6 Must-See SCI-FI HORRORS You Probably Don’t Know

… and is widely considered one of the most successful achievements of this marriage. However, horror and science fiction have been intertwining for decades, and many of these films have been lost in the sea of other productions. Space and its inhabitants, nuclear bombs, or the consequences of failed scientific experiments continue to terrify viewers to this day. Here are six sci-fi horrors you might not know, but definitely should.

Them! (1954)

Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Special Effects, Them! is one of the many sci-fi films that reflected social fears during the atomic age, as well as one of the best American science fiction films of the 1950s, though it isn’t as well-known as Don Siegel’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1958). In the deserts of New Mexico, a police patrol discovers a wandering, mute girl and a completely destroyed trailer. It turns out that nuclear tests conducted in the area have led to the creation of a new species of giant killer ants. These mutated insects pose a threat to the entire country. Them! is a highly successful monster movie, and an additional point of interest is that the film’s music was composed by Bronisław Kaper—a Polish composer born in Warsaw, who signed a contract with Louis B. Mayer of MGM in the 1930s. Just a year before composing the score for Them!, Kaper won an Oscar for his music in the musical Lili (1953).

I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958)

Though this film often graces cinema screens in “Worst Films of All Time” marathons, it’s not as bad as its reputation suggests. Happily-in-love Marge (Gloria Talbott) marries Bill Farrell (Tom Tryon), unaware that the night before the wedding, her beloved underwent a peculiar transformation. During their honeymoon, she begins to notice her husband’s strange behavior—he’s quiet, aloof, has stopped drinking alcohol, and a year into their marriage, despite constant efforts, they are still childless. Marge discovers that her husband is, in fact, an alien.

Upon its release, the film was shown in a double feature alongside another sci-fi film, The Blob (1958), and despite a modest budget, it became a hit. Over time, however, its sensational and grotesque title caused it to be overlooked by critics and film historians, and it fell into obscurity. Unjustly so, as I Married a Monster from Outer Space holds up well against other sci-fi classics of its era—a time rife with Cold War anxieties. The film offers suspense, solid acting, and innovative special effects.

It! The Terror From Beyond Space (1958)

Before H.R. Giger’s alien from Ridley Scott’s Alien terrified the world, its predecessor frightened audiences in the 1950s. It! The Terror From Beyond Space tells the story of a fictional first mission to Mars in 1973, from which only one member—Colonel Edward Carruthers (Marshall Thompson)—survives. Rescued by a retrieval mission that brings him back to Earth, he denies accusations of murdering the other nine crew members, claiming they were killed by a humanoid monster living on Mars. The rescue crew is initially skeptical of his claims, but soon, crew members begin to die one by one, and strange noises emerge from the ventilation shafts. Sound familiar? This film was one of the inspirations for Dan O’Bannon, the screenwriter of Alien (1979).

The Hidden (1987)

In 1988, The Hidden, a sci-fi horror and action film, received four Saturn Award nominations—for Best Actor, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Film. Unfortunately, it lost in three of these categories to Paul Verhoeven’s RoboCop. The Hidden is a fast-paced sci-fi horror in which the Los Angeles police face a series of bizarre events. Previously law-abiding citizens suddenly begin committing a string of brutal crimes. FBI agent Lloyd Gallagher (Kyle MacLachlan) steps in to assist, suspecting he knows the cause of the problem. The film is sure to please fans of MacLachlan eager to see the actor in the role of a special agent before his iconic turn in the same capacity in Twin Peaks.

Vivarium (2019)

Gemma (Imogen Poots) and Tom (Jesse Eisenberg) are searching for their first home. They stumble upon a real estate office where an eccentric, peculiar agent convinces them to view a unique, newly-built housing development. Upon arrival, they sense something is amiss. The new neighborhood consists of identical houses and a maze of streets, and—just as unsettling—there are no residents. It soon becomes clear that escaping this bizarre place is no easy task, and Gemma and Tom begin to feel like they’re trapped in a vivarium.

Color Out of Space (2019)

Color Out of Space is a successful adaptation of the H.P. Lovecraft short story of the same name (of which there have been four adaptations to date), directed by Richard Stanley, the creator of the cult sci-fi thriller Hardware (1990). The B-movie vibe is also present in Color Out of Space, which tells the story of the Gardner family, who trade urban comforts for life on a farm. On the land inherited from his father, Nathan (Nicolas Cage) plans to grow tomatoes and raise sweet alpacas. The family’s life takes an unexpected turn when a glowing, neon pink-and-purple meteor crashes into their yard. Stanley skillfully translates Lovecraft’s prose to the cinematic language, blending his distinctive style with gothic horror. Color Out of Space is a manic, visually striking ride that will delight both Lovecraft fans and sci-fi horror enthusiasts.