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We’re talking about alien horror movies. So no Sunshine, where the threat is a guy with sunburn, no Pandorum, and no Event Horizon (whatever your theological understanding, I think we can all agree that if he is not actually indigenous to Earth, Satan has at least resided here long enough to gain citizenship).
10. Life
This film got mixed reviews on release. A lot of people said it was basically a rip-off of another, better-known horror film about extraterrestrials (one which may or may not appear in this list). What those people missed is that that was the point. This film takes the well-worn “there’s a monster on our spaceship” premise and sets it on board our own, very real International Space Station.
The change is immediate. First, no gravity. Second, no lengthy corridors and mysteriously roomy ventilation shafts. This is a film about a team of unarmed scientists in a floating tin can, fighting a monster in their pyjamas. In an environment like that, the humans wouldn’t stand much of a chance against a reasonably angry chimpanzee, but the monster itself is a fantastic design that aims to create something truly alien and whose kills are far more terrifying than merely “eating” its victims would have been.
9. Apollo 18
Found footage is not a genre that we have seen much of from space, which if you think about it is odd given it is the only way most of us will ever experience outer space. Apollo 18 fixes that, with its story of a secret moon mission that took place after Apollo 17.
The grainy footage compensates for any shortcomings in the CGI, and the moon spiders, while raising a lot of questions about how they would evolve, let alone stay alive, are an excellent monster that evokes the fear actual astronauts must have had of allowing moon dust into their capsule (moon dust being famously nasty, sharp and hard to remove stuff).
It also features a great rendition of the planned-but-never-launched Soviet moon lander, which will be a lot of fun for space nerds.
