What are some of your favorite smaller Sci-Fi Horror/psychological thriller stories/films?
What are some of your favorite smaller Sci-Fi Horror/psychological thriller stories/films?
Alien/Aliens is a given for most people. I have been watching Event Horizon during the spooky season for years. What are some of your favorite books and movies with a horror/psychological thriller lean?
Event horizon is one of the few movies I actually find a bit frightening.
I've always liked the fan theory that Event Horizon took place in the Warhammer 40k universe, and that the ship went into the warp without the necessary gellar fields.
I hadn't heard of that up until a few weeks ago and now it's hard for me not to view it as canon.
It's because Larry Fish does everything right, makes the best possible moves in his situation, and still has problems. There's a strong case to be made that Capt Miller is the one of the smartest protagonists in a horror movie and that's why the movie is so haunting.
Typical ghost/demon etc supernatural films and even a lot of sci-fi horror are snoozefests in comparison to Event Horizon because this film really puts it all together on a scale that makes it horrific. It plays with the supernatural angle and actually even explains it in such a way that puts it closer to reality, and then compounds that horror with the crushing isolation, unfamiliarity and unknowability of space.
I really wish there were more movies that got horror THIS RIGHT.
If you enjoyed the unsettling mix of supernatural and science fiction elements in Event Horizon, you might want to check out House on Haunted Hill (1999). While it's not set in space, it combines psychological horror with a bit of tech flair, employing a modern (for its time) setting full of gadgets that can manipulate reality. It's a fun ride if you're looking for a horror film that tries to blend different elements together.
I like to share this link whenever I come across a discussion about Event Horizon-
It's fun to imagine what could have been
It reminds me a little of the Reavers in Firefly. We have this notion that when we are far removed from our familiar surroundings and isolated in bleak emptiness, that we will somehow stare into the void and lose our minds, turning savage and cruel as we go insane.
But if it’s any consolidation, outer space is far too dangerous for it to ever get to that point. Even highly qualified professionals who are trying their best can find it difficult to survive in space. There’s no way a violently insane person would last 30 seconds there.
SOMA by frictional games.
It explores some of the usual questions about what exactly the human mind might be, if it ever becomes possible to scan, simulate, copy and transfer consciousness.
But it does so in video game form, in a way that makes you face those questions from a visceral, personal, first hand experience perspective.
It's a science fiction masterpiece.
Omg this game is so good. Right after I beat it I went to Reddit and the discussions there helped me answer even more questions and think about it even more deeply. I wish we could copy those communities over to here.
This is one that i bought but never got around to.
Do eet. Just go in dark, that's the best way to experience it.
This one annoyed the piss out of me. The protag is dumb as rocks
He's an average dude, the games message wouldn't exactly hit the way it does if both central characters had Catherine's level of understanding of the situation. If you can't deal with stupid, that's fine, but having the two lead characters contrast each other in this way is how the game makes its point. They each represent one possible perspective. Catherine accepts that peoples minds can be reduced to data-files on a computer, copied, whatever. She knows that in tech, there is no "moving" data, only copying and then deleting.
To Simon this is an idea so foreign he can't even understand it when told point-blank. Hell, he only barely gets it the first time it actually happens to him. He's like the people who killed themselves after their brain-scans, in his understanding of reality, there can only be one instance of a person, because there is only one soul per person to go around. To him, the real Simon is dead, and he refuses to consider the thought further, because the conclusion he'd come to is that he is a "fake".
In contrast Catherine is content with being a copy. To her a copy is just as valid and real as the original, but Simon doesn't feel that way. They are the embodiments of the two sides of the speculative philosophical debate that is central to the game's plot. Simon isn't supposed to have intelligent things to say. He is the emotional response to the events of the Pathos facility, while Catherine is the intellectual one.
You know what I love about Event Horizon?
That the evil hallway of spinning blades has a handrail.
Short Stories:
I have no mouth and I must scream - Harlan Ellison - this story was the apogee of sci-fi horror in the 70s and 80s.
We Can Remember It for You Wholesale - Philip K. Dick's original short story and the inspiration for Total Recall.
Weird French Shit:
Fantastic Planet - Animated french scifi about humans being kept as pets by giant blue aliens.
City of Lost Children - steampunk cybercultists
Classic Movies:
They Live - In case you're out of bubblegum
Tremors - broke into the wrong goddamn rec room, didn't ya?
Scanners - Pop!
Fantastic Planet is one of my all time favorite movies and I think it ages dreadfully well.
Agreed. I did a rewatch before I posted it to the @13thFloor and I was amazed (hadn't seen it since I was a kid). Some of the most intriguing and beautiful surrealistic animation ever, and the story is remarkably good - generating a sort of slow clinical terror in the viewer that flows and builds beneath the bright alien landscapes.
Not scifi but still dark and very funny - the film Wild Tales from Spain is a collection of shorts with the common theme being revenge.
Moon - really good psychological element and great acting.
Pandorum - fun (and a bit hammy) action horror romp.
Twelve Monkeys - really tight and suspenseful plot with great acting.
Being John Malcovich - not sure if this fits in, but a great mind-bender of a sci-fi movie.
Man, Moon is such a good movie. Sam Rockwell absolutely killed it which I was quite impressed by considering the last thing I saw him in was as Zaphod Beeblebrox in Hitchhikers. Quite a different set of acting chops he exercised.
Being John Malkovich is easily one of the weirdest most different interesting movies I've ever seen. The writer, Charlie Kaufman, also wrote Eternal Sunshine, another great one.
Adaptation is worth watching too, with Nicolas Cage playing two roles, based on the book The Orchid Thief by Susan Orleans.
Pandorum was a damn good film, a little goofy sure, but a really interesting idea based around what would happen if someone in that situation really did go off the rails and turn a colony ship into their own personal fantasy/hell for everyone else.
I haven't seen anyone mention it but The Man From Earth is fantastic. It's literally just about a guy saying goodbye to his friends and telling an unbelievable story. There aren't any flashbacks or visuals illustrating the story. Just him talking and their reactions but it's so well written that it really draws you in.
Granted it's not horror but more people should see this gem
Such a great concept for a movie. It’s like a short story brought to life. I could easily see this done as a stage play, to a much greater effect. Especially the culmination of his story, the reveal, and the potential implication.
Wish the acting was better, but still a great movie!
Whatever you do, dont watch the sequel though, what a fucking mess lol
I was about to do that. Lol. Thanks!
I don't have much of an idea on if it was small but the movie Sunshine (2007) comes to mind. Loved that movie. It's well worth a watch if you haven't seen it.
Yes! Im glad someone said it because everyone I tell about this movie ends up loving it.
I only heard about this movie a couple months ago and actually got around to watching it just last night. Loved it!
I've come to like Pandorum a lot over the years. I now make sure I watch it every once in a while.
I agree, Pandorum is a great one. I loved the twist at the end - I thought they'd go into a totally different direction with it.
The first 20 minutes and last 20 minutes are great. That guy who trapped them in the crucible was also great. Most of the rest of the movie was meh, influenced too much by other popular movies monster cliches at the time. I will always love that ending though. Didn't expect the glass to crack and reveal that twist.
Oh man, haven't watched this in ages. Definitely enjoyed it though
I watched it a lot as a kid. Came back to it a few years ago and it didn’t feel the same. Still a great movie
Saw this the other day.
This movie is awesome.
I see no mention of Solaris
Very psychological movie
Yeees! I like it a loot too. But my favorite of Tarkovsky is Stalker. Such beautiful scenes!!
Ma I've really tried hard but I can't stand Tarkovsky, i understand his vision but somehow doesn't fit with my taste and I feel a bit guilty about it.
Smart shut-in builds an implausibly powerful computer in an attempt to discern a pattern that is responsible for all things. He uses the golden spiral as evidence of such a pattern, and believes he will eventually take pi out to so many decimal places that such a pattern emerges there.
The psychological thriller aspect relates to what he experiences along the way, and how it ends. I have a theory about the ending, but no idea if it's an opinion shared by the creator or any others.
Only had time to skim it for now, but that sounds fascinating. Thanks!
I enjoyed the soundtrack too.
Annihilation, if you can ignore the framing device.
I don’t remember much about the plot but that fucking bear omg.
I think about the bear all the time. One of the few examples of a monster surpassing what I could imagine.
The book is pretty great (imo.)
It also explores the Shimmer more and it’s fascinating.
I liked the plot, but regardless, I would say Annihilation has some of the most horrifically beautiful sci-fi imagaries on screen.
Triangle . The science fiction angle is that it's a time travel paradox. Predestination is another similar film, based off of Robert Heinlein's "--All You Zombies--".
Predestination is amazing. I read the book right after watching the movie, and the movie is just so much better.
The guy who directed Triangle also did a movie called Creep that's absolutely worth a watch.
Enemy Mine was pretty trippy. I saw it when I was a kid though so I'm not sure if it was any good or if it fits.
Vivarium was quite odd and different. I appreciated the original take on the age old concept of how alien and weird the suburbs are.
I'm not sure if it counts as smaller but The Thing, god damn, finally saw that one for the first time recently and it really is one of the GOATs.
Earthman, your Mickey Mouse is one big stupid dope!!
It’s a story that would totally work even without any sci fi elements, which I think means it is good. You could ask whether it’s good sci fi without such core speculative elements. But it consistently stretches into strange territory (hermaphroditism, meteor weather, edible footballs) in a convincing way that you’d have a hell of a time saying it’s anything but sci fi.
Cube, though pretty well known, still fits 'small' IMHO, Given it's lows budget.
Altered States comes to mind. It sort of straddles sci-fi and horror without really being firmly in either. Deals with some fringe psychology research during the 70’s going wrong in unexpected ways.
Brainstorm is more obviously sci-fi / speculative fiction… can’t say to much else without spoiling the surprises.
Neither one of these is going to seriously blow your mind, but there’s still food for thought. Bon appétit. 
Sphere from Micheal Crichton. Both the movie and the book are pretty good.
It is more sci-fi than anything else, but i think it fits the thriller category as well. Without going into spoilers, it is a story about scientists being deep down in the ocean, and strange things happening.
Sphere was my favorite book in high school. I didn't like the movie so much, but it might have been that I was already too hyped for it when it came out. I should probably watch it again.
I was so hyped, a book I loved and that cast. The result was so underwhelming.
Is Andromeda Strain small enough? I love both the story and the movie. The combination of high stakes and routinously slow and boring procedures to scientifically-like contain\eradicate the unknown virus is hypnotyzing.
A fantastic movie if you’re talking about the 1971 original. Avoid the 2008 remake.
I didn't know there is a remake, and now I don't know about it as well.
Personally I liked the new one better, so I guess ymmv.
The first movie that came to mind is Aniara (2019). It's a great film that really goes beyond to show the hopelessness of being lost in space and how tiny we are in comparison. Fair warning though: This film will absolutely destroy you on an emotional level.
It didn’t hit me as strong as the trailers made it look like it would. It’s a really good movie; I don’t know if I’ll ever watch it again.
This movie fucked me up and I go through horror and sci-fi films like candy. After it was over, I just sat there, my brain fully blue screened to protect itself from too deeply considering what I watched. Even thinking about it now, years later, it gives me chills. Such a good movie!
Yup, same here. I went in totally blind on a sci-fi binge and I really didn't expect it to take such a turn.
It is really campy and the books are much better than the movie but John Dies at the End is a fun movie that doesn't take it too seriously.
Oh hell yeah! I watched that movie yesterday! I am a HUGE fan of the books, and enjoyed the movie quite a bit.
The French short film La Jetée is told almost entirely in still photos, but it's very haunting. 12 Monkeys was based on it. I like 12 Monkeys, but I actually like La Jetée more. There's also the short American film 12:01 PM which is excellent. Both are on YouTube.
Very solid suggestion. It was amazing what that film managed to accomplish in such an unusual way.
Coherence
Love this movie! So good!
I feel like Time Lapse isn't on enough people's radar. It's a tightly written sci-fi psychological thriller.
I saw this movie a few years ago and enjoyed it but couldn't think of the name again. Thank you! I'm going to give it another viewing.
I love sci fi movies/books where not many humans are left. Even though not all are small stories: The day of the triffids; I am legend; 28 days; i love those because of the shots you see of cities without people, with overgrown buildings that are falling apart, animals thriving. I also like other sci fi stories, but the ones i mentioned above provide a temporary relief from all the news about wars, hunger, heartless people, news that is caused by greedy, evil people who seem willing to destroy the weak, other species, and even the entire planet.
Cube
Existenz …one of Cronenberg’s most fun imho.
Excellent call out! I was obsessed with that movie for a while.
Event Horizon is my favorite horror movie.
Yep. Came here to mention this one. Even 25 years later this one still sticks in my mind as my favorite horror movie.
Prospect (2018, movie) - It steals all the cool you associate with crunchy sci-fi short-stories, and gets away with it. Beautiful, lovingly detailed interior sets. Sparse exposition, leaving your snatching at any little turn of phrase or namedrop wondering if it's world-building, or just how the characters talk. Just the right length. Respect for not making it Yet Another Miniseries (YAM (this is my acronym, you'll never see it again)).
Also wow, I haven't read any reviews until now, and I'm glad I hadn't. If you like sci-fi just watch it. It's 1 and a 1/2 hours long. I've already told you too much.
+1 for Prospect.
It brought me back to the weirdness of the sci-fi era of the 70s like Battle beyond the stars, Logan's run, Doppelgänger and the original West world.
I felt like I was 8 years old discovering sci-fi again. Really worth it, although I'm sure it's not everyone's cup of tea.
This movie is super weird in amaxing ways.
Also, plus point for having Pedro Pascal!
Thank you for this recommendation, this will be my next Friday night feature <3
Prospect was an amazing movie! If you've ever played No Man's Sky, you'll for sure recognize a lot of the aesthetic choices they make for the space suits and other tech. I desperately want to explore the universe of this movie.
I'm adding some great Spanish ones: Timecrimes, Shrews Nest, Rec, The Devil's Backbone
Oh, and a Swedish one: Let the right one in
I LOVE TimeCrimes. I look forward to giving these others a viewing.
I've mentioned it before, and I'll do so again! The Signal was a nice surprise, that sorta came and went in theaters, and we've watched it a handful of times since, as a spooky sci-fi comfort film. It's been a long while since the last time, though, so it may not have quite the same impact now, but that kinda makes me want to watch it more.
And not that it's at all smaller, but Shin Godzilla for another to watch over and over. So beautifully done.
The one with Fishburne?
Yeap! I didn't even think to specify dat Fishburne. 🤌
Pi, Brainstorm, Moon, Primer.
Society (1989 film) has some amazing 80s body horror practical effects by Screaming Mad George (Joji Tani), who also worked on Predator and some of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies. And a general hatred of the rich, which is always nice.
For horror books, my favorite that I've read recently were The Twisted Ones and A House With Good Bones, both by T. Kingfisher.
Not necessarily horror but Severance and Mr. Robot forever changed me. I’ve never been a TV person (except for Star Trek) so maybe those are bigger than you’re looking for.
Oh, and Alan Wake + Control. God, I love anything made my Remedy.
I think they COULD count as psychological thrillers. Nice choices.
Oxygen is a good recent French one on Netflix. Very claustrophobic.
Taking notes
Years ago, I watched this Korean movie, The Wig, with a friend, and were both so freaked out. It was about a woman who was slowly being possessed by the spirt of the woman from who the hair of her wig had been taken from. It seems kinda hokey, but the woman being possessed had just recovered from cancer (thus, the need for the wig), and the story was from the POV of her sister watching as her sister seems to have a complete personality change after being diagnosed as cancer-free, and was trying to figure out what was happening. Some parts of it might not have aged well (namely, one of the twists), but the way it felt more like a psychological horror than a horror horror really stuck with me.
As for gaming, I can NOT recommend the two games by Red Candle enough. Both games start out seemingly as pure horror, then end up just ripping your heart out and stepping on it as the situation becomes clear.
Detention is a side scroller set during the White Terror period of Taiwan in a high school, and it’s really good. There was a movie made from it that looked to stay really close to the story, and it won a fair number of awards in Asia (I still haven’t seen it yet). There was a Netflix sequel show, but I didn’t really get into it. Detention, though, is really good, and you can get it on pretty much any platform now for only a few bucks.
Their other game, Devotion, is a damn masterpiece and I will never stop being angry it got pulled from Steam after only a week because some idiot accidentally left in a placeholder image that had “Xi Jin Ping Winnie the Pooh moron” written on it - that cost Red Candle’s partner in China their business license, and caused them to pull the game from Steam. It was supposed to go up on GOG, but they backed out a few days after announcing they would be selling it, claiming it was because of the “gamer feedback,” or some such nonsense (but really because Cyberpunk 2077 had just come out in China and they didn’t want to risk upsetting the Chinese government), and they refused to answer anyone asking them about it on twitter back when it happened.
Rant aside, Devotion is set in 1980s Taiwan, and is about a small family that gets destroyed because the father gets wrapped up in a cult. Not a weird murder cult or anything, just a cult promising him easy solutions. It’s basically a “domestic horror,” the horror that happens in a home. The game starts in your living room, with your wife talking about your daughter, Mei Shin, then going, “Where’s Mei Shin?” Then you’re looping through three different years trying to piece together where she is and what happened to her.
Devotion is only on PC, and you can only get it from Red Candle’s webpage. It’s only about $16, and it’s so worth the price.
Edit - This is a really good video comparing Silent Hill 2 and Devotion, on how they both handle the uncanny - Silent Hill 2 with their use of FMVs, and Devotion with it’s use of actual video footage. It has some mild spoilers, but it warns you and gives you a time stamp to skip to avoid them. An Uncanny Reality.
Absolutely checking out all your suggestions, they all look awesome!!!!
I really hope you enjoy them!
The Tails From the Crypt series is awesome and the directors/producers have an amazing podcast "How Not to Make a Movie" that gives a lot of great insight into the stories, actors, special effects, and more. I like listening to them then watching the episodes later that day.
What a fun coincidence; I just watched RedLetterMedia's review of Event Horizon the other day. Spoiler: Jay kind of enjoyed it. Mike decidedly did not.
I'm generally not crazy about horror/thriller movies, but I did read The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton recently. It's a great book!
+1 for Michael Crichton, his books are fantastic
The movie of the book is alse really good!
Magnetic Rose is a short Satoshi Kon anime film from the 90s about a haunted abandoned space station. Very good vibe and aesthetic.
oh yes that's legendary !
Magnetic Rose is amazing man.
The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury is a book of short stories that are great. I really like the rain and he has a story called The Long Rain which I read a lot. He has a few in there that are actually really spooky though.
The Marionette's Inc was just taken and adapted into a loosely based episode in the last season of Black Mirror (Beyond The Sea)! They're very very different, but it's the same concept applied differently and the book itself shows up in the episode.
The Void (2016 film.) Very well done indie horror that punches well above its class when it comes to practical effects.
Excellent call out, I love this movie and have been watching it every year since I discovered it.
Same! I was looking for the next "Event Horizon" and this scratches that itch.
"Yoo Retoont, Sneogg. Ay Noo" and "The Greater Punishment" by Marek S. Huberath (those are must read if you can find translations)
"The Radius Riders" by Barrington Baylay
"A Boy and His Dog" by Harlan Ellison
"A Song for Lya" by George R. R. Martin
"The Quickening" by Michael Bishop
"Dying in Bangkok" by Dan Simmons
"Press Enter" by John Varley
"Saliva Tree" by Brian Aldiss
"Catch That Zeppelin" by Fritz Leiber
"Deathbinder" by Alexander Jablokov
"The Last of Winnebagos" by Connie Willis
For films, Under The Skin (2013 indie film directed by Jonathan Glazer and starring Scarlett Johanson in a pretty low-key role for the most part) is fantastic. More on the horror end, but has strong scifi elements. Amazingly crafted film, nothing really gory at all, the horror is all psychological, but it has such disturbing moments that stick in your head (unwanted) for years. I've watched it 3 times though, so that may be part of the problem.
I just finished the book and thought it was better than the movie (although very different). I liked the cinematography and atmosphere of the movie, but it just moved too slowly for me.
Check out Coherence(2013) - it's like Primer's long lost cousin
Primer damn well might be the most confusing movie I've ever seen, but in a brilliant sort of way. Relevant xkcd
"Automata", about human-robot interactions in a post-apocalyptic setting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autómata
More "suspense" than "horror", but it's the most realistic depiction I've seen of how future robots will actually communicate. Overall a solid sci-fi movie that flew under the radar.
The Mist (2007)
I did not expect the film's ending to be so crushing.
Andromeda strain, Logan's run, Event horizon, stalker, x-files series 😆
Peace On Earth is a book by Stanislaw Lem, the author of Solaris.
It is my all-time favourite sci-fi novel.
The premise is that mankind builds autonomous war robots and sends them to the moon to fight proxy wars instead of real wars on earth. But the robots evolve. For reasons unknown, contact with the moon is lost, so humanity sends a astronaut up to see what's going on.
FYI, that's book 4 of a series.
The Star Diaries: Further Reminiscences of Ijon Tichy
Memoirs Found in a Bathtub
The Futurological Congress: From the Memoirs of Ijon Tichy
Peace on Earth: A Novel
What does smaller mean in this context because most replies here are anything but in my opinion. Aliens? Small?
Well small is the prompt, but people are allowed to answer whatever they want. If they answer Aliens, they are just recommending a movie that we have all seen multiple times to the group. Not really useful in this context.
The music video for Failure's song Counterfeit Sky
It's such a good package. I only wish it was a fully flushed out story
Also the music video for Fantasy by DyE, for inexplicable Lovecraftian horror.
A favorite, a friend of mine and I have to revisit it every so often, what a trip that video is!
Annihilation fits within the criteria, but it's not really a "small", indie or less known movie.
Always had a soft spot for Impostor (2001) with Gary Sinise based on Philip K Dick's short story. It never is mentioned very much
@Kikkertje 1• Marxism-Fennekinism English2•
I watched Circle on Netflix a long time ago (not to be confused with Tom Hanks movie), minimalistic but captivating. A Man from Earth is really deep although even more minimalistic
For books, House of leaves by Mark danielewski is a pretty crazy ride into madness.
The first time I read that book, I became uncertain of my own reality. In the 15 or so years since I first read it, I only read it once more and it was just as unsettling. It's a goddamn masterpiece and I should really work up the strength to read it again.
I only read it the one time and that was just about fifteen years ago for me as well.
When I got to the part where he actually goes insane and it's just like 20 pages of gobbledygook, I pushed myself to read all of the ranting as if it was coherent narrative.
Yeah, I definitely also became untethered at multiple points reading that book.
I'm reading the starless sea right now, erin Morgenstern's second book, and her writing is so comfortable and cozy and fun to read, lilting like, that it might be interesting to give house of leaves another go over afterward.
Tp feel the whisper of silk and then jagged cement rubble
A walk in the dark - Arthur C. Clarke
It's a scifi thriller short story. I believe that there is an old radio play available
PREDATOR
Dillon!
I always wanted to watch a full length feature based on Edmond Hamilton's "Exile", but obviously knowing how it ends would kinda ruin it.
"High Life" (2018) by Claire Denis was quite interesting. Dark and poignant with a great cast and unique execution
I am a fan of Claire Denis but missed this one. Sounds very interesting.
I enjoyed it but it's not a movie that will leave you feeling good, just a warning 👍
Die Fabre is cool, I guess. It's a 2010 film adaptation of color out of space.
There's an adaptation of Color Out of Space from a couple of years ago that is deeply creepy. It stars Nick Cage and he's the perfect amount of crazy for what happens to the main character.
I loved The Illuminae Files as a teen, definitely worth a read
I rather liked The Immortality Thief by Taran Hunt.
Demon Seed. I like the book mostly, but even the movie has such an outlandish premise that makes for a great watch, especially for first-timers.
Avalon love this movie! I havent seen it in years but still it creeps up and reminds me how good it was. One of those shows that seems to pull you in and suddenly the hairs on the back of your neck stand and wow!
Edit: Derp. None of these are horror tho 😖
There are some generally great small(!) / low budget movies, especially sci-fi. Here's one example, this one's basically zero budget but it's a great one (12min): https://tube.instellate.xyz/watch?v=GhDlV9PDw3Y
Understand by Ted Chiang
Pilot episode of Rakka. It's so well done and has a lot of potential, but alas it's a small studio doing these kinds of things and has no backing of one of woke studios.
Woke studio? is that a typo?
Naah, not really. But everyone seems to be pushing inclusiveness with their movies for no apparent reason.
That added nothing to the conωersation, Mich like this.