Astronomy

12 of the best horror movies set in space

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In space, no-one can hear you scream. One of the best movie taglines ever conceived, this powerful statement adorned the lobby posters of Ridley Scott's Alien, perhaps the most terrifying horror/sci-fi crossover ever to grace a movie theatre.

And while it's a simple observation on basic physics, it's also a succinct summary of the fear and claustrophobia available to horror filmmakers tackling a story set beyond Earth orbit.

Some of the best films ever made have been set in space. Just take a look at our list of the best space and sci-fi movies and you'll see what we mean.

Similarly, some of the best horror movies have been set in space.

astronomy, universe, 12 of the best horror movies set in space

Event Horizon (Photo by Paramount/Getty Images)

And yet, for every Alien or Event Horizon, there is a Jason X or Leprechaun 4.

In other words, for every genuinely terrifying, well-crafted piece of cinematic terror that utilises the opportunities afforded a film set among the stars, there is a horror franchise running out of steam that decides the old 'set in space' trope is a good way of igniting a bit of energy into a worn-out formula.

That's not to say that we at BBC Sky at Night Magazine aren't fans of Hellraiser Bloodline or the aforementioned celestial instalments in the Friday the 13th and Leprechaun franchises: far from it.

As every horror fan knows, there's a time for considered, artistic, theatrical terror, and a time for a cheesy schlock fest. And if either happens to be set in space, all the better.

Here, then, in no particular order, is our pick of the most entertaining – and perhaps the best – horror movies set in space, and a few links as to where they can be bought or watched online.

12 horror films set in space

Event Horizon

astronomy, universe, 12 of the best horror movies set in space

'Where we're going we don't need eyes to see'. Laurence Fishburne stares hell right in the eye in Event Horizon. Photo by Paramount/Getty Images

  • Planet of the Vampires

    astronomy, universe, 12 of the best horror movies set in space

    Photo by FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images

    • Lifeforce

      astronomy, universe, 12 of the best horror movies set in space

      • Jason X

        astronomy, universe, 12 of the best horror movies set in space

        • Apollo 18

          astronomy, universe, 12 of the best horror movies set in space

          • It! The Terror From Beyond Space
            • Life

              Life is a big-budget, contemporary horror sci-fi film about a crew on the International Space Station who find themselves analysing Martian soil that potentially contains evidence of extra-terrestrial life.

              What they discover, however, is a a multi-celled organism that quickly breaks loose and begins devouring anyone it comes across, growing in size as it does so. The crew find themselves faced with the tough decision as to whether to save their own skin, or prevent it from reaching Earth at all costs.

              Life is yet another film with thematic connections to Ridley Scott's Alien. However, having been released in 2017, in this case it's a film heavily influenced by Alien, rather than itself having been an influence. It may be the film with the most illustrious cast on our list, starring big names like Rebecca Ferguson, Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds.

              Similarities to Alien are fairly easy to spot: the scientific intrigue caused by the discovery of alien life and the subsequent terror that unfolds as it becomes clear the life in question is incredibly hostile. Also, the fact that the alien intruder starts off small, then grows and grows as the film progresses, much like the xenomorph in Alien.

              But where space fans are most likely to gain enjoyment from the film is in the familiarity of the International Space Station as a setting, and sequences like the terrifying spacewalk that calls to mind instances such as Luca Parmitano's hairy EVA back in 2013.

              This is a polished, big budget Hollywood blockbuster, with enough scares to keep horror fans excited and enough nods to contemporary crewed spaceflight to please space fans as well.

              Hellraiser Bloodline

              astronomy, universe, 12 of the best horror movies set in space

              • Dark Star

                astronomy, universe, 12 of the best horror movies set in space

                Photo by Movie Poster Image Art/Getty Images

                While not actually a horror film in the true sense, Dark Star should be on every horror fan's 'to watch' list due to its having being the directorial debut of John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing, Escape From New York etc. etc.), and co-written by Dan O'Bannon (Alien, Return Of The Living Dead etc. etc.).

                In fact, the film began life as Carpenter's student film while at university, and it really is a fascinating look at how the young director started his illustrious career.

                It follows the adventures of a colonising space crew in a malfunctioning spacecraft who are becoming increasingly bored and slowly losing their mind. Oh, and there's an alien that looks remarkably like a beachball. Need I say more?

                Pandorum

                astronomy, universe, 12 of the best horror movies set in space

                What if you were among the last humans alive, left alone on a spaceship drifting in outer space, entirely alone?

                This is premise behind Pandorum, a 2009 film starring Denis Quaid in which the remnants of the human race are packed onto a ship and sent on a long journey to reach Tanis, a supposed Earth-like exoplanet.

                Awakening from hypersleep, the passengers are faced with the effects of 'pandorum', a state of hallucinatory psychosis that can affect space travellers.

                Bouts of amnesia among and a series of twists make this a decent film that holds its audience's interest for the duration.

                Pandorum is the sort of space horror movie that will stay with you long after watching, as it invites you to consider the future of humanity, and the loneliness of finding yourself drifting alone in space, with no way back.

                Leprechaun 4: In Space

                astronomy, universe, 12 of the best horror movies set in space

                The original Leprechaun movie is perhaps best known for starring an unknown Jennifer Aniston, and it's a fun horror film that, in retrospect, was something of an inevitability. Of course someone, somewhere, would make a horror film in which the antagonist is the mythical Leprechaun of Irish legend.

                Numerous much weaker sequels have followed, including 'Leprechaun In The Hood' and 'Leprechaun: Back 2 Tha Hood'. but the one that has caught our eye for obvious reasons is the fourth instalment, which is set in space and concerns a completely crazy plotline involving space princesses, mutant spider humanoids and a gigantic Leprechaun at the film's finale.

                There are plenty more utterly absurd goings-on in Leprechaun 4, but really it has to be seen to be believed.

                Alien

                astronomy, universe, 12 of the best horror movies set in space

                'In space no-one can hear you scream'. Alien, 1979. Credit: Sunset Boulevard / Contributor

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