Alex Garland has cited Stalker as the direct model for Annihilation — the Zone and the Shimmer are essentially the same concept: a forbidden space where the laws of reality break down and what you find there reflects who you are. Tarkovsky's Zone is spiritual. Garland's Shimmer is biological. Both films are about the terror and wonder of transformation. Stalker is one of the great films of the 20th century and is streaming on Criterion Channel.
Films That Influenced Annihilation
