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The Science Fiction Horror and Fantasy Film Review

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Theme: Alternate Histories

Alternate Histories are concerned with different outcomes of historic events had some event in the past been changed. Common variants include the depiction of the world that might have come about had Germany won World War II, what might have happened if the dinosaurs did not die out or if the South won the American Civil War to name some of the most common treatments.

Alternate Histories should be differentiated from the theme Alternate Timelines. Alternate Timelines concern themselves with personal stories – how the events of an individual’s life may have transpired differently had a crucial event been changed at some point or they made a different decision leading them on a different pathway – as opposed to widespread historical and societal changes.

Quite a number of different scenarios have been posited over the years both serious and unserious. For more detail and an overview of the genre see the Theme Essay Alternate History Films.


11.22.63 (2016)

1 May 201621 March 2020

Rating: ★★★

Time Traveller Tries to Prevent the Assassination of JFK/Stephen King Adaptation

Director: Kevin Macdonald, Frederick E.O. Toye, James Strong, James Franco, …
Actors: James Franco, Sarah Gadon, George MacKay, Chris Cooper, …
Category: Fantasy

The 25th Reich (2012)

26 February 201616 July 2019

Rating: ★★★

Time Travel, UFOs and Nazi-Ruled Alternate Future

Director: Stephen Amis
Actors: Jim Knobeloch, Serge Donardo, Jak Wyld, Angelo Salamanca, …
Category: Science Fiction

April and the Extraordinary World (2015)

3 November 201520 September 2019

Rating: ★★★★

Animation/Steampunk Alternate History Adventure

Director: Christian Desmares, Franck Ekinci
Category: Science Fiction

Chemical Wedding (2008)

18 November 20155 July 2020

Rating: ★★★

The Reincarnation of Aleister Crowley

Director: Julian Doyle
Actors: Simon Callow, Lucy Cudden, John Shrapnel, Christina Chong
Category: Horror

C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America (2004)

13 January 201123 May 2020

Rating: ★★★★★

Alternate History/The South Wins

Director: Kevin Willmott
Category: Science Fiction

The Empire of Corpses (2015)

25 November 201925 November 2019

Rating: ★★★

Anime/Alternate Victorian England Based on Frankenstein Technology

Director: Ryotaho Makihara
Category: Horror, Science Fiction

Fatherland (1994)

17 April 200112 November 2020

Rating: ★★

Alternate History/Nazi Rule

Director: Christopher Menaul
Actors: Rutger Hauer, Miranda Richardson, Peter Vaughan, Michael Kitchen, …
Category: Science Fiction

Fido (2006)

19 May 201030 August 2018

Rating: ★★★

Domesticated Zombies Comedy

Director: Andrew Currie
Actors: Billy Connolly, Carrie-Anne Moss, Dylan Baker, K'Sun Ray, …
Category: Horror

First on the Moon (2005)

21 March 201315 December 2020

Rating: ★★½

Soviet Moon Landing Mockumentary

Director: Aleksey Fedorchenko
Category: Science Fiction

The Good Dinosaur (2015)

6 December 20151 April 2020

Rating: ★★★

Pixar Animation/Dinosaur Befriends Caveboy

Director: Peter Sohn
Actors: Raymond Ochoa, Jack Bright, Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, …
Category: Fantasy

The Great Martian War: 1913-1917 (2013)

6 June 201911 December 2019

Rating: ★★★½

War of the Worlds Mockumentary Retelling

Director: Mike Slee
Actors: Mark Strong
Category: Science Fiction

It Happened Here (1965)

29 May 200123 May 2020

Rating: ★★★★★

Alternate History/England Under Nazi Rule

Director: Kevin Brownlow, Andrew Mollo
Actors: Pauline Murray, Sebastian Shaw
Category: Science Fiction

Jackboots on Whitehall (2010)

1 November 20129 February 2020

Rating: ★★½

Nazis Invade England/Satiric Alternate History/Puppet Film

Director: Edward McHenry, Rory McHenry
Actors: Ewan McGregor, Timothy Spall, Rosamund Pike, Dominic West, …
Category: Fantasy

Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1998)

3 October 199922 January 2020

Rating: ★★½

Anime/Werewolf Anti-Terrorist Squad

Director: Hiroyuki Okiura
Category: Fantasy

John Dies at the End (2012)

13 November 201223 January 2021

Rating: ★★★★

Reality-Expanding Drugs/Gonzo Supernatural Investigators

Director: Don Coscarelli
Actors: Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, Paul Giamatti, Glynn Turman, …
Category: Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2015)

2 August 201531 December 2019

Rating: ★★★★

Rivalry Between Magicians

Director: Toby Haynes
Actors: Eddie Marsan, Bertie Carvel, Marc Warren, Alice Englert, …
Category: Fantasy

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010)

3 February 201330 November 2020

Rating: ★★★

Animation/Comic-Book Superheroes

Director: Sam Liu, Lauren Montgomery
Actors: William Baldwin, Mark Harmon, Chris Noth, Gina Torres, …
Category: Science Fiction

Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986)

31 October 200830 September 2020

Rating: ★★★★★

Anime/Lost Floating City

Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Category: Science Fiction

The Lathe of Heaven (1980)

21 April 201430 August 2018

Rating: ★★★½

Man Whose Dreams Change the World When He Wakes

Director: Fred Barzyk, David Loxton
Actors: Bruce Davison, Kevin Conway, Margaret Avery, Niki Flacks
Category: Science Fiction

Lunopolis (2009)

7 June 201230 August 2018

Rating: ★★½

Found Footage/Grand Conspiracy Mashup

Director: Matthew J. Avant
Actors: Matthew J. Avant, Hal Maynor IV, Dave Potter, Ray Blum, …
Category: Science Fiction

The Mandela Effect (2019)

25 September 202025 September 2020

Rating: ★★

Editing of the Timeline/Living in The Matrix

Director: David Guy Levy
Actors: Charlie Hofheimer, Aleksa Palladino, Robin Lord Taylor, Clarke Peters, …
Category: Science Fiction

Never Let Me Go (2010)

17 November 20104 June 2020

Rating: ★★★★

Organ-Harvesting Dystopia

Director: Mark Romanek
Actors: Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, Keira Knightley, Charlotte Rampling, …
Category: Science Fiction

No Men Beyond This Point (2015)

13 October 201517 May 2020

Rating: ★★★★

Alternate History/Woman-Dominated World

Director: Mark Sawers
Actors: Patrick Gilmore, Kristine Cofsky, Tara Pratt, Cameron MacDonald, …
Category: Science Fiction

Parallels (2015)

18 April 201624 May 2020

Rating: ★★★

Alternative Universe Hopping

Director: Christopher Leone
Actors: Mark Hapka, Jessica Rothke, Eric Jungmann, Constance Wu, …
Category: Science Fiction

Perfect Creature (2006)

21 October 20072 October 2019

Rating: ★★★

Alternate World of Vampires

Director: Glenn Standring
Actors: Dougray Scott, Saffron Burrows, Leo Gregory, Scott Wills, …
Category: Horror

Philadelphia Experiment II (1993)

2 May 200130 August 2018

Rating: ★★

Alternate History/Nazis Rule

Director: Stephen Cornwell
Actors: Brad Johnson, Gerrit Graham, Marjean Holden, James Greene, …
Category: Science Fiction

The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004)

30 September 202030 September 2020

Rating: ★★★

Anime/Alternate History/Mysterious Tower

Director: Makoto Shinkai
Category: Science Fiction

The Plot Against America (2020)

23 May 202025 August 2020

Rating: ★★★★

Alternate History

Director: Minkie Spiro, Thomas Schlamme
Actors: Winona Ryder, Morgan Spector, Zoe Kazan, John Turturro, …
Category: Science Fiction

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)

7 February 201628 November 2019

Rating: ★★★

Jane Austen Retold with Zombies

Director: Burr Steers
Actors: Lily James, Sam Riley, Matt Smith, Jack Huston, …
Category: Horror

Quest for Love (1971)

11 November 201223 May 2020

Rating: ★★★

Alternate History

Director: Ralph Thomas
Actors: Tom Bell, Joan Collins, Denholm Elliott, Laurence Naismith, …
Category: Science Fiction

Radio Free Albemuth (2014)

30 November 20148 August 2020

Rating: ★★★½

Philip K. Dick Adaptation/Possible Messages from Aliens

Director: John Alan Simon
Actors: Jonathan Scarfe, Shea Whigham, Alanis Morissette, Katheryn Winnick, …
Category: Science Fiction

Random Quest (2006)

21 April 20167 May 2020

Rating: ★★

Alternate Timeline

Director: Luke Watson
Actors: Samuel West, Kate Ashfield, Shaun Parkes, David Burke, …
Category: Science Fiction

Six-String Samurai (1998)

1 June 201530 August 2018

Rating: ★★½

Post-Holocaust Rock”n’Roll Samurai

Director: Lance Mungia
Actors: Jeffrey Falcon, Justin McGuire, Stephane Gauger, Lex Lang, …
Category: Science Fiction

The Sky Crawlers (2008)

7 August 201127 November 2019

Rating: ★★★★

Anime/Cloned Flyers

Director: Mamoru Oshii
Category: Science Fiction

A Sound of Thunder (2005)

11 February 20073 November 2020

Rating: ½

Time Travel/Dinosaurs Amok/Ray Bradbury Adaptation

Director: Peter Hyams
Actors: Edward Burns, Catherine McCormack, Ben Kingsley, Jemima Rooper, …
Category: Science Fiction

SS-GB (2017)

14 January 201823 May 2020

Rating: ★★★★

Alternate History/England Under Nazi Rule

Director: Philipp Kadelbach
Actors: Sam Riley, James Cosmo, Kate Bosworth, Lars Eidinger, …
Category: Science Fiction

Steamboy (2004)

5 August 200528 November 2020

Rating: ★★★★

Steampunk Anime

Director: Katsuhiro Otomo
Category: Science Fiction

The Stranger (1973)

3 August 201712 October 2020

Rating: ★★

Counter Earth

Director: Lee H. Katzin
Actors: Glenn Corbett, Cameron Mitchell, Sharon Acker, Lew Ayres, …
Category: Science Fiction

Super Mario Bros. (1993)

28 May 20009 February 2020

Rating: ½

Videogame Adaptation/Evolved Dinosaurs

Director: Annabel Jankel, Rocky Morton
Actors: Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, Samantha Mathis, …
Category: Science Fiction

Superman: Red Son (2020)

6 March 202030 November 2020

Rating: ★★★

Comic-Book Superhero/Alternate History/Animation

Director: Sam Liu
Actors: Jason Isaacs, Diedrich Bader, Amy Acker, Vanessa Marshall, …
Category: Science Fiction

The Triangle (2005)

10 December 201419 November 2019

Rating: ★★★

Solving the Mystery of the Bermuda Triangle

Director: Craig R. Baxley
Actors: Eric Stoltz, Bruce Davison, Catherine Bell, Lou Diamond Phillips, …
Category: Science Fiction

War of the Worlds: Goliath (2012)

23 August 201511 December 2019

Rating: ★★★

H.G. Wells Sequel/Steampunk Alternate History

Director: Joe Pearson
Actors: Peter Wingfield, Elizabeth Gracen, Adrian Paul, Adam Baldwin, …
Category: Science Fiction

Watchmen (2009)

8 March 200923 November 2019

Rating: ★★★★

Comic-Book Superheroes

Director: Zack Snyder
Actors: Patrick Wilson, Billy Crudup, Jackie Earl Haley, Malin Akerman, …
Category: Science Fiction

White Man’s Burden (1995)

21 January 200023 May 2020

Rating: ★★★

Race-Reversed Alternate World

Director: Desmond Nakano
Actors: John Travolta, Harry Belafonte, Kelly Lynch, Margaret Avery, …
Category: Science Fiction

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)

9 May 20016 November 2020

Rating: ★★★★

Toon Detective Story

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Actors: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy, Stubby Kaye, …
Category: Fantasy

The Wings of Honneamise (1987)

12 March 201017 May 2020

Rating: ★★★½

Anime/Alternate World Spacelaunch

Director: Hiroyuki Yamaga
Category: Science Fiction

Yesterday (2019)

21 September 201923 May 2020

Rating: ★★★

Alternate History Where The Beatles Never Existed

Director: Danny Boyle
Actors: Himesh Patel, Lily James, Joel Fry, Ed Sheeran, …
Category: Fantasy

Young Einstein (1988)

2 September 201526 June 2020

Rating: ★★★

Gonzo Comedy/Alternate Albert Einstein

Director: Yahoo Serious
Actors: Yahoo Serious, Odile Le Clezio, John Howard (ii), Peewee Wilson, …
Category: Science Fiction

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  • Hell Fest (2018)
  • The Rental (2020)
  • Bliss (2021)
  • Greenland (2020)
  • Starship Apocalypse (2014)
  • Starship Rising (2014)
  • The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978)
  • Monstrum (2018)
  • Sword Master (2016)
  • Saint Maud (2019)
  • A-X-L (2018)

Theme Essays

  • Disaster Movies
  • Steampunk Films
  • Documentaries
  • Films About Halloween
  • Films About Prophecy
  • Nazis
  • Magicians and Sorcerers
  • Secret Societies
  • Real-Life People in Fiction
  • Techno-Thrillers
  • Twins in Fantastic Cinema
  • Asylums
  • Possession Films
  • Sexual Fetishism in Fantastic Cinema
  • Films About Imaginary and Magical Lands
  • Religion in Fantastic Cinema
  • Romantic Comedies
  • Film Noir
  • Spy Films
  • Jekyll and Hyde Films
  • Films That Make Dubious Claims to Being Based on True Stories
  • Coming of Age Stories in Fantastic Cinema
  • Films About Cryogenics and Suspended Animation
  • Alternate History Films
  • Disturbed Psychology as Portrayed on Film
  • Law Enforcement in Fantastic Cinema
  • Weird Westerns

© Copyright Richard Scheib 1999-2021

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