THE NOTHING: SECOND ENCOUNTER

Trapped in a damaged cryogenic pod, a man is forced to watch a series of horrific science-fiction tales while his life support systems run out. Featuring eight intense stories of the unknown and other-worldly, equally wonderful and terrifying. Visit the GALAXY OF HORRORS, if you dare! Curated from Rue Morgue & Unstable Ground's Little Terrors Festival.

These likeable dropouts from the entrenched corporate lifestyle of New Eden eke out a meager living on trade runs and the odd courier job here and there. Still, they manage to find humor in their grim lot as they narrowly avoid being blown out of the stars by pirates, hired thugs, or whatever threat awaits them on the other side of the next jump gate. This is life aboard the Clear Skies.

A master of espionage is hot on the trail of a new kind of computer criminal in this made-for-TV sci-fi action opus. Lindsay (Brooke Harman) is a scientist whose latest discovery in energy transformation has the potential to revolutionize the world; it also attracts the attention of Zachary (Christopher Morris), the leader of a cyber-savvy gang, and Zachary kidnaps Lindsay in order to learn her secrets. Lindsay's sister Ricki (Rachel Blakely) soons becomes concerned about her sister's disappearance, and contacts super sleuth Max Knight (Michael Landes) to find her. As Max searches for Lindsay, he discovers Zachary and his cohorts have strange plans for Lindsay's innovation, which could make it possible for them to leave their bodies and travel wherever they wish through the Internet. (Max Knight: Ultra Spy was released direct-to-video)

Doubts and fears arise in a dark room, where a man and a woman communicate without any apparent logical thread.

Stranded is a short horror survival machinima created by Alvin Soprano, made using The Sims 2: Castaway. After a shipwreck, a Sim regains consciousness on a remote tropical island with no memory of how he got there. He begins to gather supplies, search for shelter, and attempt to send signals for help. But as time passes, eerie signs begin to emerge — strange carvings in the rocks, whispers in the jungle, and footsteps that don't belong to him. As his grip on reality begins to slip, the Sim must face the possibility that the island isn’t uninhabited — and that something is watching him.

Something Strange in Strangetown is a short horror machinima that follows the unexplained events unfolding in the desert town of Strangetown. After a series of strange lights appear in the sky, several Sims go missing under mysterious circumstances. The story focuses on one Sim's attempt to uncover the truth, only to discover something far more disturbing — and inhuman — than expected.

STARVED is a post-apocalyptic psychological horror machinima by Alvin Soprano, created in Fallout 3. Set in the desolate ruins of the Capital Wasteland, the film explores the descent into madness of a lone survivor trapped in an abandoned metro tunnel — cut off from food, light, and hope. After a supply run gone wrong, a scavenger named Joanna Creek finds herself trapped beneath the city in a collapsed metro tunnel. Her radio is dead, her flashlight battery fading, and all exits are sealed. Days pass. Hunger gnaws. Water runs out. Rats scurry, but offer no salvation.

The story follows Hermia Summerdream, a young woman plagued by a recurring dream of a forest she’s never visited and voices that echo in languages she doesn’t speak. As the veil between sleep and waking life begins to erode, Hermia becomes increasingly drawn to the ruins at the edge of Veronaville — ruins said to be cursed by the spirits of wronged lovers.

Set in the ruins of the Capital Wasteland, the story follows Lars, a wandering scavenger who arrives in the fragile settlement of Megaton, only to find the town already teetering on the edge of collapse. After a cryptic encounter with a disfigured preacher and an uneasy alliance with a local mercenary, Lars is approached by a stranger offering him caps to detonate the bomb at the town’s center.

Resident Evil (Biohazard) 4: Incubate is a 97-minute made-for-DVD CGI film released by Capcom after the PlayStation 2 release of Resident Evil 4. It is intended to summarize the whole story. The film features both CGI cutscenes and moments of gameplay, taking inspiration from machinima film.

O, a creator who has become lost within his own creation. As Death arrives at 3:33 am—the witching hour—to claim him, O is forced to confront the flaws in his work and his own mistakes. Through a series of flashbacks, the film reveals O's influence on the world he built, using various characters from different eras to maintain his followers' worship. The narrative explores themes of creation, legacy, and the consequences of a creator’s flawed intervention in their own work, ultimately suggesting that his removal is the only way for the game (a metaphor for life) to be truly fixed.

Set near the cursed Hellfrozeover Lake, the story centers on Billy Bob (Zachary Chambers), a reclusive and mentally impaired man who stalks young campers engaging in premarital sex. Raised by his puritanical and deeply traumatized mother (Belinda Soprano), Billy was taught that sex is evil and that his disability is a divine punishment for his mother’s own non-consensual encounter with a family member.

Two college couples, Pierre and Sophie, and Frank and Maddison, who seek a relaxing retreat at an Airbnb in rural Cornwall, Connecticut. Their host, Jonah, possesses an unsettling demeanor and provides a curious warning about a locked basement. What begins as a pleasant escape quickly devolves into a struggle for survival as the group confronts an insidious force stemming from the forbidden basement and a broken mirror. As the possessed girls turn on their friends, the couples are drawn into a terrifying ordeal that culminates in the shocking revelation of Jonah's involvement in a continuing, dark ritual.

Simterview with the Vampire is a 36-minute machinima mockumentary created using The Sims 3. Acclaimed journalist Jonathan Parker (Dean Roman Castiglione) accepts a mysterious invitation from Anastasia Vassiliev (Aylin Baykal), an ancient vampire intent on revealing her true nature to the world. Jonathan arrives at Anastasia’s mansion in the Hollywood Hills, where he is welcomed by her loyal familiar, Penny (Alvin Soprano). Throughout the interview, Anastasia shares her personal history and her philosophy on vampirism, while introducing Jonathan to her adopted vampire daughter Natalia Svetlitskiy (Evie Campbell), who remains forever fourteen. As night turns to dawn, the interview takes a darker, increasingly unsettling turn—culminating in a revelation that changes everything.

In 2004, Bella Goth disappears without a trace. Nearly a decade later, her teenage children, Cassandra and Alexander, uncover a secret: their mother’s disappearance was not natural — and may still be preventable. Using experimental time-travel technology, the siblings go back to 1984 to find their young mother and warn her about what’s to come. But time is fragile. Their well-meaning interference causes unforeseen changes to the present. When Cassandra and Alexander return to 2013, they find everything... perfect. Bella never vanished. Their childhood was happy. Their family is intact. But something feels wrong. Reality is unraveling beneath their feet. The price of rewriting history is catching up.

An eccentric archaeologist named Simdiana Phones travels to the scorching sands of Al Simhara, Egypt, in search of a legendary sarcophagus said to belong to the world’s oldest cursed soul. Upon unsealing the tomb, Simdiana unwittingly unleashes a powerful mummy — setting off a frantic chase through ancient traps, catacombs, and inexplicably disco-lit corridors.

Jason Brooks must keep his sanity intact after being confronted and tormented by the presence of a dark, malicious entity that wishes to torment and kill him, while uncovering its involvement in a recent family tragedy.

Lilith Marek doesn’t remember the man’s face. She only remembers the alley, the darkness, and the sensation of dying. After surviving a brutal sexual assault that left her unconscious and transformed into a vampire, Lilith wakes up changed — body, blood, and soul. But she doesn’t run. She doesn’t hide. She hunts.

If you have everything, you have everything to lose. John Rourke and his crew run the shiny new Maelstrom. But when Mr. Smith has a new job offer, everything changes and pushes New Eden again to the edge of chaos. JR, Charlie, and Sol are back for one more adventure, that takes them from a dull daily grind to trying to save an entire star system that's been taken hostage. Time to trust in rust for one last time.

Truck driver Teddy's late night stop at a gas station takes a dark turn when he meets the mysterious hooker Katerina, leading to unexpected consequences.