10 Best Sci-Fi Horror Films To Watch Halloween 2020

Based on the book of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer, Annihilation revolves around Lena (Natalie Portman), a biologist who joins a team of four other scientists that are tasked with venturing into "The Shimmer", a strange, ever-expanding area created by a meteor strike that previous expeditions have failed to return from. After making their way in, they discover a bizarre array of flowers and animals, as well as the fact that the passage of time has become eerily distorted.

After spending a few days in the area, the team come to the realisation that The Shimmer is rewriting the DNA of everything that it envelops, thus mutating them and everything around them. The scientists attempt to push on to the centre of The Shimmer to try and learn what it is whilst trying to keep their sanity, as well as their lives.

"Trippy" doesn't even begin to describe the viewing experience when watching this film for the first time. The visual effects are quite impressive, with the environment and inhabitants of The Shimmer being particularly stunning to look at. This is then contrasted by the soundtrack and intentionally disorientating editing, leaving any first time viewers just as confused as the characters themselves.

The long periods of calm and silence are then punctuated by gory, visceral deaths that are made even more impactful by how infrequently they occur. All of this makes Annihilation a wholly unique film that is definitely worth a watch for those who have never seen it before.