10 Lesser Known Sci-Fi Movies That You Need To See

10. Dark Star

John Carpenter is one of cinema's most beloved and respected directors, mainly because he could scare the pants off you at any given moment. His horror works include The Thing, The Fog, and Halloween, but he also helped create Big Trouble in Little China, Escape from New York, and other movies that didn't help fund Kurt Russell's swimming pool.

It all started for JC in 1974 with Dark Star, a sci-fi comedy about the crew of a rapidly deteriorating star ship.

The brave space travellers are out to destroy unstable planets that might threaten the future expansion of mankind, encountering various strange creatures and incidents along way.

There's an alien beach ball in it, that's all you need to know.

Whilst initially dismissed as just a 2001 rip-off, Dark Star has become a cult classic in the years following its release. It's been cited as an inspiration for the Metal Gear Solid franchise, the sitcom Red Dwarf, and the movie Alien. Now that's a range.

Its wacky humour is enough to keep you laughing throughout and it's fascinating to see the early work of a man who would change popular culture forever.