When Ridley Scott’s Alien was released in 1979, no one could have predicted the amount of adoration it would get over the years. Since then, Alien has spawned a slew of new monster and alien films, all attempting to match the original’s legendary reputation, but failing miserably. It’s still in a league of its own. Nonetheless, even among Alien (1979) imitators, there are jewels to be unearthed.
Here are 12 films that clearly take influence from Alien, yet interpret and personalise it in their own unique way. It’s a DIY monster movie, if you will, with horrific and monstrous beasts as the main component. Although no monster film can match Alien, these films put up a strong fight and deserve to be recognised.
So, if you like Alien (1979) and are seeking for comparable films, if you enjoy creature films, or simply if you enjoy sci-fi, we guarantee that you will enjoy these films. So sit back and relax as we explain to you why you should not miss out.
Pandorum (2009)
The year is 2174. The Earth is overpopulated, and all of its natural resources have been depleted. With no other options, the Elysium starship is dispatched to Tanis, another planet, in search of friendly species that can provide a hand. They’ll find out who or what they’re looking for. Because the voyage to the furthest reaches of space is long and exhausting, the crew takes turns sleeping.
But when two of the crew members wake up due to technical difficulties, they find, to their horror, that they are locked in their own room. To make matters worse, they soon realize that they are not alone in their spaceship anymore, and it has been taken over by some mysterious entity!
Pandorum is one of those rare films that masters both horror and science fiction, and does so well. Both literally and symbolically, the film is frightening and gloomy. The narrative builds gradually, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. They are much more sensitive to the horror aspects because of their uncertainty.
The extraterrestrial beings’ identities are also never revealed. Along with your crewmates, you must continue to guess. The tensions in this film are tremendous, and we could even term it a psychological horror with a sci-fi setting. The fear element of the movie is sourced by tapping into a lot of deep-rooted psychological fears such as claustrophobia, memory loss, and loneliness. The internal struggles of the protagonist gel well with the external threat posed by the alien, and together, they create an atmosphere of both psychological as well as physical horror.
The performances by Dennis Quaid and Ben Fosters are excellent. The characters are likable, and the sci-fi world-building was done with detail. Pandorum references a lot of ideas from Aliens vs. Predator, and Alien but the end is completely unexpected – it is a twist that you don’t see coming at all!
Event Horizon (1997)
In the year 2040, mankind have made the moon and its neighbouring planets livable and have made incredible advances in science and technology. A spaceship named Event Horizon sets out to probe the frontiers of space, but it vanishes beyond Neptune for unknown reasons. The entire crew was assumed to be dead when no communication was made with them for several years. It was one of the greatest space disasters in history.
Event Horizon emerges seven years later, exactly as suddenly as it vanished. When the space centre receives a garbled audio transmission from the lost ship with inhuman incomprehensible screams, a rescue team is immediately put together.
The mission of Lewis and Clark is to go onboard the ship, find out what happened seven years ago and bring back survivors if any. But as they reach the ship, they realize that Event Horizon has brought back something unspeakably terrifying and evil from outer space. Did the original crew survive? And will this new crew make it out alive?
Event Horizon is another film that effectively blends science fiction with horror. There’s enough for science buffs to enjoy: black holes, dimensions, and, of course, space flight. Paul W Anderson, the filmmaker of famous sci-fi films such as Resident Evil and Alien vs. Predator, is behind Event Horizon. It’s an underappreciated treasure that’s been sadly overlooked by the mainstream media.
The horror in this film isn’t provided by hideous CGI creatures; rather, the gut sensation of dread and discomfort that pervades the whole film. The unseen evil is never fully visualized, and it’s this vagueness and ambiguity that adds to the ominous atmosphere. The plot is simple, not too complicated, and the cinematography and lighting only add to the experience. This is one movie that is guaranteed to make you sleep with your lights on after you watch it.
The Andromeda Strain (1971)
When a U.S. Army satellite falls from space and crashes in New Mexico, no one expects it to have carried anything back with it from its journey through space. Scoop VII arrives on Earth carrying a lethal extraterrestrial life form that kills everyone in New Mexico save two people: an elderly man and a wailing infant.
An emergency is declared, and the life form is taken to a secret underground high-tech facility named Wildfire, where it can be researched upon. Now a team of scientists must race against time to isolate the life form and try and figure out how the two people survived and how to stop the threat from escalating. What they don’t know is that the life form has already mutated, and if they don’t invent an antidote in time, it could be too late.
The Andromeda Strain is based on Michael Crichton’s novel, and it was directed by Robert Wise, who also helmed The Haunting, West Side Story, and The Sound of Music. From beginning to end, the film is engrossing. Every single aspect works in perfect harmony to create the masterpiece that is The Andromeda Strain.
The music, the atmosphere, the solid performances by the ensemble cast – they all work together perfectly. The thrill and the rush of chasing the clock keep you glued to the seat. It is believed that during the production of this movie, Michael Crichton was given a tour of universal studios by Steven Spielberg, who eventually ended up adapting Jurrasic Park – Crichton’s best-known novel.
Life (2017)
Life tells the narrative of a six-member International Space Station crew on a mission to collect data in order to determine whether or not there is life on Mars. When they find a single-celled organism in a soil sample, they have accomplished their goal. They take back the sample with them to carry out research on, but their techniques lead to unfortunate consequences.
The alien life form grows and mutates rapidly into a multi-celled organism, and the scientists realize with horror that it is far more intelligent and dangerous than they were expecting!
The scientists in Life are played by renowned celebrities like Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds. The narrative of the film is realistic – it’s just normal people doing the best they can to deal with a highly unexpected extraterrestrial. The monster design is intriguing, and the special effects are above average for a big-budget film.
The film is very beautiful. Surprisingly, a creature known as a “tardigrade” can and does survive in settings identical to those depicted in the film. Tardigrade can survive extreme radiation levels, can mutate into glass to protect itself from dehydration, can survive space and pressure vacuums, and also above boiling temperature! The direction by Danial Espinosa is smart, but it would be unfair if we did not mention that the references to Alien are evident. Overall, this movie is totally worth your time if you are into sci-fi gems.
Galaxy of Terror (1981)
Remus is forced to organise an emergency landing on the planet Morganthus due to a spacecraft failure. Even after they’ve landed, they can’t seem to find out what’s causing their spaceship’s technological malfunction. They decide to investigate the strange planet they’ve arrived on, effectively trapped. Big blunder! They discover that their darkest fears are emerging in reality to harm them in the new world.
As they keep finding murdered bodies of their crewmates onboard their ship, the remaining members must stick together to try and figure out how to escape. Can they still find a way to get off this planet? Or is it already too late for them?
This one is for aficionados of classic horror films. It has everything – disgustingly nasty monsters, a lot of violent violence, and a completely incomprehensible plot that keeps you captivated the entire time. The film is sleazy and obscene, and it makes no attempt to hide this. This film was originally granted a ‘X’ rating, which was then converted to a ‘R’ after considerable trimming.
This is the movie with the iconic or notorious scene of a huge slimy worm-like monster explicitly sexually abusing and killing the beautiful, blonde bombshell Taafee O’ Connell. In fact, this scene caused a huge scandal when it was first released. The future director genius James Cameron worked as an Art Director in this movie and was responsible for the production design. This movie is an absolute slash fest, and it’s your go-to movie if you’re not looking for a plot but for some mindless blood and gore with some sick alien creatures.
Leviathan (1989)
Tri Oceanic Corporation, a multinational corporation set in the future, has engaged miners for an underwater mining operation in the Atlantic Ocean’s depths. A damaged Russian cargo ship is discovered by the miners deep beneath the sea. One of the team members wakes up the next day with odd bodily aches.
He discovers gruesome lesions growing on his back, and he dies soon after, but no one knows why. As news of his death spreads and more members start falling sick, the crew realizes something horrifying. A contagious genetic mutation is spreading, which turns them into grotesque undersea creatures, and it all came from the cargo that they unearthed!
Leviathan is an Italian-American creature film directed by George P. Cosmatos, who also directed Rambo: First Blood Part II. Leviathan is frequently compared to John Carpenter’s The Thing, as well as the films The Abyss and Deep Star Six, possibly because they all came out around the same time and the 1980s were the decade of alien films.
However, out of the hundreds of extraterrestrial films released during that decade, this is one of the best. The film is captivating throughout, and while the narrative isn’t totally fresh, the idea is intriguing. The special effects are stunning, and visually, the movie stands apart. The creature designs are definitely shudder-inducing and not for the squeamish.
Jerry Goldsmith’s score in this movie is beautiful and deserves special mention. Of all the movies featuring underwater monsters that were released at the time, The Abyss (1989) was the only one that was a box office hit. But while Leviathan may not be anything extraordinary, it is much better than most of its alternatives.
Mimic (1997)
Hundreds of youngsters are dying in Manhattan due to a mysterious sickness, which has reached epidemic proportions. The common cockroach has been identified as the disease’s vector. As a result, Dr. Susan Tyler, an entomologist, is enlisted to find a cure. Dr. Tyler comes up with a whole new genetic breed of insects as a remedy.
The carrier cockroaches are killed by the fluid secreted by these young insects. This new species is designed in a way so that they die off after a generation. All is well and good until a few years later. People start going missing, and dead bodies keep turning up. It turns out those insects that were supposed to die are now larger, deadlier, and somehow still alive.
The superbugs have evolved into grotesque monsters with crazy capabilities like being able to mimic humans. If this isn’t bad enough, the only person who has any idea about how to stop these new species, Dr. Susan Tyler, is now dead!
With each passing scene, the suspense in the film is built up and amplified. The plot’s scientific perspective is really compelling and genuine. You won’t get bored watching this movie because it goes swiftly. This film’s atmosphere is filled with tension and suspense. The whole tone of this film is one of gloom, decay, and terror — it is darkly lighted throughout, which adds to the suspense.
The direction is in the safe hands of Guillermo Del Toro, who is known for his love of horror. It also stars Josh Brolin, who came to fame in the late 2010s with his role in the Marvel franchise. In addition to this, the production design and artwork are stunning. The visuals of the grotesque humanoid bugs are pretty creepy. Mimic is a criminally underrated movie that deserves to be clubbed with the other greats of monster horror!
Dark Star (1974)
For over two decades, a crew of astronauts has been in space. They were, and continue to be, on a mission to clear interstellar navigation lanes by eliminating or blowing up renegade planets that get in the way. During the course of the movie, an alien unexpectedly turns up, causing chaos, and a bomb suddenly starts malfunctioning and is refusing to take orders from the astronauts anymore. They may all now die any minute, but will it be the alien or the bomb that gets them?
Dark Star is a satirical and funny film that examines the issues and lives of a group of astronauts who have spent decades in space. While they were both in film school, John Carpenter and Dan O’Bannon collaborated on this.
It was then expanded to a feature-length film once they secured a distributor. John Carpenter’s signature aesthetic is already evident in this film, while Dan O’Bannon went on to create the screenplay for the megahit Alien five years later. This movie isn’t afraid to show the eccentric sides of humans or the genuine sense of isolation that astronauts face in outer space – topics that are hardly ever addressed in sci-fi movies. The music in the movie is bizarre and inventive and electronic, often confused with the noises of the technology on board.
The visuals are excellent given the small budget of a student film, and it’s an enjoyable spoof that is also touching and moving in places. Dark Star is a cult classic and can only be described by one word: iconic. It is as relevant now as it was when it was released in 1974, and it will no doubt continue to inspire sci-fi movies for generations.
Attack the Block (2011)
Lambeth, in South London, is home to street gangs and is prone to crime and accidents. When something from the sky crashes into the earth nearby, a group of young black guys is in the process of stealing a nurse. When the gang goes to investigate the accident, they are attacked by a weird monster, which they manage to kill.
Realizing that the creature is rare, they think they could make some money off of it, and so they go to their drug dealer for advice. But soon, they see hundreds of similar creatures falling from the sky. It’s not just one stray alien anymore, but a full-blown alien invasion. Will makeshift homemade weapons and a gang of young boys be enough to defeat an extraterrestrial army?
Attack the Block is yet another excellent twist on the old “bad guys to heroes” concept. The narrative is unique, the idea is fresh and intriguing, and the performance is outstanding. This film also features big personalities like John Boyega from Star Wars and Jodie Forster, the current and former Doctor Who. The film brilliantly portrays the normal upbringing of disadvantaged teenagers in the poorer suburbs of large cities; the characters and their hardships will break your heart.
The acting does such a good job of making them appear raw and authentic. The movie by itself is engaging, witty, cheeky as well as funny. It’s an action thriller filled with nonstop entertainment. If you’re a fan of rap music, you’re going to enjoy the background score as well. This can be your next popcorn flick during a casual movie night!
Lifeforce (1985)
The Halley’s Comet, which comes every 86 years, is investigated by a space shuttle named Churchill. When scientists discover a spacecraft-like object connected to the comet, they dispatch a team to explore more. They discover a coffin containing three humanoid creatures and return it to the spaceship. Meanwhile, Earth loses communication with Churchill, necessitating the dispatch of a rescue team to recover it.
The rescue mission finds the crew dead and brings the strange-looking casket back to Earth. Back on Earth, the humanoid creatures soon awaken, and they turn out to be a kind of vampire that drains the life force out of people and turns them into zombies. Now researchers must find a way to defeat the Space Girl and send her back to where she came from before England turns into a dystopian nightmare!
Lifeforce is unquestionably one of the strangest and craziest films ever created, as well as a valiant endeavour. To say the least, the idea is bizarre, and it just becomes wackier as the film goes. The film teeters on the edge of being a masterpiece and concurrently being the worst film ever created, and it’s hard to tell which is which.
The narrative is so daring that you can’t take your gaze away from the screen. To add to that, the main vampire is played by Mathilda May, a beautiful French actress, who is naked or almost naked throughout the entire length of the movie. The movie also boasts of Patrick Stewart, not an actor shy of taking up wacky roles. The special effects and the set designs are also excellent.
This movie is what you get when a group of extremely talented people comes together to make a madcap of a movie. It is audacious, it is awe-inspiring, and it is an unforgettable laugh-riot. The film elicits strong and extreme reactions. You will hate it, or you will also love it, but you definitely cannot ignore it!
Underwater (2020)
Tian Industries intends to dig seven miles into the Mariana Trench in search of natural resources. A drilling station is established underwater, but the submarine transporting the crew ruptures and is destroyed due to a massive earthquake.
The crew must now tackle water pressure, deadly deep-sea organisms, lack of oxygen, and many other hurdles to make their way underwater to another station a mile away if they want to live. And they must do it seven miles under in the deepest underwater area on Earth where deadly creatures lie in wait for them!
Underwater is inspired by and comparable to a number of other masterpieces in the genre, including Alien, DeepStar Six, and The Abyss. Underwater performs admirably on its own terms. The idea is straightforward and straightforward: an underwater escape operation. There are frightening beasts and dangerous circumstances, and the atmosphere is creepy and disturbing. The monster designs, as well as the photography and visual effects, are fantastic in this film.
The movie has a superb performance by Vincent Cassell in a supporting role, but the highlight of the film is Kristen Stewart in the starring role. It is her performance that carries this movie from start to finish. All the criticism that she received following her role in Twilight is obviously from people who haven’t seen her work outside of the teen franchise in the early 2010s. She shines in this movie, and her performance is extraordinary. In a nutshell, Underwater is a thriller that does its job well.
Xtro (1982)
While playing with his son, an extraterrestrial abducts a father from his own farm. The same light that kidnapped the guy reappears three years later to sow a seed. The seed develops into a human-alien hybrid, which then impregnates a woman forcibly. The woman’s tummy balloons to monstrous dimensions, and she gives birth to the same guy who was kidnapped three years ago.
Now that he’s back again, Sam is trying to find his wife and son, but he is not the same person as he used to be before. He is hiding something, but no one knows what it is. Is Sam really the same person as before? And what does he really want?
Xtro is a once-in-a-lifetime film! Its narrative is both innovative and new, as well as extremely disturbing. It crosses some significant lines. The film is dark, disturbing, and, most importantly, strange. The moment in which a fully grown man is born from a woman is horrifying, and there are more scenes like it throughout the film. The gore and morbidity in this movie has transformed it into a cult favorite and made it popular among lovers of 80s sci-fi movies!