By Marco Vito Oddo
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Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Or is it a spaceship coming to kidnap humans and devour their entrails? From the moment we learned to look up to the stars, we wondered who might live up in the skies. Once we understood those shining spots in the night were suns of different planet systems, we began to question if we were all alone in this universe. And if we are not, will our galactic neighbors be friends or foes? If there are so many horror movies about aliens, it’s because we fear a different species might be as vicious as humans, willing to conquer, destroy, and devour anything that stands in their way. From horrors in outer space like in Alien to those that crash land and plunge humanity into an apocalypse like in A Quiet Place, there's no shortage of fears or lack of variety when it comes to this subgenre. The fun, then, is imagining what these monstrous creatures would look like and which otherworldly technology they’d use to enslave us all. To help you navigate the cold and dark universe of horror movies with aliens, here are our thirteen best recommendations.
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'A Quiet Place' (2018)
Director: John Krasinski
John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place is surprising in many ways. First, even though it was Krasinski's debut in horror, A Quiet Place ranked as one of the best genre entries of 2018. Then, the movie is scary even though it boasts a PG-13 rating. Finally, A Quiet Place's sound design is so impressive that it can force a fully crowded commercial screening to remain silent for 90 minutes straight. The aliens of A Quiet Place are hypersensitive to sound, which forces the entire cast to remain in absolute silence if they want to survive. The movie explores how a family developed clever ways to keep their everyday life while remaining out of the aliens’ radar. Most importantly, instead of filling the silence with background music, Krasinski brilliantly used the silence as a tool, with each sound turning into a menace for the family and the audience.
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A Quiet Place
PG-13
Horror
Documentary
Family
Sci-Fi
Thriller
A family struggles for survival in a world where most humans have been killed by blind but noise-sensitive creatures. They are forced to communicate in sign language to keep the creatures at bay.
- Release Date
- April 3, 2018
- Director
- John Krasinski
- Cast
- Emily Blunt , John Krasinski , Millie Simmonds , Noah Jupe , Cade Woodward , Leon Russom
- Runtime
- 90 Minutes
- Studio
- Paramount Pictures
'Nope' (2022)
Director: Jordan Peele
Jordan Peele’s Nope is simultaneously a thrilling Western and a unique horror movie about aliens. Just like Peele’s previous movies, Get Out and Us, Nope has a rich subtext, this time discussing the predatory nature of Hollywood. However, the way Peele materializes the Hollywood monster makes this the most entertaining movie from the horror master. Nope’s alien is a giant eye that sucks people in, mows them down, and spits out their digested bodies. It also hides in the cloud waiting for the next big attraction to get its attention. Some might say that Nope lacks subtlety, but one can argue that’s exactly what makes the alien creature so impressive and the movie such a joyous ride.
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810
Nope
Horror
A man and his sister discover something sinister in the skies above their California horse ranch, while the owner of a nearby theme park tries to profit from the mysterious, otherworldly phenomenon.
- Release Date
- July 20, 2022
- Director
- Jordan Peele
- Cast
- Steven Yeun , Daniel Kaluuya , Keke Palmer , Terry Notary , Conor Kowalski , Mark Casimir Dyniewicz
- Runtime
- 130 minutes
- Writers
- Jordan Peele
'Slither' (2006)
Director: James Gunn
Long before James Gunn took the Guardians through galactic adventures, he brought the perils of outer space into Earth. Gunn’s feature film directorial debut, Slither, is a classic tale of an invader coming from the stars to conquer the entire planet. But while the story follows the classic beats of a horror movie with aliens, Gunn adds his unique style to the feature, turning Slither into one gruesome, funny, and highly entertaining film. The star of the show is the alien itself, a creature capable of attaching to any beast’s nervous system, controlling their bodies to reproduce and force new beings to join the hive mind. As if parasitic aliens weren’t disgusting enough, Gunn goes out of the way to turn the alien into a bloody mass of melted meat. The script of Slither might not be among the best works by Gunn, but the creature design is too delicious to ignore.
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Slither
R
Comedy
Horror
Sci-Fi
A small town is taken over by an alien plague, turning residents into zombies and all forms of mutant monsters.
- Release Date
- March 31, 2006
- Director
- James Gunn
- Cast
- Don Thompson , Nathan Fillion , Gregg Henry , Xantha Radley , Elizabeth Banks , Tania Saulnier
- Runtime
- 96
- Studio
- Universal Pictures
Rent on Amazon Prime
'Cloverfield' (2008)
Director: Matt Reeves
While most of the found footage genre is based on small-scale experiences of people finding ghosts in abandoned houses or creatures in the woods, Cloverfield uses the first-person view to explore a giant monster attack in New York. While kaiju movies are usually thrilling and filled with action, Matt Reeves’ Cloverfield changes the perspective to show us what happens to people trying to survive the battle between a gargantuan alien and the U.S. army. The footage of Cloverfield shows how people are fighting to escape death, while the first-person view camera gives us glimpses of the horrific alien that’s tearing entire buildings with its might. It’s one of the best found footage films out there, one that pushed the subgenre forward and showed the first-person view could be used to tell more ambitious stories.
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Cloverfield
PG-13
Mystery
Horror
Thriller
Adventure
Action
Sci-Fi
A group of friends venture deep into the streets of New York on a rescue mission during a rampaging monster attack.
- Release Date
- January 15, 2008
- Director
- Matt Reeves
- Cast
- Lizzy Caplan , Jessica Lucas , T.J. Miller , Michael Stahl-David , Mike Vogel , Odette Annable
- Runtime
- 85 minutes
'Attack the Block' (2011)
Director: Joe Cornish
Joe Cornish’s Attack the Block imagines what would happen if aliens invaded a council state in London instead of a big city center. With this unique premise, the movie explores important subjects such as gentrification and criminality in marginalized communities, which already makes this one remarkable horror movie. But on top of everything, Attack the Block presents a unique kind of alien, even if it had to stretch a small budget the most it could. The end result is a visual feast that, instead of demonizing urban youth, turns it into an unexpected hero. Finally, Attack the Block is the first feature work of John Boyega, capable of showing the actor’s range long before he joined the Star Wars franchise.
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Attack the Block
R
Thriller
Adventure
Action
Sci-Fi
Comedy
A teen gang in South London defend their block from an alien invasion.
- Release Date
- May 12, 2011
- Director
- Joe Cornish
- Cast
- John Boyega , Jodie Whittaker , Alex Esmail , Franz Drameh , Leeon Jones , Simon Howard , Luke Treadaway , Jumayn Hunter , Nick Frost
- Runtime
- 88 minutes
- Studio
- Screen Gems
Rent on Amazon Prime
'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' (1978)
Director: Philip Kaufman
While Don Siegel’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers deserves praise, Philip Kaufman’s 1978 reboot gets the prize of the best adaptation of The Body Snatchers novel by Jack Finney. The movie follows a group of people uncovering a huge conspiracy where a plant-like alien life form replaces humans from every social class while slowly taking control of the planet. The movie is a cry against conformism and consumerism culture in the U.S., denouncing people that let themselves become part of an emotionless machine. It’s also terrifying to wonder if your loved ones might have been replaced in your sleep, a paranoia-inducing thought that explains the lasting appeal of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
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Invasion of the Body Snatchers
When strange seeds drift to earth from space, mysterious pods begin to grow and invade San Francisco, replicating the city's residents one body at a time.
- Release Date
- December 22, 1978
- Director
- Philip Kaufman
- Cast
- Donald Sutherland , Brooke Adams , Leonard Nimoy , Jeff Goldblum , Veronica Cartwright
- Runtime
- 115
- Main Genre
- Sci-Fi
'The Thing' (1982)
Director: John Carpenter
Everything John Carpenter touches turns into horror gold, and it’s no different with The Thing. Based on John W. Campbell Jr.'s novella Who Goes There?, The Thing follows a group of researchers in Antarctica encountering a parasitic alien life form that attaches to other living beings, changing their biology. The thing can pretend to be anyone, a façade it keeps by also absorbing memories. However, when attacked, the creature can also change a body to grow teeth, tentacle, and claws. It’s pure body horror, and well worth being in everyone’s list of best horror movies with aliens. Even more since the practical effects of the feature aged like fine wine, and The Thing remains as scary today as it was on release.
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The Thing (1982)
R
A team of researchers set out to study an alien spacecraft found in Antarctica, where they also discover an alien body on the site. The alien buried in ice is actually alive and has the ability to imitate human form. The group must find a way to distinguish who the real person is from The Thing and stay alive. John Carpenter's 1982 film is a remake of 1951's The Thing from Another World and stars Kurt Russel as the hero RJ MacReady.
- Release Date
- June 25, 1982
- Director
- John Carpenter
- Cast
- Kurt Russell , wilford brimley , T.K. Carter , David Clennon , Keith David , Richard Dysart
- Runtime
- 109 mins
- Main Genre
- Horror
Rent on Amazon Prime
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Honeymoon (2014)
Director: Leigh Janiak
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Honeymoon doesn’t have fast action set pieces or deadly encounters with alien creatures. In fact, the horrors of Honeymoon are more suggested than shown. What makes the feature film directorial debut of Leigh Janiak hit so hard is the humans at the center of a nightmarish situation. Starring Rose Leslie and Harry Treadaway as a newly wedded couple, Honeymoon follows the loving birds into a retreat next to a lake. Janiak gives the audience enough time to understand how pure and genuine is their love, which only makes it more painful when extraterrestrial forces begin to break them apart. Honeymoon is a tale of trust, sacrifice, and doing whatever you can to keep the one you love safe. Unfortunately, in this case, love has disastrous consequences.
Honeymoon
R
- Release Date
- September 12, 2014
- Director
- Leigh Janiak
- Cast
- Rose Leslie , Harry Treadaway , Ben Huber , Hanna Brown , Henry Lawrence Gaisford
- Runtime
- 87
- Main Genre
- Horror
'Alien' (1979)
Director: Ridley Scott
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We can’t talk about horror movies with aliens without mentioning, well, Alien. Ridley Scott’s game changer film grabs the concept of a slasher and takes it into space, where the crew of a spaceship must fight a deadly killer in a claustrophobic environment, while they are taken down one by one. Alien is nerve-wracking, tense, and bloody cruel, which makes it an essential film for any horror-fiend. The creatures designed by artist H. R. Giger also contributed a lot to making Alien such an iconic film, as everyone recognizes the unique aesthetics of the facehugger and the xenomorph. It’s a rare example of a horror movie that resists the passing of time, and is capable of scaring the audience senseless decades after it was released.
Alien
In deep space, the crew of the commercial starship Nostromo is awakened from their cryo-sleep capsules halfway through their journey home to investigate a distress call from an alien vessel. The terror begins when the crew encounters a nest of eggs inside the alien ship. An organism from inside an egg leaps out and attaches itself to one of the crew, causing him to fall into a coma.
- Release Date
- June 22, 1979
- Director
- Ridley Scott
- Cast
- Sigourney Weaver , Tom Skerritt , John Hurt , Veronica Cartwright , Harry Dean Stanton , Ian Holm , Yaphet Kotto
- Runtime
- 117 minutes
- Main Genre
- Sci-Fi
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'Under the Skin' (2013)
Director: Jonathan Glazer
Loosely based on the eponymous novel by Michel Faber, Under the Skin stars Scarlett Johannson in one of her most underappreciated roles. As an unnamed alien collecting horny men and turning them into food, Johanson does a wonderful job subverting power relations. While the men who cross Johanson’s path think they are hunters, she quickly turns them into prey, showing that her body is bait, not a prize. With a solid direction by Jonathan Glazer, Under the Skin does a wonderful job showing how an alien would experience the world. The fact the movie casts people with no previous acting skills and shot scenes using hidden cameras only makes the experience more realistic and disturbing. Under the Skin might be too slow and surreal to please everyone, but it is still a fantastic horror movie about extraterrestrial beings.
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Under the Skin
R
Disguising itself as a human female, an extraterrestrial drives around Scotland attempting to lure unsuspecting men into her van. Once there, she seduces and sends them into another dimension where they are nothing more than meat.
- Release Date
- April 4, 2014
- Director
- Jonathan Glazer
- Cast
- Dougie McConnell , Lynsey Taylor Mackay , Jeremy McWilliams , Scarlett Johansson , Kevin McAlinden
- Runtime
- 108 minutes
- Main Genre
- Sci-Fi
'Annihilation' (2018)
Director: Alex Garland
Some people love Alex Garland, some people are not so fond of his psychedelic filmmaking style. But everyone must agree that Garland knows how to put on a spectacle. Based on a novel by Jeff VanderMeer, Annihilation follows a group of explorers entering The Shimmer, a quarantine zone where nature began to change due to the influence of a mysterious alien presence. What makes Annihilation so unique is that it takes a concept derived from the study of energy and refraction, and applying it to matter. And Garland knows just how to represent that in creating nightmare-inducing creatures. Annihilation is a feast of color and light, and Garland is not afraid of getting weird to tell a story about identity and self-conscience. This is one of the most bizarre horror movies about aliens ever conceived, and it’s impossible to remain indifferent after seeing the disturbing imagery Garland conjured for his film.
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Annihilation
R
Lena, a biologist and former soldier, joins a mission to uncover what happened to her husband inside Area X -- a sinister and mysterious phenomenon that is expanding across the American coastline. Once inside, the expedition discovers a world of mutated landscapes and creatures, as dangerous as it is beautiful, that threatens both their lives and their sanity.
- Release Date
- February 23, 2018
- Director
- Alex Garland
- Cast
- Sonoya Mizuno , Kola Bokinni , Jennifer Jason Leigh , Gina Rodriguez , Cosmo Jarvis , Oscar Isaac , Tessa Thompson , Tuva Novotny , Natalie Portman , David Gyasi
- Runtime
- 115 Minutes
- Main Genre
- Sci-Fi
Rent on Amazon Prime
'Prey' (2022)
Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Predator is a 1980s testosterone-infused horror action movie about Arnold Swachzeneger using his wits to fight a deadly alien in the jungle – and it’s just perfect the way it is. Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey takes everything the original movie does well and applies it to a period piece where a Comanche tribe needs to defeat an alien hunter equipped with advanced technology. It’s fast-paced, violent, and filled to the brink with memorable fights between the Predator and every deadly wild animal it can find, including humans. Both Predator and Prey remain some of the best horror movies with aliens ever, but the latest movie of the franchise is such a spectacle of practical effects that we can’t help but recommend it every time the opportunity arises.
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810
Prey
R
Naru, a skilled warrior of the Comanche Nation, fights to protect her tribe against one of the first highly-evolved Predators to land on Earth.
- Release Date
- August 5, 2022
- Director
- Dan Trachtenberg
- Cast
- Amber Midthunder , Dane DiLiegro , Harlan Blayne Kytwayhat , Dakota Beavers
- Runtime
- 99 minutes
- Main Genre
- Sci-Fi
'Pitch Black' (2000)
Director: David Twohy
David Twohy’s Pitch Black is a classic example of how you can get away with a weak script if done with style. The story follows the survivors of a spaceship that crashed on an alien planet and need to figure out how they can get back home. The planet is illuminated by two suns, and it’s engulfed by continuous daylight. However, once every few years, an eclipse plunges the planet in absolute darkness, allowing the carnivorous creatures that inhabit the undergrounds to emerge and hunt for fresh meat. Guess when the spaceship crashed there? Lucky for the survivors, one of the people onboard the ship is a deadly serial killer who operated his own eyes to get night vision, played by Vin Diesel. If you think about Pitch Black for too long, it’s easy to see how the movie is filled with plot holes and clichés. But if you are willing to turn off your criticism for two hours, you’ll get a slick sci-fi horror filled with deadly aliens and an even deadlier action hero.
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Pitch Black
R
A transport ship crashes and leaves its crew stranded on a desert planet inhabited by bloodthirsty creatures that come out during an eclipse.
- Release Date
- February 18, 2000
- Director
- David Twohy
- Cast
- Vin Diesel , Radha Mitchell , Cole Hauser , Keith David , Lewis Fitz-Gerald , Claudia Black
- Runtime
- 109
- Main Genre
- Action
Rent on Amazon Prime
- Horror
- Horror
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