Six Flix: This Week in Horror Movies (4/4-4/9)

When the world feels full of doom and gloom, we can always count on great sci-fi horror to remind us how much worse it can get.

Editor’s Note:

On the small screen, Prime Video’s hotly anticipated sci-fi adventure series Fallout — adapting one of the greatest video games of all time — just landed, and early reviews have been stellar for this romp through the wasteland.

From creators/writers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy (Interstellar, Westworld), this ambitious sci-fi series is the story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there’s almost nothing left to have. 200 years after the apocalypse, the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind — and are shocked to discover an incredibly complex, gleefully weird, and highly violent universe waiting for them.

To celebrate this eight-episode live-action adaptation of the retro-futuristic survival classic, we’re popping open a can of Nuka-Cola and diving into some sci-fi movie classics.

We got a taste of sci-fi last week and wanted to go all in this week with thrilling explorations of space, underwater, and the great beyond.

1. SUNSHINE (2007)

We started off the week with something on a slightly more serious note. Sunshine is a really beautiful film with a great cast.

Set in 2057, a team of astronauts from all over the world is sent on a dangerous mission to reignite the dying sun. Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Chris Evans and Hiroyuki Sanada make up some of the team, and they all do a great job making you feel invested in their mission.

Directed by Danny Boyle, this Sci-Fi Thriller is visually stunning, with gorgeous lighting and tones of orange and yellow but mostly blues throughout. The banter among the crew is so engaging and believable. The way they interact really makes a difference and helps this feel like a solid crew. Apparently, Boyle assigned the actors to live together before filming so they could form more organic relationships and comfort with each other. That’s a move that truly paid off.

These characters make all the same mistakes characters tend to do in these perilous situations, and it is very entertaining to watch. In some ways, it reminded us of Event Horizon and Alien Covenant.

With great effects, smooth transitions, a stellar cast and an intriguing plot, Sunshine is worth a watch — especially if you dig sci-fi and are looking for a slow burn thriller. 

2. THE VOID (2016)

The Void is an amazing choice if you’re looking for a modern horror sci-fi thriller with incredible practical effects.

Written and directed by Steven Kostanski and Jeremy Gillespie, it kicks off with a great first scene filled with terror and confusion that earned our attention right away. It’s got a creepy vibe and some really eerie moments in the beginning. There is an amazing skin-flaying scene that reminds us of Evil Dead (2013). We love the odd costumes and the way the tension builds. Of course, we REALLY love that the gore does not hold back once it gets going.

The effects in this film were crowdfunded on Indiegogo (about $82,500) and allowed the filmmakers to create all creatures, gore and effects practically and BEAUTIFULLY. The Void’s effects are very comparable to those in John Carpenter’s The Thing (high praise, I know). They created some truly unique contraptions and creatures. Their team brought horror to life, and it is fantastic to watch. The Monsters throughout the film are incredibly realistic and gory to an almost repulsive level.

This movie is exceptional and worth watching for the effects alone!

3. LEVIATHAN (1989)

This is one of the best (and most nostalgic) underwater horror films out there in our opinion.

Leviathan, directed by George P. Cosmatos, stands apart from many other similar films of its kind because of its superior effects. The premise is pretty standard. A team of deep-sea minors are on a mission, and unexpected troubles occur. This movie is kind of like if Alien (1979) and The Thing (1982) had a baby.

We love the crew vibes of this type of movie; the banter between them makes it so much fun and more relatable when done right. Earnie Hudson is awesome in this. The visuals look great, and we couldn’t get enough of the underwater and ship vibes. The scene where they find the Leviathan is so cool — what a reveal!

This movie is everything you want in a sci-fi horror thriller from the 80s.  The last 30 minutes are so solid and exciting. There are some great fights with the creatures, and the effects are INCREDIBLE. The humanoid creature effects in the film were designed by Academy Award-winning special effects artist Stan Winston (Aliens, The Thing, Jurassic Park).

This is well worth a watch if you’re looking for an underwater sci-fi flick with a little more kick.

4. THE RIFT (1990)

The story of why The Rift was made is a little odd to us. Dino De Laurentis (producer of Leviathan) decided to finance this very similar version of his other film with a much lower budget. When we read this, we had to check it out because we LOVE Leviathan and had just watched it the night before.

We were pleasantly surprised with this one. They do insane things with a small budget.

The formula for this film is the same classic situation we always love: a deep sea (or space) team goes on a rescue mission to uncharted and dangerous places. The makeup of the cast/crew is extremely similar to The Thing/Alien/Leviathan crews. We get to see a young Ray Wise and R. Lee Ermey in another one of his classic military captain roles. The submarine has a lot of very blue lighting that gives it a cool vibe. We loved it when they explored some deep-sea caves.

The sets are very impressive, and there’s no shortage of blood and gore. When these cave-dwelling creatures are killed, they explode in a big, bloody mess, which is amazing. The effects of the creepy plants taking over the ship were also very well done. This movie boasts really detailed practical effects and is such a blast.

Along the way, there are some fun little twists and turns. The plot is obviously not super original and pretty predictable, but it is still enjoyable—especially thanks to the meaty explosions! The only thing we didn’t love was the super cheesy romantic ending. It was a bit disgusting and totally unnecessary.

This is definitely worth a watch if you’re a sci-fi lover and looking for something to satisfy your super fun, B-movie itch.

5. THE ABYSS (1989)

We decided to watch The Abyss just for the vibes because, at this point, all we were interested in was seeing more underwater madness.

We were skeptical at first. However, because James Cameron Directed it (and it had a huge budget), we knew it would probably look really impressive, which it does. We were worried it would be less horror and more action, which is not always what we were looking for. Ultimately, we don’t have any regrets watching it, but we have some mixed feelings about it as a whole.

Aesthetically, it was stunning. It really looks fantastic, and for good reason. Most of it was actually shot underwater. All CGI was done by George Lucas’s company ILM, and this was James Cameron’s first experience filming in Super 35 format.

We really enjoyed the first half of the film. There are some very intense scenes and great tension building throughout. The cast does a fine job, and we get to see a young Ed Harris. As an ensemble, they are all likable enough to keep us invested.

All that being said, it WAS more action/thriller than horror, as expected, and we really didn’t like the ending. We might even go as far as to say we hated the ending. It goes way more fantasy and gushy/positive than we expected while also not making sense logically.

This isn’t a waste of time, but if you’re more of a sci-fi horror fan, go into this one just for the visuals; with the right expectations, you’ll enjoy it more.

6. THE EYE (2008)

We were not super familiar with The Eye (2008) other than knowing it was a remake of Pang Brothers original 2002 Chinese film with the same name. We went in kinda blind (pun intended), and boy, did we make a terrible mistake.

We don’t really have anything positive to say about this one, which is RARE, because we usually find something to enjoy or appreciate about a film.

We hated Jessica Alba’s character. She is beyond annoying and unlikeable. The movie relies heavily on jump scares and loud noises, which we are definitely not fans of. The acting is awkward, and the characters feel pretty hollow.

It was honestly boring and slow-paced in the beginning. This movie isn’t really horror; it is more like a supernatural drama. The “horror” scenes feel chaotic but not scary at all. The CGI looks silly, and the ending is ridiculous.

Sadly, there are no redeeming qualities we could find and nothing that makes this movie worth recommending.