Ben Affleck's Cult Classic '90s Sci-Fi Horror Flop Is Streaming On Paramount Plus

Say what you will about Ben Affleck, but he does well in almost every role he takes on, from Matt Murdock and Daredevil to Bruce Wayne and an uncredited baseball fan that shows up in "Field of Dreams." A majority of his movies are pretty high profile, though, except for a select few. While not the most obscure part he's ever played, his role in a '90s sci-fi horror that bombed back in the day is coming back around to haunt him. 1998's "Phantoms" may have tanked when it was in the theaters, but since then it has garnered a cult classic following.

Box office failure or not, Affleck's portrayal in the film is top-notch — you could say "it's the bomb, yo" if you go by Affleck's own words. The movie also stars some younger up-and-comers, who you will definitely recognize now, including Liev Shrieber, Rose McGowan, Joanna Going, and Clifton Powell. It's also based on a Dean Koontz novel of the same name, which itself was inspired by the father of gothic horror, H.P. Lovecraft. Although, strangely enough, most of the Lovecraft references from the book were left out of the movie.

The plot follows a group of inquisitive vacationers visiting the small town of Snowfield, Colorado, who discover nefarious things are happening and they're determined to get to the bottom of it. It morphs into a kind of creature-feature along the way. Yes, that description is intentionally vague. If you want to give it a watch, it's available on Paramount Plus. JustWatch also shows it streaming on Fubo.

Remember, it's a cult classic, so it's not a phenomenal flick that's going to please everyone; far from it  Evidence can be found on Rotten Tomatoes, where "Phantoms" has a startling 9% rating from critics and a 28% rating from most other moviegoers. Over at IMDb, the movie doesn't fare much better with a score of 5.5 out of 10, though most reviews have settled in the five- and six-star range, since over 10,000 reviewers have scored one of those two numbers. This movie is for a very niche audience.

There is a common thread among positive reviewers, several of whom call the movie "haunting" and say it's worth a watch at least once. Horror movie fans seem to have the most fun. Apparently, Ben Affleck hated the movie, too, and didn't have anything nice to say about it aside from his wink-wink-nudge-nudge callout in "Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back."

Moreover, Roger Ebert gave it a big thumbs down (one star out of four) when it hit theaters, which probably isn't all that surprising. The biggest compliment, if you can call it that, is that the movie presents a genuinely creepy atmosphere, if not downright unsettling. If you'd rather check out a well-received movie that's good from credits to credits, Ben Affleck's crime thriller "The Town" is an excellent place to start. The psychological thriller "Gone Girl" and the equally sci-fi-esque "Hypnotic" are also worth a watch.