Synchronic Time Travel Horror on Netflix

The Netflix sci-fi horror film Synchronic uses a drug-induced time travel mechanic with strict, dangerous rules, creating a 100-minute nightmare.

The Netflix sci-fi horror movie Synchronic turns time travel into a terrifying 100-minute nightmare. Directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, the film replaces time machines with a drug that triggers the pineal gland, allowing physical travel to random points in the past.

Synchronic avoids treating time travel as a simple plot device. Instead, it captures the consequential and scary nature of altering cause-and-effect. The narrative is woven with themes of drug addiction, creating a compelling and frightening experience.

Time Travel With Unforgiving Rules

In this film, time travel is like rolling dice. Characters cannot choose their destination timeline or location. They might land in the Sahara Desert's heat or the middle of the Ice Age surrounded by extinct giant animals. A war-torn historical battlefield or a terrifying cult's ritual are also possible destinations.

All journeys operate under fixed, strict rules. Each traveler has an invisible seven-minute countdown upon arrival in the past. If they move more than twenty feet from their landing spot after the timer ends, they risk being permanently trapped hundreds or thousands of years back.

These rules strip away the typical sci-fi glamour of time travel. The film maintains its internal logic consistently. For example, an injury sustained in the distant past can cause a character to bleed out in the present.

While the story involves paradoxes, Synchronic follows a well-rounded narrative. It ends on a satisfying yet mildly ambiguous note.

Part of a Lovecraftian Movie Universe

Directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are now known for MCU work on shows like Loki and Moon Knight. Before that, they created a line of acclaimed indie horror films. Their indie movies are all connected within a larger Lovecraftian universe.

This interconnected series, often called the "Shitty-Carl Universe," includes films like Resolution, The Endless, Spring, Synchronic, and Something in the Dirt. These movies merge high-concept sci-fi with Lovecraftian horror. They have cultivated a devoted cult fanbase.

That fanbase may encourage the directors to expand this horror universe further. New viewers can start with Netflix's Synchronic before exploring the other loosely connected sci-fi horror films in their filmography.

The film was produced by companies including Pfaff & Pfaff Productions and Patriot Pictures. Its special effects supervisor was Olivier Cauwet.

Source: Screen Rant