Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Reference to a Cult Horror You Probably Missed
Gunn managed to incorporate horror elements to his last movie for the MCU.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, in addition to being a great movie on its own, also managed to reference a cult classic movie.
The film boldly tests the limits of its PG-13 rating, as the director masterfully infuses his passion for horror into the latest chapter of the MCU 's story.
In the beginning of the movie, Gunn immediately strikes the audience with a very dynamic action scene, when Adam Warlock attacks the Guardians.
The scene is so brutal and so spot-on in showing how dangerous and powerful Adam Warlock is.
During his attack, several Guardians were hurt, including Groot, whose head was ripped off by Adam. Although rather unsettling, the living tree remains unharmed as it flourishes with tendrils and moves about as a detached head.
Attentive viewers recalled a similar scene from John Carpenter's The Thing, where the head of one of the characters also grows spider legs under the influence of the evil alien entity.
James Gunn confirmed on Twitter that he thought of that scene when he was writing the moment in question from GOG3.
It seems like James Gunn is a real horror movie buff. During an interview with St. Louis Magazine in 2011, Gunn mentioned Night of the Living Dead and Friday the 13th as two films that served as catalysts for his entry into the film industry.
Alongside his brothers, Gunn dedicated much of his childhood to creating homemade zombie movies, an experience that proved invaluable when he transitioned to larger-scale productions.
Eventually, Gunn showcased his writing abilities in the remake of George A. Romero's iconic horror film, Dawn of the Dead, under the direction of Zack Snyder.
Building upon this milestone, Gunn fearlessly unleashed his directorial debut, Slither, a captivating display of gruesome artistry.
While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is far from being a horror, it is the closest MCU movie to incorporate horror elements as the Multiverse of Madness did, even though reportedly it was more horrific in the original director's cut, given that Sam Raimi also started as a horror genre apprentice.
Source: St. Louis Magazine, James Gunn on Twitter