Oppenheimer is like a “horror” movie: “People can’t speak”

Christopher Nolan has described his upcoming cinematic spectacle Oppenheimer as a “horror” movie experience, saying people “can’t speak” after seeing it. 

This July marks the battle of the blockbusters, as Mission: Impossible 7 and Barbie drop in theaters within days of each other. 

At the same time, we’ve got sci-fi master and auteur Christopher Nolan bringing his next epic to the big screen in the shape of Oppenheimer, about physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer and the birth of the atomic bomb.

Which movie will reign champion is yet to be seen, but there’s no denying Nolan’s creation is one of his most ambitious projects yet, taking us back in time with a cautionary tale about world-changing technology. 

Oppenheimer is like a “horror” movie experience

Although Oppenheimer is a historical biopic, Nolan said watching it is more like a “horror” movie experience. It’s not difficult to understand why, considering the creation of the atomic bomb was the moment humans had the power to essentially destroy the entire planet. 

Speaking with Wired, he explained: “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.”

The impact this had on Nolan was palpable, saying that he was “relieved to be finished with it” as he can now sleep better at night. 

“But I enjoy watching the film tremendously,” he added. “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.”

This sense of terror was reflected in the reactions by early viewers of Oppenheimer, with Nolan stating: “Some people leave the movie absolutely devastated. They can’t speak. 

“I mean, there’s an element of fear that’s there in the history and there in the underpinnings. But the love of the characters, the love of the relationships, is as strong as I’ve ever done.”

Oppenheimer drops in cinemas on July 21, 2023. You can check out more of our coverage on the movie here.