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Space travel, cutting edge technology, aliens and A.I.
science fiction has long been a storied cinematic genre about the optimism of humankind’s progress.
Here are 32 of the greatest sci-fi horror movies ever made.
It’s no natural phenomenon that’s rapturing the earth, but something far more ancient and otherworldly.
Gojira (1954)
You’ve seen him crush a thousand buildings.
You’ve seen him wrestle Ghidora and Mothra.
But Godzilla is a monster, an unholy beast who exists as a warning against mankind’s nuclear armaments.
His first outing remains his best, 1954’s Gojira directed by Ishiro Honda.
Some Godzilla movies are thrilling, others are purely entertaining.
And we’ll give it to the 2014 Hollywood remake for reinforcing his horrifying awe.
But almost no other Godzilla flick is as scary as Gojira.
The Substance (2024)
Remember to respect the balance.
(Margaret Qualley co-stars as Elisabeth’s “younger” alter ego Sue.)
Synchronic (2019)
25.
He connects with a hit-and-run victim, who finds she’s also suffering from the same condition.
As Woods' character gets closer to the source, his reality begins to unravel.
A cult classic of the 2000s, 28 Days Later is recognized today for reigniting widespread fascination with zombies.
Mel Gibson plays a former priest whose rural home becomes the sight of bizarre crop circles.
Not long after that, strange visitors from another world begin to haunt the world everywhere.
The Fly (1986)
If you’ve heard the tagline, “Be afraid.
Be very afraid,” you have The Fly to thank.
War of the Worlds (2005)
There is no shortage of movies and shows based on H.G.
Wells' sci-fi classic War of the Worlds.
A Quiet Place (2018)
Silence is more than golden, it’s a life-saver.
Scanners (1981)
This cult sci-fi horror from the ’80s will really blow your mind.
(You’ll know what I mean.)
Color Out of Space (2019)
Based on the short story by H.P.
Upgrade (2018)
If you lost everything, how far would you go to get revenge?
A basic setup gets razor-sharp treatment from director Leigh Whannell in his 2018 cult horror Upgrade.
A seemingly sympathetic tech magnate implants in the man a bleeding-edge computer chip loaded with a sophisticated A.I.
that helps him walk again.
Not long after does the A.I.
compel the man to exact bloody revenge on the people who destroyed his life.
Like John Wick crossed with Blade Runner, Upgrade explores a frightening possibility of losing oneself to the future.
Standing above them all is the 2001 cult hit Pulse, directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Director Philip Kaufman and writer W.D.
The ending is a real scream.
Event Horizon (1997)
7.
Possessor (2020)
David Cronenberg taught his son well.
But few remember Altered States.
Over a decade of obsessive experimentation, Hurt’s character eventually unlocks a terrifying and transformative breakthrough.
Set in the year 2089, Prometheus follows spacefaring archaeologists who seek to discover the origins of mankind.
Annihilation (2018)
3.
The Thing (1980)
John Carpenter reportedly did not have a good time during production of The Thing.
That the movie bombed with critics and flopped at the box office surely felt more painful than frostbite.
The most shivering thing about the movie is that you’ll ultimately never really know.
Alien (1979)
In space, no one can hear you scream.
