Color Out of Space
6.186%82%6.1
The Gardner family moves to a remote farmstead in rural New England to escape the hustle of the 21st century. They are busy adapting to their new life when a meteorite crashes into their front yard, melts into the earth, and infects both the land and the properties of space-time with a strange, otherworldly colour. To their horror, the family discovers this alien force is gradually mutating every life form that it touches—including them.
- N8October 12, 2024I went into Color Out of Space expecting a cosmic horror flick, and it delivered. This movie is like a fever dream come to life, visually stunning, completely unsettling, and at times, just plain weird. Nicolas Cage is... well, Nicolas Cage. He fully embraces the madness of the situation, delivering a performance that's both hilarious and disturbing. The rest of the cast holds their own, especially Madeleine Arthur as the daughter, Lavinia, who brings a raw vulnerability to her role. The special effects are trippy and mesmerizing, capturing the otherworldly nature of the "color" that infects the Gardner family and their farm. The cinematography is gorgeous, with vibrant colors contrasting against the encroaching darkness. It's like watching a nightmare unfold in slow motion. The movie doesn't shy away from body horror, and there are some truly grotesque scenes that'll stick with you. But amidst the chaos, there's a poignant undercurrent of existential dread that's straight out of Lovecraft's playbook. The Gardner family's descent into madness is both terrifying and heartbreaking to watch. Color Out of Space isn't for everyone. It's slow-paced, deliberately unsettling, and definitely not afraid to get weird. But if you're a fan of Lovecraftian horror, cosmic horror, or just want to see Nicolas Cage go completely unhinged, this movie is a must-see. Just be prepared for a wild ride.
- vangh1August 15, 2026I had zero clue going into this (as I always aspire to) and I don't think I've ever seen a movie with an opening that so clearly reads like a novel's prologue ever before in my life. I wish I could hear the opening narration again now that I've seen the thing, because thinking back on it I felt like the narration made the malevolence feel native and ever present to the woods around the home, and the movie is basically about the exact opposite of that, so it was a strange set up given what was to come. The opening sequences, following H.P. Lovecraft's name in the credits, set a pretty clear expectation early, and I was on board. The wiccan ritual, the strange outsider, the isolated family. It was all very intriguing. But I felt like with the composition and editing (not to mention the Hydrologist), there were HUGE neon arrows pointing to triangle shapes and the water. But neither of those come to matter AT ALL as we move forward, so I don't know what all the set up was about. And that's kind of my main gripe with the whole thing, is that it feels like there's all these really seemingly meaningful pieces put on the board, but not for any actual purpose in the game. The dad's parental trauma, the mom's career struggles, the son's drug use, the daughter's ritualistic spirituality, the littlest one being both the most separate and the most tied to Mommy. Some of it is used to enhance the drama or the body horror a little bit, like Nathan sort of "becoming" his father (the affected voice Cage puts on is AWFUL and completely deflates every line delivered, but the intent is clear) or Lavinia carving protective runes into herself, or the absolutely harrowing fusion, but none of it feels like it truly means anything or elevates anything or says anything beyond those beats. And it feels like it SHOULD be significant that the only one that survives the whole thing is the outsider, the Hydrologist, the one who came from away, and yet I can't really find any textual evidence to really shore up the idea in any deep or resonating way. The movie was aesthetic as hell, I'll give it that. Between the lighting, the gorgeous set dec and vibrant colour (out of space), the editing and fantastic body horror effects (which elicit a visceral reaction even when they don't necessarily look lifelike), it's absolutely a visual symphony and a joy to look at and experience on that wavelength. (The jarring feeling as Ward exits the cellar to a world of white and gray following what was a vivid colour scape was FANTASTIC.) But I've said it before and I'll say it again, I always come to and through a movie for the script and what it says and how it lingers in the mind and spirit, and this one didn't linger for me at all. That said, I had a really good conversation about it after with the guy who recommended it to me, and even if his insight about the nature of cosmic horror and the way something completely outside, above, or beyond us can unwittingly destroy us utterly, didn't really make me like the movie anymore, it gave me a little more appreciation for the impression it was trying to leave. I'm sure other people have made comparisons to Mandy as well, with them both being neon mind fuck Nic Cage vehicles. I will say where Mandy felt about an hour and fifty five minutes too long, this one never did. It may not be my kind of story, but it's a well told one for what it is nonetheless, and the production that supports the story is immaculate.
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Color Out of Space was released on January 24, 2020.
Color Out of Space was directed by Richard Stanley.
Color Out of Space has a runtime of 1h 50m.
Color Out of Space was produced by Daryl Tucker, Josh C. Waller, Daniel Noah, Elijah Wood, Lisa Whalen.
The Gardner family moves to a remote farmstead in rural New England to escape the hustle of the 21st century. They are busy adapting to their new life when a meteorite crashes into their front yard, melts into the earth, and infects both the land and the properties of space-time with a strange, otherworldly colour. To their horror, the family discovers this alien force is gradually mutating every life form that it touches—including them.
The key characters in Color Out of Space are Nathan Gardner (Nicolas Cage), Theresa Gardner (Joely Richardson), Lavinia Gardner (Madeleine Arthur).
Color Out of Space is rated R.
Color Out of Space is a Horror, Science Fiction, Mystery film.
Color Out of Space has an audience rating of 8.2 out of 10.
Color Out of Space had a budget of $6M.
Color Out of Space has made $1M at the box office.