Science fiction and horror are often treated like separate genres, but plenty of classic films prove they work together quite well. These are the horror stories where deadly robots, aliens, and other horrific man-made creations take the place normally reserved for ghosts and ghouls. These horror stories look to the future but see new, unrealized dangers, often on a global scale, that may one day await humanity.
Often, experiments either go wrong or a scientific study is conducted at a gruesome expense. Sometimes, traditional monsters exist, but their existence comes from a perversion of science instead of the supernatural. Zombies, for example, could be the result of serums, chemicals, and cybernetics. Some split the difference. Ghosts can exist, but they possess machinery. In stories with science-fiction trappings, however, the real horror isn’t necessarily monsters but often human hubris. These are the best sci-fi horror films, ranked.
20
‘No One Will Save You’ (2023)
Forced into a quiet solitude after the residents of a small town blame her for an accident causing the death of another, Brynn (Kaitlyn Dever) lives alone, spending her time making models. One night, Brynn is awoken by a sound, an alien invasion. After killing one of them, Brynn finds herself having to head into town, facing both otherworldly threats and a past she was trying to escape.
An Innovative Alien Invasion Horror Movie
With very minimal dialogue throughout its runtime, No One Will Save You managed to make a very gripping horror experience out of atmosphere, tension, and a phenomenal performance from Kaitlyn Dever. One of the best alien invasion movies of the 21st century, No One Will Save You, shows that there is still innovation to be found in one of the most common sci-fi horror scenarios.
19
‘Event Horizon’ (1997)
A rescue crew is tasked with boarding and trying to figure out what happened to the experimental ship, the Event Horizon, which mysteriously disappeared only to re-emerge without a crew on board. As the crew begins to unravel what happened, they start to experience hallucinations that play on their worst fears. When they learn that the ship’s experimental warp drive brought the crew to another, hellish world, it may already be too late for them to escape the clutches of the Event Horizon.
Opening a Portal to Hell
While a flop on release, Event Horizon has now become revered as one of the best sci-fi horror movies of all time. With its terrifying scenario that blends cosmic, space, and religious terror, there is nothing made quite like it. Some phenomenal performances help sell the believability of the plot, and, more importantly, nightmarish visions of hell that will stick with the viewer long after the credits roll.
18
‘From Beyond’ (1986)
While Stuart Gordon’s Re-animator delivers more on horror than sci-fi (more on that one later), From Beyond is the best use of pseudo-science inspired by Lovecraft in the genre. The movie centers around two researchers who manage to craft a portal that lets them temporarily see into another world known as the ‘Beyond.’ When the lead researcher disappears, it falls on Dr. Crawford Tillinghast (Jeffrey Combs) to navigate the potential horrors that may have befallen his mentor.
The Space Between Reality
A fantastic spectacle of sexually charged body horror, From Beyond remains one of the lesser-appreciated Lovecraft adaptations. Still, it is also one of the few that comes close to capturing that sense of cosmic and metaphysical horror. The idea of a realm existing at a different wavelength, congruent with ours, is a delectably terrifying concept that is fun to indulge in.
17
‘Xtro’ (1982)
Tony is a young boy with a troubled past, having witnessed the abduction of his dad, Sam, and being forever told he was abandoned. When his dad appears years later, the family struggles to rebuild what was lost. Sam, however, is a much different man, and he begins a bizarre task while bringing with him a series of horrors that befall all those around the family.
A Killer Alien in the Family
Xtro is a very trippy and surreal sci-fi horror movie, with some creative kills and a baffling, bizarre conclusion. A visual feast, perhaps the greatest accomplishment of this film is in creating one of the most horrifying aliens ever committed to film. The British cult film proved popular enough to get two sequels, though the first is by far the best in the franchise.
16
‘Annihilation’ (2018)
Lena (Natalie Portman), a cellular biology professor and former soldier, decides to help lead a team of researchers and soldiers into a zone known as ‘The Shimmer.’ Here, an expanding alien presence has transformed everything within, threatening humanity. Lena finds herself getting closer to the source than anyone before her, learning a nightmarish truth about the force looming over humanity.
A Complex Sci-Di Masterpiece
One of those sci-fi masterpieces that are too complex for normies, Annihilation would struggle at the box office, with not many keyed in on what a unique vision of horror it crafted. Taking an otherworldly landscape and placing it on Earth resulted in a visually intriguing interpretation of alien life, as many of the flora and fauna are mutated versions of familiar nature. The ending of Annihilation is open to interpretation, but what is certain is that it is visually gorgeous and unforgettable.
15
‘A Quiet Place’ (2018)
John Krasinski is not just a great actor — he is also a formidable director, and his second effort in A Quiet Place proved that to be true. Krasinski stars in the film alongside Emily Blunt and a talented pair of child actors (Noah Jupe and Millie Simmonds) in this post-apocalyptic nightmare, where total silence means survival, and noise means fate. Most of humanity has been wiped out in this frustrating hellscape.
A Sci-Fi Nightmare of a Menace Hunts by Sound
Heartstrings are sure to be pulled by the strong themes of parenthood, love, and teamwork displayed here. The debilitating fear of an unknown enemy is painted perfectly, too, as no one knows where the film’s antagonists come from. Are they extraterrestrials? Extradimensional beings? Are they of human creation? No one knows, and that is what makes the blind, sound-attracted monsters so terrifying in this masterful Krasinski feature film.
14
‘The Mist’ (2007)
The Mist takes place in a low-populated town located in Maine, where the main characters live with their two kids. It is based on the 1980 Stephen King novella of the same name. As implied by the film and book’s title, a storm strikes the surrounding area, forcing the residents to huddle together for safety. The storm is not what it seems; creatures set on hunting and killing them show up as a result of it, and they are suddenly thrust into a fight for their livelihood.
One of the Best Stephen King Adaptations
A fog thickens up, leaving most of their line of sight obstructed, rendering an escape either extremely difficult or impossible. The Mist is a frightening watch that aged well, and the ending still polarizes audiences to this day. For many fans of Stephen King, it remains one of the best adaptations of his work.
13
‘Splice’ (2009)
Entirely disturbing and wholly fascinating in concept, Splice is probably one of the more gruesome films on this list. It is a refreshing take on the Frankenstein genre of science-fiction horror: genetic engineers splicing together DNA of various species with humans so they can be exploited for medical purposes. The story highlights concerns about the ethics and morality of genetic engineering and tampering with sentient life, portraying it as an “almighty creator.”
An Inventive Sci-Fi Horror Film
Dren, the main creation of these engineers, breaks every expectation they have of her. For example, they thought she would need a diet of great nutritional value; instead, she has a sweet tooth and prefers sugar. It might seem small, but these differences in perspective come to a head in this unforgettable film’s climax.
12
‘A Cure For Wellness’ (2017)
A Cure For Wellness is a horror film influenced by the 1924 Thomas Mann novel The Magic Mountain. Lockhart, a young executive, is tasked with fetching CEO Roland Pembroke from a wellness center in the Swiss Alps. Things already seem suspicious when the staff refuses to let Lockhart even speak with the CEO. When he tries to leave, however, he gets caught in an accident and finds himself back in the spa wearing a cast.
You Can Check in Anytime, But You Can Never Leave
A story claims the center was built on top of an old castle, where a baron took to dark rituals in his quest to obtain a pure-blood heir, going so far as to sacrifice the local peasants. Lockhart soon learns that such experiments aren’t only in the past, with the staff generating unnatural life-extending techniques filtered through human bodies. Soon, it comes to light that the macabre baron himself is still around, too.
11
‘Invasion Of The Body Snatchers’ (1956)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a 1956 black-and-white film using a film noir-influenced style, based on the novel The Body Snatchers. A man kept in custody in a Los Angeles hospital recounts the story through flashbacks. The town of Santa Mira is filled with people who claim their loved ones have been replaced with impostors. Physician Miles Bennell attributes this to a mass delusion.
Replacing Loved Ones with Aliens
Soon, however, Bennell realizes they are right: people are being replaced by alien duplicates grown from pods. Fighting them off won’t be easy, as any ally Bennell makes can be replaced without him realizing. As the story comes closer to its conclusion, Bennell just might be able to convince the authorities of what’s really going on. Despite this, the world might not be able to fight off the pod people. By the end, even the audience might not be safe.
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