An abandoned spaceship. An isolated Antarctic lab. A city apartment building. Whether they take place in outer space or here on earth, alien horror movies are downright terrifying. The best alien horror movies feature brave humans fighting for their lives while trying to save the planet from an extraterrestrial invasion. This is a list of the scariest movies about aliens featuring everything from District 9 to The Faculty to Body Snatchers. You'll quickly see that this is much more than just a top ten scary alien movies list.
What scary films will you find on this list of the top horror movies about aliens and creepy alien abductions? Ridley Scott's Alien – starring Sigourney Weaver as the tough-as-nails Ellen Ripley – gained instant cult status upon its 1979 release. Following multiple sequels, the director returned to the same universe with his 2012 film Prometheus. The latest iteration of War of the Worlds, featuring Tom Cruise, is another classic alien horror movie. John Carpenter's version of The Thing is one of the most terrifying and thrilling movie-watching experiences in the history of cinema. Other great films featured on this best alien horror movies list include The Arrival, Starship Troopers, and Invasion.
Which scary alien movie deserves the top spot on this list? That's up to you to decide. Give your favorite frightful alien flicks a vote up and check back for new alien movies.
1
4,267655Alien
Sigourney Weaver, John HurtReleased: 1979
Directed by: Ridley Scott
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3,717584Aliens
Sigourney Weaver, Bill PaxtonReleased: 1986
Directed by: James Cameron
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4,477726The Thing
Kurt Russell, Keith DavidReleased: 1982
Directed by: John Carpenter
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2,933842Predator
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse VenturaReleased: 1987
Directed by: John McTiernan
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1,551997Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Robert Duvall, Jeff GoldblumReleased: 1978
Directed by: Philip Kaufman
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1,327921Slither
Elizabeth Banks, Jenna FischerReleased: 2006
Directed by: James Gunn
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1,8431,306Pitch Black
Vin Diesel, Radha MitchellReleased: 2000
Directed by: David Twohy
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1,7821,300The Faculty
Salma Hayek, UsherReleased: 1998
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez
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1,7901,320Prometheus
Charlize Theron, Michael FassbenderReleased: 2012
Directed by: Ridley Scott
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1,7371,282The Thing
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Eric Christian OlsenReleased: 2011
Directed by: Matthijs van Heijningen, Jr.
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1,234911Life
Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca FergusonReleased: 2017
Directed by: Daniel Espinosa
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1,236915Species
Michelle Williams, Ben KingsleyReleased: 1995
Directed by: Roger Donaldson
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1,239926Dreamcatcher
Morgan Freeman, Timothy OlyphantReleased: 2003
Directed by: Lawrence Kasdan
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1,3841,040Cloverfield
Odette Annable, Lizzy CaplanReleased: 2008
Directed by: Matt Reeves
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1,097873Alien: Covenant
Michael Fassbender, Katherine WaterstonReleased: 2017
Directed by: Ridley Scott
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1,120938Alien 3
Sigourney Weaver, Charles DanceReleased: 1992
Directed by: David Fincher
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502417The Fourth Kind
Milla Jovovich, Elias KoteasReleased: 2009
Directed by: Olatunde Osunsanmi
18
754661Brightburn
Elizabeth Banks, David DenmanReleased: 2019
Directed by: David Yarovesky
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675605Fire in the Sky
James Garner, Robert PatrickReleased: 1993
Directed by: Ron Lieberman
20
797740Critters
Billy Zane, Dee WallaceReleased: 1986
Directed by: Stephen Herek
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997935Predators
Topher Grace, Laurence FishburneReleased: 2010
Directed by: Nimród Antal
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1,033979War of the Worlds
Tom Cruise, Morgan FreemanReleased: 2005
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
23
845817Alien vs. Predator
Sanaa Lathan, Lance HenriksenReleased: 2004
Directed by: Paul W. S. Anderson
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222They Live
Roddy Piper, Keith DavidReleased: 1988
Directed by: John Carpenter
25
493597Dark Skies
Keri Russell, J.K. SimmonsReleased: 2013
Directed by: Scott Stewart
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