Christopher Nolan’s love of science comes into play yet again in his latest biographical movie Oppenheimer. The director's next World War II movie is about theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer who invented the atomic bomb. So, considering this movie is about the beginnings of a weapon that can cause mass destruction, it seems logical that an early viewer compared it to a horror film.
The first trailer for Oppenheimer was already chilling as it gave us a vague and cryptic description of what audiences can expect. We see a juxtaposition of black-and-white shots of J. Robert Oppenheimer with a narrator keying us in about the man who created a weapon of mass destruction and the colorful shots of an explosion. Fire twirls around in a horrifyingly enticing dance reminding us of what to anticipate with this biographical thriller. While speaking with Wired, Christopher Nolan teased why audiences should be nervous about watching his upcoming movie, saying:
I think you might have to wait a long time before you do. It is an intense experience, because it's an intense story. I showed it to a filmmaker recently who said it's kind of a horror movie. I don't disagree. It's interesting that you used the word nihilism earlier, because I don't think I'd quite managed to put my finger on it. But as I started to finish the film, I started to feel this color that's not in my other films, just darkness. It's there. The film fights against that.
Even if Oppenheimer didn’t mean to be a horror film, considering the horrific atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki it makes sense that this movie is scary and haunting.
Some of the best horror movies present their chill factor in varying degrees. Sometimes they can feel realistic like in “found footage” movies, which always makes things scarier. However, I personally find the most effective horror films are the ones that build alarming suspense in every scene like the terrifying film It Follows and Jordan Peele’s Get Out. Even movies with a thrillingly scary plot like Buried come off as true horror to me. With Oppenheimer, we’re already anticipating violent destruction caused by the atomic bomb, but it’ll be the intense journey leading up to that point that will likely leave us disturbed.
It’s one thing for us as an audience to see Oppenheimer. It’s another story entirely to be the man behind the camera giving audiences his latest masterpiece. Nolan continued to explain how his movie had a deep effect on him, saying:
I do now that I—you know, I was relieved to be finished with it, actually. But I enjoy watching the film tremendously. I think you'll understand when you see the film. It's a complicated set of feelings to be entertained by awful things, you know? Which is where the horror dimension comes in.
That must be why a lot of people are so interested in the horror genre. Like Nolan, I'm sure many of us are entertained by watching horrifying films, even if what's happening on screen is disturbing. The logical part of our brain knows what we see is not real but we're also intrigued and terrified by what’s in front of us.
The creation of the atomic bomb was a truly horrific moment for the world, and the Inception filmmaker explained how this movie raises critical questions we may never have answers to about weapons of mass destruction. Nolan warned audiences that they may leave the movie speechless and feeling “absolutely devastated,” but the love of the characters and relationships will keep them tuned in.
If you're a fan of horror or historical drama, Oppenheimer may be the next movie to add to your watchlist if you haven't already. Christopher Nolan's upcoming work is an example of a movie that may not be marketed as a horror film, but nothing screams more horror than a true moment in history when a weapon was introduced that has the potential to destroy the world. You can watch Christopher Nolan’s 2023 movie release in theaters on July 21.
