The 7 best space horror movies to stream for a good scare
The 7 best space horror movies to stream for a good scare
The scariest thing about space isn’t the silence. It’s what’s hiding in it…
I just rewatched “Alien: Romulus” because it’s spooky season, and I’d forgotten how good this movie is. It reminded me why I love space horror in the first place. There’s something about the vast emptiness of space, the silence, the sense that one wrong move outside your ship means instant death, and then adding a monster into the mix just pushes it over the edge. It’s that perfect blend of wonder and terror. After watching Rain and her friends get stalked through the dark corridors on Romulus, I started thinking about other movies that nail that same mix. So, if you’re in the mood for a good space scare, these are the seven I’d line up next.
Top 7 space horror movies on streaming right now
No. 7: ‘Gravity’ (2013) | Rent with Prime Video
“Gravity” isn’t technically a horror movie, but it sure feels like one when you’re watching it. Sandra Bullock plays Ryan Stone, a medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, and George Clooney is the seasoned astronaut guiding her through space. When debris tears their shuttle apart, the two are left floating with no communication and almost no hope. The quiet, the isolation, the panic, it’s terrifying. Director Alfonso Cuarón keeps things rooted in realism, but the tension feels straight out of a thriller. Every spin, every breath, every moment of silence is pure anxiety. It’s stunning, claustrophobic, and honestly one of the most immersive space movies ever made. Watching it in theaters was one of the most intense movie-watching experiences I’ve ever had. I love this movie.
Gravity
Dr Ryan Stone, an engineer on her first space mission, and Matt Kowalski, an astronaut on his final expedition, have to survive in space after they are hit by debris while spacewalking.
No. 6: ‘Event Horizon’ (1997) | Peacock
If you’ve seen “Event Horizon,” you know this movie doesn’t mess around. It starts like a sci-fi rescue mission and then turns into a nightmare. A crew is sent to Neptune to find a ship that disappeared years ago, only to realize it’s brought something evil back with it. The gravity drive on the ship literally opened a portal to another dimension, and what comes through isn’t good. There’s gore, hallucinations, and a creeping sense that the ship itself is alive. It’s wild, it’s bloody, and it’s still one of the weirdest, most effective sci-fi horror hybrids ever made. Think “Hellraiser” in space, and you’re pretty close.
Event Horizon
In 2047, a group of astronauts are sent to investigate and salvage the starship Event Horizon which disappeared mysteriously seven years before on its maiden voyage. However, it soon becomes evident that something sinister resides in its corridors.
No. 5: ‘Life’ (2017) | Rent with Prime Video
“Life” kind of got lost when it came out in theaters, which is a shame because it’s tense as hell. Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds, Rebecca Ferguson, and Hiroyuki Sanada play astronauts studying a sample from Mars, and they accidentally wake up something that’s not so friendly. The creature, Calvin, starts off as a single cell and quickly turns into a shape-shifting, intelligent predator. The International Space Station setting makes it feel close and believable, like this could actually happen tomorrow. The thing about “Life” is that it’s simple and meaningful in the best way. No wasted moments, just pure, suffocating tension. It’s not “Alien, but it’s a worthy cousin.
Life
The six-member crew of the International Space Station is tasked with studying a sample from Mars that may be the first proof of extra-terrestrial life, which proves more intelligent than ever expected.
No. 4: ‘Sunshine’ (2007) | Rent with Prime Video
“Sunshine” is one of those movies that’s as beautiful as it is unsettling. Set in 2057, the sun is dying, and a group of astronauts is sent to reignite it with a massive nuclear payload. Things start to unravel when they come across a lost ship and decide to investigate. What follows is part science fiction, part psychological breakdown. The visuals are breathtaking, the sun looks both holy and terrifying, and the performances are great across the board. It takes a turn into horror halfway through, but even then, it stays focused on big, existential questions about sacrifice, faith, and what it means to face something so much larger than yourself.
Sunshine
Fifty years into the future, the sun is dying, and Earth is threatened by arctic temperatures. A team of astronauts is sent to revive the Sun — but the mission fails. Seven years later, a new team is sent to finish the mission as mankind’s last hope.
No. 3: ‘Aliens’ (1986) | Hulu
“Aliens” is straight-up legendary. If Ridley Scott’s original was all slow dread, James Cameron turned it into an action horror masterpiece. Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley wakes up 57 years after the first movie and ends up back on LV-426 with a team of marines who are way too confident for their own good. It’s got one of the greatest movie lines ever (“Get away from her, you b****!”) and somehow manages to be both heart-pounding and emotional. Ripley’s bond with Newt gives the movie its heart, and the alien queen gives it its teeth. Every time I rewatch it, I’m reminded how perfectly Cameron balanced chaos with character. If you’ve never seen it, I’m jealous cause you’re in for a (trick or) treat.
Aliens
When Ripley’s life pod is found by a salvage crew over 50 years later, she finds that terraformers are on the very planet where they found the alien species. The company has also sent a family of colonists out to investigate her story… and have since lost all contact. Directed by James Cameron, Aliens takes a small sidestep from the horror genre and goes for a more sci-fi action approach as Ripley and the colonial marines return to the feared planet and search for answers. This endlessly quotable flick is enjoyable every time you see it.
According to legend, Cameron landed the directing job by writing “Alien” on a dry erase board. Then adding an “s” so it said “Aliens.” And then he drew two lines through the “s” - “Alien$.”
No. 2: ‘Alien’ (1979) | Hulu
“Alien” is the GOAT for a reason. Ridley Scott basically invented the modern space horror playbook with this one. The crew of the Nostromo stumbles across a strange signal, finds an alien egg, and things go downhill fast. The chestburster scene still hits like the first time you saw it, shocking, gross, and unforgettable. The ship feels lived in, the characters feel real, and creature design by H. R. Giger is pure nightmare fuel. Every shadow feels dangerous, every hallway claustrophobic. Even after decades, no other movie has matched the sheer dread and precision of this one. “Alien” isn’t just scary… it’s cinematic perfection.
Alien
The commercial spaceship Nostromo is heading back to Earth when they’re tasked with intercepting a distress signal from a distant planet. The crew discovers a chamber full of seemingly benign eggs. When one hatches unexpectedly, the crew is unaware of the impending nightmare set to descend upon them. Directed by Ridley Scott, this film is the first in the series to feature its most-known protagonist, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver).
No. 1: ‘Alien: Romulus’ (2024) | Hulu
Sure, there’s some recency bias here since I just watched “Alien: Romulus,” but I can’t deny how much fun it is. Fede Álvarez pulls off something rare: a sequel that feels fresh but still fits perfectly in the “Alien” timeline. It takes place between “Alien” and “Aliens” and follows Rain Carradine, her android brother Andy, and their friends as they stumble onto a creepy abandoned lab. Of course, things go horribly wrong once the facehuggers show up. What makes this movie great is how it keeps escalating. Just when you think it’s over, it hits you with a new kind of horror that’s even worse. The practical effects are incredible, the tension never lets up, and it feels raw and old school in all the right ways. It’s genuinely terrifying, beautifully shot, and easily the best thing to happen to the franchise in years. An awesome movie, plain and simple.
Alien: Romulus
While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.