q’oriankaKilcher, and Tommy Chong are among the cast members. This is Stanley’s first feature picture after being fired from Dr. Moreau’s Island (1996). Stanley claims that this is the first in a trilogy of Lovecraft adaptations, which he plans to follow with “The Dunwich Horror.”
Richard Stanley’s ColorOut of Space is a love letter to Lovecraftian horror and 1950s drive-in sci-fi. Color is based on Lovecraft’s short story and stars Nicolas Cage as Nathan Gardner, a father who joins his family in a war against a mutant monster from space when a meteor crashes down on their farm’s front yard in 1996’s iconic bomb, The Island of Dr. Moreau.
As the alien invaders find new and visually beautiful methods to infect and alter the bodies and minds of their human preys, Cage provides a fascinating, though gonzo, performance. As far as comebacks go, Stanley’s performance here is unrivaled. colorful of Space strives to deliver a unique sci-fi experience that, love it or hate it, never disappoints in the scares department and always searches for new ways to bring Lovecraft’s signature cosmic horror to life with technicolor visuals unlike any genre fans have seen before.
9 (2019)
Jenuse Mohamed wrote and directed 9 (or Nine), a 2019 Indian Malayalam-language science fiction horror film. Sony Pictures Releasing distributed the film, which was co-produced by Prithviraj Productions and SPE Films India (Sony Pictures India).
In addition to Prithviraj Sukumaran, the film stars stalwarts like Prakash Raj, Mamta Mohandas, WamiqaGabbi, and Master Alok. The film marks Sony Pictures’ first regional Indian film production and distribution, as well as Prithviraj Productions’ debut. Nine embarks on an enthralling and thrilling journey. Over the course of nine days, a comet will pass past the planet Earth. The earth will be completely black for nine days, with no energy or contemporary electronics. How will humanity cope in the event of a total blackout?
On the surface, Nine appears to be a sci-fi film, yet its frames have the texture of a psychological/horror thriller, giving it ample goosebumps. This is ultimately what works in the story, with the horror components being genuinely creepy. When the sci-fi gives way to terrifying horror, the movie really kicks up. Upon release, the movie got rave reviews and we definitely back these reviews because this one will draw you in and keep you hooked for the full duration of the movie.
Scanners (1981)
Scanners, directed by David Cronenberg, is firmly entrenched in the Cult Movie Hall of Fame, thanks in large part to a famous sequence featuring an exploding head early in the film. Scanners is a stripped-back sci-fi thriller about a man with telekinesis and psychokinesis who is forced to seek out others with similar abilities.
His hunt takes him and the spectator on a dark and unpleasant journey through the intersection of government bureaucracy and supernatural science, where people with the power to weaponize thoughts are enslaved by those who only see them as dangers. Despite its low-budget trappings, Scanners manages to cram a lot of complex conceptual ideas in between all the gore and unnerving moments.
Scanners are best known for the iconic scene in which a man’s head is blown up by a telepath, but that’s only the beginning; the film has so much more to offer in terms of not only its outstanding practical effects but also Michael Ironside’s performance as DaryllRevok, an all-time great movie villain. The tale of an evil organization targeting mind-readers and one roguish mind-reader fighting back is one of the most engrossing tales in the history of sci-fi/horror combinations and crossovers. The eighties really ruled the scene when it came to horror movies and special effects.
The Faculty (1998)
The Faculty is a science fiction horror film directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Kevin Williamson that was released in 1998. In this movie, students of a high school have to contend with a parasite that threatens to take over their entire town and then, the rest of humanity. They realize that their entire faculty has been taken over by these alien parasites and thus have to come up with a way to protect everyone.
The film has received appreciation for its portrayal of adolescent alienation, particularly in the context of high school and its system of cliques and social roles. The alien invasion via parasitized bodies, in particular, has been identified as a metaphor for those themes, reflecting the fear of losing one’s budding individuality to a herd.
The alien queen embodies this by promising the heroes a future free of alienation and differences, where everything both lovely and dreadful about being a teenager is done away in favor of blind fealty. This film is cheesy, sometimes nauseating, and displays quick-witted fun. All of the teenagers give strong, pleasant performances, with Duvall and Hartnett standing out. The CGI and monster design is also amazing ad brings up the aquatic tentacled monster trope that horror fans know and love.
Mimic (1997)
Mimic is a 1997 American science fiction horror film directed by Guillermo del Toro, written by del Toro and Matthew Robbins, and based on Donald A. Wollheim’s short story of the same name. Dr. Susan Tyler, an entomologist, has genetically engineered an insect to kill cockroaches carrying a terrible disease three years prior to the events of the film.
The insects are now on a mission to exterminate mankind, their only predator. Del Toro is a director with a true visual sensibility, being able to draw us into his story and evoke the mood through the look and texture of his pictures. He provides the conventional ingredients in such a way that “Mimic” makes the familiar look new, fresh, and terrifying. Mimic is a masterclass in mixing science fiction with horror.
Three years after scientists created a murderous insect to eradicate cockroaches that were spreading a fatal virus throughout New York, the insect comes back to face its greatest foe: humanity. Del Toro constructed a horror film with plenty of horrors and a powerful hidden message about genetic engineering, with a brilliant cast led by Mira Sorvino and Josh Brolin.
Del Toro’s ability to harness gloom and add suspense into familiar scenes is apparent. Del Toro adorns his gloomy sewer settings with dripping walls, collapsing tunnel porticos, and enough atmospheric tension to give any spectator the willies, working with David Cronenberg’s longstanding production designer Carol Spier. When you add in Rob Bottin’s K-Y smeared physical makeup effects, the production changes into something worth savoring simply for the intricacies.
Pandorum (2009)
Pandorum is a 2009 British-German science fiction horror film that incorporates Lovecraftian horror and survival adventure elements. Christian Alvart directed the picture, which was produced by Robert Kulzer, Jeremy Bolt, and Paul W. S. Anderson under their Impact Pictures label. The script was written by Travis Milloy based on a story by Milloy and Alvart. Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster feature in the film.
Two crew members of a starship awaken from hypersleep to find that all of their colleagues had vanished. Despite this, they do not appear to be alone. The stunning, lethal mysteries of the spacecraft are slowly disclosed, and the astronauts discover that their own survival is more vital than they could have imagined.
Pandorum is a sci-fi horror action thriller that is a cross between Event Horizon and Resident Evil, with a dash of The Descent thrown in good measure. The film is as slick and, most importantly, entertaining as a lot of the output from this rather secular cinematic sub-genre. Every scene in Pandorum is soaked in ominous anxiety and claustrophobic dread, and the atmosphere is spot-on. The film is also visually appealing, with a post-Matrix Manga tribute aesthetic. The final reveal comes as a shock to the viewer and makes up for all the messy parts of the movie
Videodrome (1983)
David Cronenberg wrote and directed Videodrome, a 1983 Canadian science fiction body horror film starring James Woods, Sonja Smits, and Debbie Harry. It follows the CEO of a small UHF television station who discovers a broadcast signal involving brutality and torture in Toronto in the early 1980s.
As he discovers the source of the signal, he loses touch with reality in a sequence of progressively weird hallucinations, revealing levels of deception and mind-control conspiracies. The film is now regarded as one of Cronenberg’s best, as well as a notable example of the body horror and science fiction horror genres. Cronenberg’s evil invader is a television show that seduces and controls its viewers, and Videodrome is a throbbing science fiction nightmare about a future where video can control and transform human life.
While not all of David Cronenberg’s films are masterpieces, this one is, beyond a doubt. Even by today’s standards, the special effects are unsettling. The story and performances are also rather good. Videodrome achieved its status as a cult classic because of excellent actor performances, stunning practical effects, an innovative and engaging tale, and a satisfying conclusion. Above all, the film sends a strong message about mass media’s perversity, its risks to the human mind, and how it is utilized to control the masses.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a 1978 American science-fiction horror film directed by Philip Kaufman and starring Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Veronica Cartwright, Jeff Goldblum, and Leonard Nimoy. It is a remake of the 1956 film of the same name, which is based on Jack Finney’s 1955 novel The Body Snatchers. It was released on December 22, 1978. A San Francisco health inspector and his colleague discover that humans are being replaced with alien replicas over the period of a few days; each is a perfect copy of the person replaced, but lacking human emotion.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers, written and directed by Phillip Kaufman, is the best of the various remakes and adaptations of Jack Finney’s classic sci-fi novel The Body Snatchers. Kaufman’s slow-moving version stars Donald Sutherland as a guy trying to defend his friends and himself from aliens in San Francisco who want to take over the human species and turn Earth into their new homeworld. Sutherland’s and the rest of the cast’s outstanding performances, which include Leonard Nimoy and Veronica Cartwright, are bolstered by remarkable practical effects that still hold up and frighten. The last shot remains iconic to this day.
Cube (1997)
Vincenzo Natali directed and co-wrote Cube, a 1997 Canadian indie science fiction horror film. Nicole de Boer, Nicky Guadagni, David Hewlett, Andrew Miller, Julian Richings, Wayne Robson, and Maurice Dean Wint star as individuals trapped in a weird and deadly maze of cube-shaped rooms in this film from the Canadian Film Centre’s First Feature Project.
For its strange ambiance, Kafkaesque setting, and the notion of industrial, cube-shaped quarters, Cube has earned a revered status and a cult following. The film was well-received and generated a television series. Lionsgate is working on an American remake, which is currently on hold.
Cube is mostly carried forward by its dialogues and deconstruction of various mindsets and personality types throughout society, despite the fact that it looks to be a body horror film focused on characters being horrifically slain by sadistic traps in a highly engineered maze. The movie’s characters all wake up inside a massive building made out of interconnecting hollow metal cubes with no idea as to how or why they got in there.
As they try to figure out what’s going on and how to get out, their arguments cover a wide range of topics, including purpose, morality, and the psychology of authoritarianism. It is highly entertaining and keeps viewers on the edge of their seats.
Underwater (2020)
Underwater is a science fiction action horror film directed by William Eubank that was released in 2020. Kristen Stewart, Vincent Cassel, Jessica Henwick, John Gallagher Jr., MamoudouAthie, and T.J. Miller are among the cast members. After an earthquake damaged the facility, a group of workers on a drilling facility at the bottom of the ocean discover aggressive animals.
The antagonists of the film are Cthulhu and the Deep Ones, who are partly based on the Cthulhu Mythos. This is a creature feature, and you are in for a treat if you’ve come to see the grisly jump scares and icktastic critter design. With such a densely packed survival plot ahead of them, an ensemble led by Kristen Stewart delivers real companionship to the scenario without quite matching the vibrant chemistry of Alien.
“Underwater” is the type of straightforward B-movie with an A-list cast that Hollywood used to produce more frequently. It’s lean and means a film that slams you into the action right away and doesn’t let you up until the credits roll. The images have an artistic quality to them, and the sound design is intriguing. The movie is loaded with flashing lights from broken or breaking equipment, as well as the sound of metal creaking underwater pressure. It’s all essential in order to heighten the suspense. For the first half of the film, the action happens nearly in real-time, and the immediacy of the filmmaking gives it power
The Fly (1986)
With his sci-fi body horror masterpiece The Fly, filmmaker David Cronenberg surpasses the 1959 Vincent Price original. On a structural level, this 1986 version is flawless. It follows Seth Brundle’s tragic and horrific transformation from a brilliant scientist to a man-sized insect after his teleportation experiment goes bad.
As Veronica, Geena Davis gives one of her greatest performances, battling to preserve herself and save Brundle from the relentless metamorphosis that threatens to undo them both. The emotional weight she provides to their moments together, combined with the still-impressive and extremely gory practical makeup effects, elevates the subject in ways that make it one of Cronenberg’s or in fact the genre’s best films. The film weaves sci-fi with body horror to make it a film that is still raved about almost 40 years later.
The Fly is, in the end, a tragedy. Although the film was partially based on a 1957 short tale by George Langelaan, its warnings about the perils of playing God can be traced back to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. With regards to the cast, Jeff Goldblum’s performance is intriguing and his character is what ties the film together as he portrays it beautifully. To add to that, the makeup effects by Chris Walas and Stephan Dupuis are deliciously repulsive.
Pitch Black (2000)
Pitch Black’s elevator pitch is “Alien on a desert world,” and the film more than delivers on that premise. Blind convict-turned-anti-hero Riddick and the survivors of a crashed spaceship must survive the local alien species that emerge from hibernation during a rare eclipse, as voiced by a pre-Fast & Furious Vin Diesel.
The flesh-eating aliens use bat-like sonar to hunt at night, and because of his extraordinary vision improvements, Riddick is the only one who can see them. Pitch Black, directed by David Twohy, follows a space crew stuck on a planet where vicious beasts emerge at night and a month-long eclipse is about to occur. With few weapons and light sources, the crew must rely on Diesel’s character that is a violent outlaw, Richard B. Riddick, and his enhanced eyes, which enable him to see in the dark, creating a clever survival horror predicament that generated a cult sci-fi antihero.
The low-budget horror film from writer-director David Twohy is a slow-burning, fat-free spookfest with some of the best sci-fi world-building and creature designs since Alien. It’s not easy to put a fresh take on an Alien-like notion that efficiently provides thrills and suspense, as countless imitators will testify. Pitch Black not only pulls it off, especially with the climax’s shocking twist, but it does so in such a way that the film is as entertaining now as it was 21 years ago.
The Hidden (1987)
The Hidden is a science fiction horror film directed by Jack Sholder and written by Jim Kouf, which was released by New Line Cinema in 1987. Kyle MacLachlan and Michael Nouri feature in the film.
The Hidden is a tight-wound thriller directed by Jack Sholder about FBI Special Agent Lloyd Gallagher, who is compelled to partner up with a Los Angeles cop to track down a very odd “criminal”: an extraterrestrial slug that takes over its human hosts and changes their habits. The Hidden is “The Thing meets The Fugitive,” and it’s just as terrifying as the former and just as gripping as the latter.
THE HIDDEN is a hugely entertaining, sparsely dulling, wildly fun time at the movies, deftly blending intense shoot-em-up action, creepy body horror, extraterrestrial sci-fi, dryly dark comedy with a riff on the odd-couple-buddy-cop template that was made extremely popular with LETHAL WEAPON the same year mind you. The practical effects are also terrifying and disgusting at the same time. One particular scene where the alien slug is born from a wide birth canal mouth is truly horrifying. The stop motion work in this film is incredible and the suspense is maintained masterfully. This movie is a cult classic for a reason.
Hollow Man (2000)
Hollow Man is a science fiction horror film directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring Elisabeth Shue, Kevin Bacon, Josh Brolin, Kim Dickens, Greg Grunberg, Joey Slotnick, Mary Randle, and William Devane. It was written by Andrew W. Marlowe and released in 2000. It’s about a scientist who agrees to be the first human test subject for a serum that makes the user invisible. When his colleagues are unable to bring him back to normal, he becomes a dangerously insane megalomaniac and embarks on a deadly spree. In 2001, the film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects but lost to Gladiator.
Hollow Man is a roller coaster, baby. It isn’t as terrifying as the trailers suggest, but we are damned if we say that it isn’t one of the most fun horror films I personally have watched in a long time. In terms of spectacular effects, this picture boasts a few of the most stunning sequences we’ve ever seen on screen. The acting and script are both lacking, and the film is mostly driven by violence, gore, and jumpscares. The director is unafraid of gore, violence, sex, or anything else. He just leaps right in, which is a saving grace, making this film quite entertaining.
Timecrimes (2007)
Nacho Vigalondo wrote, directed, and starred in Timecrimes, a 2007 Spanish science-fiction thriller film. KarraElejalde plays Héctor, a man who accidentally becomes trapped in a causal cycle and must stop his other selves from existing. In September 2007, the film premiered at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas.
It’s an excellent illustration of how awesome a low-budget indie sci-fi can be. This film has only one large set, which is the time machine, and nothing else, and it makes excellent use of its forest backdrop and scary bandaged appearance. It contains some powerful horror themes, but it is primarily a fantastic thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat virtually from beginning to end.
Timecrimes is thrilling, but it also contains a fantastic time travel storyline, making it the perfect time travel film that American filmmakers should take note of. It’s admirable because the picture is fuelled by a magnificent, unmatched level of attention to detail, and I personally believe it made no errors. This is a difficult notion to carry through, but its meticulous and well-thought-out execution makes all the difference. It’s the kind of film you should pay close attention to and not take your gaze away from for even a second, or you’ll miss a crucial element or two. Subtitles open you up to a whole new world of cinema, definitely give this one a try.
Bird Box (2018)
Bird Box is a 2018 American post-apocalyptic horror-thriller film directed by Susanne Bier, based on Josh Malerman’s 2014 novel of the same name. It was written by Eric Heisserer and directed by Susanne Bier. The film follows Sandra Bullock’s character Malorie Hayes as she struggles to safeguard herself and her two children from entities that drive individuals who look at them to commit suicide.
Susanne Bier’s Netflix thriller, starring Sandra Bullock, is reminiscent of M Night Shyamalan’s The Happening and John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place. Bird Box was written by Eric Heisserer, the Oscar-nominated writer of Arrival, who offers it a unique structure and, as the opening scene makes plainly obvious, also finds innovative means of imparting essential exposition regarding the apocalypse’s beginnings.
It’s a clever approach to add drama to the proceedings, and ground the high-concept science-fiction notion in genuine human feeling, by keeping half-a-dozen opposing personalities – perhaps a hint to the title – inside a closed setting, amid such a high-pressure circumstance. It’s not the post-apocalyptic thriller you would have anticipated, but rather a survival drama and a locked-room mystery. The suspense is thrilling and keeps your attention locked on the screen because you keep anticipating what will happen next. Critics gave the film mixed reviews, yet it went on to become Netflix’s most-watched film at the time.
Doom (2005)
Andrzej Bartkowiak directed the science fiction film Doom in 2005. The film stars Karl Urban, Rosamund Pike, RazaaqAdoti, and Dwayne Johnson and is loosely based on the id Software video game series of the same name. Marines are dispatched on a rescue operation to a Mars facility, where they meet genetically modified animals. Despite a lot of fanfare, Doom only generated $56 million of a rumored $60 million production budget, and it was a box office disaster.
Even by the past standards, the CGI is woefully inadequate, completely ruining the half-decent real effects and prosthetics employed in the creature close-ups. The script’s poor quality is readily apparent in the film’s opening titles. The writers put forth far less effort than in the original computer game to create a backstory, which raises the question of who this film was intended for. It’s too far removed from the game to appeal to gamers, yet it’s too amazing or believable to appeal to mainstream audiences.
The only area this movie truly shines in is mindless violence and gore so if that’s what you’re into, this one will give you all that you’re looking for. If nothing else, watch this for the action and a much younger Dwayne Johnson.
I Am Legend (2007)
I Am Legend is a post-apocalyptic action thriller film released in 2007. It is based on Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel of the same name. The film stars Will Smith as US Army virologist Robert Neville and is directed by Francis Lawrence from a script by Akiva Goldsman and Mark Protosevich.
It takes place in New York City after a virus, originally designed to cure cancer, has wiped out the majority of humanity, leaving Neville as the sole person in the city, aside from nocturnal mutants. Neville is immune to the infection and is working to find a cure while fending off the aggressive mutants. Following 1964’s The Last Man on Earth and 1971’s The Omega Man, this is the third feature-length adaptation of Matheson’s novel.
The special effects in the opening sequences of “I Am Legend” are so amazing that they almost make up for certain subsequent special effects that are a little shaky. The way they depict Manhattan in this film is stunning, and Will Smith gives one of his best performances as Dr. Robert Neville. The way he plans his days and continues to try to discover a treatment for the virus is an important component of both the characters and, more importantly, the plot. Throughout, the cinematography is outstanding, and the storyline and script are fantastic. Samantha, a dog, is also an excellent choice for portraying Robert as both a companion and a lonely, solitary survivor. All in all, a great movie.
A Quiet Place (2018)
A Quiet Place was the year’s biggest sleeper horror hit. The initial concept (rewritten and directed by John Krasinski) of screenwriters Scott Beck and Bryan Woods was to take a limited thriller and present it through the lens of a localized extraterrestrial invasion by a race of noise-sensitive E.T.s. When aliens zero in on their off-the-grid property, a family fighting to survive in the ultra-quiet post-invasion world must go on the offensive.
In the midst of the dreadful quiet, Emily Blunt and her co-star, who is also her husband, Krasinski, give the film everything they have and, in doing so, elevate the material and the genre with their captivating performances. Blunt excels in investing in the emotional drama with the exact amount of whatever it needs to better sell the more horrifying moments as a pregnant mother trying to hold what’s left of her family together in the aftermath of a disaster.
In a world where even a whisper can get you killed or face-to-face with a monster that will make you wish you were dead, her filmmaker demonstrates an amazingly deft skill for establishing white-knuckle suspense. The well-acted, well-paced genre entries Quiet Place and its popular 2021 sequel is well-acted, well-paced genre entries that make you feel more than just your heart beating, an achievement we wish more genre films could achieve.
Sea Fever (2019)
Neasa Hardiman’s Sea Fever is a 2019 science fiction horror thriller film starring Hermione Corfield, Dougray Scott, and Connie Nielsen. The story revolves around the crew of a stranded fishing trawler who is threatened by a parasitic ailment. Siobhán, a lone marine biology student, spends a week on a shabby fishing trawler, terribly at odds with the tight-knit crew. However, out in the deep Atlantic, the boat is quickly engulfed by an inexplicable life-form. As members of the crew succumb to an unknown sickness, Siobhán must overcome her feelings of estrangement and gain their trust before they all perish.
One of the most underappreciated films of the last decade is Sea Fever. It combines The Thing’s close-quarters anxiety with Jaws’ persistent tension and sets it all aboard a research ship in the middle of the ocean, where parasitic larvae have corrupted the ship’s water supply. Sea Fever, written and directed by Neasa Hardiman, is an eerily relevant quarantine thriller that never ceases to amaze or shock, particularly in its haunting concluding minutes. The plot is incredibly engaging and is somewhat like a mi of Cthulu and Cabin Fever which will keep you glued to the screen until the very last second. A definite must-watch.
Existenz (1999)
Existenz is a 1999 science fiction horror film directed by Canadian director David Cronenberg. It was written, produced, and directed by Cronenberg. The story follows Allegra Geller, a game creator played by Jennifer Jason Leigh, who becomes the target of assassins while playing a virtual reality game she created. Jude Law, Ian Holm, Don McKellar, Callum Keith Rennie, Sarah Polley, Christopher Eccleston, Willem Dafoe, and Robert A. Silverman feature in this international co-production between Canada, the United Kingdom, and France.
Allegra Geller, the super-cool game’s designer, has just announced “eXistenZ,” a game you plug straight into your neuro-system and play in the boundless cyberspace of your mind, in David Cronenberg’s creepily gloomy near-future technological thriller. Cronenberg, as usual, draws on his medical training to create shots that will not whet your appetite. On a gaming level, some scenes in a Chinese restaurant suggest he was trying to improve on the witches’ brew from Macbeth. The photography is excellent, and Carol Spiers’ production design is faultless. Howard Shore’s music is clearly his with that tone unique to his music. It adds to the beauty of any setting. The acting is superb throughout, with Jennifer Jason Leigh proving herself to be one of the greatest thespians of all time.
Europa Report (2013)
Christian Camargo, Anamaria Marinca, Michael Nyqvist, Daniel Wu, Karolina Wydra, and Sharlto Copley star in the 2013 American science fiction film Europa Report, which was directed by Sebastián Cordero. It’s a found footage film that tells the story of the first crewed expedition to Europa, one of Jupiter’s four Galilean moons. Despite a catastrophic technical failure that results in the loss of all communication with Earth, as well as a series of other catastrophes, the crew continues their voyage to Europa and discovers accumulating evidence of life on Jupiter’s Galilean moon.
The basic story has been recounted many times before, but screenwriter Philip Gelatt and director Sebastian Cordero retell it in this low-budget, bare-bones rendition of a familiar concept in an innovative way. The film might be regarded as a found-footage thriller in the vein of The Blair Witch Project and other horror films because the entire plot is recounted through video footage captured by various cameras inside the spacecraft.
While the film is unavoidably claustrophobic, this adds to the suspense. The few views are taken outside the spacecraft, whether in space or on Europa’s ice surfaces, are stunningly designed by a creative special-effects team. The story’s heart, though, lies in the interiors, where Cordero employs split-screen techniques and deft editing to keep the action moving. This movie is very well made despite its small budget.
Altered States (1980)
Altered States directed by Ken Russell is a 1980 American science-fiction body horror movie that is based on playwright and screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky’s novel of the same name. The film is based on Chayefsky’s final screenplay, which he wrote in 1978. John C. The movie centers around a psychophysiologist who uses drugs and a sensory deprivation tank and experiences visuals that he believes are genetic memories.
Altered States is a fascinating film to watch. It’s wacky, silly, melodramatic, and serious at moments. William Hurt portrays a fascinating mad scientist. In addition, the picture contains some of the horror/grotesque movie magic that was popular in the 1980s. Altered States is a terrific movie that combines science fiction with psychedelic. The bizarre visual provides additional insight into the main character’s consciousness while under the impact of his mind-altering experiences so brace yourself for a mind-bending adventure with this film.
To view it, you must be in a clear mental condition because it becomes infinitely terrible and dark. The oddity of the subject, combined with the open-ended style to tale-telling, is likely to divide audiences into those who are turned on and those who are turned off. If you’re into this sort of thing, you might love the eccentric nature of this film and forgive its imperfections. It’s an oddity, but it’s also a thing of uncommon beauty. It’s well worth a watch.
Possessor
Brandon Cronenberg wrote and directed Possessor, a science fiction psychological horror film set in 2020. Andrea Riseborough, Christopher Abbott, Rossif Sutherland, Tuppence Middleton, Sean Bean, and Jennifer Jason Leigh feature in this multinational co-production between Canada and the United Kingdom. An agent works for a secret organization that employs brain-implant technology to allow people to inhabit other people’s bodies, ultimately leading to assassinations for high-paying customers.
Brandon Cronenberg’s “Possessor,” a combination of sci-fi and body-horror film, contains some extremely interesting notions about gender and identity, artificial intelligence, and a lot of paranoia about our corporate rulers and their evil actions. “Possessor” is entertaining to watch, yet something is missing: a sense of focus and goal. The possessor has a heavy and gloomy spirit about it, and the daring concepts aren’t given a chance to take root. Even so, there’s a lot here that’s innovative and new and so possessor is an entertaining one-time watch.
Possessor is a mind-bending horrific fever dream that explores issues of awareness and existentialism while also putting an imaginative spin on identity theft – at moments, you’re not sure who’s who or what’s going on, but that’s all part of the fun. With breath-taking hallucinogenic imagery, dense and subtle storytelling, and superb acting talents, this is certainly one of the year’s most frightening must-see films.
Lifeforce (1985)
Lifeforce is a 1985 British science fiction horror film directed by Tobe Hooper and starring Steve Railsback, Peter Firth, Frank Finlay, Mathilda May, and Patrick Stewart. It was written by Dan O’Bannon and Don Jakoby and directed by Tobe Hooper. The Space Vampires, based on Colin Wilson’s 1976 novel, depicts the events that occur when a trio of humanoids in a state of suspended animation are discovered in the hold of an extraterrestrial space ship by the crew of a European space shuttle. The film garnered poor reviews upon its initial release and was a box office flop, but it has since become more popular. With many critics calling it a guilty pleasure of sorts- although
Lifeforce falls short in many areas and tries to cover more than it can show- it is undeniably an entertaining watch. The film isn’t overly reliant on computer graphics and special effects, and the plot is enigmatic and odd and fact that the film goes over the top is what makes it so enjoyable. Settle in with Lifeforce on a day you want to be baffled and have some mindless entertainment. Life Force is one of the eeriest, terrifying, and creepy British sci-fi Alien invasion films ever filmed. It’s a cult classic, and it’s a great film. The film is a fantastic take on vampires, but with a unique twist.
28 days Later (2002)
28 Days Later is a post-apocalyptic horror drama film directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland, starring Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Megan Burns, and Brendan Gleeson. The plot follows survivors as they struggle to cope with the breakdown of society following a pandemic caused by the unintentional release of a highly contagious, rage-inducing virus.
In the current situation, the film is fantastic, if somber, watch. It starts out as a terrific science fiction picture and progresses into an interesting study of human nature. Danny Boyle has created a name for himself with films like “Trainspotting,” “Slumdog Millionaire,” and “127 Hours” over the last two decades. However, “28 Days Later” is also worth watching. It isn’t a zombie film in the traditional sense. Rather, it’s a look at what might happen to society if everyone was free to express their deepest, darkest feelings.
The film is low budget and for a film with a restricted budget, it is quite great. The genre work is wonderful and the shoddy camera work actually lends to making this film feel real. The plot and story writing is also well done making aspects of this film real and believable which make for an entertaining watch.
Vivarium (2019)
Lorcan Finnegan directs Vivarium, a 2019 science fiction thriller film based on a story by Finnegan and Garret Shanley. Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg feature in this international co-production involving Ireland, Denmark, and Belgium. It had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2019, and was released in Ireland by Vertigo Releasing on March 27, 2020. The plot revolves around a couple who are compelled to care for a child while waiting to be released from an apparently ideal neighborhood. This is the film for you if you appreciate movies that allow themselves to be unraveled.
The movie employs a variety of metaphors that are all intertwined. The plot is engaging, the decor is basic but adds to the strange vibe of the film, and the cast is small but competent. Once you’ve immersed yourself in the plot, it’s difficult not to want to know what’s going on and where the plot is heading. A creative refreshing movie it is sure to be a memorable watch. Genius, astute, open-minded, and imaginative to a fault. “Vivarium” is a terrific little film worth seeing in terms of its atmosphere, special effects, and indie arthouse ingenuity, but there’s a risk you’ll be underwhelmed at the end. It does, however, keep a steady tempo and draws the viewer in.
Re-Animator (1985)
The 1985 American comedic horror film Re-Animator is partly based on the 1922 H. P. Lovecraft serial novelette “Herbert West–Reanimator”. It is directed by Stuart Gordon and produced by Brian Yuzna. The film follows Herbert West, a medical student who discovered a reagent that may resurrect the dead and comes into conflict with Dr. Carl Hill, who wanted to claim the invention as his own. Re-Animator is a gruesome horror film that finds a rhythm and style that makes it work in an offbeat sense.
Work with great tonal control. The only thing more powerful than the movie’s grisly horrors is its dry, deadpan gags, which perfectly blend humor and terror. It doesn’t need to be underlined because the comedy is so dry and bone-deep. It doesn’t need “scares” since the horror is so direct and over-the-top. In a continuous flowing rhythm, one tone or the other always picks up the slack, always propels a scene.
If you are one for campy horrors, Re-Animator is sure to be right up your alley. This film was considered groundbreaking in its time and we can totally see why because it still holds up all these years later. If you’re a horror fan, then this one has to be on your list. Sometimes, old is gold.
Jason X (2001)
Jason X is a 2001 American science fiction slasher movie directed by Jim Isaac and scripted by Todd Farmer, with Lexa Doig, Lisa Ryder, Chuck Campbell, and Kane Hodder reprising his role as Jason Voorhees for the fourth and last time. The plot revolves around Jason who is cryogenically frozen for 445 years in the film and awakens in 2455 after being discovered by a group of students, whom he stalks and murders one by one.
The film falls short of being remarkable as the tenth installment in the Jason series. While there are a few moments of self-awareness in the picture, and it does have a certain campy appeal, the overall pacing is lousy, and the visual effects aren’t very enjoyable. The gore is decent, and overall those who enjoy this genre won’t be troubled by the fact that the scares are obvious and lack a continuous or major level of tension.
Surprisingly, if you ignore the corniness, you’ll find this to be a nice, amusing flick. There’s some terrific action in this picture, production standards are top-notch, and unlike Jason’s lives, you can even get a David Cronenberg appearance. There are also a few great laugh-out-loud moments in this movie.
Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010)
PanosCosmatos’ feature film debut, Beyond the Black Rainbow, is a 2010 Canadian science-fiction horror film written and directed by him. Michael Rogers and Eva Allan feature in the film.Magnet Releasing, a Magnolia Pictures subsidiary, distributed Beyond the Black Rainbow. The film was produced and shot in Vancouver, and it premiered at the Whistler Film Festival in Whistler, British Columbia, in 2010.
The plot centers around a young woman who tries to escape the Arboria Institute, which is a secretive, quasi-futuristic commune, despite being heavily sedated. Whether you like it or despise it, you can be sure that Beyond the Black Rainbow is unlike most of the films you’ll see. It’s a slow-moving film, but if you sit back and let it take you on a ride, you’ll be thoroughly entertained.
Beyond the Black, Rainbow is an undoubted niche picture, but for fans of atmospheric, psychedelic cinema, this homage to 1980s sci-fi thrillers is a must-watch. The visual experience, as well as the superb and skillful utilization of special effects, is amazing. A unique film that is also cryptic and overindulgent. This may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but director PanosCosmatos’ latest feature film Mandy, starring Nicolas Cage in a ferocious savage performance, is destined to become a modern cult classic. Most remarkable are the film’s bright colorful visual style, quasi-grainy photography, and superb, hypnotic music composition. You’ll love it if you like experimental arthouse/psychedelic movies and can sit patiently through them!
And that brings us to the end of this mega list of sci-fi horror movies; tell us your favorites in the comments!