25 Best Cosmic Horror Movies You Can Watch Today
1. The Dunwich Horror (1970)
2. Alien (1979)
3. The Beyond (1981)
4. The Thing (1982)
5. Hellraiser (1987)
6. In the Mouth of Madness (1995)
7. Necronomicon (1994)
Necronomicon is a 1993 French anthology horror film and one of the best cosmic horror movies. The movie has four different sections: “The Library,” “The Drowned,” “The Cold,” and “Cool Air.” The film follows the framework of a “story within a story,” with The Library serving as the overarching plot. Other than The Library, all three stories are based on the works of HP Lovecraft. The Drowned is very similar to “The Rats in the Walls,” and The Cold is based on the short story, “Cool Air.” Meanwhile, the last story, called “Whispers,” has similarities with the novel “The Whisperer in Darkness.” The Library has a fictionalized version of H.P. Lovecraft. The story has the author enter a monastery to gain access to the Necronomicon, a textbook of magic. Lovecraft steals a key from the library to access a hidden room containing the Necronomicon (book of magic). Lovecraft finds the book and reads its contents, which comprise the three other stories in the anthology. The story eventually reverts back to the original setting, with the final scenes stitching the narrative together.
8. Event Horizon (1997)
9. Uzumaki (2000)
10. Pulse (2006)
11. The Mist (2007)
12. Cthulhu (2007)
Lovecraft’s famous novel The Shadow Over Innsmouth is the inspiration for this 2007 film by Dan Gildark. The film combines psychological darkness with a dash of existential dread, featuring the first openly queer character in an H.P. Lovecraft adaptation. The film generally received positive reviews, with critics citing its ambitious and highly original plotline. A young history professor named Russ returns to his childhood home to execute his late mother’s estate. Russ meets his childhood friend Mike and his father, who is the leader of a new-age cult. Soon, Russ begins to get strange dreams from his past and wakes up with a cudgel in his bedroom. A young man turns up dead, and Russ uncovers the cult’s secrets.
13. Pandorum (2009)
14. Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010)
16. Cabin in the Woods (2010)
15. Absentia (2011)
20. Prometheus (2012)
17. We Are Still Here (2015)
18. The Void (2016)
The Void is a monster horror movie, and it was based largely on other Lovecraftian cult classics like The Thing (1982) and Prince of Darkness (1987). The movie has a lot of Lovecraftian elements, with horrifying cosmic beings and mutated corpses combined with themes of a siege and survival in confinement. The story begins when officer Daniel Carter delivers an accident victim to an understaffed hospital in the middle of the night. The victim tells the officer that a cult had chased him and killed his companions. Soon, a group of hooded figures surrounds the hospital, trapping the inhabitants therein. A portal within the hospital begins to produce strange creatures, as the trapped inhabitants try to survive. The movie had a limited budget, with the majority of the special effects funded through crowdfunding. Even then, it still managed to garner generally positive reviews from critics. Many critics point to its original storyline and visceral quality, reminiscent of 1980s horror films like From Beyond (1986) and Hellraiser (1987).
19. It (2017)
21. Alien Covenant (2018)
22. The Endless (2018)
23. Annihilation (2018)
Annihilation is a science fiction film based on the novel of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer. The movie would receive favorable reviews from critics, though it would not perform as well at the box office. Critics described the movie as being highly cerebral yet visually stunning with an immersive storyline. The story follows biologist and Army veteran Lena, who recounts her experience entering “The Shimmer.” The Shimmer was the result of a meteorite striking a lighthouse. It appears to have prism-like abilities, absorbing the DNA of living organisms and transforming them into beautiful or nightmarish creatures. The government interrogates Lena on account of her husband Ken having survived the Shimmer. In a flashback, Ken joins a mission to explore the Shimmer, only to lose contact with the outside world, leading the military to presume him dead. One day, Ken shows up at Lena’s doorstep before collapsing into a deteriorating state. Lena then agrees to join a new expedition to the lighthouse, as the group experiences firsthand the effects of the Shimmer.
24. Color Out of Space (2019)
Color Out of Space is a science fiction horror film based on H.P. Lovecraft’s similarly titled short story, The Colour Out of Space. The movie remains faithful to its Lovecraftian roots, combining otherworldly creatures with psychological mutations into a single cosmic infection galore. The story follows the Gardner family, who move into a remote farm following the caner treatment of Teresa, the Gardner matriarch. One night, a glowing meteorite crashed into the farm’s front yard. The meteorite contaminates the groundwater and turns it into an oily substance called “the Color.” The Color appears to have the ability to distort reality, causing animals within the farm to mutate. Additionally, the Color appears to play with the family, causing them to act in strange ways and manipulating their perception of reality. The Necronomicon, or book of magic, also makes an appearance in the story.
25. The Empty Man (2020)
Final Thoughts on the Best Cosmic Horror Movies You Can Watch Today
