10 Best Horror Movies Set On Different Planets

5. The Last Days On Mars (2013)

Ghosts of Mars Natasha Henstridge
Universal Pictures

Ruairí Robinson's The Last Days on Mars is an adaptation of Sydney J. Bounds' short story The Animators, and screened at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival in the Directors' Fortnight section. Starring Liev Schreiber, Elias Koteas, and Romola Garai, the film centres on the crew of the Tantalus Base research outpost on the red planet. As they go about their work, collecting samples and compiling their reports, one by one they fall victim to a mysterious force that threatens their lives as well as the mission.

The film didn't set critical circles alight, which is a shame because there is plenty to enjoy in a movie made on an admittedly shoestring budget. More naturalistic than many schlocky horror movies are allowed to become, Robinson's approach helps to amplify the humanity at stake. The Last Days on Mars is a spacebound neo-zombie adventure made with more intelligence and care than many would care to admit.

Paul Walker had been made an offer to star in the lead role but, according to Robinson, his father turned down the offer. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Game of Thrones' Nikolaj Coster-Waldau were also considered for the lead role before Schreiber eventually took on the part.

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Contributor

I write regularly about all things pop culture, and am an individually approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes. I am the Film News Editor for FILMHOUNDS Magazine and a Senior Writer for Starburst Magazine UK. My other credits include bylines in The Guardian, The Quietus and The Indiependent.