The Best Sci-Fi Horror Movies of All Time

Sci-fi, as a genre, is very useful for probing to the depths of the human mind. It can be useful as a lens through which to critique and comment on our society and our humanity. When applied in the right ways, it can also be very effective at scaring the daylights out of us. Combining the high-tech with the hair-raising, these are the best sci-fi horror movies of all time!

The Best Sci-Fi Horror Movies of All Time

Frankenstein

Photo Credit: Country Life

Likely the first tale ever told that could be considered sci-fi horror, Frankenstein is an unsettling tale of madness and genius. You know the story: Dr. Frankenstein digs up corpses, hacks off the choicest bits and stitches them all back together. Then, he gives the resulting monster life through the power of science and a terrible storm. This film is effective nearly 90 years after it was created due to the lasting horror of its premise. A genius who has used his intellect to go beyond the values of common morality is a timeless archetype. This story reminds us to not let our push to innovate cause us to leave our humanity in the past.

Cloverfield

Photo Credit: Consequence of Sound
Part Godzilla, part Blair Witch Project, this found-footage thriller follows a group of young adults as a terrifying monster rampages through New York. The shaky-cam style of shooting may be a bit motion-sickness inducing, but the film upsets through more than its cinematography. Well-acted and genuinely scary, this is a great example of how to make monster movies scary.

Videodrome

Photo Credit: Little White Lies

It’s impossible to talk about sci-fi horror without mentioning David Cronenberg. This iconic work solidified Cronenberg’s uniquely unsettling eye for grotesque body horror. The film follows Max Renn, a TV producer played by James Woods. The station Max works for is looking for a new type of programming, and they intercept a signal of a brutal program called Videodrome. In the show, people are tortured and killed for entertainment. As Max digs into the odd broadcast, things take a turn for the surreal.

Sunshine

Photo Credit: Screen Geek

Equal parts sci-fi exploration and bone-chilling slasher film, Sunshine expertly weaves the two genres together. Rather than feeling unwieldy with its dual influences, it deftly excites and provokes thought by playing the two genres off one another. The immediate horror of a crew of astronauts being hunted by a deranged killer is gripping. However, the stakes make the action that much more intense. If the crew fails in their mission, the Sun will die, and Earth will freeze. As such, the action is both immediately pressing and of monumental significance for the human race.

I am Legend

Photo Credit: Den of Geek

Will Smith stars in this brutal post-apocalyptic horror film. The only apparent survivor of some man-made disease, Smith’s character attempts to survive in the mutant-strewn wasteland that the world has become. While evading mutants and scavenging for food he also attempts to synthesize a cure for the strange disease. As psychologically gripping as it is scary, I am Legend is a distinctly unique and engaging film.

Event Horizon

Photo Credit: Consequence of Sound

Theorizing that Hell is simply another dimension adjacent to our own, Event Horizon brings ample scares from its otherworldly premise. When a strange ship appears in the Solar System, a crew of explorers travels inside to learn more about its origins. However, they quickly find that the ship’s previous crew are all dead. Logs on the ship show that they somehow entered Hell using the ship’s experimental engines. The explorers find their minds and bodies twisted and broken by the horrible things waiting within the Event Horizon.

28 Days Later

Photo Credit: Movies and TV Stack Exchange

Normally, the zombies in these types of movies shamble toward you aimlessly. In this film, they sprint towards you like horrifying rabid dogs. Oh, and they’re not zombies, technically, because they’re still alive. That’s why they’re so fast. Beautifully shot, well-acted and expertly-told, 28 Days Later is a deep introspection into the psychology of living in a world after humanity has vanished. Surprisingly realistic and delightfully deep, this is a movie you need to watch.

The Fly

Photo Credit: Metro

This Kafkaesque tale is another from Cronenberg. The Fly stars Jeff Goldblum as scientist Seth Brundle. Brundle experiments with molecular transportation, and a lab accident results in his atoms being entangled with those of a fly. He begins to exhibit more insect-like characteristics and gradually devolves into a grotesque monster. This film is notable for bringing Cronenberg’s unique style of body horror to mainstream attention. Gross, gripping and thought-provoking, this is quintessential Cronenberg.

The Thing

Photo Credit: Roger Ebert

John Carpenter’s remake of the classic film The Thing is an utterly unsettling film. The film depicts the struggles of a group of scientists to survive while being hunted by a shapeshifting monster. Set in Antarctica, the film’s lonely isolation is its strongest theme. One after the other, the scientists are killed by the Thing, only for it to take their form and pretend to be them. The audiences watches as the scientists slowly begin to doubt one another and lose their sanity in the process.

Alien

Photo Credit: Playbuzz

The very finest sci-fi horror film ever made, Alien is iconic for all the right reasons. Starring Sigourney Weaver as the ever-badass Ripley, this movie was huge at the time of its release. Focusing on the isolation and fear that comes with being in space, the film works on many levels. As visceral as it is psychological, Alien is a prime example of how to make a good horror film. Direct Ridley Scott expertly avoided clichés that would have otherwise marred the excellent movie. If you haven’t seen it, you owe it to yourself to check this classic out.