For almost as long as the concept of science fiction has existed, the genre has flirted, to varying degress of success with the world of horror. Some of the earliest and most well-known examples include Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein which have been adapted multiple times for the big screen. In fact, some of the most highly regarded and successful movies of all time fall into the sci-fi horror genre. Ridley Scott’s Alien and James Cameron’s sequel Aliens have made it onto many ‘greatest of all time’ film lists and set the standard for the genre moving forward while John Carpenter’s work in the genre on movies like The Thing and They Live have earned him the status of a cult hero amongst genre fans worldwide.
During the 80s it seemed as if every other movie was a sci-fi horror flick but in recent years it seems that the genre has died down a little, despite us living in what seems like a sci-fi horror for the last 2 years! While both horror and science fiction are still going strong as stand-alone genres, to find a truly thrilling, engaging and horrifying sci-fi horror mash up has become slightly more of a challenge. Luckily, below is a list of 8 of the best sci-fi horror movies of the 2020s.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
8 The New Mutants
20th Century Studios
The New Mutants is a spin-off in the X-Men film series and the thirteenth and final instalment in the franchise. Directed by Josh Boone from a screenplay he wrote with Kate Lee, the film follows a group of young mutants held in a secret facility as they fight for their lives. While it wasn’t a huge critical success, it was nice to see Marvel experimenting with some darker themes and a more straight up horror approach, something normally left to its DC counterparts to tackle. Certainly nothing ground-breaking, the cast more than make up for a lack of originality with solid performances all round from the likes of Maisey Williams, Ana Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Alice Raga, Blue Hunt and Henry Saga, although at this stage, the less said about Marilyn Manson’s involvement, the better, probably.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
7 Black Box
Blumhouse Television; Black Bar Mitzvah
6 PG: Psycho Goreman
Raven Banner Entertainment
If the name doesn’t make it obvious enough, PG: Pyscho Goreman is not meant to be taken entirely seriously. In fact, it is utterly ludicrous, from the over-the-top campy alien designs, reminiscent of early 90s Power Ranger villains to the obnoxious dialogue delivered by its child protagonist Mimi played by a particularly bratty Nita-Josee Hanna. While the story plays second fiddle to the over-the-top set pieces and gory violence, it does involve enough aliens and intergalactic themes to be considered as sci-fi and (just) enough scares to fall into the horror category, but in reality, it’s a mash up of a whole heap of influences all played off with its tongue firmly in cheek.
5 Meander
Gravitas Ventures
The last few years have seen international cinema and television finally getting the recognition in the States it so rightfully deserves. Kicking the doors down and opening the floodgates was Bong Joon-ho’s history-making and Academy Award-winning 2019 masterpiece Parasite and proving that it was not a one-off were the uber successful Spanish series Money Heist and the ubiquitous South Korean Netflix show Squid Game. Unfortunately, Meander, Mathieu Turi’s criminally underrated French language film has not received the same kind of attention despite being a masterclass in creating palpable tension. While thematically it does bear a passing resemblance to the Cube franchise, Meander is original, exciting and creative enough to stand out as a great addition to the sci-fi horror genre.
4 Old
Perfect World Pictures; Blinding Edge Pictures
Old has proven to be fairly divisive amongst critics, currently sitting at exactly 50% on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. This is really not at all that surprising seeing as it was directed by probably the most divisive director in Hollywood history, M. Night Shyamalan. His back catalogue consists of a number of films that are considered all time masterpieces of modern cinema, some that are considered amongst the worst movies to ever be committed to film and a handful in which audiences’ and critics’ opinion were evenly split. While Old will never be considered a masterpiece of modern cinema, it is definitely among the better sci-fi horrors to be released in the 2020s. Following a number of holiday makers stuck on a beach which inexplicably speeds up time and the ageing process, Shyamalan handles potent themes about sudden death and the collapse of time which particularly resonate in this Covid era.
3 The Invisible Man
Image via Universal Pictures
The idea of The Invisible Man is something that everyone is familiar with and has been exposed to in some form or another over their lifetime, so in order for a new iteration to really make any lasting impression it would have to be something quite special. Fortunately, that’s exactly what Leigh Whannell delivered on his 2020 take on the H.G Wells classic novel. Released to universal critical acclaim, this surprise box office smash hit flipped the damsel in distress trope on its’ head and thrilled viewers as they watched Elisabeth Moss’s character evolve into a completely relatable badass heroine for the ages.
2 Possessor
Ingenious Media
Brandon Cronenbourg’s 2020 science fiction psychological horror film Possessor ticks every box when it comes to sci-fi horror. While sticking to some of the tropes an audience would expect from the genre, the movie still manages to be completely unique and unlike anything ever seen before. Relentless in its portrayal of brutality and moral corruption, the story, which we won’t spoilt for you here, is thoroughly engrossing and compelling and the characters, love or hate them, are engaging and believable despite the fantastical science fiction premise. Not an always an easy watch by any means but something that will definitely stick with the viewer for a good while after. Brandon is certainly proving himself a more than worthy successor to the science fiction and horror legacy created by his father David Cronenbourg.
1 A Quiet Place Part II
A Quiet Place Part II certainly had a lot to live up to after the storming success of its predecessor. It seems that expectations, though were met and even exceeded in some instances as it went on to become this year’s runaway success story, setting several box office records at its time of release including the biggest opening weekend of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the same simple yet highly original and effective concept of the original, the movie reunites audiences with the family from the first movie as they strive for survival in a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by sightless aliens with an enhanced sense of hearing. John Krasinski returns as the film’s director as well as writer and producer. Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, and Noah Jupe reprise their roles from the first film while Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounsou were added as new characters. With almost no spoken dialogue, the movie amazes in its ability to create an engaging narrative through visual story telling alone. Employing, a less is more approach, even the monsters are rarely seen but yet the audience are still biting nails and at the edges their entire seats.
