The 8 greatest films like Lifeless House

Lifeless House, the sci-fi horror online game franchise starring the ever-suffering engineer Isaac Clarke, has risen from the lifeless with a brand new remake of the 2008 authentic for contemporary consoles courtesy of Montreal-based developer EA Motive — and it’s actually good! Whether or not that is your first time descending into the Necromorph-laden bowels of the USG Ishimura, an avid Lifeless House fan keen to identify what Motive have modified on this new model, otherwise you simply need to know who the heck this dude in a sci-fi diving swimsuit doing the shoot dance in Fortnite is, the 2023 remake of Lifeless House is strong on practically all fronts.

The success of this new Lifeless House sport bought us fascinated by horror maestro (and “Grandpa Horror”) John Carpenter’s long-held need to supply a live-action adaptation of the sequence. Then we bought to considering the place such a movie would match among the many greatest videogame movie diversifications created to date, after which that bought us fascinated by what are the very best sci-fi horror films to look at for followers of Lifeless House each new and outdated — y’know, in addition to the apparent ones like Occasion Horizon and the Alien sequence, ‘cus you’ve possible already seen these!

An hour right here and there of trawling IMDb later, and also you’ve bought this listing: Essentially the most Lifeless House-like films to look at in case you’re searching for one thing else to chase the exhilarating horror and enjoyable of taking part in by means of the brand new remake.

Darkish Star

What it’s: Earlier than there was Alien, there was Darkish Star, a kooky area comedy envisioned by eventual-Alien-writer Dan O’Bannon and then-unknown director John Carpenter as an offbeat different to 2001: A House Odyssey. There are few comedies that may match this listing, however that is certainly one of them.

Why it’s like Lifeless House: Followers of Lifeless House or Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror film will see instantaneous similarities in Darkish Star’s imagined future, the place blue-collar spaceship staff futz about interstellar area. However Carpenter’s film, first cobbled collectively as a scholar movie then finalized as a function for about $60,000, is an enormous goof, full with slacker area cadets pranking one another aboard the Darkish Star scout ship, a bowling ball alien sidekick, a speaking bomb (the Hal 9000 alternative), and ahead-of-the-time particular results being put to make use of for comedian mayhem. On the wavelength of Dr. Strangelove or Nationwide Lampoon greater than any straight-faced sci-fi horror flick, Darkish Star’s far-out area peril stays cult-y and off-the-radar. However there’s a purpose Quentin Tarantino not too long ago revered it as “a basic.” —Matt Patches

The place to look at: Darkish Star is accessible to stream free of charge on Plex and with adverts on Pluto TV, Tubi, and Roku.

Pandorum

What it’s: Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster star in Christian Alvart’s 2009 sci-fi horror drama as Lieutenant Payton and Corporal Bower, two interplanetary naval officers and crew members of the spaceship Elysium who awake from hypersleep after eight years aboard and uncover that the remainder of the ship’s crew have gone lacking. If that weren’t sufficient, a bunch of cannibalistic monsters are actually stalking them throughout the ship as they race to search out solutions.

Why it’s like Lifeless House: In a current interview with Rock Paper Shotgun, Glen Schofield — the director of 2022’s The Callisto Protocol and the unique 2008 Lifeless House — instantly cited Alvart’s movie amongst his favourite sci-fi horror films and a distinguished affect on his method to horror in video games. “I like films like Alien, The Factor and Pandorum. After which [Event Horizon] and Alien Versus Predator. There’s not loads of them, however I appreciated all of them.” —Toussaint Egan

The place to look at it: Pandorum is accessible to stream on Starz and ford digital rental or buy on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, and Vudu.

Sunshine

What it’s: Director Danny Boyle (28 Days Later) and author Alex Garland (Annihilation) launched the sci-fi psychological thriller Sunshine in theaters only one yr earlier than Lifeless House, and the movie and sport have some clear parallels. The film follows a global crew of astronauts who embark on a mission to reignite Earth’s solar with a large nuclear bomb — solely to come across the lacking, derelict ship that tried an identical feat seven years earlier. A lethal, mission-altering accident isn’t the one terror the crew of the Icarus II has to face, and every part that may go mistaken, does go mistaken.

Why it’s like Lifeless House: Sunshine has all of it: a derelict ship; quasi-religious fundamentalists succumbing to area insanity; flashes of grisly physique horror; extremely dramatic lighting; zero-G area walks; a lavish hydroponics lab; and a star-studded solid led by Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Michelle Yeoh, Rose Byrne, Benedict Wong, and Mark Sturdy. OK, that final bit has nothing to do with Lifeless House, however what a lineup! — Michael McWhertor

The place to look at it: Sunshine is accessible for digital rental or buy on Amazon, Apple TV, and Vudu.

Ghosts of Mars

What it’s: All of John Carpenter’s films have pleasant B-movie flare. However arguably none have greater than Ghosts of Mars, a pseudo-Western on Mars with an all-star solid (together with Ice Dice, Pam Grier, and Jason Statham). When a freight prepare on a mission to choose up a prisoner (named Desolation Williams and performed by Ice Dice) returns with just one survivor (Natasha Henstridge), she is interrogated concerning the sequence of occasions, unfolding by means of a sequence of interweaving flashbacks.

Why it’s like Lifeless House: The Martian environment is extraordinarily spooky (and the pink tones of the planet’s floor are beautiful), particularly within the again half of the film, which I’ll depart deliberately obscure in order to not spoil something. John Carpenter is famously a fan of the Lifeless House franchise and has stated to anybody who will pay attention that he desires to make a film adaptation. Ghosts of Mars makes it simple to see why he’s so interested in it. —Pete Volk

The place to look at: Ghosts of Mars is accessible for digital rental or buy on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, and Vudu.

Solaris

What it’s: Primarily based on Stanisław Lem’s 1961 novel of the identical title, Andrei Tarkovsky’s 1972 psychological sci-fi horror drama facilities on Kris Kelvin, a psychologist who is shipped to an area station orbiting a mysterious exoplanet after the crew of the station have ceased communication with Earth. When he arrives, Kris is plagued with the identical unusual hallucinations and visions which might be afflicting the remainder of the station, forcing him to confront recollections and revelations about himself and his liked one he had lengthy since left buried.

Why it’s like Lifeless House: By way of the cerebral horror of it, and the truth that a literal planet messes with individuals’s minds later within the authentic Lifeless House trilogy, Tarkovsky’s 1972 sci-fi opus seems like a pure companion to Lifeless House’s model of existential terror. It’s not notably gory or bloody, however in case you’re searching for a movie that can — very similar to the psychologically corrosive sign emanating from the Marker buried within the strata of Aegis VII’s floor — sink its hooks into your thoughts and never let go, Solaris is the proper alternative. —TE

The place to look at it: Solaris is accessible to stream on Criterion Channel and HBO Max and free of charge with adverts on Freevee by way of Prime Video and for digital rental or buy on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, and Vudu.

The Fly

What it’s: David Cronenberg’s remake of the Kurt Neumann’s 1958 sci-fi horror movie stars Jeff Goldblum as Seth Brundle, an eccentric scientist who believes he has created the primary purposeful teleporter able to transporting inorganic and natural matter safely throughout huge distances. Nevertheless, following an accident that happens whereas inside his prototype, Brundle’s DNA is fused with that of housefly — inflicting his physique to bear a weird and horrifying metamorphosis that endangers the lives of him and his family members. Jeez, and Gregor Samsa thought he had it dangerous!

Why it’s like Lifeless House: Whereas not set in or round area, Brundle’s transformation right into a terrifying, sex-crazed human-fly mutant hybrid might be the closest cinematic parallel to the ghoulish transformation of the Necromorphs in Lifeless House, other than these seen in both Occasion Horizon or the Alien sequence. You’ll be able to’t spell “physique horror” with out David Cronenberg. Properly, err, technically you completely can, however any dialog on the subject of physique horror with out mentioning Cronenberg is moot from the soar! —TE

The place to look at it: The Fly is accessible to stream on HBO Max and for digital rental or buy on Amazon, Apple TV, and Vudu.

Underwater

What it’s: An underrated Kristen Stewart-led sci-fi thriller a few group of deep sea drillers who uncover some horrifying issues on the backside of the ocean.

Why it’s like Lifeless House: It doesn’t happen in area, however what’s the ocean if not “area, however water?” OK, perhaps that doesn’t precisely scan, however Underwater’s eldritch horror leans into a few of the exact same concepts, photos, and scares that many area horror franchises (together with Lifeless House) love as properly. —PV

The place to look at: Underwater is accessible to stream on Hulu, or for digital rental or buy on Amazon, Google Play, and Vudu.

Lifeless House: Downfall

What it’s: An animated prequel to 2008’s Lifeless House, the movie follows the crew of the USG Ishimura as they try and survive the psychological epidemic and subsequent onslaught of the so-called “Necromorphs” following the restoration of the mysterious alien artifact often called the “Marker” on the planet Aegis VII. The movie was produced by Movie Roman, a Starz Media subsidiary identified for his or her earlier work on animated sitcoms like King of the Hill and movies like 1992’s Tom & Jerry, and directed by Chuck Patton, identified for his work on the 1997 animated sequence Todd McFarlane’s Spawn.

Why it’s like Lifeless House: It’s actually the canonical prequel to the occasions of Lifeless House! If that weren’t sufficient, as if it wasn’t already obvious, Lifeless House: Downfall is gory as all hell. This was intentional on Patton’s half, who needed to tell apart the movie other than the studio’s earlier work because the goriest function movie had ever produced. On high of that, the manufacturing staff was offered the 3D property for the sport’s environments and characters as references for the movie’s animation, notably the transformations of the Necromorphs themselves. —TE

The place to look at it: Lifeless House: Downfall is accessible to stream free of charge on Plex and with adverts on Freevee by way of Prime Video, Vudu, YouTube, Tubi, and Roku, for digital rental and buy on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, and Vudu.