Space…
The final frontier.
Or the final front-FEAR!
Am I right?
Anyone?
Okay, I’m sorry.
I wouldn’t blame you if you just logged off after that.
But if you stick around, you’ll be treated to the best of the best of extraterrestrial
scares.
That’s right, in space, no one can hear you scream.
Although, I won’t be including Alien on this list because it’s a given.
We all know it’s an all-time classic, so let’s give some other space scares some
time in the sun.
Or the moon.
Hello horror heads, and welcome back to the scariest channel on YouTube: Top5ScaryVideos.
I’m your horror host, Keegan Hughes, and today we’re going to be taking a look at
the Top 5 Scary Space Horror Movies.
Before we get started, make sure to give this video a big thumbs up, and subscribe for more
starlit strangulation.
Perfect, let’s begin.
NUMBER FIVE: LIFEFORCE SPACE VAMPIRES!
What could be better?
Not much, right?
Especially with Tobe Hooper at the helm, and just a crazy array of stylistic choices.
The folks on set described the shoot as “caffeinated,” which I think is exactly what Hooper needed
after working for years with the more restrictive Speilberg.
Lifeforce tells the tale of three folks discovered in deep space.
Not normal folks, mind you, they’re SPACE VAMPIRES!
And for a long while, they remained in suspended animation.
Of course, once some humans show up they get to doing what they do best: sucking the life
force outta folks.
Now, only a little bit of this movie actually takes place in space, but given the fact that
we get to see the space vampires in all of their glory multiple times, I’ll give it
a pass.
After sneaking their way into the general population by using shapeshifting powers,
the vampires infect as many earthlings as they possibly can.
A fun little lore tidbit; it’s implied that these space vampires show up on Earth every
once in a while, and are actually responsible for the vampire myths and legends we all know
and love.
Lifeforce is just a blast of a horror movie, with enough practical effects craziness to
satisfy just about anyone.
We get to see bodies simultaneously sucked dry and rehydrated, we watch a plastic Patrick
Stewart vomit blood out of every facial orifice, we watch a man transform into a giant winged
creature and then explode, it’s all very good stuff.
Oh, and it was written by Dan O’Bannon, who wrote Alien!
I know we said we wouldn’t discuss Alien today, but that’s a fun bit of trivia that
just might sell some more people on Lifeforce.
NUMBER FOUR: SUNSHINE Alright, now for a much more bleak, critically
acclaimed movie.
Directed by Danny Boyle, of Trainspotting fame, and written by Alex Garland, who went
on to make Ex Machina and Annihilation, this is a lesser-known indie gem.
Part mission to save the world, part survival story, part spacebound horror flick, Sunshine
is a fascinating exploration of the human spirit, corruptions and all.
Set in the far future, we learn that the sun has gone out, leaving Earth cold and barren.
A team of international astronauts, all with different skills, bands together to pilot
a ship with a starbomb in the hopes of reigniting the sun.
It’s a suicide mission, but they’re humanity’s last hope.
Flying off into space, they pick up on a distress signal coming from the ship that left before
them: the Icarus I.
Of course, the Icarus II has to go and see what's up.
Two bombs are better than one, after all.
The blend of sci-fi and horror in Sunshine is unparalleled, managing to be both fascinating
and frightening, with a whole lot of human emotions mixed in.
A star-studded ensemble cast makes a lot of the moments when people are really feeling
the existential fear work even better.
Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Rose Byrne, and Benedict Wong set this cast apart from many
others.
If you’ve seen Europa Report, you’ve got a bit of an idea about what you’re getting
here.
However, Sunshine adds even more moving parts, thrilling and chilling through technical malfunctions,
unknown variables, and a horrifying slasher movie penultimate act.
The crew knows its a suicide mission, but they carry on regardless.
Their knowledge of impending doom adds weight to their actions, and brings you right to
the edge of your seat when things go wrong.
NUMBER THREE: PANDORUM Has anyone ever heard of Orbital Dysfunctional
Syndrome?
It’s a form of psychosis caused by deep space, and tends to be triggered by emotional
stress.
While we haven’t really managed to send people on long enough space voyages to really
experience the full effects, it is a popular theory to draw upon in sci-fi horror.
Paranoia, delirium, and a telltale nosebleed are all symptoms of this.
Another word for Orbital Dysfunctional Syndrome?
Pandorum.
Ah, there we go.
This is the central theme of the movie, while also playing the part of the title.
Two men awaken early from hibernation aboard a massive colonizing ship headed to a new
earth-like planet.
Earth itself has died out, and the last remnants of humanity live aboard the Elysium.
The early awakening causes the men to suffer from amnesia, and they do their best to piece
together what’s going on.
It’s not long before they realize that the ship is now inhabited by a strange, mutant,
cannibalistic race of quasi-humans.
Uh oh.
The reactors aboard the ship seem to be malfunctioning, so it’s up to the two members of the flight
crew to fight their way to fix them.
Things are bleak aboard this ship, with some folks doing their best to create and maintain
a violent, cannibalistic society.
There’s something wrong with the water everyone’s drinking, too.
And make sure you keep in mind that word from earlier, Pandorum.
NUMBER TWO: SOLARIS Plenty of the movies on this list, and movies
that didn’t make the list today, owe a whole lot to this Tarkovsky film.
Many directly reference it as an influence in their own scary space movies, and others
likely pulled from it without even realizing.
Such is the influence of the late, great Andre Tarkovsky.
Basing the movie on a book of the same title by Stanislaw Lem, Tarkovsky set out to make
a sci-fi movie not about advanced technology and alien races, but instead about humanity
and spirituality.
Psychologist Kris Kelvin heads out to an old space station, with the mission focusing on
deciding whether or not it should continue operation.
The station studies an oceanic planet known as Solaris, and seems to cause hallucinations
among those who visit.
Arriving at the space station, Kelvin is largely ignored by the resident scientists.
He also discovers that his only friend among the men working there has committed suicide.
Soon, strange things start happening.
His late wife, Hari, appears in his quarters.
Panicking, he fires her out into the cold vacuum of space.
She keeps coming back though, not quite real, but not exactly a ghost either.
More mysteries reveal themselves as time goes on, and Kelvin has to make sense of it all
as best he can.
In classic Tarkovsky style, Solaris reveals itself to the audience very slowly.
Long takes and deep focus characterize the film, letting the dread and discomfort slowly
wash over everything.
While less immediately and obviously scary than other selections for this list, this
might be the most lasting of the bunch, and if you give it the attention it deserves it
will stick with you.
NUMBER ONE: EVENT HORIZON This is a movie that will take you to hell
and back.
Literally.
Well, at least some approximation of hell.
Event Horizon is a stark, gory, cerebral horror that didn’t get a fair shake back when it
released.
Unfortunately, like a lot of movies, plenty was cut before it hit theatres, leaving it
feeling incomplete.
But the stuff that was still there is definitely compelling enough for a watch or five.
It takes influences from all over the map, from Alien, to Solaris (which we mentioned
earlier), to Hellraiser, and beyond!
This flick is jam-packed full of wicked stuff, so get over the fact that it’s a little
stilted and hold on for a crazy ride.
The set design is nuts, it features Laurence Fishburne, and every scare feels unique.
There’s a reason for that last bit, too.
See, the story of Event Horizon goes like this:
A ship called Event Horizon disappeared seven years before the start of the movie, and the
crew of the Lewis & Clark is sent out when it reappears.
When they make it to the ghost ship, it is immediately apparent that something went terribly
wrong.
On top of a totally decimated crew of 18, the empty vessel is full of clues that point
to a fate much worse than death.
If you were worried it might be a little tame, you know being in outer space and all, you
can put those fears aside.
Body horror is abound in Event Horizon, with all sorts of parts being annihilated in ways
you wish you could forget.
If only it could have kept all the original footage.
Who knows what horrors we might have come face to face with?
OUTRO Alright, who’s down to hijack a spaceship?
I’m ready to meet my destiny out beyond the mesosphere.
If an alien rips my guts out, so be it.
So what did you think of the list?
What would be the worst way to die in space?
The best?
What’s your favourite space horror movie?
Are you mad I left out Jason X?
Make sure you let me know down in the comments.
Speaking of comments, let’s take a look at some of your more ventilated ones from
the Top 5 Scary Ghost Horror Movies That Changed All the Rules:
Lynne Weir says “Love Crimson Peak, such a great movie.
Even my partner enjoyed it and he doesn’t like horror.”
That’s always a good sign!
I think a lot of people went in with the wrong set of expectations, and either came away
really impressed or sort of underwhelmed.
BabyDee804 says “Yeah I had a poltergeist in my house once… my ex-wife.”
Baby Dee!
You’re not old enough to get married!
You know, on account of you being an infant and whatnot.
David Basnight says “Even as old as it is, I still think no other ghost movie has topped
“Poltergeist” in scale.
Even with the sensational story there was a lot of heart.
Poltergeist was more of an event than a movie.”
I think you might be onto something here.
I’m still waiting for the next “event” horror to hit the big screens.
Oliverrr ._.
Says “aha.
Watch me go ghost mode and haunt some creepy woods.”
What creepy woods?
I’ll have a hard time watching you if you just disappear into some forest.
Charlie Wilkinson says “I once had this nightmare where I woke up and the little boy
out of the Grudge was sat on the end of my bed, it turned to me and did the cat noise
and it felt so real.
It was bloody terrifying but the best dream I’ve ever had haha.”
You consider something like that to be the best dream you’ve ever had?
My goodness.
I mean, at least you had fun, I guess?
And that’s all the time we have for today.
Before I find a gigantic pencil sharpener to stick my head in, make sure to give this
video a big thumbs up, and subscribe for more starstuff and screaming.
Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you next time.