Science fiction is a massive and prolific genre of literature and films. It has produced some gems of both independent films and franchises over the years, like Star Wars, Star Trek, and The Matrix. As a genre, it poses some very significant and pivotal questions about the future of the human race, our relationship with technology, and questions about ethics in experimentation, medicine, and biology.
With so many films to choose from going back decades, it is only natural that some indie masterpieces would get lost in the clutter. Here are 10 hidden gems that are still more than worth watching.
Capricorn One (1978)
Has anyone ever heard of the conspiracy theory that the moon landing never happened and it was all shot in a film studio and then served to the public as real? This film’s central premise is that this theory is true, but replaces the moon with Mars. Brubaker, Willis, and Walker –the crew of the first manned mission to Mars, Capricorn One— are abruptly removed from the spacecraft just before launch and taken to an ex-military base in the desert.
They are informed that a fault in the life-support system would have killed them, but their part is not over: they must help NASA shoot footage of their “landing” and then remain silent, one way or another.
Existenz (1999)
What is reality, if it does not feel different than virtual reality? This is the question that David Cronenberg’s indie hidden masterpiece asks. In a world where “gamepods” have replaced consoles --allowing players to insert their consciousness into the world of the games and live inside them-- game designers are worshiped like deities from the public and hated by Realists, people who sabotage videogames and corporations because they “distort reality”.
Allegra Geller, a genius designer, is testing her new game eXistenZ with a focus group when a Realist attacks. She flees with a company publicist, Ted, and they isolate themselves to enter her game and check for potential damage. Now, existence stops and eXistenZ begins.
Alien Raiders (2008)
This is the most recent film on the list, but it has remained far from mainstream attention, attracting more of its own cult following (albeit, it was released only on Fantastic Fest and then directly to DVD). With obvious references to John Carpenter’s The Thing, this movie was a clever and horrific homage to 80s sci-fi horror.
The customers and employees at a small supermarket are suddenly taken hostage by a group of men who are searching for “them” amongst the people. It’s quickly revealed that they search for alien parasites that can breed inside humans.
Videodrome (1983)
This sci-fi body horror movie is one of Cronenberg’s lesser known projects, but still worth seeking out. Max Renn, the CEO of a small Toronto TV station, discover a show called Videodrome that depicts the violent torture and murder of unknown victims. Fascinated, Max starts illegally broadcasting the show in his own channel.
Deeply interested in what truly lies beneath the show, he digs deeper and discovers many disturbing things about Videodrome, including how real those scenes are. Hallucinations, mind control, and political rivalries are only some of the conspiracies he uncovers along the way.
The Quiet Earth (1985)
Loosely based on Craig Harrison’s 1981 novel, Geoffrey Murphy’s picture is a sci-fi survival extravaganza, analogous to George Romero’s end-of-days zombie films about how science experiments will lead to our annihilation. Scientist Zac Hobson, a member of the global syndicate energy program nicknamed “Project Flashlight”, wakes up one morning to notice that the city he inhabits is… uninhabited.
Not only his city, he shortly realizes, but the whole world. Everybody has disappeared and Zac’s quest for survivors will only be encumbered by his own probable psychological breakdown.
The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976)
David Bowie plays Thomas Jerome Newton, an alien disguised in humanoid form who comes to earth on a mission to procure water for his drought-ravaged planet. His own superior intellect combined with his planet’s advanced technology make him a sensation in the tech industry and rich almost overnight.
However, he also becomes acquainted with human vices: alcohol, sex, and TV become his beloved addictions. He starts living with Mary-Lou, a former hotel employee, and feeding his addictions non-stop, until his true identity is discovered by Dr. Nathan Bryce, a man Newton thought he could trust.
They Live (1988)
This is one of John Carpenter’s less famous films, overshadowed by movies like Halloween and Escape From New York, but it’s still very original and presents a truly intriguing concept while also being an insightful allegory. A drifter, John Nada, arrives in LA and accepts a job in construction. Fellow worker Frank offers him shelter in a shanty town. The town’s de-facto leader, Gilbert, goes to a suspicious meeting in a nearby church and Nada follows him.
Gilbert meets with a TV preacher who earlier hacked all channels to warn the populace about a signal that mentally enslaves people and “them”, a nefarious group that’s behind it. Later, Nada retrieves a pair of sunglasses from one of the church’s boxes: sunglasses that reveal to him the subliminal messages fed to the public, but also the aliens that live amongst humanity.
Dark City (1998)
This haunting chef d'oeuvre by Alex Proyas combines science fiction with mystery and a neo-noir aesthetic. Set in a city without a name that seems to evade a specific era, the film follows John Murdoch.
He awakens in a tub with no recollection of his former life and receives a call from a Dr Schreber, who directs him to flee to avoid “The Strangers”: a mysterious group of men who are after him. In the room, John discovers the corpse of a woman and soon realizes that he’s a suspect in a number of murders he doesn’t remember committing. With the police and the Strangers on his trail, John tries to remember his identity and realizes that he shares the Strangers’ ability: “tuning,” or the means to alter reality.
THX 1138 (1971)
The hardcore fans of Star Wars must certainly know that this movie was George Lucas’s feature film debut; it initially received mixed reviews and didn’t do much at the box office, but Lucas’s subsequent glory added to its prominence. In a futuristic society, sex and reproduction are not allowed, and feelings and relationships are unmentionable; people are assigned a name (consisting of three letters and four digits) and job that they have to perform.
Their jobs are often dangerous, but they are given drugs to help them perform and keep them compliant. THX 1138, a worker at a police android factory, is concerned and craves for something different, a situation which only intensifies when he digests the wrong drugs.
Solaris (1972)
This tour de force was one of the first films of Andrei Tarkovsky, one of the Soviet Union’s (and the world’s) most influential and ingenious auteurs. The plot follows Kris Kelvin, a psychologist sent to investigate the peculiar situation in an old space station orbiting and studying the oceanic planet Solaris. Kris soon learns that of the three only scientists in the station two remain, as his friend, Dr Gibarian, has committed suicide.
The remaining scientists are in a chaotic mental state, the station is in disarray, and Kris catches glimpses of people that shouldn’t be aboard. Kris cannot understand what is happening, but he becomes utterly shocked when he sees his wife, who died some time ago, in his room.