In the height of Spring, I can’t help but take in the beautiful flowers and plants in bloom all around us. From strikingly vivid flowers, to full gorgeous greenery, it’s the season of growth and abundance. But there is a darker side to plants. From legends of man eating plants in Central America, to the use of Belladonna and Nightshade as a poison, plants certainly have a complex relationship with horror.
And that isn’t lost on the filmmakers who translated these mythologies and in some cases, real history, to terrifying science fiction and horror masterpieces.
Here are the best plant horror movies.
Annihilation (2018) Based on the 2014 novel of the same name, Annihilation was written and directed by Alex Garland. The film stars Gina Rodriguez, Natalie Portman and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Within the world of the film a mysterious and amorphous threat is growing, dubbed by scientists as Area X, a group decides to enter the danger zone in order to better understand its power. Annihilation is a stunning visual story, paired with heartbreak and instinctual fear.
Little Shop of Horrors (1986) A campy classic, the 1986 film version of Little Shop of Horrors stars Rick Moranis and Ellen Greene. The musical chronicles the story of Seymour, a struggling plant shop assistant and his love for Audrey. Cosmic interference meets a killer soundtrack with Little Shop.
Godzilla vs Biollante (1989) One of the many films in the Godzilla franchise, Godzilla vs Biollante stands out for it’s heart, and unique focus within the overall storyline of the series. Biollante is the 17th Godzilla film, and tackles the story through the lens of science; plants, cells and experimentation (with a sprinkle of human-Kaiju telepathy.
The Day of The Triffids (1963) Based on the novel of the same name, The Day of The Triffids is a British science fiction film. Starring Janette Scott and Howard Keel, the movie tells the story of a post-apocalyptic world where many people were blinded by a meteor shower. All the while, a killer plant species is on the rise.
Attack of The Killer Tomatoes (1978) Just as campy and over the top as you’d expect, Attack of The Killer Tomatoes is an ultra low budget parody, in which tomatoes go on a murderous killing spree.
Invasion of The Body Snatchers (1978) One interesting intersection that several films on this list grapple with, is killer plant films where the enemy seeds are sourced from space. That is true of Invasion of The Body Snatchers, which tells the story of strange seed pods from outer space that start to invade the United States.
Listen to episode 110 of the Lunatics Radio Hour podcast for more on the history of killer plants in horror.