It wasn’t until recently that mimicry movies entered mainstream cinema. Revolutionary filmmaker Jordan Peele brought the terrifying concept of hostile doppelgängers to life in Us, a story following the Wilson family, everyday Americans who find themselves targeted by aggressive, murderous doppelgängers. Although Peele revitalized the niche sub-genre, other movies resembling Us in likeness dominated the late ’80s and ’90s. There aren’t a lot of mimicry movies to choose from, since the notion itself is creatively restrictive. However, it’s not completely dead out there.
The Thing was mentioned among the scariest movies about doppelgängers, mimics, or otherworldly creatures pretending to be human. John Carpenter’s successful horror, which came four years after Halloween, tells the story of an extraterrestrial being that crash-lands on Earth and begins hunting its inhabitants, only for them to realize that the shape-shifting creature can take the form of its victims. After mentioning that they “loved” The Thing, a certain Redditor reached out for recommendations that share a similar premise.
As always, Redditors came in swarms to suggest only their best mimicry movies. Among the comments, 1998’s The Faculty made an appearance. Starring Josh Hartnett and Elijah Wood, the story revolves around Casey Connor (Wood), a school newspaper’s photographer, who witnesses the murder of a nurse, only to see her alive and well shortly after.
Multiple times, Guillermo del Toro’s Mimic was mentioned. Mira Sorvino portrays entomologist Dr. Susan, who invents a mutated insect designed to kill disease-ridden cockroaches. Years later, Susan’s species has evolved into a hostile entity that seeks to wreak havoc on mankind. It’s pretty self-explanatory from the title, but the sentient species can mimic its human prey.
In the same breath, HBO’s thriller series The Outsider received a shoutout.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers and They Live are also paid their due. Don Siegel leads the black-and-white shoot for the former, a ’50s noir-style movie that follows an extraterrestrial invasion of beings who assimilate the physical appearance and traits of those around it. Similarly, 30 years later, John Carpenter’s They Live mimics the concept with a nameless vagrant who discovers sunglasses capable of exposing alien life-forms that have masked their appearance to pose as upper-class humans.
John Carpenter seems to be a common thread here; while he’s been dubbed “the king of horror” by many news outlets and devoted fans of his work, he loved to take a stab at a doppelgänger flick. Evidently with great success.