A forgotten sci-fi horror film with a 28% score on Rotten Tomatoes is now dominating streaming charts worldwide. The resurgence of such тιтles highlights the long and strange history of the genre, which often blends futuristic technology with primal fears. Early films like The Thing from Another World (1951) and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), for instance, used alien threats as metaphors for Cold War anxieties.
The genre changed dramatically with Ridley Scott’s Alien in 1979, a landmark film that combined claustrophobic horror with sleek and industrial sci-fi. Its influence can be seen in films like The Thing (1982), Event Horizon (1997), and The Mist (2007), each film pushing psychological and body horror even further. Today, entries like Annihilation (2018) and Underwater (2020) show how sci-fi horror continues evolving, often embracing ambiguity and existential dread.
The Black Demon Dominates Streaming Worldwide
The Black Demon is dominating streaming worldwide. Directed by Adrian Grünberg (Rambo: Last Blood), with a screenplay written by Boise Esquerra, the 2023 sci-fi thriller follows a family stranded on a crumbling oil rig in Baja who face off against a vengeful megalodon shark.
The cast includes Josh Lucas, Fernanda Urrejola, Venus Ariel, Carlos Solórzano, Julio Cesar Cedillo, Jorge A. Jimenez, Raúl Méndez, Héctor Jiménez, Edgar Flores, and Omar Chaparro.
Two years after its release, The Black Demon ranks second on HBO Max’s Top 10 movies in the world for today, September 1. It ranks below Final Destination Bloodlines and above Day of Reckoning, A Sacrifice, Just Mercy, Jackpot!, Talk To Me, Nosferatu (2024), The Conjuring, and Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken.
The Black Demon isn’t available on HBO Max in the United States, though it is streaming on Prime Video.
Our Take On The Black Demon’s Streaming Success
The Black Demon was previously a streaming success on Prime Video in 2023, although it has been largely forgotten since then. Critics dismissed it for feeling out of its depth compared to the giants of killer-creature cinema, ultimately offering audiences little in the way of satisfying mayhem and earning a 28% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
However, The Black Demon seems beloved by audiences, indicated by its 76% audience score, and its recent resurfacing on streaming. While it may never swim alongside Jaws in the shark movie canon, it’s packed with explosive action, striking visuals, and an underlying theme that adds depth to the spectacle. The Black Demon has all the makings of a cult favorite.
