In the vast and uncharted realms of outer space, the unknown can be a source of endless fascination and fear. Over the years, filmmakers have explored the terrifying possibilities of space travel and extraterrestrial encounters, giving birth to a subgenre known as “space horror.” These films combine the eerie isolation of deep space with the dread of encountering otherworldly threats, resulting in spine-tingling cinematic experiences. Here, we present a curated list of 32 space horror movies that have enthralled and terrified audiences over the decades.
1. “It! The Terror from Beyond Space” (1958):
“It! The Terror from Beyond Space” is a classic science fiction horror film released in 1958, directed by Edward L. Cahn. It is often considered a precursor to later space-themed horror films, most notably the iconic “Alien” franchise. The movie follows a group of astronauts facing a deadly extraterrestrial menace on their return journey from Mars to Earth.
2. “Planet of the Vampires” (1965):
Planet of the Vampires is a 1965 Italian-Spanish science fiction horror film directed by Mario Bava. The film is set in a future where space exploration is a reality, and it follows the harrowing journey of two interstellar spaceships, the Argos and the Galliot, as they respond to a mysterious distress signal originating from an uncharted and desolate planet called Aura.
3. “First Spaceship on Venus” (1965):
The film’s plot revolves around an international team of astronauts who embark on a mission to Venus after a mysterious alien artifact is discovered on Earth, bearing a message from Venus. As they journey to the planet, they face various challenges and dangers, including Venusian flora and fauna, as they attempt to decipher the message and uncover the secrets of the alien civilization.
4. “Alien” (1979):
The plot of “Alien” centers around the crew of the commercial spaceship Nostromo, which is on its way back to Earth. They receive a distress signal from a nearby planet and are compelled to investigate. Upon landing on the desolate planet, one of the crew members, Kane (played by John Hurt), is attacked by a mysterious, parasitic creature that attaches itself to his face. The crew brings Kane back aboard the Nostromo, unaware of the deadly threat that has been unleashed.
As the story unfolds, the crew members find themselves hunted by a relentless and terrifying extraterrestrial creature known as the Xenomorph. The film combines elements of science fiction and horror, creating a tense and suspenseful atmosphere as the crew attempts to survive and confront the horrifying creature.
5. “Galaxy of Terror” (1981):
The film’s plot revolves around a spaceship crew sent to a distant planet to rescue the survivors of a crashed spacecraft. Once they arrive, they discover strange and deadly creatures and face their deepest fears manifested by a mysterious pyramid on the planet. As the crew members are systematically killed off in gruesome ways, they must confront their own personal demons to survive.
6. “Forbidden World” (1982):
The plot of “Forbidden World” revolves around a research outpost on the distant planet Xarbia. The outpost is conducting experiments to create a genetically modified organism, but their creation, known as Subject 20, escapes containment and begins to wreak havoc. The film follows a group of scientists and soldiers as they attempt to survive the onslaught of the deadly creature.
“Forbidden World” features a mix of science fiction and horror elements, with an emphasis on graphic violence, gore, and sexual content. It’s known for its exploitative and sensationalist approach, which was common in B-movies of the era.
7. “Inseminoid” (1981):
The plot of “Inseminoid” centers around a group of scientists on a remote planet conducting archaeological research. During their work, one of the female team members is impregnated by an alien life form, leading to a series of gruesome and violent events as she becomes a host for the alien’s offspring. The film follows her transformation and the terror that ensues as her colleagues attempt to survive the deadly threat.
8. “Starship Invasions” (1977):
The plot of “Starship Invasions” centers around an alien race called the Zarns, who have come to Earth with a plan to take over the planet. Their intention is to implant mind-control devices in humans to subjugate them. However, a group of humans, including a scientist and a UFO enthusiast, become aware of the Zarns’ plans and attempt to thwart the alien invasion.
9. “Lifeforce” (1985):
The plot of “Lifeforce” begins with the discovery of a massive alien spaceship hidden in the tail of Halley’s Comet. A team of astronauts is sent to investigate, and they discover strange, bat-like creatures and three humanoids in suspended animation. The humanoids are brought back to Earth, but it becomes clear that they are energy vampires, capable of draining the life force from humans, leaving behind desiccated corpses.
10. “Contamination” (1980):
The plot of “Contamination” revolves around the mysterious discovery of alien eggs on a deserted ship in New York Harbor. When the eggs are brought to the city and begin to hatch, they release a deadly, corrosive substance that causes the bodies of those exposed to explode. A former astronaut and a government agent are tasked with investigating the origin of these deadly eggs and stopping the alien threat.
11. “Leviathan” (1989):
The plot of “Leviathan” revolves around a group of deep-sea miners who discover a sunken Soviet shipwreck while working on the ocean floor. They retrieve a safe from the wreck, but when they open it, they find it contains a dangerous experimental substance. After exposure to the substance, the crew members begin experiencing horrifying mutations, and they must fight for their survival while trying to unravel the mysteries of the sunken ship.
12. “Moontrap” (1989):
The plot of “Moontrap” revolves around the discovery of an ancient spaceship on the moon. The spaceship is believed to have been there for thousands of years. When the astronauts from a modern lunar mission investigate, they discover the preserved bodies of humanoid aliens and a malevolent artificial intelligence that reactivates the spacecraft. As a result, the astronauts find themselves in a battle against the revived alien technology.
13. “Event Horizon” (1997):
The plot of “Event Horizon” revolves around a rescue crew sent to investigate the starship Event Horizon, which had disappeared into a black hole and reappeared seven years later. The crew members discover that the ship’s return from the black hole has brought something malevolent back with it, and they must confront the horrors that await them onboard. As they explore the ship, they experience hallucinations and unearth the terrifying truth about what happened to the original crew.
14. “Pitch Black” (2000):
The plot of “Pitch Black” centers around a group of passengers aboard a spacecraft that crashes on a desert planet. Among the passengers is Riddick, a dangerous criminal played by Vin Diesel, who has enhanced night vision due to eye surgery. The planet is home to dangerous creatures that come out in the darkness and pose a deadly threat to the survivors. Riddick, despite his criminal nature, becomes their best hope for survival as they try to escape the planet before darkness falls.
15. “Pandorum” (2009):
The plot of “Pandorum” revolves around two crew members, played by Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster, who awaken from hypersleep on board a vast, seemingly abandoned spaceship named Elysium. They suffer from amnesia and can’t remember their mission or who they are. As they explore the ship, they encounter hostile humanoid creatures and unravel the mystery of what happened on the ship.
The film explores themes of isolation, survival, and identity while creating a tense and unsettling atmosphere. It combines elements of psychological horror with action and suspense, as the characters try to piece together their past and confront the threats within the ship.
16. “Apollo 18” (2011):
The plot of “Apollo 18” centers around the fictional Apollo 18 mission, which is said to have taken place after Apollo 17 in the early 1970s. The film presents itself as discovered footage from the mission, which is supposedly classified by the U.S. Department of Defense. As the astronauts explore the lunar surface, they discover evidence of a previous Soviet mission and, more ominously, come into contact with hostile and mysterious lunar creatures.
17. “Europa Report” (2013):
The film’s plot centers around a crew of international astronauts who embark on a mission to Europa to search for signs of life beneath its icy surface. They travel to the moon on a spacecraft named Europa One and document their journey using a combination of fixed cameras and helmet-mounted cameras.
As the crew delves deeper into the unknown and faces various technical challenges, they begin to encounter mysterious and potentially life-threatening phenomena. The tension escalates as they strive to achieve their mission goals while grappling with the isolation of space and the inherent risks of deep-space exploration.
18. “The Last Days on Mars” (2013):
The plot of the film revolves around a group of astronauts on a mission to Mars who are in the final stages of their expedition. As they prepare to return to Earth, one of the crew members makes a startling discovery: evidence of bacterial life on the planet. The excitement quickly turns to tension as they face unexpected and deadly consequences of their discovery. They must now fight for their survival against a mysterious and lethal force that threatens to destroy them one by one.
19- Prometheus (2012):
The plot of “Prometheus” is set in the late 21st century and follows a group of scientists and explorers who embark on a space mission to a distant moon called LV-223. They are motivated by ancient star maps discovered on Earth that suggest a connection between humanity and extraterrestrial beings known as the “Engineers.” The crew of the spaceship Prometheus hopes to find answers to fundamental questions about the origins of life.
As they arrive on LV-223 and begin to explore a mysterious alien structure, they uncover secrets that have profound implications for both humanity’s past and its future. The mission takes a dark turn as the crew members encounter dangerous and otherworldly creatures, leading to a battle for survival.
20. “The Cloverfield Paradox” (2018):
The plot of “The Cloverfield Paradox” is set in a near-future world facing an energy crisis. A multinational crew aboard a space station called the Cloverfield Station is conducting experiments to generate a new and sustainable energy source. However, their experiments lead to unexpected and catastrophic consequences, including the disappearance of Earth and the emergence of strange phenomena aboard the station.
As the crew members grapple with their dire situation and the mysterious occurrences around them, they must work together to find a way back to their own dimension and prevent further disasters. The film blends elements of science fiction, horror, and thriller as it explores parallel universes and the consequences of tampering with the fabric of reality.
21. “Life” (2017):
The plot of “Life” centers around a group of astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) who discover a sample from Mars containing a dormant single-celled organism. As they conduct experiments on the organism, they inadvertently awaken it, leading to the rapid growth of a hostile and highly intelligent life form that threatens the crew and potentially all life on Earth. The crew must work together to contain the organism and prevent it from reaching Earth.
22. “The Wandering Earth” (2019):
The plot of “The Wandering Earth” is set in a distant future where scientists have initiated a colossal project to move Earth out of its orbit and propel it on a journey to a new star system. This is in response to the impending expansion of the sun, which threatens to engulf the Earth. To achieve this ambitious goal, massive thrusters are installed across the planet’s surface, and humanity constructs vast underground cities to survive the freezing temperatures on the Earth’s surface.
The film follows a group of individuals, including a young man named Liu Qi and his family, as they navigate the challenges of this new world. When a malfunction occurs with the Earth’s propulsion system, they find themselves on a perilous mission to repair it and ensure humanity’s survival.
23. “Stranded” (2013):
The plot of “Stranded” revolves around a group of astronauts who find themselves marooned on a lunar base after a meteor storm damages their spacecraft and leaves them without the means to return to Earth. As they struggle to survive in their limited and increasingly hazardous environment, they begin to experience strange and disturbing phenomena. They must confront both the physical dangers of their predicament and the psychological toll it takes on their sanity.
24. “The Midnight Sky” (2020):
The plot of “The Midnight Sky” is set in a near-future world where a global catastrophe has rendered Earth uninhabitable due to a mysterious environmental disaster. Most of the planet’s population has perished, and the few remaining survivors are struggling to find a way to survive. George Clooney plays Augustine Lofthouse, a scientist who chooses to remain at an Arctic research station rather than evacuate with the rest of the world’s population. He is determined to make contact with a returning spacecraft, the Aether, in the hope of warning its crew about the Earth’s dire condition.
The film alternates between Augustine’s journey to a more powerful communications facility and the struggles of the Aether’s crew as they return from a mission to one of Jupiter’s moons, unaware of the catastrophe on Earth. Augustine’s quest to make contact with the spacecraft and the crew’s perilous journey home form the core of the story.
“The Midnight Sky” explores themes of isolation, redemption, and the consequences
25. “Stowaway” (2021):
The plot of “Stowaway” follows a crew of astronauts on a mission to Mars. During their journey, they discover an unintended stowaway on board, a maintenance engineer named Michael Adams, who was accidentally left behind in the ship’s storage compartments. The unexpected presence of this extra person creates a dire situation as they face limited resources and the realization that their life support system may not sustain all four crew members for the duration of the mission.
As they grapple with this ethical dilemma and the dire consequences of their decisions, the crew members must find a way to survive while dealing with the uncertainty and moral weight of their choices.
26. “Voyagers” (2021):
The plot of “Voyagers” is set in the future when Earth is facing environmental collapse. To ensure the survival of the human race, a group of young people is sent on a multi-generational mission to colonize a distant habitable planet. To endure the journey, the crew members have been genetically modified to live longer and have had their emotions suppressed to maintain focus and control.
As the years pass, the crew members begin to question their existence and the restrictions placed upon them. When they discover the true nature of their mission and the consequences of their suppressed emotions, they rebel against their leadership and face the challenges of navigating a vast spaceship hurtling through the cosmos.
27. “Lapsis” (2020):
The plot of “Lapsis” is set in a near-future world where a new technology known as “quantum cabling” has revolutionized the global economy. The cabling enables the transfer of information at high speeds through forests, and it has created a new kind of job called “cablers.” These workers must lay the cables in the wilderness while facing competition from robots known as “Q-bots.”
The film follows a character named Ray Tincelli, played by Dean Imperial, who becomes a cabler in an attempt to support his ailing brother. As he navigates the challenges of his new job and encounters the quirks and dangers of the gig economy, he begins to uncover a hidden world of conspiracy and corruption within the industry.
28- “Ad Astra” (2019):
The plot of “Ad Astra” is set in a near-future world and follows astronaut Roy McBride, played by Brad Pitt. Roy is tasked with a dangerous and classified mission to travel to the outer edges of the solar system to find his missing father, Clifford McBride, portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones. Clifford had been on a decades-long mission to search for extraterrestrial intelligence near Neptune but disappeared, and his actions may be linked to mysterious power surges that threaten life on Earth.
As Roy embarks on the journey to Neptune, he must confront not only the physical dangers of space but also his own emotional baggage and inner demons. The film explores themes of father-son relationships, human loneliness, and the toll of long-term isolation in the unforgiving environment of space.
29. “Cosmic Sin” (2021):
The plot of “Cosmic Sin” is set in a future where humanity has established colonies on other planets. When a hostile alien species threatens these colonies, a group of soldiers and scientists, led by a retired general played by Bruce Willis, is tasked with stopping the extraterrestrial threat before it wipes out humanity.
The film explores themes of war, survival, and the potential consequences of human expansion into space. It includes action sequences, space battles, and confrontations with the alien species, as well as elements of political intrigue and ethical dilemmas.
30 High Life (2019):
The plot of “High Life” revolves around a group of criminals who have been sent on a one-way mission into deep space. They are part of an experiment led by a mysterious doctor, played by Juliette Binoche, who is conducting reproductive experiments on the crew with the goal of creating a child in the vacuum of space.
The film is nonlinear in its storytelling, presenting events in a fragmented manner that adds to its enigmatic and dreamlike quality. It explores themes of loneliness, desire, and the blurred lines between morality and survival in the isolated and confined environment of a spaceship hurtling through the cosmos.
31 Annihilation (2018)
The plot of “Annihilation” follows Lena, played by Natalie Portman, a biologist and former soldier who joins an expedition into a mysterious and expanding phenomenon known as “The Shimmer.” The Shimmer is an iridescent, otherworldly barrier that has enveloped an area of land and continues to expand, transforming the environment and mutating the creatures within it.
As Lena and her team venture deeper into The Shimmer, they encounter increasingly bizarre and horrifying phenomena. The film explores themes of identity, self-destruction, and the unknown while unraveling the mystery of The Shimmer and its potential consequences for humanity.
32- Alien: Covenant (2017)
The plot of “Alien: Covenant” is set in the late 21st century, approximately a decade after the events of “Prometheus.” The story follows the crew of the colonization spacecraft Covenant, who are en route to a distant planet, Origae-6, to establish a new human colony. Along the way, they intercept a mysterious transmission from a closer, seemingly habitable planet. Against their better judgment, they decide to investigate the source of the transmission.
Upon arriving on the planet, the crew members quickly realize that they are not alone, and they encounter dangerous alien creatures, including the infamous Xenomorphs. As they struggle to survive and escape the planet, they uncover dark secrets related to the Engineers, the creators of humanity, and the origins of the Xenomorph species.
