Cosmic horror originates with the works of H.P. Lovecraft, a seminal 20th-century horror writer with a complex legacy. While Lovecraft has been rightfully called out for his problematic history, the overarching themes that arise from his writings have forever altered the nature of horror — especially horror movies.
Lovecraftian horror movies that dive into cosmic ideas reconcile with humanity's ultimate insignificance in the larger, intergalactic scheme. Through tales of occult gatherings, alien contact, and psychological unraveling, cosmic horror movies explore the deep-seated fears people possess when it comes to the unknown. Unfortunately, some of those Lovecraftian cinematic nightmares have fallen under the radar.
Prince Of Darkness (1987)
One of John Carpenter's more obscure films, Prince of Darkness is the second installment in his "Apocalypse Trilogy." Preceded by 1982's The Thing and followed up by 1995's In the Mouth of Madness, it tells the story of a group of quantum physicists researching a mysterious cylinder containing a swirling green liquid embodying cosmic evil.
Carpenter acknowledges all three of the films in the "Apocalypse Trilogy" are inspired by Lovecraft. Prince of Darkness, which stars Donald Pleasance and Victor Wong, is full of nightmare sequences, religious iconography, and scientific inquiries — making it the consummate cosmic horror film.
X: The Man With The X-Ray Eyes (1963)
X: The Man With the X-Ray Eyes is a cautionary tale about one scientist who takes his studies too far. Ray Milland stars in the film as Dr. James Xavier, who invents eye drops designed to expand humanity's range of vision, giving people visual access to ultraviolet lights and x-ray wavelengths.
Dr. Xavier decides to test the drops on himself, and he quickly discovers he can see through everything, including his own closed eyelids. Eventually, Dr. Xavier begins to gaze upon entities in the outer reaches of the universe, entities beyond his understanding.
From Beyond (1986)
Like Re-Animator, Stuart Gordon's lesser-known From Beyond is a loose adaptation of the Lovecraft short story of the same name. It also stars Re-Animator's Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton, as well as Ted Sorel, who plays the mad scientist responsible for the film's unfolding mayhem.
While working on a device called a Resonator, designed to stimulate the body's pineal gland, a startling side effect develops: those who use the Resonator begin to see creatures from other dimensions, shape-shifting creatures that want to bring people back to their world. This results in wild body horror sequences, phantasmagorical journeys, and terrifying implications for what else exists in the universe.
Europa Report (2013)
Made on a shockingly small budget, the deep-space sci-fi adventure film Europa Report combines found footage tropes with cosmic horror themes to present audiences with a tale of terror. The film follows a crew of astronauts as they set off on a privately-funded mission to the titular moon — one of the four Galilean moons of Jupiter.
With a goal to find sources of life, the team finally arrives at its destination after two years in space. What they discover thriving on the moon comes straight from the pages of a Lovecraft work.
The Arrival (1996)
Charlie Sheen's 1990s alien contact film is actually pretty good. Not only does The Arrival include a great reimagining of the genre, but it's full of the kind of paranoia, intrigue, and suspense lack from so many recent alien invasion films.
Sheen plays Zane Ziminski, who is fired after intercepting a message with extraterrestrial origins, prompting him to investigate the matter himself. The Arrival is directed by David Twohy, who would go on to helm Vin Diesel's sci-fi cult hits Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick.
Solaris (1972)
Solaris is a distressing, claustrophobic rumination on space exploration from one of Russia's best directors: Andrei Tarkovsky. The three scientists on board a space station orbiting the fictional planet Solaris begin to experience hallucinations and their mental health quickly deteriorates.
Psychologist Kris Kelvin arrives at the space station to check in on the scientists, only to be wrapped up in the same waking nightmare plaguing the crew. It doesn't take long for Kelvin to realize the oceanic planet itself is to blame for his psychological unraveling.
Pandorum (2009)
Although it was derailed by critics upon its release and bombed at the box-office, Pandorum has since gained a cult following for its original premise and stellar acting from Ben Foster. Foster stars alongside Dennis Quaid as two members of a deep space flight crew up who wake up with no idea who they are, how much time has transpired, or what they're supposed to do.
As they put all the pieces of the puzzle together, a horrifying reality emerges for the men. The film quickly evolves into a tale of survival involving cannibalism, mutants, and mental breakdowns.
It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958)
An inspiration for Dan O'Bannon when he penned the script for Alien, It: The Terror From Beyond Space is a classic black-and-white sci-fi romp fueled by Cold War fears. While conducting Earth's second mission to Mars in 1973, members of a nuclear-powered spacecraft hope to discover the fate of the ship that preceded them, the Challenge 141, and its crew.
They find only one survivor, who warns them about a Martian lifeform that killed everyone else. Unfortunately, the alien finds its way onto the new ship, making the mission back to Earth a perilous one.
Screamers (1995)
Dan O'Bannon actually wrote the screenplay for Screamers, which is technically based on a Philip K. Dick short story called "Second Variety." Another film that did poorly when it was released, many fans of Screamers believe it was ahead of its time and deserves a reevaluation.
Set in 2078, the film centers around scientists on a distant mining planet ravaged by war who have created a race of killing machines known as Screamers. While it suffers from dubious special effects and a few cheesy sequences, Screamers shines when it comes to world-building, deep-space thrills, and the dreadful consequences of space colonization.
Resolution (2012)
An earlier effort from indie sci-fi mavericks Justin Benson and Aaron Scott Moorhead, Resolution is a brilliant film about friendship, drug addiction, and bizarre creatures lurking in the darkness. When Michael's best friend Chris, an addict, refuses to go to rehab, Michael decides to confine Chris in his remote cabin while he detoxes.
This questionable move forms the film's early tension, but it gets even more peculiar when they start to realize the local UFO cult may be right about alien entities. Resolution exists in the same universe as Benson and Moorhead's 2017 feature The Endless.