In the vast expanse ofscience fiction cinema, there exists a small catalog of lesser-known gems that have captured the attention of a small group of devoted fans. From mind-bending thrillers to dystopian visions of the future, each movie on this list offers a unique and thought-provoking journey that’s more than worth taking.
If you’re tired of thebig-budget CGI-extravaganzasof today, here are ten sci-fi movies with a devoted cult following that you need to check out.
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10Dark City
Alex Proyas’s belovedDark Citytook a while to find its devoted following. Released in 1998,the noir-tinged science-fiction thrilleris set in a mysterious and gloomy city, where the sun never rises. John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) wakes up in a hotel room with no memory of his past and finds himself implicated in a series of brutal murders. As he tries to unravel the truth behind his identity, he discovers that a group of powerful beings known as the Strangers are manipulating reality and the memories of the city’s inhabitants. William Hurt, Kiefer Sutherland, and Jennifer Connolly round out the stacked cast.
Dark Cityfaced an uphill battle from the very start; despite critical acclaim (Roger Ebert called it a “great visionary achievement” and compared it to2001: A Space Odyssey),Dark Citywas released in the middle ofTitanic’s record-breaking box office run, and failed to find its audience. After four weeks,Dark Cityofficially left theaters having barely made back its budget.
However,the movie slowly found its audiencethrough home media, television broadcasts, and old-fashioned word-of-mouth recommendations. The film’s cult status can be attributed to its originality, dark and surreal atmosphere, and its uncommonly thoughtful exploration of philosophical themes surrounding identity and the nature of reality.
9Beyond the Black Rainbow
Director Panos Cosmatos recently became a midnight-movie maverick with the release of his unhinged, psychedelic revenge fantasyMandy. But the director’s first foray into genre filmmaking was his atmospheric and heavily-stylized debutBeyond the Black Rainbow.
The 2010 film follows Elana, a woman with telekinetic powers being held prisoner at the Arboria Institute, a new-age, state-of-the-art research facility run by the charismatic but nefarious Dr. Nyle. As she tries to escape the clutches of the monstrous psychiatrist holding her hostage, the true extent of her powers are revealed.
Anyone familiar with Panos Cosmatos’ work knows what to expect here;Black Rainbowis a surreal and trippy experience, drenched in neon colors and pulsating with a synth-heavy, 80s-inspired score. When the film first started playing at festivals, Cosmatos noted that reviews ranged from muted to “downright negative.” But after its premiere at Tribeca, the tide began to turn. What’s more,Black Rainbowwas critically reappraised after the release ofMandy; the film originally started with a score of 49% on Rotten Tomatoes, and has progressively climbed to 61%. As Cosmatos’s career continues to grow, so too willBlack Rainbow’s fervent following.
8Night of the Comet
For the first time in over 65 million years, the Earth is passing through the tail of a comet, resulting in a mass-extinction level event; most of the world’s population has either completely disintegrated or turned into zombies. Valley-girl sisters Regina and Samantha (played by Catherine Mary Stewart and Kelli Maroney) inadvertently manage to survive the apocalypse, and are forced to defend themselves against cannibal monsters and evil scientists who want their blood.
Thom Eberhardt’s sci-fi comedyNight of the Cometwasn’t a huge hit in 1984, but thanks to its unique blend of sci-fi and teen-comedy elements, as well asan infectious 80s soundtrack, the movie slowly found a passionate audience in the decades after its release.
Alex Cox’s renegade and influential sci-fi comedyRepo Manstars Emilio Estevezas Otto, a disillusioned young punk rocker who becomes a repo man, working under the tutelage of his mentor Bud (Harry Dean Stanton). Otto eventually gets entangled in a bizarre and dangerous web of crime that all leads back to a mysterious Chevy Malibu with something otherworldly in its trunk.
Repo Mantook a long time to find its following; despite critical praise for its unique tone and anything-goes story, the film wasn’t a commercial success by any stretch of the imagination (even though it did double its modest $1.5 million budget). But thanks to its irreverent sense of humor, punk rock soundtrack, and eccentric cast of characters,Repo Mangradually developed a modest but enduring fan base.
6The Vast of Night
Andrew Patterson’s lowkey sci-fi stunnerThe Vast of Nightis an ode to the old-school chillers of the 50s and 60s - like a classic episode ofThe Twilight Zonestretched to feature-length.
Set in the 1950s, the movie follows switchboard operator Fay Crocker (Sierra McCormick) and radio DJ Everett Sloan (Jake Horowitz), who discover a strange audio frequency while working in their small town of Cayuga, New Mexico. As the duo investigate the mysterious signal, they soon discover that its originsmay be extraterrestrial in nature.
Released in 2020 and overshadowed by the onset of the pandemic, the film flew far under the radar when it debuted on Amazon Prime. Despite a shoe-string budget of $700,000, Patterson’s expert control over tone and atmosphere, coupled with extended and intricately-choreographed tracking shots, has madeThe Vast of Nighta true modern-day cult classic.
5Dark Star
John Carpenter is one of the most revered genre directorsof our time; though many of his movies suffered at the box office, they’ve become genuine cult icons over time.The Thing, Escape from New York, Martin, The Fog, They Live- the list goes on. But his debut feature is also one of his most overlooked, and that’s 1974sDark Star.
Written by Carpenter and Dan O’Bannon (writer ofAlien), the movie follows the small crew of the ramshackle starship Dark Star twenty years into their mission to destroy unstable planets that pose a threat to humanity’s quest to conquer the galaxy. Dire technical malfunctions and humorous existential crises abound.
Though many of Carpenter’s films have a darkly-comic streak running through them,Dark Staris the only one that feels like an outright comedy. What began as a 45-minute USC student film was gradually expanded to feature-length, and subsequently received a limited theatrical release in 1975. While initially unpopular with audiences, it was relatively-well received by critics, and continued to play in theaters on the midnight circuit for years. Once it was released to home media, and Carpenter’s stature in the industry exploded,Dark Starwas cemented as a genuine cult gem.
4Strange Days
Kathryn Bigelow’s sci-fi thrillerStrange Daysis set in a dystopian, near-future Los Angeles on the brink of collapse. The narrative unfolds in the last two days of the year 1999 and follows Lenny Nero (Ralph Fiennes) a former police officer who deals in illegal virtual reality recordings known as SQUIDS, which allow people to experience the memories and emotions of others as if they were their own. When Lenny comes across a disturbing recording of a brutal murder, he becomes entangled in a violent conspiracy.
Kathryn Bigelow’s directing careeralmost came to an end followingStrange Days’s disastrous release;
a poor marketing strategy and lack of audience connection resulted in a domestic gross of $8 million against a $42 million budget. Thankfully the film eventually found its audience, and is now considered one of Bigelow’s most underrated movies.
3A Scanner Darkly
Richard Linklater’s genre-bending sci-fi noirA Scanner Darklyis one of the director’s most overlooked and original works; his adaptation of Phillip K. Dicks 1977 novelutilizes a unique animation techniquecalled interpolated rotoscoping, where live-action footage is traced over and stylized to create a distinctive (and psychedelic) visual aesthetic.
Featuring a stellar cast that includes Keanu Reeves, Woody Harrelson, Robert Downey Jr., and Winona Ryder,A Scanner Darklyis set in a dystopian future society, where America is battling the devastating effects of a highly addictive and dangerous drug called Substance D. The story revolves around undercover cop Bob Arctor (Reeves) who is tasked with infiltrating a major drug ring. However, due to the nature of his mission and the drug’s side effects, the line between reality and hallucination becomes increasingly blurred.
Despite favorable critical reviews and a modest $8 million budget,A Scanner Darklywas still considered a box-office failure. Thankfully, in the fifteen years since its release, the movie has garnered a small but dedicated cult following.
2A Boy and His Dog
Directed by L.Q. Jones,A Boy and His Dogis a post-apocalyptic sci-fi story set in the bleak and desolateaftermath of a nuclear war. Vic (Don Johnson) travels through the barren wasteland with his telepathic dog, Blood (voiced by Tim McIntire). Blood helps Vic navigate their treacherous world, but the dog’s main motivation is to continue the human race, leading them to a mysterious underground community known as the “downunder.”
A Boy and His Dogbecame notable for its uniquely stylized and boundary-pushing take on the post-apocalyptic genre (for the time), which earned it a devoted cult following in the years after its release.
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Based on the 1993 novel of the same name by Yasutaka Tsutsui,Paprikais a mind-bending psychological thriller set in a near-future world where the DC Mini, a revolutionary new psychotherapy treatment, allows therapists to enter their patients' dreams. Dr. Atsuko Chiba (voiced Megumi Hayashibara) uses her alter ego “Paprika” to navigate the dreams of her patients and uncover hidden traumas and emotions. But when the DC Mini falls into the wrong hands, dreams and reality begin to merge, leading to a surreal and catastrophic series of events that threatens to destroy the real world.
Considered by many to be the main inspiration behind Christopher Nolan’sInception, Paprika is anincredibly underrated sci-fi animethat has garnered a legion of passionate fans in the years since its release. It’s bursting with beautiful and nightmarish imagery and brimming with unbridled imagination; like the best Studio Ghibli movies, multiple viewings are required to properly appreciate every intricate detail. It’s colorful, hypnotic, surreal, and totally worth your attention.
