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What is it about the need to push the boundary of where life meets death? What is it about the arrogance of humans to encroach, not just upon one another, but upon nature in all of its facets? We rape, murder, and steal from one another; we bulldoze and plunder the very planet on which we depend; and we leverage the long arm of science to attempt to revive others who have gone from this plane, encroaching upon death itself.

The sci-fi horror sub-genre is filled with scientists who have gone too far, pushing the bounds into realms we really ought not be flirting with. From Birth/Rebirth and Lazarus Effect to the entire Alien franchise, doctors and scientists in horror hold a special place as harbingers of the doom in a myriad of ways.

In keeping with the Classic Horror theme of eccentric doctors and the horrors they unleash upon their communities—with The Electric Chair and The Extraordinary Experiment of Dr. Calgroni—we present to you this rather short list of modern horror depicting doctors and scientists going way too far.

We here at the Calamity hope you enjoy these films and the cautionary tales they represent. In both films, the arrogance of Man to attempt to pierce the veil and bring back someone results in their bringing back something instead. The consequences are, of course, exactly what you might imagine.

You’ll find the review of Birth/Rebirth below, a well-made film whose first half serves as a deliciously, albeit somewhat disturbing, slow burn, building up to the horror ensuing in the latter half of the film. The film is compelling enough to warrant a two clown rating via the Calamity's JEST scale.

*The Calamity Content Rating System is backwards: the less clowns, the better. For a full expository article on this system, direct your attention here.

Find the list on Letterboxd here: