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Killer Chords

Films Featuring Otherworldly Control Over Humanity To Devour Before or After ‘VENOM: THE LAST DANCE’

Tom Hardy is all set to return as the sentient symbiote host Eddie Brock in Venom: The Last Dance, the epic conclusion to the symbiotic journey of Eddie Brock and his powerful, sentient alter ego.

Directed by Kelly Marcel from a screenplay she wrote, based on a story by Hardy and Marcel, the film sees Eddie and Venom on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie’s last dance.

Alongside Hardy the film also boasts an ensemble cast including Chiwetel Ejiofor (InfiniteThe Boy Who Harnessed the Wind), Juno Temple (“Ted Lasso”, Killer Joe), Rhys Ifans (The Amazing Spider-ManNotting Hill), Peggy Lu (Kung Pow: Enter the Fist), Alanna Ubach (“Ted”, “Euphoria”) and Stephen Graham (Boiling Point, “Bodies”).

With Venom: The Last Dance poised to deliver a monumental finale, CinemaChords has drawn up a list of must-see films that explore the concept of otherworldly entities taking control of the human senses.


The directorial debut from CGI effects maestro Toby Wilkins is a startling and innovative sci-fi shocker that deserves to be mentioned alongside the genre’s most iconic classics. Set in and around an abandoned gas station, it tells the tale of a vicious, parasitic creature that infects its human victims, imbuing them with a ravenous craving for human flesh. Wearing its clear homage to Carpenter’s seminal classic The Thing proudly on its sleeve, the story follows an unlikely pair of heroes – a couple on a camping vacation – who find themselves desperately battling to fend off the advance of a deadly plant-based virus whilst at the same time grappling to distinguish between those who might be turning and who it’s still safe to trust.

Making the absolute most off of a modest budget, Splinter pays effective homage to genre classics like the aforementioned The Thing and also The Blob, while also incorporating its own distinctive eco-centric elements, while incorporating its own unique eco-centric elements. These distinctive touches set the film apart, making it a singular and worthwhile addition to the infection-horror subgenre.


Tom Shankland’s (W∆Z) festive tale follows a group of families who gather to celebrate the holidays, only to have their cozy festivities shattered when a mysterious virus targets the children. As the once-mischievous youngsters transform into malevolent adult killers, Shankland’s expert direction ramps up the suspense and dread as the “freak” accidents that start happening becoming increasingly gruesome.

The child actors deliver chillingly convincing performances, and the fact that the possessed kids are never caught “red-handed” makes them all the more enigmatic and menacing.


Jack Sholder’s (Nightmare on Elm Street 2, Alone in the Dark) psychothriller presents a captivating and offbeat take on the alien invasion narrative. The film revolves around a Los Angeles police officer and an FBI detective tasked with solving a series of puzzling deaths with a common thread: who are tasked with investigating a series of puzzling deaths with a curious common thread – the victims all exhibit a dramatic shift in their behavior, coupled with a sudden superhuman resilience to pain. These mysterious deaths prove to be the work of an alien entity that has the ability to possess and take control of human hosts.

Sholder’s film transcends the film’s generic sci-fi/horror premise with a unique blend of thrilling action, sharp wit, macabre humor, and chilling horror – all seasoned with a distinctive Cronenbergian touch of body horror.


Directed by the iconic John McNaughton, whose previous films include the cult classic Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer and the thriller Wild Things, The Borrower languished in limbo for three years before finally receiving a release. Originally produced by Atlantic Entertainment Group for a 1988 debut, this offbeat sci-fi horror flick’s fortunes changed when the distributor went out of business, leading Cannon Films to pick it up and give it a proper release in 1991.

This schlock-fueled horror satire follows an alien criminal who is banished to Earth and forced to take on human form. Tragically, the fragile body he’s imprisoned in has a fatal flaw – its head has a tendency to suddenly explode during moments of duress. As a result, the stranded extraterrestrial finds themselves in the predicament of having to “borrow” the heads of unsuspecting victims to replace his own volatile cranium.

Tongue firmly planted in cheek, The Borrower revels in its own exaggerated absurdity, delivering a gloriously unhinged fusion of gory horror, outrageous comedy, and schlocky sci-fi that will appeal to those seeking a taste of trashy cult cinema delirium and anything-goes irreverence.


In John Carpenter’s The Thing, the first installment of his “Apocalypse Trilogy,” a remote group of American researchers stationed at an isolated Antarctic outpost come into contact with a malevolent, shape-shifting extraterrestrial entity with the ability to perfectly assimilate and impersonate its victims. As the parasitic creature infiltrates their camp, it sows pernicious seeds of distrust and all-consuming paranoia among the already on-edge, isolated scientists, each one increasingly suspecting the other of having been “taken over” by the sinister, shape-shifting “thing.” With nowhere to run and no one to trust, the researchers are forced into a desperate, bloody struggle for survival where the tension is ratcheted up to an unbearable degree.

John Carpenter’s mastery of atmosphere and tone is on full display in this film. The oppressive, snow-swept Antarctic setting lends an air of hopeless isolation and claustrophobia; perfectly complemented by Ennio Morricone’s ominous, unsettling musical score. What’s more, the groundbreaking, grotesque practical shapeshifting effects by makeup legends Rob Bottin and Stan Winston are nothing short of iconic. It’s no wonder Carpenter regards this as his personal favorite among his extensive filmography.


Venom: The Last Dance releases in the United States on October 25, 2024.

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