Science Fiction is a genre filled with futuristic settings, extraterrestrial beings, horror, thrills and so much more. Since the 1968 landmark: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Sci-Fi films have been extremely popular and respected in the film industry. Coming up, the 2014 BFI London Film Festival is showcasing 5 Sci-Fi films that represent many different creative aspects of the genre.
KRISTY
Directed by Oliver Blackburn (Donkey Punch,) this university- thriller follows the style of Scream 2 and The Dorm that Dripped Blood, proving that the college campus is still as terrifying a set as ever. Justine (Hayley Bennett) plays a girl peacefully spending the Thanksgiving Break at school with only the campus security keeping her company, until a gang of teen-thirsty outcasts threaten the halls. Bennett gives a strong performance as a girl fighting for her life in this original twist on a traditional horror style film.
MONSTERS: DARK CONTINENT
In Monsters: Dark Continent, first-time feature director Tom Green has expanded Gareth Edwards’ universe from 2010’s film Monsters into the Middle East. Seven years after the alien infestation of squid-like creatures to the Earth there are quarantined infestation zones all over the world. Noah (Johnny Harris) and his fellow American military forces find themselves fighting off extra-terrestrials while also defending themselves from local insurgents. This sequel respects Monsters social comment and combines realism with spectacle.
CUB
Highly imaginative and troubled Sam (Maurice Luyten) stumbles upon a tree house during a Cub Scout camping trip that sets him on a mission to uncover the truth about the creatures surrounding them in the forest. The boys soon discover that the rumoured werewolves are the least of their concerns as their childhood nightmares become reality. Horror and Sci-Fi fans will love director Jonas Govaert’s modern-fairytale and his frequent nods to fright films from the past.
It Follows
IT FOLLOWS
Following the long standing ‘sexually active teenager meets death’ theme, David Robert Mitchell’s film is a fresh and stimulating take on skewed morals slashers like Halloween. The movie follows 19-year-old Jay (Maika Monroe) as she begins to experience strange visions and a sense she is being followed after having an exploratory sexual encounter. Terrified, she must find a way to put an end to her curse. The film provokes and terrifies equally.
JAMIE MARKS IS DEAD
Adapted from Christopher Barzak’s acclaimed 2007 novel One for Sorrow, Carter Smith’s coming of age tale is an unexpected and unconventional ghost story. When the naked body of Jamie Mark is found abandoned by a local river, his classmate Adam (Cameron Monaghan) becomes fascinated with the death of the high school pariah. He forges a relationship with Gracie, who discovered Jamie’s body, and becomes determined to help Jamie find peace in the afterlife. The film touches on sexual identity, loss, loneliness and isolation and is a melancholy but visually ravishing chiller.
BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL TO TAKE PLACE 8 – 19 OCTOBER
