On the subject of watching horror motion pictures, certainly one of my favourite sub-genres is sci-fi horror. Give me the fear of deep house, futuristic worlds the place issues have gone terribly awry, and larger-than-life spaceships the place the crews are trapped with unspeakable horrors. Whereas Alien is perhaps the preferred film on this style, there are some superb sci-fi horror flicks on the market simply ready to be found.
One among my favorites is Pandorum. Launched in 2009, it is is a claustrophobic journey into house through which a mechanic wakes up on a colony ship to see that issues have gone very mistaken. There is a derelict spaceship, horrible issues looking via the hallways and a thriller unfolding within the bowels of the ship. It provides off massive Useless Area vibes, and it is an underrated basic.
It is streaming totally free on Tubi proper now.
Pandorum captures the terrifying really feel of a broken-down ship, the worry of being surrounded by a hull the place solely house is ready outdoors and a world that juxtaposes physique horror and existential dread. Its cinematic fashion grabbed my consideration and stored me watching, even after I desperately wished to look away.
Corporal Bower (performed by Ben Foster) wakes up from cryo-sleep with a troubling case of amnesia. Nearly instantly, it is clear that issues haven’t gone to plan on Elysium, the colony ship transporting 60,000 people from an overpopulated Earth to a brand new world. The equipment round him is degraded, the ability retains flickering and he appears to be fully alone.
Bower is quickly joined by Lt. Payton (performed by Dennis Quaid), an officer who additionally wakes from cryo-sleep with none solutions. After the 2 of them handle to activate auxiliary energy, they resolve to go to the bridge to determine what is going on on. Bower manages to flee the cryo space to search out that the remainder of the ship is in even worse situation.
Bower should band along with different survivors to endure the insanity of the Elysium.
On a ship that has devolved from its unique humanitarian mission of settling a brand new planet, he’s accosted by creatures that solely vaguely resemble individuals, in addition to people preventing to outlive. Bower finds two companions — a member of the agriculture workforce who does not converse English however has been looking the predatory creatures, and Nadia, an environmental scientist.
The three of them head for the ship’s reactor to reset the ability and get the whole lot working to allow them to decipher what’s occurred and why. Alongside the best way, they encounter a sketchy survivor who tells them issues collapsed when the bridge acquired unhealthy information from Earth and was overtaken by Pandorum, a space-inflicted malaise that may trigger psychosis, triggered by sturdy emotional states.
On the similar time, Lt. Payton, who was left within the cryo-sleep chamber, finds one other survivor who appears to be struggling from Pandorum and tells Payton what truly occurred on the bridge. Payton tries to calm the survivor down, however he solely appears to worsen the extra they speak. Payton shoves him right into a cryo-sleep pod to maintain him from inflicting havoc, as he continues to speak Bower via what he must do to restart the reactor and get the ship working once more.
Lt. Payton tries to assist Bower, however could need assistance himself.
Pandorum’s vibe is ideal for anybody who loves onerous science-fiction horror. With a hulking, collapsing spaceship as the primary set, winding and claustrophobic passages, and a world that is evolving inside the metallic partitions, this dread-infused film lasts lower than 2 hours. The lurking chance of Pandorum warping everybody’s perspective, the monsters within the partitions, and the tragedy that kick-started the whole lot work collectively to ship a thrill-packed journey filled with dread.
The third act of Pandorum is when all of it escalates and secrets and techniques are revealed — the reality of the bridge, the place the ship has been piloted, and what comes subsequent for the survivors on board — however you may want to look at for your self to search out out what’s been occurring on Elysium.
Pandorum wasn’t a success when it was launched, however 16 years later, it is nonetheless a unbelievable instance of the sci-fi horror style, and it delivers loads of twists and turns. Stream it totally free on Tubi, and discover out what the Elysium is hiding right this moment.