10 Movies That Now PROVE Horror Takes Place in Space

I’m not gonna name names but SOMEONE said that Alien wasn’t a horror movie yesterday on Twitter. Why? It takes place in space and – get this – “horror can’t take place in space”. Let that sink in for a bit. Anyhow, let’s prove that dead wrong here and now. And let’s be fair. Let’s rule out movies that take place in general space – like other planets, etc. Let’s only focus on horror movies that take place (primarily) on spaceships. And I’m only counting one Alien film, not all the films in the franchise. One stands for all. Or, you know, at least the ones set (primarily) on a spaceship.

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Check out the (alphabetical) list below.

Alien

In deep space, the crew of the commercial starship Nostromo is awakened from their cryo-sleep capsules halfway through their journey home to investigate a distress call from an alien vessel. The terror begins when the crew encounters a nest of eggs inside the alien ship. An organism from inside an egg leaps out and attaches itself to one of the crew, causing him to fall into a coma.

The Cloverfield Paradox

Orbiting above an Earth on the brink of catastrophic energy wars, scientists test a dangerous device that could provide unlimited power but also runs the risk of creating a terrifying paradox, leaving them face-to-face with a dark alternate reality.

Critters 4

After killing all the remaining vicious Critter aliens in “Critters 3,” bounty hunter Charlie McFadden (Don Keith Opper) is shot into space in a capsule with the last two Critter eggs. In the year 2045, a spaceship commanded by Capt. Rick (Anders Hove) retrieves the pod and opens it at a defunct space station, which revives Charlie. But while Rick waits for the Terracorps corporation to arrive and take the eggs, they hatch, placing Charlie and the whole crew in mortal danger.

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Dark Star

A satiric look at the problems a crew of astronauts experienced on a mission to destroy rogue planets. The film marks the directing debut of master of horror, John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing, Big Trouble in Little China). It’s also notable for starring Dan O’Bannon, who later wrote Alien and directed Return of the Living Dead.

Event Horizon

When the Event Horizon, a spacecraft that vanished years earlier, suddenly reappears, a team is dispatched to investigate the ship. Accompanied by the Event Horizon’s creator, William Weir (Sam Neill), the crew of the Lewis and Clark, led by Capt. Miller (Laurence Fishburne), begins to explore the seemingly abandoned vessel. However, it soon becomes evident that something sinister resides in its corridors, and that the horrors that befell the Event Horizon’s previous journey are still present.

Jason X

Jason X

The tenth Friday the 13th flick, kicks off in the year 2455. The Place is Old Earth. Once the shimmering blue jewel of the galaxy, Old Earth is now a contaminated planet abandoned for centuries. Yet humans have returned to the deadly place that they once fled. Not to live, but to research the ancient rusting artifacts of the bygone civilizations that caused this environmental disaster. And little does the most recent landing party of intrepid young explorers realize the fate that awaits them.

Leprechaun 4: In Space

Resurfacing on an alien planet, the Leprechaun (Warwick Davis) abducts a member of the world’s royalty, Princess Zarina, in an attempt to wed her and become the supreme ruler. Unfortunately for the diminutive schemer, well-armed soldiers arrive to foil his plans. Not easily defeated, however, the feisty Leprechaun continues to battle the warriors while also contending with the warped scientist, Dr. Mittenhand.

Life

Astronauts (Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds) aboard the International Space Station are on the cutting edge of one of the most important discoveries in human history: the first evidence of extraterrestrial life on Mars. As members of the crew conduct their research, the rapidly evolving life-form proves far more intelligent and terrifying than anyone could have imagined.

Sunshine

In the not-too-distant future, Earth’s dying sun spells the end for humanity. In a last-ditch effort to save the planet, a crew of eight men and women ventures into space with a device to revive the star. However, an accident, a grave mistake, and a distress beacon from a long-lost spaceship throw the crew’s desperate mission into a tailspin.

Supernova

Supernova is a sci-fi thriller that chronicles the high-stakes adventures of a deep-space hospital ship and its crew. When their vessel, the Nightingale 229, answers an emergency distress signal from a distant galaxy, the crew soon finds itself in danger from the mysterious young man they rescue. Not to mention the alien artifact he smuggled aboard and the gravitational pull of a giant star about to go supernova — the most massive explosion in the universe. James Spader and Angela Bassett star.

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What’s your favorite horror movie set in space?

Make sure to let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! You can also hit me up over on Twitter @MikeSpregg325.

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