10 Best Sci-Fi Horror Films To Watch Halloween 2020

If there's one thing that humans are afraid of, it's the unknown. And what could possibly be more unknown than the infinite vastness of outer space?

A genre which first developed in the literature of the 1800s, sci-fi has been used to terrify audiences since the earliest days of cinema. Whether it be malevolent aliens, the rise of omnipresent technology or science experiments gone horribly wrong, the combination of horror and sci-fi has created some iconic horror films forever etched into the public consciousness.

From the campy B movies of the 1950s, to the critical and commercial success of Alien (1979) and beyond, sci-fi horror is a mainstay of cinema. There's just something so enthralling about seeing a pack of terrified astronauts try and survive an encounter with a bloodthirsty alien, or to see a scientist wrestle with the consequences of their arrogance and whatever experiment of theirs has begun killing/maiming/infecting/resurrecting any innocent bystanders.

With so much variety between these films, it's so easy to get lost within this sub-genre, but with that in mind, here is a selection of a few films that would be fun to watch this Halloween season.

Minor spoilers ahead, you have been warned.

Life follows a group of scientists aboard the International Space Station that make history by becoming the first humans to discover traces of life on the surface of Mars. As anyone who has ever seen a horror movie before could predict, things start to go very wrong very quickly, as the alien begins to grow at an unprecedented rate, breaks from captivity, and starts to terrorise the six astronauts on board.

Knowing that they cannot risk bringing the creature back down to Earth, the scientists do everything they can to not only try and remain alive with an extremely strong and intelligent creature on the loose, but to try and prevent it from ever reaching the Earth and endangering the lives of every human being on the planet. Although this may sound like a very dull and unsurprising premise, the way that it is executed will ensure that even the most habituated of horror fans will be left on the edge of their seats.

The way that this film is shot and edited ensures a complete sense of claustrophobia and unease at any given moment, very fitting given the subject matter. The music, sound design and camera work create a tense atmosphere that will easily allow any viewer to slot themselves into the mindset of the terror-stricken characters. Watching the numerous character deaths and injuries are almost painful at times, even for those who would deem themselves immune to such sights in similar films because of the manner in which they are shot and acted.

Aiming for more "sci" than "fi" than most other horror movies, Life can be a tense and gripping watch, even for those who think they know exactly how it will play out at face value.