Deep space holds a horror all its own. The dark void where even a crack could spell death from the cold expanse of space. Sci-fi horror is probably one of my favorite genres, filled with hulking spaceships, eldritch horrors and the endless emptiness of space watching everything that happens. Alien is probably the most popular movie in this genre, but there are some hidden gems waiting if you know where to look.
One of my lesser-known favorites is Pandorum. Released in 2009, it’s a claustrophobic trip into space where a mechanic wakes up on a colony ship to see that things have gone very wrong. There’s a derelict spaceship, terrible things hunting through the hallways and a mystery unfolding in the bowels of the ship. It gives off big Dead Space vibes, and it’s an underrated classic.
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Pandorum captures the terrifying feel of a broken-down ship, the fear of being surrounded by a hull where only space is waiting outside and a world that juxtaposes body horror and existential dread. Its cinematic style grabbed my attention and kept me watching, even when I desperately wanted to look away.
Corporal Bower (played by Ben Foster) wakes up from cryosleep with a troubling case of amnesia. Almost immediately, it’s clear that things have not gone according to plan on Elysium, the colony ship transporting 60,000 humans from an overpopulated Earth to a new world. The machinery around him is degraded, the power keeps flickering and he seems to be alone.
Bower is soon joined by Lieutenant Payton (Dennis Quaid), an officer who also wakes from cryosleep without any answers. After the two of them manage to activate auxiliary power, they decide to go to the bridge to figure out what’s going on. Bower manages to escape the cryo area to find that the rest of the ship is in even worse condition.
Bower must band together with other survivors to endure the madness of the Elysium.
On a ship that has devolved from its original humanitarian mission of settling a new planet, he is accosted by creatures that only vaguely resemble people, as well as humans fighting to survive. Bower finds two companions — a member of the agriculture team who doesn’t speak English but has been hunting the predatory creatures, and Nadia, an environmental scientist.
The three of them head for the ship’s reactor to reset the power and get everything running so they can determine what’s happened and why. Along the way, they encounter a sketchy survivor who tells them things collapsed when the bridge received bad news from Earth and was overtaken by Pandorum, a space-inflicted malaise that can cause psychosis, triggered by strong emotional states.
At the same time, Payton, who was left in the cryosleep chamber, finds another survivor who seems to be struggling from Pandorum and tells Payton what actually happened on the bridge. Payton tries to calm the survivor, but he only seems to get worse the more they talk. Payton shoves him into a cryosleep pod to keep him from causing havoc, as he continues to talk Bower through what he needs to do to restart the reactor and get the ship working again.
Payton tries to help Bower, but may need help himself.
Pandorum’s vibe is perfect for anyone who loves hard science-fiction horror. With a hulking, collapsing spaceship as the main set, winding and claustrophobic passages and a world that’s evolving within the metal walls, this dread-infused movie lasts less than 2 hours. The lurking possibility of Pandorum warping everyone’s perspective, the monsters in the walls and the tragedy that kick-started everything work together to deliver a thrill-packed adventure full of dread.
The third act of Pandorum is when it all escalates and secrets are revealed — the truth of the bridge, where the ship has been piloted and what comes next for the survivors on board — but you’ll need to watch for yourself to find out what’s been happening.
Pandorum wasn’t a hit when it was released, but 16 years later, it’s still a fantastic example of the sci-fi horror genre, and it delivers plenty of twists and turns. Stream it for free on Tubi, and find out what the Elysium is hiding today.
