This is a quick overview of some space based horror movies that are definitely worth checking out. This wont include sci-fi movies based on earth, its mostly a hand picking of my favourite off world set stories with a high horror content or suspense. These movies aren't that recent and a spoiler warning doesn't seems worthwhile but the pictures and notes do give the plot away but highlights why I recommend their viewing.
Alien (1979)
An obvious item for the list but it really set the benchmark for space based horror, it had many things that offered a fearful feast for the eyes from the industrial and sanitary claustrophobia of the human ship Nostromo, to the dark and misty bio mechanical alien ship. Best remembered for the dramatic face hugger and chest buster scenes yet its build up of atmosphere and tension is solid and pays off well with these scenes and the killing off of the crew by the xenomorph as well as the chilling revelation of Ash as a psychotic android letting the crew know of their extendability and hopelessness of surviving the alien.
Forbidden Planet (1956)
Perhaps not strictly a horror movie but one that still held a nightmarish memory in my mind. Starring a young Leslie Nielsen as captain of a human United Planets Cruiser C75-D in search of a lost expedition to the planet, where they are greeted by Robby the Robot and his master/creator Dr. Morbius, almost a mix of scientist and sorcerer endowed with the advance knowledge of an ancient alien device. The Landed Earth Crew face a series of mysterious attacks, and are then under siege from a terrifying invisible and unstoppable monster, as tensions rise between the crew, the doctor and his daughter it is revealed that the phantom beast is actually an evil manifestation of Mobius' subconscious mind that he fails to control.
Sunshine (2007)
2001 A Space Odyssey (1968)
Stanley Kubrick's science fiction classic, not a horror in the strictest sense yet with the feeling of space isolation, the cold words of a killer computer and the continually appearance of the ominous and almost occult symbolic black monolith it had to be included. It features a series of acts on the origin of man and a mysterious monolith discovered on the moon, on board the Discovery One en route to Jupiter where the creepy Hal 9000, the ships computer begins to kill its crew, this part has its own horror plot within yet the whole movie coveys a mysterious and foreboding unknown of man's origins, advancement and rebirth, a mysterious and epic vision that is both deeply fascinating and admittedly frightening.
Event Horizon (1997)
Laurence Fishburne and the crew of the Louis and Clark are sent to answer a distress call of the Event Horizon, a ship that mysteriously disappeared 7 years ago, they are accompanied by its designer played by Sam Neill with knowledge of its experimental 'black hole' gravity drive. They discover evidence of a massacre and are troubled by the reactivation of the gravity drive and the nightmarish visions they face. After a series of deaths the true horrific effects of the experimental drive are revealed as opening a gateway to a dark dimension of chaos and evil, to hell. Its designer, Dr. Weir becomes corrupted by the dark forces and seeks to foils the crews plan of escaping and destroying the Event Horizon lest it reach Earth.
Prometheus (2012)
Set in a time line before the Alien Movie, The spaceship Prometheus and her crew travel to a planet believed to be significant in relation to a theory of the Alien seeding of Human life on Earth or a type of Xeno Genesis. The planet is baron with only a dark and creepy alien structure remaining of this seemingly abandoned planet, with only a decapitated alien engineer and mysterious black liquid providing more questions than answers. The black liquid proves a hostile mutagen that transforms certain crew members and leaves Shaw, the female protagonist pregnant with alien. With the unknown schemes of David the android, mutant attacks, the human hating Engineer awakened and a horrific alien abortion, this movie is puzzling, disturbing and yet exciting at the same time.
Doom (2005)
I'll admit, more of action based movie but I feel like it was a worthy attempt at portraying the game on the big screen with decent frights and horror suspense. What I really like about it was the real special effects with the monsters/genetic demon outfits with the Imp and Hell Knight and the bad-ass BFG 9000 included. The mars based colony and special tactical team is a good set up, reminiscent of aliens/predator although a tad predictable, yet interesting plot points involving the ark teleporter gate and the discover of a 24th martian chromosome that made you superhuman or a demon, it worked for me, its got scares and is a fun watch even if your not a fan of the game.
Screamers (1995)
A former mining colony known as Sirius 6B now a scarred wasteland from Civil War, a war which commander Joe Hendricksson is seeking to bring to an end with a recent invitation to negotiate peace, although cautious of this invite he makes the journey to talk a truce. He must also beware of screamers, known as Autonomous Mobile Swords (AMS), remnants of war, like scattered mines except these move and hunt the living and as Hendricksson discovers they are adapting/upgrading. To their horror it is revealed that screamers impersonating humans, even children, in order to infiltrate secure bases. As he is pursued by these creepy killing machines, it is hard to know who to trust and who is human.
Pitch Black (2000)
The premise of this was pretty good, Ship crash lands on planet with a 'ghost colony' seemingly abandoned by its former residents and with high tensions and rivalries between the survivors notable the fugitive Riddick and his captor bounty hunter. All is not what it seems, something monstrous lurks in the shadows and it isn't the night visioned Riddick, soon they discover that the sun will soon set for a long time and when it does it will be feeding time for the nocturnal flying alien swarms. I feel like somewhere in the middle or towards the end, the movie falls slightly flat perhaps as the monsters are finally exposed and fought, however it still holds interest to see how the group attempts to survive this relentless night swarm along with limited light sources, dragging escape ship supplies and if they can actual trust one another.
That's the list! Others to mention Alien 3 and Resurrection and Ghosts of Mars weren't that great or scary in my opinion but are worth a watch nonetheless, I feel Aliens is more of a action movie than a sci-fi horror compared to it predecessor, and I haven't yet seen Pandorum yet but may do a review when I get the chance, again these are space based, its only off world base Horror Sci-Fi.
Let me know what you think, what I miss and if these movies are worth watching in your opinion, I'll be posting this on both my Horror and Sci-Fi Blogs together. I want to hear from any readers that know of any upcoming Sci-Fi Horror Movies that will be worth keeping an eye out for, In the meantime take a look up at the stars and be grateful your not up there with this guy...
