A beautiful nightmare

Annihilation is my kinda horror movie. It packs a punch that you don’t ordinarily see without a ton of action or gore. It doesn’t need a lot of it to make an impact. Probably thanks to the book it’s based on. Which I tried reading but couldn’t get into. I watched the movie first, so reading the source material felt slow and boring.

The film is beautifully shot, especially inside The Shimmer. Everything feels pretty yet lethal at the same time. I love the iridescent pastels, fast-growing flora, and deer plucked from dreams.

And then there’s the bear.

I mean, what a fucking concept. A mutated bear is already bad enough, but a mutated bear that absorbs the voice of the person it killed? Absolutely not. That sequence is one of the scariest creature scenes I’ve seen in a horror movie. Patchy hair, long bony face, sharp teeth, mismatched parts…it’s so wrong. And worse, its screams are total nightmare fuel. I’ve thought of that creature on multiple occasions.

Annihilation might not have a lot of gore, but it’s definitely there. The soldier with the moving intestines, the jaw ripped off, the dead bodies ripped apart by beautiful overgrowth. It’s intense when you’re witnessing it, but that intensity doesn’t stick around. In between shocking scenes, characters are having conversations about what’s happening, which could only come from a piece of literature. The discussions are clearly not filler dialogue. You get sucked into the mechanics of The Shimmer, and the movie is better for it.

You just don’t see this type of horror a lot. It’s so unique, and that’s why it’s on my Horror Essentials list. That bear is fuckin’ iconic.

The cast is also great. Natalie Portman is amazing, because of course she is. Jennifer Jason Leigh plays the hell out of the cold, driven Ventress. Gina Rodriguez is no stranger to the angry badass character. I love Tessa Thompson, but she’s quieter here than I’m used to seeing her. I’m not sure if that’s just my own bias or that role didn’t sell it, but it takes nothing away from the film.

My only real complaint is that some of the flashbacks feel less important. The affair scene, for example. I’m assuming it’s book canon, and a potential setup for future films, but it’s the only thing that takes me out of the movie (though maybe the break is needed!).

Annihilation is one of those movies horror fans just need to see.