While science fiction is a large genre filled with technology, space, and new living organisms, some films are downright terrifying. Showcasing the grim reality of space against a backdrop of an ominous figure, these films show the beauty and horror of space in equal measure. If you want to explore the darker side of science fiction, check out these six best scifi outer space horror movies now.
6. Life (2017)
Coming in sixth on our best scifi outer space horror movies list is Life. The film centers on a six-member crew of the International Space Station that is on the edge of a momentous discovery: the first evidence of extraterrestrial life on Mars. As the crew begins to conduct research, their methods have unintended consequences, proving the life form is more intelligent than anyone ever believed.
–IMDb score: 6.6
5. Event Horizon (1997)
Next up for best scifi outer space horror movies is Event Horizon, set in the near future. It’s 2047, and a group of astronauts are sent out to investigate and salvage a long-lost starship named Event Horizon. Disappearing seven years ago on its maiden voyage, there is only more mystery as the crew of the Lewis and Clark discover the real truth behind its disappearance, and something even more terrifying hiding in the shadows.
–IMDb score: 6.6
4. Pandorum (2009)
Pandorum is fourth on our list of best scifi outer space horror movies, featuring the terror of two astronauts seemingly alone. The spaceship crew members awake from hypersleep, only to find all of their colleagues are missing. Disoriented, the two decide to find answers. Lt. Payton stays behind to guide Cpl. Bower through the ship, and as they plunge further into the ship, deadly secrets are revealed and their survival will become paramount.
–IMDb score: 6.7
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3. Sunshine (2007)
Reaching the top three for best scifi outer space horror movies is Sunshine, where a team of astronauts must revive the sun. As the sun dies and Earth follows suit, a team of astronauts is sent to revive the Sun with a nuclear fission bomb, but the mission fails. Seven years pass before another group heads out, but a grave mistake and a distress beacon from a long-lost spaceship will throw the mission into chaos.
–IMDb score: 7.2
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2. Aliens (1986)
Earning the second spot for the best scifi outer space horror movies is Aliens, the second installment in the franchise. Over five decades after Ellen Ripley had a close encounter with the reptilian alien from the first film, she is called back to help a group of marines fight off extraterrestrials. This time, the aliens have taken over a space colony on the moon LV-426, and it will take everything the group has to battle against the aliens.
–IMDb score: 8.4
1. Alien (1979)
Of course, we can’t have the best scifi outer space horror movies list without including Alien. In the distant future, a commercial spaceship named Nostromo and its crew are on the way home when they pick up a distress call from a distant moon. After a rough landing, the three crew members explore the area of the planetoid while the spaceship finally decodes the distress call. The members are not alone, and they must deal with the consequences.
–IMDb score: 8.5
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