Screamers
On a war-ravaged mining planet, a betrayed commander crosses a deadly wasteland while autonomous killing machines evolve toward humanity’s extinction.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- bleak
- paranoid
- atmospheric
- late night horror viewing
- science fiction marathon
What critics said
Critics generally found the film atmospheric and imaginative, with effective dialogue and intelligent science-fiction ideas, but faulted its direction, clichés, and disappointing third act.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Sirius 6B is a mining world devastated by a decade of warfare, with surviving forces divided across a treacherous wasteland.
The self-replicating Screamers continue developing without guidance and shift from military targeting to exterminating all life.
The film builds Blade Runner-like ambiguity around identifying which figures are human and which may be Screamers.
Refineries, futuristic locations, wasteland travel, and blade-wielding killing machines provide the film's defining production texture.
Films like Screamers, and why
The Terminator
Shared science fiction horror, militarized dystopian setting, and ambiguity about human identity amid autonomous machines.
Blade Runner
Shared android horror, bleak futuristic atmosphere, and philosophical uncertainty over who remains human.
Alien
Shared isolated off-world survival, paranoia, and industrial science fiction horror involving an inhuman threat.
The Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Shared post-apocalyptic war setting, machine menace, and propulsive action-driven survival structure.
Movie Details
- Director
- Christian Duguay
- Release Date
- 1995-09-08
- Runtime
- 108 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (630)
Cast
- Peter Weller
- Jennifer Rubin
- Roy Dupuis
- Andrew Lauer
- Liliana Komorowska
- Michael Caloz
- Jason Cavalier
- Ron White
- Leni Parker
- Sylvain Massé
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Screamers about?
- On a war-ravaged mining planet, a betrayed commander crosses a deadly wasteland while autonomous killing machines evolve toward humanity’s extinction.
- What is Screamers like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Screamers as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Screamers violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Screamers as graphic.
- What did critics think of Screamers?
- Critics generally found the film atmospheric and imaginative, with effective dialogue and intelligent science-fiction ideas, but faulted its direction, clichés, and disappointing third act.
- Which films are like Screamers?
- Films with a similar feel include The Terminator, Blade Runner, Alien, and The Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
- How long is Screamers?
- Screamers runs 108 minutes.
- Where can I watch Screamers?
- In United States, Screamers is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
