Netflix’s New ‘Spielberg Meets Cloverfield’ Sci-Fi Thriller Takes Its ET Comparisons To The Next Level

Published Aug 6, 2026, 12:51 PM EDT Sign in to your ScreenRant account Netflix's upcoming sci-fi thriller The Last House has already earned comparisons to Steven Spielberg's early classics and the Cloverfield franchise. Directed by The Incredible Hulk and Now You See Me filmmaker Louis Leterrier, The Last House follows a family whose lives are upended by a mysterious extraterrestrial threat. The sci-fi thriller has already drawn comparisons to Spielberg's Amblin classics, and its suspenseful mystery and creature-driven premise have been likened to the shared universe of the Cloverfield movies. Now, the cast and director have revealed those similarities run far deeper than realized, with the production even recreating one of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial's most iconic locations. In an interview with ScreenRant's Liam Crowley for The Last House, star Wagner Moura explained that the script immediately reminded him of the kinds of family adventures he grew up watching, revealing that the filmmakers even recreated E.T.'s famous kitchen as a hidden tribute. It's a family film. I remember watching so many films that I could see with my parents, like ET, for example. When I read the script, it was clear to me that I was going back to these kinds of films that I had never done before. It's something that I had never experienced. And a fun fact, the first half of the film is all shot in 35MM and you can see the grain. Even when you watch those films on TV, you could feel the grain. And a fun fact is that the kitchen of the family in our film is an exact replica of the kitchen in ET. That's a nice Easter egg. Leterrier explained that the homage extends beyond the production design. The filmmaker revealed that The Last House was shot using the exact Panavision lens series employed on E.T. and Raiders of the Lost Ark, helping recreate the visual style that was defined by many of Spielberg's Amblin-era classics and cemented his influence on modern filmmaking. I've shot most of my films on film, on 35. I never did larger formats. It's like a feeling. I grew up watching the Amblin movies, from ET to Close Encounters to Poltergeist. And these movies were shot on film with old anamorphic lenses. Actually, we tracked the exact lens series from ET and Raiders and shot this movie with them. So it's the actual primos and NC series from these movies from Panavision... The decision helps explain why The Last House has sparked so many comparisons to the iconic director's classics. While its extraterrestrial premise, suburban setting, and family-centered story naturally evoke films like E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, its tense atmosphere and mysterious creature have also invited comparisons to the Cloverfield franchise. Rather than simply borrowing those influences, Leterrier deliberately recreated Spielberg's filmmaking techniques to capture the same nostalgic feel that defined many of the director's biggest sci-fi adventures. The Last House will be released on Netflix on August 7, 2026. Release Date August 7, 2026