The very concept of aliens plays on our collective fear of the unknown; there’s no telling what horrors await in the cosmos. While there are plenty of horror movies that explore that horror by sending humans into space, alien invasion horror movies induce paranoia, tension, and fear by bringing extraterrestrials earthbound to invade in various […]
The very concept of aliens plays on our collective fear of the unknown; there’s no telling what horrors await in the cosmos. While there are plenty of horror movies that explore that horror by sending humans into space, alien invasion horror movies induce paranoia, tension, and fear by bringing extraterrestrials earthbound to invade in various unsettling ways.
It’s home invasion horror on a massive scale, with humanity often facing apocalyptic doom against the threat of intelligent life from beyond our galaxy.
This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to alien invasion horror movies that unsettle for the eerie, inhuman invaders and their even creepier means of assimilation.
As always, here’s where you can watch them this week.
This update of the 1956 sci-fi film Invasion of the Body Snatchersis regarded as one of the best remakes, for good reason. Strange pods land on Earth, grow, and invade San Francisco. They take over humans while they’re asleep, creating emotionless duplicates to take over the world. It’s a story that should feel quite familiar at this point, considering it’s been remade so many times, but it’s hard to shake the imagery from this version. The cast is stacked here, too: Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Veronica Cartwright, Art Hindle, Leonard Nimoy, and Jeff Goldblum star.
No One Will Save You – Hulu
A young woman’s social alienation becomes physical when her home is invaded by extraterrestrials in Brian Duffield’s No One Will Save You. It follows Brynn Adams (Kaitlyn Dever), a creative and talented young woman living alone, ostracized from her community after a fateful and tragic incident. Lonely but ever hopeful, Brynn finds solace within the walls of the home where she grew up—until she’s awakened one night by strange noises from decidedly unearthly intruders. It’s a frenetic, impressively crafted sci-fi action thriller that’ll leave you on edge and breathless, so much so that you’ll hardly notice the lack of dialogue.
The Puppet Masters – Hoopla
This adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein’s 1951 novel shares a very similar premise to the more well known Invasion of the Body Snatchers, in which extraterrestrial beings crash land and rapidly take control of the human populace, rendering them emotionless puppets. After the CIA agents sent to investigate go missing, agency leader Andrew Nivens (Donald Sutherland) leads a team of top-level government agents to the crash site to stop the escalating crisis before it’s too late. Action and paranoia ensue. The film also boasts an impressive cast that also includes Keith David, Will Patton, Yaphet Kotto, Julie Warner, and more. The Puppet Masters has a more optimistic outlook than Body Snatchers; just don’t expect a faithful novel adaptation.
Save the Green Planet! – Kanopy
This twisty genre bender builds paranoia through ambiguity: is there an impending alien invasion, or is it all in the mind of an unreliable narrator? Byeong-gu believes Earth is on the verge of an alien takeover and that he’s the only one who can save it. With his loyal girlfriend’s help, he kidnaps and brutally tortures corporate execs and politicians he believes to be aliens in disguise. A complete genre hybrid, toggling between sci-fi, comedy, and horror with paranoia and extreme violence, Save the Green Planet has many shocking moments and unexpected twists. Now is a great time to watch, with Yorgos Lanthimos’ remake, Bugonia, releasing this November.
Significant Other – Paramount+
An alien invasion movie on an intimate scale. Ruth (Maika Monroe) and Harry (Jake Lacy) set out for a remote backpacking trip in the Pacific Northwest woods, unaware that something has fallen from the sky nearby. Naturally, things get strange fast, leaving the young couple questioning not just their love for each other but their very identities.Significant Other is written and directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, the duo behind the under-seen 2019 gem Villains, a signal to expect some major narrative turns here. Monroe and Lacy make for compelling leads as they navigate their characters’ relationship amidst paranormal happenings, though the wild tonal shifts can be divisive.
