Here are Cinephile Corner’s 10 recommendations for science fiction horror movies like Scanners:
Barbarian
Zach Cregger‘s Barbarian is still refreshing and thrilling, and it’s easily one of my favorite theater experiences of 2022. Films try over and over again to use the schlocky marketing bit of audiences screaming in theaters only to be disappointing in actual terror when places in front of you – but Barbarian is genuinely jaw-dropping.
Ash
As a filmmaker, Flying Lotus continues to show potential, particularly in his ability to craft unsettling, otherworldly imagery and pair it with haunting sound design. But Ash feels like a proof of concept more than a fully realized vision—a solid step up in production value, but not in storytelling or emotional impact. Eiza González and Aaron Paul star as two stranded astronauts on a distant planet.
Doctor Sleep
There is supposedly a better director’s cut of Doctor Sleep out there that fills in the gaps of a few character traits, motivations, and decisions. Honestly, I’m not sure I care. This is about as rigorous and uninteresting as any horror franchise rebooted in recent memory. It’s a glossy, airless, and ultimately unnecessary return to a world that was perfect as is.
V/H/S/Beyond
V/H/S/Beyond is the seventh installment of the cult classic horror anthology franchise V/H/S. After six, you’d think a series would begin to lose steam or run out of ideas, but this one has done the opposite. Since Shudder rebooted the franchise in 2021 with V/H/S/94, the popularity for it has grown more and more. Now, they feel like tentpole releases on the horror streamer’s October slate.
Nope
Nope delivers on its promise of spectacle. Its set-up helps deliver one of the most rewarding third acts of the year, and one I’ll surely return to in years to come. Those don’t come around very often, only a handful of films lend themselves to repeat viewings, and Nope is certainly one of them. A dazzling and hypnotic viewing, and one that doesn’t leave your mind once you leave your theater. The best films make you think, and Nope gives you plenty to sink your teeth into.
Signs
M. Night Shyamalan made many great genre movies to launch his career in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but none are as quirky, silly, and downright wholesome as Signs, which brings a family together under extraordinary circumstances. Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix lead a small cast of great performers reckoning with alien lifeforms reaching Earth.
It’s What’s Inside
To its credit, It’s What’s Inside makes a few choices to make itself memorable. The premise is inarguably fascinating, and the consequences of the central plot engine are enticing at times. But It’s What’s Inside becomes frustratingly convoluted, compounded by a set of characters that I simply could not care less about.
The Host
Bong Joon-ho’s The Host is a genre-bending monster movie that blends sci-fi horror, political satire, and family drama into one of the most distinctive creature features of the 21st century. Deeply influenced by the Godzilla franchise, Bong crafts a cautionary tale about environmental recklessness and government incompetence, opening with an American scientist dumping bottles of formaldehyde into Seoul’s Han River. Years later, this reckless act results in the emergence of a massive, mutated amphibian that terrorizes the city.
The Substance
A vaguely named, neon green liquid is at the center of The Substance, the sophomore effort from director Coralie Fargeat following her successful debut Revenge (2017). The titular substance is capable of delivering happiness to those desiring to look younger and more attractive. Accompanied by a strict list of rules involving when to take the substance and how to maintain the younger self the injection inevitably births, the chances of a user mishandling such a lethal experimental drug is absurdly high.
Hell Hole
There might be a fun creature feature somewhere in Hell Hole, but the newest Shudder release doesn’t strike a good balance in tone and narrative. I don’t want to keep trashing on a streaming service that offers many independent filmmakers an outlet to produce their projects, but Shudder is starting to deviate away from a must-have service for fans of the genre.