Between best movies to see there are certainly some alien horror movies where extraterrestrial life is terrifyingly represented. Extraterrestrial life is an important theme in the popular culture of humanity that has always questioned the existence of life on other planets. We live today in a period of existential fear and apathy that has left many questions about the existence of other civilizations in space. In the past, films have been made in which the alien was presented in an affectionate and empathic way: an extra-terrestrial race with which to establish positive psychological contact. But in many films the alien is a monstrous menace who wants to conquer planet earth or manipulate humans.
Today the burning desire to really know something about the existence of alien life has increased. Horror films about aliens scare in much the same way as the scariest films related to human affairs, and they differ thanks to the subgenre’s unparalleled ability to explore the unknown. Human-alien interactions have various classifications, various levels. An encounter of the first kind is when you see a UFO. The 2nd type is when you see proof: crop circles or radiation. When you make contact, it’s the third kind. The Fourth Kind: There is nothing scarier than the fourth which is when aliens kidnap you.
Here’s a massive list of the hottest alien horror movies to watch.
War of the Worlds (1953)
The opening film of 1953, based on the 1938 radio drama that changed the world forever science fiction permanently. When Tripod lands in Brooklyn, you won’t understand what happens.
In Southern California, Dr. Clayton Forrester, a famous researcher, is fishing with his associates when a large object crashes near the village of Linda Rosa, California, southeast of Crown. On the spot he meets USC library science teacher Sylvia Van Buren and her uncle, Pastor Matthew Collins. Later that night, a round hatch opens. As the 3 guys standing guard try to make contact with the aliens while waving a white flag, a Martian heat beam kills them. The United States Marine Corps later surrounds the crash site, as reports are being gathered of similar objects landing around the world and damaging cities.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Previously adapted by Don Siegel for his 1956 black and white film, Jack Finney’s “The Body Snatchers” gets a rise of new fears in director Philip Kaufman. Donald Sutherland, Jeff Goldblum, Leonard Nimoy, Brooke Adams, Veronica Cartwright, and others appear in this remake on parasitic hosts that initially appear here as flowers.
A psychiatrist, Dr. Hill, is contacted by a medical facility in Los Angeles, where an extremely distraught man is being held in custody. The man recognizes himself as a doctor and recounts, in flashbacks, the occasions that led to his arrest and his arrival at the medical facility. In the nearby town of Santa Mira, Dr. Miles Bennell sees a variety of people grappling with the belief that their family members have indeed been changed into identical-looking imposters. Returning from a trip, he meets his former girlfriend, Becky Driscoll, who has just returned to town after a divorce. Becky’s cousin Wilma reveals the exact same concern for her uncle Ira, with whom she lives.
Village of the Damned (1960)
Boasting among the most intriguing narrative structures of fear of aliens, Wolf Rilla is a thriller black and whiteThe pale blond beings they bring to life lead to frightening events. One of the scariest rare alien horror movies.
The inhabitants of the British city of Midwich suddenly pass out, as do anyone entering the city. The military develops a cordon around Midwich and sends a boy using a gas mask, however he too faints and is pulled back with a rope. The man wakes up and reports that he felt a cold sensation just before he lost consciousness. The pilot of a military reconnaissance plane is put in contact and asked to investigate. He loses consciousness and the plane crashes when flying below 5,000 feet. A five-mile no-go zone around the city is made for all aircraft.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
The Invasion of the Body Snatchers by screenwriter and director Phillip Kaufman is the best film of the B-movie from the 1950s and among the adaptations of the timeless science fiction book, The Body Snatchers, by Jack Finney. The Kaufman remake sees Donald Sutherland having a hard time saving himself with his friends from the San Francisco aliens who wish to take control of humanity in an attempt to transform Earth into their new planet. The extraordinary interpretations of Sutherland and the rest of the cast (consisting of Leonard Nimoy and Veronica Cartwright) are enhanced by excellent special effects that still convince and scare.
Alien (1979)
All 8 films in the infamous franchise are scary, however, absolutely nothing beats the stress and anxiety of Ridley Scott. Aboard the spaceship Nostromo, Officer Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and the rest of his team get an unwanted stowaway. The 1979 film won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and is one of the scariest films in the science fiction genre.
The Nostromo spaceship is returning to Earth with a team of seven: Captain Dallas, Executive Officer Kane, Warrant Officer Ripley, Navigator Lambert, Officer scientific Ash and engineers Parker and Brett. Discovering a transmission from a nearby moon, the ship’s computer system, the Mother, awakens the team from sleep. For company policy that needs to accept any possible request for help, they arrive on the moon despite Parker’s perplexities. Engineers remain aboard for repair work while Dallas, Kane and Lambert survey the surface. They discover that the signal is coming from a ruined alien ship and enter it, losing contact with the Nostromo. Ripley analyzes part of the transmission, identifying it as a warning, however she cannot relay the details to whoever is on the wrecked ship.
Altered States (1980)
In Altered States, William Hurt plays a Harvard researcher whose experiments on himself lead him to genetically use horrifying and downright disturbing methods. Director Ken Russell for genre-revolutionizing imagery mixed with a sensual and eerie tone that radiates from his film as warmth. Its cast of researchers seem to be talking just like in a PhD with primal hallucinations that take them back in time.
The film is a visual attack on the senses to the rhythm of scary special effects on the body that actually degenerates into a meditative research study on humanity at the hands of researchers who have actually lost touch with it which means to be human.
Scanners (1981)
Director David Cronenberg was securely included in the Cult Movie Hall of Fame, thanks in large part to a famous scene early in the film that includes an exploding head.
Scanners is a science fiction thriller about a man who has the powers in telekinesis and psychokinesis needed to chase others like him. His hunt takes him and the public on an eerie and dark journey to the point where federal government administration and supernatural science intersect, where people with the ability to think are ruled by those who see them only as dangers. Despite its low budget features from independent film, Scanners packs a significant amount of deep thematic concepts and gory and disturbing scenes.
The Thing (1982)
“The Thing” John Carpenter’s is set in a remote research laboratory in Antarctica where an alien parasite is searched for. Kurt Russell stars in what is perhaps his finest performance as pilot RJ Macready. With the strange transformations supported by special effects this 1982 film is a cult of horror science fiction.
Aliens (1986)
After years of sleep, Ellen Ripley wakes up and finds herself once again fighting against monstrous aliens. When the spaceship in which Ripley had initially confronted the aliens fails, the Company sends the Colonial Marines and Ripley has to face the alien queen in the final.
This chapter of James Cameron‘s action horror films is particularly successful. The film delves into Ripley’s character with an individual story of loss and redemption, made even more impactful by Sigourney Weaver’s sincere interpretation. Ripley struggles to secure Newt, an orphaned child and the only survivor of the colony. Their relationship ends up being the beating heart of the film. Cameron loads the second half of Aliens with an endless series of fears and explosive action.
The Hidden (1987)
The Hidden is a low-budget science fiction film done right; a tight thriller directed by Jack Sholder that features FBI Special Agent Lloyd Gallagher (Kyle MacLachlan), who must work with the LAPD to stalk a very peculiar “criminal”: an alien slug taking control of guests humans and change their habits.
Prince of Darkness (1987)
Spiritual follower of “The Thing”, this John Carpenter film instills spiritual fear with alien components. When a Catholic priest (Donald Pleasence) discovers a cylinder of liquid in an abbey, he hires a teacher (Victor Wong) and his apprentices to assist him. “The Prince of Darkness” is not a conventional alien scary film, however it develops a truly mind-boggling Bible-inspired narrative world.
Predator (1987)
A year before Die Hard was released, director John McTierrnan made a sci-fi horror classic about 1980s aliens: Predator. The sci-fi action film depicts a group of task forces led by Arnold Schwarzenegger in a merciless jungle to fight with an alien hunter.
Regardless of the soldiers’ remarkable firepower and training, none of this is enough to fight. The first act of the film culminates in an unwarranted sequence of violence, however, later on, the genuine action begins as the Predator chases every member of Dutch’s system before having one final face-off with Arnold. Fears and blood abound, however McT stands out for having described them with effective and compelling methods.
They Live (1988)
In “They Live” John Carpenter’s, Nada (Roddy Piper), an aimless wanderer, finds a pair of sunglasses that allow him to see alien intruders hidden among the highest social classes of humanity. Nada’s mission to expose these brainwashing parasites fuels both a fiery political vision and some of the funniest Carpenter’s lines ever written. (“I actually came here to chew gum and kick ass … and I’m out of chewing gum.”). Cult movie.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
“Killer Klowns from Outer Space” will be very disturbing to audiences with a clown phobia. Rest assured, there is something that makes everyone squirm in the comedy horror Stephen Chiodo about circus-style aliens landing on planet Earth.
Fire in the Sky (1993)
Including by far the scariest alien abduction scene ever made, Robert Lieberman’s “Fire in the Sky” takes a look at the sci-fi abduction from 2 angles: the tormented worry of those who are left, seen in married man and devoted friend Mike Rogers (Robert Patrick); and the unbelievable grief of the kidnapped, told in this adaptation of Travis Walton’s 1975 account of the kidnapping in real life.
Species (1995)
Natasha Henstridge makes’s “Species” Roger Donaldson. This 1995 alien horror movie could be called a morbid alien passion story. Notable scene that of the killing in the jacuzzi.
Starship Troopers (1997)
“Starship Troopers” Paul Verhoeven’s is creepy, sure, yet the biting satire remains the film’s main strength. Casper Van Dien plays Johnny Rico, a soldier who defends humanity in an impressive fight against an alien opponent called an arachnid. This 1997 film kicked off a 5-movie franchise.
Event Horizon (1997)
Event Horizon is a horror film set in space. It’s an extension of the haunted house category, but a spaceship is the primary location here. This very spacecraft, called the Event Horizon, has actually just returned from a trip to Hell, and has brought with it some very demonic close encounters.
Director Paul WS Anderson reveals very soon the best of the film with the rescue led by Lawrence Fishburne. From there, the scary scenes can’t keep up as the director has a hard time investing the bare minimum on a psychological level. The exceptional production quality allows Event Horizon to overlook its imperfections enough to provide an experience that audiences enjoy.
Signs (2002)
M. Night Shyamalan gives audiences hellish scares in “Signs”. In a small family living in rural Pennsylvania, this slow-burning invasion thriller ranges from the mysterious appearance of crop circles around the world to the merciless destruction of humanity as we know it.
Priest Graham Hess lives on a rural farm in Doylestown, Pennsylvania with asthmatic son Morgan and baby Bo. Graham’s younger brother Merrill, an unsuccessful underage baseball player, actually assisted the family as Graham’s wife Colleen died in a car accident 6 months earlier. Graham left the church due to the aftermath of the event. When large crop circles appear in the Hess cornfield, they are initially attributed to vandals. More crop circles begin to appear around the world and the lights of imperceptible objects hover over numerous cities on Earth. One night, Graham and Merrill chase a figure into the field, and Graham peeks at another among the corn stalks.
Slither (2006)
Michael Rooker, Elizabeth Banks and Nathan Fillion direct James Gunn’s repulsive “Slither”. The 2006 scary comedy features mind-altering alien parasites in a South Carolina town. Guts are everywhere throughout much of this body horror film, yet it’s the ramifications that those wounds have that are truly scary.
The Fourth Kind (2009)
Played by Milla Jovovich as a star reenacting the self-reported kidnapping of psychologist Dr. Abbey Tyler (Charlotte Milchard), “The Fourth Kind” is a fake documentary that makes clever use of found footage. The scariest component of this 2009 alien horror film from screenwriter and director Olatunde Osunsanmi is the possibility that an individual could be abducted without understanding it.
Attack the Block (2011)
Attack the Block by Joe Cornish brings the category of alien intrusion to the streets of South London with all the horror cliches of old alien monster movies. When a pack of black, hairy, fanged aliens storm the city, an inexperienced nurse must team up with the gang of young punks who robbed her to survive the night.
Assault the Block underperformed at the box office, however it discovered an extremely enthusiastic fan base on home video, thanks to strong reviews and word of mouth. Cornish has created a cult classic that is a mix of Alien and Tremors, a film that helped make John Boyega a star.
V / H / S / 2 (2013)
A bad war between brothers and sisters becomes a night of transcendent fear in the final act of “V / H / S / 2”. Directed by Jason Eisener (“Hobo with a Shotgun”), “Alien Abduction Slumber Party” would seem like something already seen had it not been shot completely from a camcorder tied to a pet.
Prometheus (2013)
Ridley Scott returned to the franchise he developed more than 30 years later and achieved something unexpected and completely strange with Prometheus. This is a prequel to the first Alien, as it takes some crazy narrative detours and ends up sounding more like Tree of Life with huge alien beasts. Those beasts, especially the embryonic one star Noomi Rapace has to get rid of in a coffin-sized surgical chamber.
Prometheus co-writer Damon Lindelof, working on an earlier draft from Passengers author Jon Spaihts and Ridley Scott’s requests, made connections to the initial film looser and the story more elliptical. The result was a film that seemed to reject any audience it attracted. Those who were looking for an Alien movie were dissatisfied, however, those who would have appreciated the novelty in his film, were significantly rewarded.
Under the Skin (2014)
Scarlett Johansson stars in Jonathan Glazer, a science fiction horror movie. Set in Glasgow, the twisty drama may not be scary in the conventional horror sense, however its melancholy image of humanity is among the darkest escapes in alien cinema to date.
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
10 Cloverfield Lane by director Dan Trachtenberg is a sci-fi thriller with the greatest psychological stakes possible, starring with the help of one of the most interesting cast the alien genre has seen recently.
After a near-fatal car accident, Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s character finds herself saved by John Goodman’s lonely psychopath and confined to her air-raid shelter. They are enlisted by a likeable misfit played by John Gallagher, Jr., who is expected to partner with Winstead to overcome not only Goodman’s growing fear, but alien risk as well. Cloverfield Lane is among those films that keep you on the edge of your seat for tension, and Tractenberg stands out for putting all the twists of the genre on a protagonist’s back. If the final climax outside the bomb shelter feels added, it did; rehearsal screenings and internal discussions between director and producers encouraged them to end the film with a more action-packed ending.
A Quiet Place (2018)
Directed and starring John Krasinski, along with his wife Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe, “A Quiet Place” tells a world where ferocious extraterrestrial predators arrive on Earth to chase humans away only with noise. The film follows the story of a family for survival.
Sea Fever (2019)
Sea Fever is among the most underrated alien horror films of recent years. It combines the fear of The Thing with the relentless tension of Jaws and confines everything on a boat in the middle of the ocean to some parasite larvae that have actually contaminated the ship’s water system. Written and directed by Neasa Hardiman, Sea Fever is a quarantine thriller that never lacks methods to terrify or shock, particularly during its haunting final minutes.
Possessor (2020)
David Cronenberg’s son Brandon Cronenberg writes and directs this underrated 2020 horror film set in the future, a film that provokes and fascinates. Holder follows assassin Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough), who uses brain implants to live in other people’s bodies and wants them to carry out murders in the service of the company that uses it. When the negative effects of her profession as a puppeteer of involuntary killers begin to be felt in Vos’ mind, she is drawn into a complex web of sex and conflict. Holder is a film loaded with fantastic ideas but the director’s suffocating and sombre tone prevents him from verifying these fascinating principles through characters the audience can connect to, with the end result being a film loaded with deep thematic aspirations that proves superficial to go. beyond its characteristics of science fiction horror body.
Color Out of Space (2020)
Love letter to Richard Stanley’s Lovecraftian old school drive-in science fiction of the 1950s. Color is based on the Lovecraft narrative and stars Nicolas Cage as Nathan Gardner, a father who joins his family in a fight against a mutant organism after a meteor crashes in their farm yard. Cage offers a fascinating, if bizarre, interpretation as alien intruders discover aesthetically spectacular and novel methods to contaminate and alter the minds and bodies of their hosts.
The technicolor images with which the director tells this thrilling story differ from any category you have seen before, as Color Out of Space aims to provide a unique sci-fi experience that addresses deep fears and he is constantly looking for new ways to bring Lovecraft’s characteristic universal fear to life.
