Movies
[BD Review] ‘Almost Human’ Is An Affectionate Tribute To 80’s Sci-Fi/Horror
Over two decades have passed and still, this generation is inspired by the 80’s, the stuff of my youth. The VHS subculture and old-school poster designs seem more predominate than it’s been in years. Technology has made huge leaps yet artists still go out of their way to recreate the lower grade appearance I grew up on. It speaks volumes on the depressing state of modern day entertainment that filmmakers and musicians just don’t find any inspiration by the works of their contemporaries. Writer/Director Joe Begos’ Almost Human is the latest that’s soaked in 80’s influence.
Two years have gone by since the disappearance of Seth Hampton’s best friend, Mark Fisher via a strange blue light from the sky. All of a sudden a series of vicious murders begin to occur that leads him to believe Mark is back…well, at least his physical form. The premise follows the sci-fi/horror tradition seen in such classics as The Terminator, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and a personal fav, The Hidden. This is not the kind of film you gauge the acting. It’s at the level you’d expect from a title such as this. The cast serves the material well enough. Graham Skipper (Herbert West from the Re-Animator: The Musical) is likeable as our lead protagonist and Josh Ethier plays the cyborg-like villain more than efficiently.
Begos shows potential in his directorial debut. He clearly has affection for the sci-fi, horror B pictures of the 80’s. Every decision he makes is a loving nod in some shape or form. The opening title sequence uses the same font found in John Carpenter’s Escape From New York. The movie’s title card is absolutely killer. For a low budgeter, Almost Human is surprisingly well-made. Shot on the Red MX, the filmmakers do a fine job of replicating the look of the era of influence. It utilizes the 2.35:1 aspect ratio to good effect. The score by Adam Green’s go-to guy Andy Garfield captured the mood spot-on. The soundtrack is a great mix of Carpenter-esque synth and orchestral.
As for issues, I got the feeling certain moments especially in the third act have been padded in order to get the film to hit the 80 minute mark. The clearly dragged out end credit roll is another indicator that there wasn’t enough material for a feature-length. As entertaining as I found Almost Human to be, it seems merely content to replicate the source without ever attempting to take it somewhere fresh. There isn’t a moment here that wasn’t inspired from something else. Astron-6, more specifically the works of the brilliant Steven Kostanski (long live Manborg) show that you can pay homage to your idols yet at the same time create something insane and new.
Almost Human is yet another feature that would have made a better short. It’s not like I was bored with the movie. With a straight face, Begos successfully captures the 80’s unpretentious charm . I just feel he did a disservice to his own material by attempting to extend it into something that it’s clearly not. Despite these setbacks, I find just enough here to recommend. If you dig the trailer and cheesy 80’s sci-fi horror is your thing, this flick’s for you. It preyed on my nostalgia of a time I will forever cherish. Armed with The Dude Designs’ awesome cover art, Almost Human would make a fine VHS rental.
Judging from the unprecedented box office success of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms adaptation, you’ve likely already seen the liminal horror hit that managed to make audiences afraid of empty hallways and bad wallpaper. And now that so many of us have already entered the yellow labyrinth (some of us more than once), the time has come to discuss the spoiler-filled details that make the movie so fascinating in the first place.
And if there’s one element here that makes the Backrooms movie stand out from any previous lore/mythology, it has to be the genius addition of the Still Life entities. Warped recreations of real people that somehow wandered into the Complex, these misremembered creatures are responsible for some of the most disturbing imagery of 2026 – as well as laugh-out-loud memes created by one of the film’s very own concept artists.
However, true to Parsons’ word that the movie would rely heavily on practical effects, each of these distorted monsters was brought to life by real actors under heavy layers of makeup and prosthetics (with the occasional splash of CGI enhancements). While Anora and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You actress Ivy Wolk wasn’t among these performers, despite what Letterboxd might have you believe, the creature cast did benefit from veteran players with plenty of genre experience.
For starters, Alien: Romulus alumni Robert Bobroczkyi (who previously brought that film’s horrific Offspring to life during its most memorable sequence) plays the flick’s main antagonist, the Still Life version of Captain Clark. And though there was some obvious CGI involved in making the character’s peg-leg and nightmarish face more believable, Bobroczkyi’s monstrous performance and his natural 7’7″ frame helped to make that final chase sequence a clear highlight among this year’s genre offerings.
The film’s Texas-Chain-Saw-inspired “dinner” scene also features a freaky collection of less-aggressive Still Life creatures in the form of the Bearded Man, the Red-Headed Woman and, strangest of them all, the cheekily named “Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life” (who earned this title among fans and crewmembers as a reference to his apparent affinity for lamps).
While this was the first major horror outing for both Patrick Baynham (The Bearded Man) and Dana Mahmood (Archibald), Rhiannon Roberts has worked as a stunt performer in everything from Yellowjackets to HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation – which is probably why The Red-Headed Woman is the most active out of Clark’s impromptu “family.” That being said, the Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life is my personal favorite of the bunch simply because his anachronistic outfit suggests that the Backrooms phenomenon might be a lot older than the Async Foundation. I also love how hard he tries to be helpful with that little light of his!
That might be it for the Still Life entities, but I think horror fans will also be pleased to hear that the film’s Found Footage prologue stars none other than Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City star Avan Jogia as Naren Warne – and American Mary herself Katharine Isabelle also shows up in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo at Mary’s house party towards the middle of the story (though I have a feeling that she originally had a bigger part that was likely cut for time).
At the end of the day, Parsons’ Backrooms may have been an auteur-driven project motivated by the young director’s unique take on the classic creepypasta, but film has always been a collective artform, so it’s fun to see just how many talented performers it takes to bring this kind of supernatural nightmare to life in a way that connects with so many people.
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