Here are my ten favorite science fiction movies that feature fungus or mold. Most of these films aren’t very good but there are a couple of gems here. Listed in no particular order.

1. Creepshow (1982) – This is an anthology with five short stories. The second story is “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill”. Jordy lives in the boondocks and isn’t too bright. A meteorite lands in his yard. He picks it up. Bad idea. My grade = B-.

2. Gaia (2021) – Gabi and Winston, two forestry service employees investigate an isolated area in South Africa. The forest has people and animals that have been infected by a fungus. It doesn’t end well for Gabi and Winston. Good special effects but the story moved too slowly for me. My grade = C+.

3. Matango (1963) – Also known as “Attack of the Mushroom People”. A group of people are shipwrecked on a deserted island. When they run out of food, they eat mushrooms that grow on the island. Bad idea. And it doesn’t end well for anyone. My grade = C+.

4. Mutiny in Outer Space (1965) – Space explorers go to the Moon and collect some rock samples and bring the samples to an orbiting space station. Bad idea. The rocks contain spores that quickly grow into a large mass of fungus. The fungus is eventually destroyed by exposure to cold but not before several deaths. My grade = C.

5. Space Master X-7 (1958) – A space probe returns to Earth carrying a deadly fungus which threatens to cover the entire planet. The fungus is eventually contained and destroyed. A slow-moving but interesting film that features Paul Frees, arguably the best voice-actor in history, and Moe Howard of the Three Stooges, who gives a very credible performance in a serious role. My grade = C.

6. The Girl with All the Gifts (2016) – Earth has been devastated by a parasitic fungus that turns people into zombies. A small group of second-generation children are partially immune, including a gifted Melanie, and they are studied to discover a cure. No cure is found. This movie has very good reviews but I don’t like the zombie theme and give it only a C grade.

7. The Last of Us (2023) – This is an HBO series for TV and is based on a video game. A global fungus infection turns people into zombies. Again. A man and a young girl who is immune travel across the post-apocalyptic landscape. I liked the first episode but then the show starting dragging very slowly. My grade = C.

8. The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) – Also known as “The Creeping Unknown”. Three astronauts go into space but crash when they return to Earth. Mysteriously, only one crew member is found in the spaceship. But he is infected with a space fungus which threatens to release spores and overwhelm Earth. The fungus organism is defeated by electricity and Earth is saved. My grade = B+.

9. The Spore (2021) – A deadly fungus spreads through a small town. This movie had potential — some pretty good actors, pretty good special effects — but the plot and editing failed. I do like the poster art a lot however. My grade = C-.

10. The Unknown Terror (1957) – A group of scientists travel to a remote part of Mexico to investigate what the locals call the “Cave of the Dead”. The cave has a parasitic fungus that infects the villagers. It turns out the fungus is a product of an evil American scientist. The cave is sealed using dynamite and the scientist is killed. I shouldn’t like this movie as much as I do. I give it a C grade but that’s being very generous.

Also – “The Mildew from Planet Xonader” (2015). Not a very good title, not a very good movie. My grade = D+.