The post-apocalyptic sci-fi horror Arcadian is an exceptional creature feature of intense scares and strong performances, director Benjamin Brewer making his mark as a genre filmmaker to watch.

Arcadian begins with a scenario familiar to those who have seen A Quiet Place and The War of the Worlds as an alien horde invades the world to cataclysmic results. It is kudos to Benjamin Brewer (Trust) that despite stepping on well-trodden ground he has delivered a film that is equally impactful as a horror and drama, with Arcadian filled with emotional stakes that enhance the sensational scares that will have many cowering.

Arcadian stars Nicolas Cage as Paul, a single father to twin boys Joseph (Jaeden Martell) and Thomas (Maxwell Jenkins), who has kept his family safe on their fortified far ever since the Earth was invaded by night-prowling alien beings over a decade prior. When Thomas is injured near his family farm, Paul must find him before night falls.

The alien monsters in Arcadian are a successful blend of the old (Critters is a clear inspiration) and the new, resulting in a frightening and vicious entry in the pantheon of sci-fi movie monsters. Odd in look and macabre in their application of murderous violence, these E.T.’s are sure to occupy the nightmares of many who watch Arcadian.

The family drama at the centre of Arcadian is as strong as the horror. Nicolas Cage plays a paternal figure with an impressive restraint, his hardened veneer occasionally breaking during those rare moments of joy, such as an impromptu driving lesson given to his sons that is a moment of “normalcy” within an existence constantly on edge.

Martell and Jenkins also deliver great performances as brothers with a Caine-and-Abel dynamic, the two constantly at loggerheads as they each try to find their place in a world they will inherent…if there is anything left of it after the extraterrestrial infestation have had their fill.

Brewer’s use of handheld shots works very well here in enhancing the paranoia and claustrophobic air of the horror scenes. The use of natural light photography by Frank Mobilio, meanwhile, brings to life the films’ rural setting rich in browns and greens, and in same cases the crimson red of blood splatter. Brewer also wisely knows when to scale back and let scenes unfold, such as a sequence of sustained terror as an alien monster creeps upon a sleeping victim.

It's all part of a genuinely scary and wonderfully crafted sci-fi horror creature feature in Arcadian, and further proves that when it comes to films that depict horrors from out of space, the well is far from dry.