Synchronic Time Travel Horror on Netflix

Netflix's sci-fi horror movie Synchronic offers a 100-minute nightmare vision of time travel. Directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, the film replaces time machines with a drug that targets the brain's pineal gland to trigger physical journeys into the past.

This narrative link between time travel and drug addiction creates a story that is both compelling and frightening. The film captures the peril of traveling to unknown points in history, stripping away the typical glamour associated with the genre.

Time Travel With Terrifying Rules

In Synchronic, time travel is an unpredictable gamble. Characters cannot choose their destination in time or space. They might land in the scorching Sahara Desert or find themselves surrounded by extinct creatures during the Ice Age. Other potential stops include historical battlefields or the midst of a terrifying cult's ritual.

A strict set of rules governs these journeys. Each traveler has an invisible seven-minute countdown. If they move more than twenty feet from their landing spot after time runs out, they risk being permanently stranded centuries in the past. The film maintains its internal logic consistently. An injury sustained in the past, for example, can cause a character to bleed out in the present.

While the story involves paradoxes, it concludes on a satisfying, if slightly ambiguous, note. The unforgiving rules transform time travel into a source of genuine horror.

Part of a Lovecraftian Universe

Directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are known for MCU work on Loki and Moon Knight. Before that, they crafted a series of acclaimed indie horror films. These movies, including Synchronic, are all connected within a larger Lovecraftian narrative.

Often referred to by fans as the "Shitty-Carl Universe," this series includes Resolution, The Endless, Spring, Synchronic, and Something in the Dirt. Each film blends high-concept science fiction with Lovecraftian horror elements. Though these movies have a cult following rather than mainstream fame, their dedicated fans hope for further expansion of this horror universe.

For viewers new to Benson and Moorhead's unique style, Synchronic on Netflix serves as an accessible entry point. From there, one can explore their other loosely connected sci-fi horror works.