Obscure Polish genre films

[Zeego]

Lately I've been watching obscure Polish mystery/sci-fi/horror films that have never been released in the US (at least, to my knowledge), which is a shame because they're very good. I've compiled a pretty long watchlist, and so far I've only watched two: Quiet is the Night and The War of the Worlds: Next Century. It seems like an interesting and distinct cinema, and I'm surprised it hasn't been given more attention.

 

[Ingrid in grids]

Some of the best sci-fi ever made came from Eastern Europe.

On the Silver Globe is probably already on your list. Definitely worth a watch.

 

[Ingrid in grids]

[MENTION=27735]Zeego[/MENTION] What is it about the Polish films that interest you specifically?

I would recommend looking at Russian & Czech sci-fi.

 

[Zeego]

Oh yeah, there are some Czech and Russian films on the list as well. I plan to watch some Karel Zeman.

I don't know, there's just a certain aesthetic and atmosphere about Poland in the 1970s/1980s that lends itself to the genre, even if the filmmakers aren't fully aware or intentional of it. Czech films from the period seem to have this quality as well. It could be partly due to their conflicted relationship with Communism during that time, I really don't know.

I've also been watching some short Polish animations on YouTube, and they're really good. Here's an example:

 

[Ingrid in grids]

Don't miss Tarkovsky!

Put Solaris at the top of your list. Not just for Soviet sci-fi, but for the sci-fi genre as a whole.

 

[Zeego]

Put Solaris at the top of your list.

If I had a dollar for every time someone told me to put a certain movie at the top of the list...