Apollo 18

In December 1972 Apollo 17 was launched, the sixth and last mission to go to the moon. Or so we were lead to believe… In 1973 a final mission, Apollo 18, was launched. The subsequent events were rapidly covered up by the US Department of Defence. All records were thought to be lost, until now.

Apollo 18 feels a lot like a cross between the similarly titled Apollo 13 and recent hand-held camera horror films such as Cloverfield, Paranormal Activity and [Rec]. However, the contrast of the confined interior of the lunar module and the vast, barren emptiness of the Moon’s surface injects a thrilling claustrophobia into the film, setting it apart from many of its peers and establishing a clever mechanism of suspense. The obvious comparison to draw is with 2009’s Moon, a similarly low budget film set on the lunar surface. However, Apollo 18 pitches a more traditional horror story than Sam Rockwell’s psychological nightmare. The tension is slowly ratcheted up throughout the film, as you realise that all is not well on this mission, before reaching the horror of the terrifying finale.

Much of the credit has to go to the film’s director, Gonzalo López-Gallego, who makes the most of his limited budget to create an unnerving atmosphere that pervades the entire film. This achievement is made all the more impressive when you consider that this is his first English language film. The two stars of the film, Lloyd Owen and Warren Christie, also deserve recognition for their contributions; despite being relatively unknown they anchor the narrative and allow the suspense to evolve naturally, with Warren Christie in particular standing out as a possible star of the future.

Apollo 18 is gripping horror film that puts a creative twist on the genre of found-footage horror films. After watching this you’ll hope that mankind never goes back to the Moon.