Movies
[Review] ‘The Void’ Captures The Essence of Cosmic Horror
Many horror fans lament the apparent absence of Lovecraft-inspired horror movies since the glory days of Stuart Gordon and John Carpenter. Of course, we have seen a few Lovecraftian gems here and there since then, but few of those films manage to achieve that illusive atmosphere that we seem to crave. Luckily, writer-directors Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski have unexpectedly conjured up a worthy addition to the annals of cosmic horror with their new film, The Void.
Starting off as a deceptively simple siege movie, The Void stars Aaron Poole as Daniel Carter, a small-town cop who gets unwittingly caught up in unfathomably horrific circumstances. When Carter attempts to rescue a wounded stranger by taking him to the nearest hospital, he unleashes a chain of events that results in the hospital’s skeleton crew and patients being attacked by gruesome entities and a mysterious cult. This small group must attempt to survive the night all the while dealing with the supernatural implications of their pursuers.
Although it tackles some original concepts and boasts some truly unique (not to mention nightmarish) visuals, The Void is, at its core, a love-letter to what has become an exceedingly rare form of horror in Hollywood. Equal parts The Thing, From Beyond and some kind of hallucinogenic drug trip, this is retro filmmaking at its finest. While nostalgic looks at older styles of filmmaking can sometimes end up feeling derivative, Gillespie and Kostanski manage to inject enough of their own style to keep things consistently fresh.
Speaking of older styles of filmmaking, the practical effects in this film are some of the best (or worst, if you consider the subject matter) that I’ve seen in horror for a long time, even rivalling the work of masters like Stan Winston and Tom Savini. Even if you don’t quite appreciate the story or characters, these visuals will haunt you long after the credits roll. There is some decent usage of CGI as well, but those elements can’t really compare to the physical monstrosities gracing the screen.
While the cast does a fantastic job at reacting to the inexplicable terror around them, you can’t help but feel that these characters could have been developed a bit more. Poole makes for an extremely compelling protagonist, but he can’t quite carry the film by himself. The vastly underrated Ellen Wong also makes an appearance, which is a plus, but the script still isn’t doing anyone any favors. This is a minor gripe, however, as the film as a whole still manages to be exceptionally entertaining, not to mention terrifying.
Despite its flaws, The Void is ultimately the Lovecraftian horror movie that we’ve been hoping for. The ending might not be entirely satisfying, and the characters could have been improved, but this is still an immensely enjoyable film. The effects work and monster designs are top-notch, and the movie somehow captures that rare feeling of cosmic dread that oh-so-many horror films strive for, but few ever achieve. It may not quite reach the heights of the films that inspired it, but The Void is most definitely worth a watch.
The Void will be getting a limited theatrical release starting April 7th!
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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