The question of whether there is alien intelligence beyond our stars will always cloud our thoughts. It’s such an important mystery that debunking it or confirming it is guaranteed to shift our entire existence into living according to that. As we sit waiting for this, we can only resort to the outer limits of our imagination to see what it would be like. And movies have done a great job at materializing this.
However, not all movies are likeE.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,Arrival,orContact. Sometimesthey’re friendly enoughfor audiences to want them to be part of their families. And sometimes they’re the exact opposite. They show exactly what Stephen Hawking said a couple of years ago: “If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn’t turn out well for the Native Americans.” In those versions of the story, aliens are not kind. They’re oppressive and violent, and they will only stop when they exterminate every single one of us.
So, to celebrate the visionaries whose imaginations have led to terrifying aliens knocking on our door, we’ve compiled the scariest alien invasion films of all time. The best of the best in blending horror and science fiction in the stories that scare us beyond our wits but show one of the multiple options for aliens to invade Earth.
The following list contains major spoilers.
21Captive State (2019)
Almost 10 years after surviving a horrific attack by aliens that left their parents dead, the Drummond brothers are living estranged in what is now a completely new society. Aliens have arrived on Earth and have settled themselves as colonizers, but a resistance group is brewing. Gabriel Drummond is now a teenager, and he’s been able to escape law enforcement agents who are looking for his brother Rafe, who is leading the resistance. In a state of permanent martial law, Gabriel will attempt to make a change.
The Most Underrated Alien Invasion Film in Recent Years
When it comes tonoteworthy alien invasion films,Captive Statewill always remain an underrated film that failed to make an impression when it was released. But in reality, it’s an extremely interesting movie that uses a very sober tone to tell its story and stays within the confines of realism without sacrificing the science fiction element.
In other words, if such an invasion happens, this is what it would probably look like, with humans becoming meat in a grinder and service providers to a more intelligent race. Don’t listen to those who say it carries a political message; this is science fiction, and comparing the film’s premise to today’s political context is just eerie.You can streamCaptive Stateon Showtime.
20Color Out of Space (2019)
The Gardners decide to jumpstart a new life after the mother, Theresa, is forced to fight a mastectomy. They move to a farm in the middle of nowhere, where nature will provide a safe haven. The problem is that shortly after, a meteorite crashes in front of their house. At first, it doesn’t seem harmful, but then things start to… change.
Bright and otherworldly colors are just the start of what becomes the downfall of a tight family. Papa Nathan will try to keep it all together, but his daughter Lavinia gives the developing events some kind of esoteric meaning, and that’s when things take a very dark turn.
A Fine Adaptation of a Classic
Directed by Richard Stanleybefore his recent fall from grace,Color Out of Spaceis a beautiful horror sci-fi movie that blends the two genres in a modernized adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s tale. Perhaps it seems like an “all-style, no substance” film, and the presence of Nicolas Cage may feel confusing. But this is far from being a modern B-movie with no substance.
On the contrary, the film takes its premise and exploits every single aspect of its inevitable supernatural theme, with the film’s conclusion having shades of a possession film. The Theresa and Jack Monster is one of the most terrifying things you’ll ever see in horror.you’re able to streamColor Out of Spaceon Shudder.
Color Out of Space
19Village of the Damned (1960)
In Midwich, something inexplicable happens one day. Everyone falls unconscious. Everyone who dares step inside the village also falls under the spell. This leaves police and scientists baffled, and as hours pass, there seems to be no solution for the unexplained phenomenon. But suddenly, everyone wakes up, and a couple of months later, all the women and girls who have hit puberty are now pregnant.
They all give birth the same day, and the children all look the same: white-haired, telepathic devils. They start showing an agenda, and it doesn’t include being good children.
The One that Dared to Touch a Vulnerable Spot
Based on the novel The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham,Village of the Damnedis the best alien invasion film that you still haven’t seen. Though the alien invasion aspect of the children is never mentioned in the film, it becomes quite clear that the threat comes from beyond the stars (and this is also confirmed in John Carpenter’s remake of the same name).
It’s a terrifying film with some of the best performances by children in early cinema, which makes it agroundbreaking film because of the rules it broke: it was essentially the first time children were portrayed as psychopathic killers, even if they were not to blame for where they came from.you may rentVillage of the Damnedon Prime Video.
Related:Why Alien Is Still the Greatest Sci-Fi Horror Movie of All Time
18Body Snatchers (1993)
InBody Snatchers, Marti is a teenager who has just moved with her dad, her half-brother, and her stepmother to a military base where her father has been assigned to work for EPA. The very same day they arrive, Marti starts to feel something is off in this place. Andy, her brother, is also aware that the children don’t behave like him, and he lets his sister know.
Unfortunately, her dad and her stepmother remain skeptical, so Marti will have to seek help elsewhere as, very quickly, the threat keeps spreading: there is a parasitic alien taking over everyone’s bodies and creating an emotionless replica of all humans. Yes, it’s the same story you’ve seen before.
The Scariest Version of the Story
Only Abel Ferrara’s adaptation feels relentless. It’s a straight-up horror film that never takes a break in developing its premise, but fortunately, doesn’t feel rushed. Its display of practical effects will make you distrust your own shadow, and the third act is compelling enough to leave you shaking.
Though it wasn’t widely released as it should have, itgot respect from criticsback then and has remained a cult version of Jack Finney’s original story. The change in adapting Marti’s story in a military setting makes it all the more scary and quite relevant to today’s times.You can rentBody Snatcherson Prime Video.
17The Fourth Kind (2009)
The Fourth Kindmay sound like a confusing approach, but we’ll just be blunt and confirm it’s not. In the opening sequence, actress Milla Jovovich declares that the film you are about to see is real, and it’s based on the testimony of Abigail Tyler, a psychologist who led an experiment in hypnosis in the town of Nome, Alaska.
The sessions revealed that the patients may be former victims of alien abductions in the area, and Abigail realizes she’s most likely to be among the victims as well. As viewers, we are given the opportunity to see the reenactments as well as the original footage. Needless to say, it’s extremely scary.
Half-Found Footage, Half-Horror Sci-Fi Spectacle
Olatunde Osunsanmi’sThe Fourth Kindis a great example of a horror film that doesn’t have to be exceptional to be scary. It just has to be well-made and well-prepared for the audience it targets, and it has to rely on the scare factor it can produce. This is a well-designed film that doesn’t aim to be truthful or sober.
It just uses realism to make an impact on the viewers who give themselves the chance to believe in what they’re seeing. It hasone of the scariest moments in found footage history, and yes, it will stay in your mind for a while.You can rentThe Fourth Kindon Prime Video.
The Fourth Kind
16No One Will Save You (2023)
Brynn lives a very lonely life. She’s all alone in a huge house in the middle of nowhere, and she doesn’t usually go to town. When she eventually goes, we are witnesses to what she must live through. For some reason, she’s a pariah, and people simply don’t care for her well-being.
The isolation and independence will prove to be very valuable when one night Brynn feels there’s someone breaking in. When she goes to check it out, she realizes there’s an alien invasion taking place. But she doesn’t just freeze. She decides to defend herself in the most important moment of her lonesome existence.
A Great Twist on the Home Invasion Subgenre
Marketed as ano-dialogue film, the Hulu-original filmNo One Will Save Youcomplies with its only rule throughout the whole. And yes, it works for Brian Duffield’s version of an alien invasion film that references all his influences and still manages to be very original. Kaitlyn Dever stars in the one-woman show that will make you look toward her career and celebrate one of the most underrated performers of her generation.
Again, a film that feels designed from top to bottom doesn’t deny what it must be: a terrifying alien invasion experience that will scare you, but it will also make you giggle in some of its most relieving moments.You can streamNo One Will Save Youon Hulu.
No One Will Save You
15Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County (1998)
InAlien Abduction: Incident in Lake County, we become witnesses to footage found in the home of the McPhersons. Nosy teenager Tommy McPherson films his entire family as they prepare for Thanksgiving dinner, but the power goes out, and he and his brothers head out to investigate what could be the reason. That’s when they see an alien ship has landed near them, and the little green men aren’t exactly afraid of making contact. The McPhersons lock themselves down in their house, but soon the visitors will come knocking.
A Found Footage Staple That Often Gets Overlooked
Released by UPN in 1998 and based on the 1989 filmThe McPherson Tape, this found-footage mockumentary terrified audiences back then as they felt it was just too realistic. Analog and grainy footage seemed like the proper medium to portray the crisis of a group of people who become the victims of an invasion that has started in their own backyard.
When it comes to pioneeringfound footage films of the ’90s, this one lands easily among the very best, and it’s all because of its analog style of horror that still feels scary for some, and others can’t even watch because it’s just too scary. The film’s final sequence is guaranteed to give you nightmares.Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake Countyisn’t available to stream at the moment.
1410 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
Michelle has a discussion with Ben and decides to leave him. When she’s on the road, she’s involved in a horrific car crash that renders her unconscious. She wakes up in a dungeon, chained to the wall. An old dude shows up and tells her the entire world is under attack by a threat that may come from another planet.
He has taken her to an underground bunker where he and Emmett, a young man, live. Michelle has no choice but to follow instructions, but when she tries to escape, she witnesses someone on the outside dying horribly. After all, Howard, the bunker’s leader, may be right. But he’s not exactly a mentally stable man.
The Threat Doesn’t Always Have to Come From Up There
Dan Trachtenberg’s contribution to theCloverfield universeis definitely one of the top films of a franchise that has never loudly confirmed it’s a franchise. We just get glimpses, unannounced films, and thrillers like this one, in which the unexpected happens, and the monsters aren’t exactly who you’d think.
The dynamics inside the bunker will inevitably end badly, and yes, it does happen, but then the script takes a solid turn to horror sci-fi territory, and our worst fears come true in an impressive and climactic ending that will make you very, very tense.You can stream10 Cloverfield Laneon PlutoTV.
10 Cloverfield Lane
13The Thing (1982)
After they witness a freak accident close to their station in Antarctica, American researchers decide to investigate a Norwegian base that stands close to them. That’s where they find human remains and the charred corpse of… something. When they take the body to their station, and it gets autopsied, they realize it used to be a human being.
This is the beginning of the end for the group of survivors who can’t trust each other, as the threat that has come from another planet easily resides inside any of them. It’s up to helicopter pilot R.J. MacReady to take matters into his own hands and find a way to survive a parasitic alien that has the ability to invade everyone.
Terror Doesn’t Have a Body. It Has Many
John Carpenter’s outstanding alien invasion filmis even better in retrospectwith its display of practical effects, Carpenter’s signature cinematography, and a dread-filled setting that will make you very uncomfortable. Unfortunately, its ending won’t exactly help, as it goes in a far-from-optimistic direction and leaves you with plenty of questions.
The film is a notable approach to paranoia that was inexplicably bashed by critics, but it was probably because it showed violent and deadly aliens in a year where Spielberg’s friendly alien also arrived in theaters. Today, it’s considered one of the most important sci-fi films ever made.You can streamThe Thingon Tubi.
Related:20 Unconventional Horror Movies That Scare You in New Ways
12A Quiet Place (2018)
InA Quiet Place, the worst has already happened. Or so we think. This is the story of the Abbotts, a close family of four who have lost their youngest in a horrific attack that could have been prevented. As it turns out, they are the survivors of an alien invasion that has plagued Earth with huge monsters who are very, very sensitive to sound. This forces the Abbotts to live a life of absolute silence as they attempt to survive what is now a deserted nation.
A Genre Exercise That Works
Directed by John “Jim Halpert” Krasinski in his horror directorial debut,A Quiet Placeis a masterful exercise in tension that arrived in theaters in 2018 andoffered quite the experience. It was meant to be seen in complete silence, and every popcorn sound was an unwelcome disruption. This, of course, added to the tension of a film where there’s always something about to take place and resting is anything but permitted.
However, outside its gimmicky premise, the film is a riveting experience of fear that will make you feel the crisis of the Abbotts as they navigate a world that wasn’t designed to live in silence.You can streamA Quiet Placeon Paramount+.
