Contamination Accolades and Reviews

Judge’s Feedback: Contamination

I knew it was going to be good. I didn’t know it was going to be that good!

This is an unapologetically high-octane, alpha-charged thrill ride, and yet it’s still grounded in everything Brimstone Pictures does best: sharply drawn characters, an intriguing plot and some crackling dialogue. Furthermore, there’s a core of genuine camaraderie among the main actors which is impossible to fake. That chemistry added real emotional weight to the escalating chaos.

That’s a brilliantly brutal intro. Following that, the action sequences are relentless, visceral, and brilliantly staged, but you never lose sight of story or character. And when the plot kicks into gear with the betrayals, infections, foreign militaries, and the terrifying escalation of the nanite threat, it’s like Predator and The Thing met a bioelectric nightmare. The pacing is tight, the stakes are high, and the suspense builds beautifully toward a satisfying (and chilling) finale. There’s a real gaming feel to a lot of the action too, particularly in the base where the tone often reminded me of titles like The Last of Us, Gears of War, Days Gone, Resident Evil and Manhunt.

What really elevates this, though, is the authenticity. The locations are stunning. The military detail feels legit. And the physicality (whether it’s the firefights, the hand-to-hand sequences, or the quiet tactical moments) is executed with total conviction. You can feel the grit, the fatigue, the adrenaline.

The humor hits just right too—gritty, dark, character-led, and never breaking tone. It helps ground the characters and makes the quieter moments land even harder. The performance by Neil Chase in the middle of it all? Commanding. Charismatic. Laced with just the right amount of weariness and edge.

Contamination is a testament to what passion, talent, and tenacity can pull off. It looks phenomenal, moves like hell, and delivers the kind of genre mash-up that’s both nostalgic and fresh, even down to the description of the craft as a UAP rather than UFO. You’ve captured that spirit of the golden age action-horror-sci-fi flicks we grew up on, but updated it with real emotional intelligence and craft.

Massive congrats to the entire team. You should be incredibly proud.

Andrew Hannon – 13Horror.com