10 Best Horror Movies Set On Different Planets

3. Screamers (1995)

Ghosts of Mars Natasha Henstridge
Columbias Pictures

Based on Philip K. Dick's short story Second Variety, Christian Duguay's The Screamers is set in the year 2078 on the planet Sirius 6B, which has been reduced to an inhospitable toxic wasteland by a brutal planetary war. The New Economic Block (NEB.), and "The Alliance," consisting of former colony workers, are still at loggerheads when the Alliance unleash the screamers; autonomous murdering machines that emit a screaming noise whenever they kill. When an NEB message with an offer of a truce reaches the Alliance , the end of the war seems nigh.

With a cast led by RoboCop and Sons of Anarchy's Peter Weller, the film was stuck in development hell since the mid-1980s but finally received its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Another sci-fi horror movie made with a tight purse string, The Screamers is further evidence of the value of imagination and strong story even in the absence of flashy visuals (even if the ending is an anti-climax). Far from perfect, but a welcome reminder of what is possible with minimal resources.

The film has become a cult favourite. A so-so, straight-to-DVD sequel titled Screamers: The Hunting was released in 2009, starring Lance Henriksen among others.

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Contributor

I write regularly about all things pop culture, and am an individually approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes. I am the Film News Editor for FILMHOUNDS Magazine and a Senior Writer for Starburst Magazine UK. My other credits include bylines in The Guardian, The Quietus and The Indiependent.