Spoilers for The Odyssey follow.
While Christopher Nolan’s new film, The Odyssey, is a box office hit, it’s also proving to be quite scary for some people. The movie, starring Matt Damon as Odysseus, follows his difficult and dangerous trip back home after the Trojan War.
Most people who know the story of The Odyssey remember that the hero faces numerous mythical creatures during his travels, such as the Laestrygonian giants, the witch Circe, and a dangerous whirlpool that destroys ships.
Odysseus famously faces Polyphemus, a one-eyed giant who imprisons him and his crew and eats some of them. Even if you know the story of the Odyssey, you won’t expect the way director Nolan portrays this Cyclops.
Instead of using computer-generated imagery, the director chose real, on-set effects to create the Cyclops. They built a massive 60-foot structure, and actor Bill Irwin physically performed as the monster, resulting in a truly impressive spectacle.
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Since seeing the movie, people have been sharing online how frightened they were by the Cyclops, and many say his screams will haunt them for a while.
One fan expressed on X that a scene with the Cyclops is proof we need Christopher Nolan to direct a horror film. They described the creature’s painful cries and screams as incredibly loud and terrifying, saying the sound design literally shook their Dolby theater – they could feel it in their bones.
One reader described a particularly haunting sound from Homer’s The Odyssey that has stayed with them long after finishing the story. They said they’d never experienced anything similar, and many others agreed it must have been from the encounter with the Cyclops.
One viewer called the cyclops sequence “absolutely insane,” describing it as terrifying, intense, and visually stunning. They said it felt like seeing what a horror film directed by Christopher Nolan would be like, and they were eager for more. Another person simply labeled it “nightmare fuel.”
During its first weekend in theaters, The Odyssey earned a massive $264.1 million around the world, marking director Nolan’s biggest opening weekend ever. In the United States, the film brought in $124.5 million, representing nearly half of the global total.
The director estimates it will take at least three years for their next movie to come out – not unexpected given how large and complex this recent historical film was.
I really pushed myself and the entire crew to our limits,” Nolan explained to Today. “The Odyssey is meant to be challenging, so it’s a good sign that making this film felt that way. If it wasn’t difficult, we wouldn’t be doing it justice.”
The Odyssey is out in cinemas now.
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2026-07-22 00:19