Hitting theaters this weekend is Alien: Covenant, the sequel to Prometheus and prequel to Ridley Scott’s Alien. Scott’s original film is often noted as being one of the best sci-fi horror films of all time, but when Prometheus was released in 2012, critics and audiences criticized it for how much it had been marketed to be another sci-fi horror classic yet had a tenuous connection to the original film.
In Covenant, Scott has claimed he learned from his mistakes with Prometheus and that his latest film taps much more into the fear that made his original film so successful, including giving the original xenomorph much more screen time than in the 2012 prequel.
Videos by PopCulture.com
With Covenant receiving mixed reviews from critics, it’s tough to say if fans of the original films will be appeased with survival horror or if it will continue to explore the more philosophical themes of Prometheus.
Whether you are satisfied by Covenant and are looking to check out more alien-based horror films this weekend or in case Scott’s latest doesn’t scratch your itch for extraterrestrial terror, there are still alien movies you can check out without having to leave your home.
Scroll down to see a selection of sci-fi horror films streaming on various streaming services!
Pod – Netflix
Writer/director Mickey Keating proved that “less is more” when you have ambitious ideas but a small budget.
When siblings Lyla and Ed become concerned with their brother Martin’s mental state, they drive up to their family’s old cabin, where Martin has been staying. Upon their arrival, they see that his paranoid delusions have him ranting and raving about monsters, a government conspiracy, and some sort of pod that he discovered in the woods. The more time Lyla and Ed spent with Martin, the more they realize Martin’s imagination might not be as wild as it seems.
The isolated location and small cast make the film feel like an extended episode of The Twilight Zone or The X-Files, playing into the benefits of a contained story. The performances help sell the cabin fever, and the small scale means the film never attempts to pull off grandiose feats that wouldn’t be possible on a small budget.
Pod is currently streaming on Netflix.
[H/T YouTube, Zero Media]
Almost Human – Shudder
Similar to Pod, Almost Human taps into specific elements of what appeals to horror fans, lean into those areas, and let everything else fall into place.
During a terrifying encounter in the middle of the night, Mark disappears from his small woodland town without a trace. His wife Jen and friend Seth attempt to move on with their lives, but when hunters discover Mark in the woods, they’ll wish he was nothing but a memory. Wherever Mark goes, bloodshed follows, leading Seth, Jen, and the audience to wonder what happened to Mark.
Although the film might be slim on plot, it more than makes up for those lacking elements with fantastic practical effects, covering virtually every time or tried and true method of death and destruction that horror fans have grown to love. In a world of overly complicated horror films, Almost Human gets back to basics and gives fans a blood-splattered sci-fi slasher.
Almost Human is currently streaming on Shudder.
[H/T YouTube, Movieclips From Festival & Indie Films]
Bad Taste – Amazon Prime
Considering the accomplishments Peter Jackson has made in the world of film, it’s hard to believe he had such humble beginnings as Bad Taste.
The Astro Investigation and Defence Service sends a team to investigate a small town in New Zealand that has had numerous strange disappearances. When the team arrives, they learn that the town has been overrun by aliens who are disguising themselves as humans, except their trend of wearing blue shirts gives them all away. The film is as hilarious as it is gory, a far cry from the films that won Jackson his Oscars.
Jackson might be most well-known for directing the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, but the filmmaking skills he demonstrated early on showcased his joy of what can be accomplished with cinema. Along with Dead Alive and Meet the Feebles, Jackson proved early in his career his skills of combining comedy and horror to make truly unique films unlike anything anyone had ever seen, explaining how much of a visionary he was right from the beginning.
Bad Taste is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.
[H/T YouTube, Ilsundal]
MORE NEWS:
