Halloween is upon us. And with it, we also welcome the popular tradition of horror movie marathons. Usually, these are themed around serial killers, ghosts, haunted houses, and other spooky paranormal phenomena.
However, the horror genre extends far beyond the terrestrial bounds of night stalkers and specters from the afterlife. After all, our planet is only a tiny speck in the vast ocean of space, and any stray travelers traversing its far-reaching expanses will inevitably encounter something strange. Many directors have successfully utilized our fear of the unknown, crafting creatures that could be both terrifying and alluring, some of which would go on to become pop-culture icons. This Halloween, Universe Space Tech compiled a list of the scariest alien creatures from popular sci-fi movies.
Xenomorph
When it comes to space monsters, the first creature that comes to mind for most cinephiles is Alien’s xenomorph. This thing is terrifying on every possible level. From its grotesque appearance, spawned from the mind of Swiss artist H. R. Giger, to its physical abilities as a killing machine incapable of feeling fear, mercy, or guilt. Not to mention that xenomorphs don’t bleed regular blood and instead gush with acid so potent it can eat through spaceship walls, dooming the entire crew.
It’s hardly a surprise that in the past 45 years since its cinematic debut, the idea of a xenomorph has endured, partially on the account of its deeply unsettling qualities, but also for its marketability in crowd pleasing horror flicks. We will undoubtedly see more of it in the upcoming projects, both in cinema and on the small screen, namely in the TV show Alien: Earth scheduled for release in 2025.
Predator
If a list happens to feature xenomorphs, then Predators are not far behind. Both creatures seem very alike and at the same time completely different. What immediately sets Predators apart is their origins. They come from a complex and highly-evolved civilization with impressive achievements in technology and overall intelligence.
Unfortunately, being intelligent doesn’t hinder Predators’ ability to use their hyper-advanced technology to hunt other species for sport. You know, the way humans do when they take up sniper rifles and go safari hunting for African elephants. As it stands, anyone chosen by the Predators’ as the next unlucky target deserves our pity and could only hope for the quick release of death. The real cherry on top of the whole affair is the fact that Predators turn invisible when they hunt. After all, nothing is more terrifying than a monster we can’t see but who can see us.
The Thing
In 1938, John W. Campbell published his horror novella Who Goes There? It centers around a group of polar scientists that discover an alien spaceship in the Antarctic. Frozen deep within the ancient ice, the spacecraft also reveals its pilot: an alien creature able to shape-shift into any living form on Earth.
Campbell’s novella became an instant sci-fi classic and saw multiple adaptations to screen. Its most famous version, 1982’s The Thing, was directed by John Carpenter, who expertly expanded on the creature’s most unsettling abilities. The thing is able to perfectly impersonate any human, including their personality and behaviors. As soon as the creature is found out, it immediately shape-shifts into someone else, thanks to its ability to take on the form of any living thing it had previously imitated. What makes this alien even more terrifying is its body parts and their ability to survive independently even after being removed. This is what allows the thing to endure and take on truly grotesque forms. Suffice it to say, you won’t be able to unsee them long after the movie is over.
Body Snatchers
Body snatchers also originated in literature. The initial concept was so successful, that the original novel was adapted to screen four times, not counting the myriad of monsters influenced by it. The best screen adaptation is widely considered to be the 1978 version, Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Unlike other monsters on this list, body snatchers are terrifying for something other than their appearance. In the original story, they are described as plantlike pods, and later adaptations would change them into a virus. What is truly horrifying about them is the way they choose to infiltrate Earth, and how truly prosaic the end of the world turns out to be. When humans are asleep, body snatchers replace them with exact clones that are outwardly identical to the original but are wiped of all emotion and personality. The swap itself remains obscure, so life carries on as normal, and the realization that Earth has been completely taken over by aliens comes entirely too late. At this point, you can no longer stop it. It might as well be that you are the last remaining human on Earth.
The Blob
Although the blob graced our screens for the first time way back in the 1950s, its more famous and also the scariest iteration appeared in 1988 in the picture of the same name. Despite its age, the movie doesn’t feel overly dated, and many of its practical effects can rival modern CGI attempts at horror.
An amoeba-like alien creature from outer space, the blob is able to completely absorb other living organisms, growing in size with each new meal. The most mortifying thing about it is how slowly it absorbs its targets. The blob envelops its prey and digests them rather methodically, while the victims remain conscious throughout. And given that the blob is completely transparent, this whole process becomes a horror show in its own right.
But what’s even more horrifying is the fact that the blob appears to be impossible to kill. Sure, you can freeze it and store it away in hope that it will never escape. But if even the smallest part of this creature is set free, it will be enough to doom the entire world and all life within it.