An excruciatingly unsettling sci-fi horror capable of causing sleepless nights more than 20 years later

Calling a movie that earned upwards of $100 million at the box office, secured an Academy Award nomination, and spawned a sequel (albeit an awful and entirely unconnected one) a decade later “underrated” or “overlooked” might not seem to hold much water, but anyone to have witnessed The Cell firsthand will know full well it doesn’t get the appreciation it deserves.

Critics were left fairly cold on director Tarsem Singh’s feature-length debut to be fair, but a 45 percent approval rating seems a touch on the harsh side. Sure, the narrative might become increasingly convoluted and muddled, but on a purely visual and aesthetic level it’s hardly stretching the boundaries of credulity to call The Cell one of the 21st Century’s finest terrors.