Category Archives: Outer Space

31 Days of Horror: Apollo 18 (2011; PG-13; 86 mins.)

I’m a big fan of found-footage horror movies, but had never heard of this one, so I thought I’d give it a go. However, the shaky, grainy black and white footage is just one of the issues making this film fall short of my (outerspace) dreams. Add in a plot that’s not too exciting, ho-hum scenes occurring mostly inside a poorly-lit spacecraft or on the surface of the moon, and under-developed characters, and this horror movie turned out to be more of a “naaah” than an “aaaaah!”.

It’s 1974 and the Space Race is still going strong. When the DOD decides to reboot the previously cancelled Apollo 18 flight, three astronauts set off for the moon on a secret two-day mission. Almost immediately upon landing near a large crater, audio interference begins, along with creepy sounds, blinking lights, and the discovery of an empty Russian spacecraft, among other unexplainable things. When the mission ends, the astronauts are more than ready to head home. But something is preventing their escape, something not quite of our world. Or is it? Who is really in control here? And what is the reason for everything that is happening to the astronauts?

  • Top Scare: Face
  • Heartbeats: 1 out of 5
  • Gore Factor: 1 1/2 out of 5
  • Scare Factor: 1 1/2 out of 5
  • Recommended for: 13 and up

31 Days of Horror: No One Will Save You (2023; PG-13; 93 mins.)

No One Will Save You

If you are looking for an atmospheric, creepy/eerie, sci-fi horror movie, look no further–No One Will Save You has it all and brains to boot! With an incredible performance by Kaitlyn Dever (as Brynn), which is not always easy with so little dialogue and working with special effects, this Hulu-streaming movie sucks you right in and never lets up. And as Stephen King himself said after its release, it’s “brilliant, daring, involving, scary…truly unique.”

Brynn is an anxious young woman living alone in a rural farmhouse, basically exiled from the nearby town after an undisclosed event involving her childhood best friend. Nevertheless, she works as a seamstress, and has a rich inner life and unique throwback style. One night, an invader enters her home, and she soon disovers it is an alien. She is able to fight it and flee, only to discover her neighbors weren’t so lucky and have been possessed by the aliens. As Brynn tries to escape, fight, or outsmart the increasingly scary invaders, her past returns to intertwine with her present in unexpected ways.

  • Top Scare: First Invader
  • Heartbeats: 3 1/2 out of 5
  • Gore Factor: 1 1/2 out of 5
  • Scare Factor: 4 out of 5
  • Recommended For: 13 and up