HORROR TEN SPOT: Top 10 Sci-Fi Horror

September 25th 2009, 12:39pm

Last Updated on August 3, 2021

Two genres that are particularly suited to each other when done well are Science Fiction and Horror. Of course a lot more people take a shot at it than succeed, but in some ways that just makes the great ones even more satisfying.

The biggest problem with a list like this isn’t finding great movies to fill it with, but rather deciding which pics qualify. A flick like ROBOCOP is super tempting to include, but doesn’t really have a true horror vibe to it, even though it’s awesome, violent, mayhem.

So let’s get to the list and see which movie The Arrow himself promised me a world of hurt if I left it off. And as usual, if you disagree with my reasoning, or just want to throw out some contenders that aren’t present, spit those bullets with authority!

1. ALIEN/S

When I compile these lists I usually shoot an email to the AITH crew to see what movies they would nominate before I make my final determinations. The Arrow told me ALIENS would be his #1. I responded that it always seems like more of an action/sci-fi movie to me, at which point, in the nicest way possible, he pointed out that I would be a colossal douchebag if I left it off the list. And if it’s on then it’s gotta be at the top. But so does the first. So there ya go. In truth, I’m still pretty much a douchebag, just one that’ll get a bit less hate mail this week.

2. THE THING

It’s not hard to argue that John Carpenter gave us the greatest remake ever with his claustrophobic treatise on paranoia and fear. Any time you can make your audience drop a load in their pants with screaming blood you know you’re doing something right. This is one of my favorite genre pics period, sci-fi or no.

3. THE FLY

Cronenberg in the 80’s pretty much owned this particular sub-genre. And the best of the best is his remake of the Vincent Price classic. Once again the man shows himself to be a visionary, bringing us a tale that holds up strongly today with stem cell research, genetic manipulation, cloning, and the like being serious scientific, moral and ethical issues currently.

4. THE HIDDEN

Not sure that you could really call this underrated, because just about any genre fan worth their opinions knows this is an awesome flick, but I will call it underseen because it hasn’t found the crossover love that it deserves. It’s got rock, explosions, hot chicks, car chases and as much mayhem as you’re gonna find outside of CRANK or GRAND THEFT AUTO. Good times.

5. EVENT HORIZON

I’m still not sure I completely understand what the hell is going on in this flick, yet I love it. The pure gory mindf*ckery of it all left me seriously twisted up after I saw it, and the damn thing still creeps the shite out me whenever I revisit it. The cast is amazing, the look literally out of this world, and on a purely visceral level, this sucker gets under your skin like few movies ever manage.

6. VIDEODROME

Oh David, you do make my head hurt. But in a good way. There are so many disturbing images in this flick that you end up getting creeped out even by stuff that looks normal, because your paranoia about what’s gonna go off the chain next is amped up to 11. In many ways it’s even weirder to watch it now, because the future vision of media is uncomfortably close to reality.

7. THE TERMINATOR

T2 is a better movie in my estimation, but the first has more of a horror vibe, with Arnie being the badass, unstoppable, killing machine. He’s like a bastard child of Michael Myers and John Ryder. Forget fancy effects and bonding moments, this beast is about one thing and one thing only. Killing Sarah Connor and anyone who gets in the way. If you disagree I’ve just got one thing to say – F*ck you, a**hole.

8. SCANNERS

Part of the genius here is that it taps into an ability all of us have wished we had at some point or another. Some jackass cuts you off in traffic? BLAM! Your boss is riding you for no reason? EXPLOSIVO! Oh, and the f/x and story are pretty freaking great too.

9. PREDATOR

A flick with a monster so damn cool, that genre fans basically demanded it get mashed with another top contender on this list. Sure we’re still waiting for an AvP movie worthy of the two beasts, but until then we’ve got Arnie in his prime, with a cast that remains the best grouping of hard asses until THE EXPENDABLES comes out. Granted the final battle is a bit too anticlimactic, but despite it’s flaws, nothing can ruin the magic of a flick that gives us Jesse “The Body” Venture telling us, I ain’t got time to bleed.

10. STARSHIP TROOPERS

I think this is one of the most underrated movies out there. You’ve got some great satire, sick action, and of course, Dina Meyer’s breasts. Yum. The story isn’t as deep as you get with the tops of the sci-fi/horror mixtures, but for pure balls to the wall fun, it’s hard to get much better than this. Oh, and while I may have given ole Casper a hard time on the last list, he’s f*cking aces in this flick.