Summary
Starting in the late 1980s, the tabletop wargameWarhammer 40kand its grimdark setting have become one of the most beloved hobbies in the world. With Games Workshop expanding its IP into novels, video games, and animations,40kis now a major sci-fi setting that is moving into the mainstream of popular culture.
While there has yet to be a major movie release based on theWarhammer 40ksetting, fans of the hobby have no shortage of films to scratch that grimdark itch.40kis a vast galaxy-spanning setting with arich and detailed history, numerous factions, and multiple themes running through its narratives. While many of these films could be placed directly into the timeline, others represent a common theme featured in theWarhammer 40kuniverse.
1Pitch Black
Swarms Of Hungry Monsters
Pitch Blackand its sequels,The Chronicles of Riddick(2004) andRiddick(2013) were famously influenced by Vin Diesel’s love ofDungeons and Dragonsand wargaming.Pitch Black, in particular, is a great sci-fi horror movie that offers a lot for fans of40k. The film revolves around a group of colonists who become stranded on a distant planet, where the local life forms are ravenous lizard-like creatures.
The monsters inPitch Blackresemble Tyranids closely, wherethey swarm in great numbersand consume all life on the now barren rocky planet.Warhammer 40kfans will love the grim nature of the film, with Diesel playing his most famous anti-hero.
2Deathwatch
The Horrors Of War Come To Life
While this gritty British horror film may not be as highly rated as other films on this list, its grim depiction of war, mixed with supernatural elements, fits perfectly with the40ktheme.Deathwatchrevolves around a squad of British soldiers fighting in the trenches of WW1. After finding what they believe is an enemy trench, the soldiers start to experience strange and deadly events.
From living barbed wire attacking characters to pits of corpses and mysterious unearthly sounds, the film could be set in aWarhammer 40kwarzone.40kis a satire on the extremes of war and society, where humanity mustfight literal demons.Deathwatchis a solid horror experience that fans of the grimdark will enjoy.
3Enemy At The Gates
The Bleak Nature Of Total War
Highly underrated,Enemy at the Gatesis a fantastic yet bleak depiction of a notable and bloody battle. The film is set in the war-torn city of Stalingrad during WW2, where two exceptionally skilled snipers hunt each other while their respective countries watch on. The film has an apocalyptic feeling as the characters navigate the ruined city and the Soviet political officers that send them running into battle.
Enemy at the Gatesis a perfect parallel toWarhammer 40k, where the armies of the Astra Militarum are sent into the meat grinder of war. In the setting, the Militarum are the everydaysoldiers of the Imperium. They are expected to give their lives for humanity or face the wrath of the Commissars pushing them forward.Enemy at the Gatesdepicts how, in times of war, human life is a disposable asset; a theme common in theWarhammer 40ksetting.
Battles In A Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland
George Miller’s classic post-apocalyptic seriesMad Maxhit an all-time high mark withMad Max: Fury Road. This adrenaline-fuelled action masterpiece re-energized the franchise for a new generation. The film follows Charlize Theron’s Furiosa as she attempts to flee from the local warlord Immortan Joe.
Within theWarhammer 40ktimeline, Earth, or Terra as it’s known, was once aMad Max-style wasteland before the Emperor united the planet. The originalMad Maxfilms were also a big influence on the classic gamesNecromundaand the largely forgottenGorkamorka. Some of the characters inFury Roadalso give veryWarhammer 40kOrk energy, with their love of going fast and fighting. Fans of40kwill love the chaos and constant action ofFury Road, making it a must-watch movie.
5The Devils
Religious Extremism And Oppression
Warhammer 40kis set in a galaxy in a state of constant war. However, the true horror of the setting is often not the xenos, but humanity’s actions against itself. The Imperium, over time, has devolved into religious extremism. Sects of the Ecclesiarchy, the ruling religious order, actively hunt and murder heretics of their faith, led by the powerful agents of the Imperial Inquisition.
The Devils, by Ken Russell and starring Oliver Reed, is a controversial movie that depicts the fall of Father Urbain Grandier, who is accused of witchcraft by the sexually repressed nuns under his care. The film is violent and explicit and was even banned in the UK for many years. However, it is also a cult classic that won Best Director at the Venice International Film Festival. The film’s essence fits perfectly with the40ksetting, where corruption and religious extremism run rampant.
61984
The Most Oppressive Regime Imaginable
TheWarhammer 40ksetting is described as the most brutal and oppressive regime imaginable, where billions of humans slave away for themight of the Imperium. In literature and cinema, nothing comes close to depicting this kind of totalitarian control like George Orwell’s1984.
1984revolves around a party member, played by John Hurt, who secretly rebels against the regime in small ways while constantly being watched by Big Brother. In the film, the past and present are strictly controlled and changed to suit the party’s needs. The State is absolute and wages an endless war against the other authoritarian states.1984is an excellent adaptation of an important novel that everyone should read at least once. Its bleak depiction of society laid the framework forWarhammer 40k’s oppressive grimdark setting.
7Starship Troopers
An Interstellar War Against The Bugs
Starship TroopersandWarhammer 40khave several parallels. They are both satires that depict authoritarian regimes with strict societal hierarchies. In both settings, humanity wars against giant hungry bugs: the Arachnids inStarship Troopersand the Tyranids in40k. In addition,Starship Trooperswas a primary influence on the successful video gameHelldivers 2. The film is a sci-fi classic and a must-watch for fans of the grimdark setting.
8From Beyond
Unleashing Monsters From Another Reality
Cult body horror classicFrom Beyondis another movie that could be placed directly into theWarhammer 40ktimeline. This gory film follows a group of scientists who develop a machine that can access another reality. Unfortunately for them, this reality comes with strange malevolent entities that corrupt and mutate the scientists.
ForWarhammer 40kfans, this perfectly describes The Warp and the Chaos Daemons that call it home.40kis filled with stories of humans who arecorrupted, possessed, or mutated by The Warp. While the film is not for the squeamish, it is a classic 80s body horror film that most40kfans will appreciate.
9Aliens
A Major Inspiration For The Setting
The sequel to the sci-fi horror classicAlien(1979) took the series into heart-pumping action territory and would greatly influence theWarhammer 40ksetting. The film follows Ellen Ripley as she returns to the planet LV-426 with a platoon of Marines after its colony goes quiet. The film is an action classic that built on the original and expanded the lore and setting. Its success cemented the series as a major sci-fi franchise, which is still going strong today.
The film was a major influence on Games Workshop’sWarhammer 40kset and board gameSpace Hulk, with the Aliens from the movie being the clear inspiration for the Genestealers. These classic40kmonsters would be expanded to become the Tyranids, one of the major enemies of humanity inWarhammer 40k.
10Event Horizon
Depicting The Perils Of The Warp
Event Horizonhas become a cult horror classic and maybe the film most directly inspired byWarhammer 40k. In fact, there are numerous fan theories online that claim the film is directly set within the40ktimeline, taking place just before humanity’s expansion into the galaxy.
The film revolves around a team sent to investigate the mysterious spaceship, the Event Horizon, when it reappears after years of being lost. The ship is the first of its kind, using wormholes to travel great distances through space.40kfans will know this as the Warp, the hellish dimension humanity navigates to travel to the galaxy. However, in the40ksetting, to safely traverse the Warp, a ship must use a Gellar Field or be attacked by daemonic entities. In the movie, the ship does not have this and returns to real space infected with strange energies that corrupt and influence the crew sent to investigate.Event Horizonis a must-watch horror movie that will be enjoyed all the more by fans of40k.
