Horror in the Cosmos: 4 Movie Recommendations From Outer Space!

Since 1902’s A Trip to the Moon, filmmakers have been blasting off to outer space and dazzling us with science fiction wonders. An ever-expanding universe full of mysteries provides the perfect setting for scientific inquiry and creative exploration. Of course, that exploration is bound to get spooky from time to time.

It’s a running joke amongst horror fans that if a franchise continues long enough, there will eventually be an entry called [MOVIE TITLE 4: TITULAR CHARACTER IN SPACE!] After all, you haven’t truly vanquished Jason Voorhees until you’ve blasted him into another galaxy (and even then there’s a 50% chance he’ll somehow be waving at you menacingly from mission control HQ before your spaceship even reenters the atmosphere).

Many franchises famously went to space for blood-soaked chaos. For proof, check out Jason X, Hellraiser: Bloodline, Critters 4, and Leprechaun 4: In Space. Even the Muppets went to space! Or, rather, space came to the Muppets when they partied with extra terrestrials and sang Kool-&-The-Gang songs in Muppets from Space… no slaughters occurred, but they were definitely killin’ it.

As a frequent space traveler myself, I wanted to share some of my favorite lesser-known horror flicks in case Interstellar didn’t have enough blood n’ guts for you. Some of these movies take place in space, and some unleash galactic madness here on Earth. Let’s look at these standalone horror movies featuring aliens behaving badly.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)

Synonymous with campy horror, Killer Klowns from Outer Space chronicles the homicidal exploits of a group of aliens that look like clowns. And it does so with a great amount of bombast and heart. The Klowns land in a small town and begin wreaking havoc as they try to harvest citizens for food. Come for the technically-impressive practical effects and stay for the endearing cast of characters and, of course, the titular Klowns.

According to The Dickies song from Klowns’ soundtrack, “Some make us laugh, some make us cry . . . these Klowns only gonna make you die!” ReSee this one, and you will be dying, too . . . dying laughing, that is!

Inhumanwich! (2016)

Is it a man? Is it a sloppy joe? No! It’s Inhumanwich!, the sci-fi-horror spoof that channels the slapstick humor of Airplane! right down to the title’s exclamation point. Here, we follow an all-American astronaut, aptly named Joe, as he embarks upon his first orbit of planet Earth. After a terrible accident, Joe emerges as a human-meat hybrid that slowly grows to Blob-like proportions and becomes an existential threat to society! Will he be stopped? CAN he be stopped?

This homage to 1950s sci-fi monster movies has it all—goofy dialogue, charmingly low-budget effects, and memorable characters. This is for the late-night movie crowd who will surely love watching a giant sandwich attacking a city.

Slither (2006)

As a native South Carolinian, I was excited to see a small town in my home state as the focal point of a worm-alien invasion in James Gunn’s directorial debut, Slither. Never mind that the movie wasn’t filmed in South Carolina nor does it even vaguely resemble any part of the South Carolina that I grew up in, but let’s suspend our disbelief here because Slither is bonkers, brilliant, and a true cult classic.

It’s the loving story of a small-town sheriff who bands together with the locals to prevent an alien organism and its army of evil slugs from absorbing everyone into its hive mind. Honoring his days writing horror comedies for Troma Entertainment, the DC honcho unloads his entire arsenal of twisted humor, lovable characters, and memorable creatures (there is also a cameo by Troma co-founder Lloyd Kaufman!). Nathan Fillion, Michael Rooker, Elizabeth Banks, Jenna Fischer, and even Rob Zombie turn up in this wildly fun space-worm fest.

Shark Side of the Moon (2022)

One might think they’ve reached the pinnacle of Shark Schlock Mountain once they’ve seen Sharknado, but one would be mistaken. Much like space, the shark horror sub-genre seems to be infinite. For proof, just dig through the wellsprings of Tubi’s or Amazon Prime’s horror sections, and you will discover the likes of Virus Shark, Santa Jaws, Sand Sharks, Sharks of the Corn, and more. But I digress.

Known for its low-budget, b-movie takes on disaster, horror, and action films, production studio The Asylum delivers the goods if you enjoy cheesy shark flicks. Its most recent entry into the annals of sharkdom is called Shark Side of the Moon. Worth a watch for the A-plus pun, if nothing else. When the USSR gets in over its head by creating invincible super-sharks, they cannot kill them. The natural solution is to catapult them to the moon. Decades later, a group of American astronauts must fight for their survival against the sharks when they go to the dark side of the moon to fix a broken module. It is silly fun, and I would be totally stoked to ReSee this on the big screen!

Your journey as a cinematic space cadet will be full of laughs, scares, and intergalactic delights with these movies to guide your way. Maybe Michael, Freddy, or even Ghostface will one day find themselves slashing their way through the stars. Until then, there are plenty of stars in the space horror sky for you to ReSee and enjoy!