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WhileAlienis often credited as a major influence on thesci - fihorror film genre , it was n’t the first of its kind . Because during the initial boom of sci - fi films in the 1950s and ‘ LX , there were several that were more horror - themed rather than optimistic in tone .
These picture show captured audience with riveting stories , never - before - seen technical accomplishments and some good erstwhile fashioned storytelling . Not all of the entries on this list are alien invasion flick , but the level of tension and panic they managed to gouge up are legendary in Hollywood . Here ’s just a few .
update on October 16th , 2020 by Derek Draven : We’ve added a few more sorry sci - fi films with the same tactile property as the original Alien to this listing . Some are very pop , while others have fallen a bit by the wayside . Now ’s the time to check them all out and see which ones sincerely delivered the scares .
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Though there ’s no terrifying exotic beast to battle , there ’s no denying a spiritual affinity between2001andAlien . Both films went for the ultra - realistic approach when it come to what space travel could be like in the future . These were plausible universes with credible characters and real - public technology that seemed to make sensation .
Stanley Kubrick ’s glorious visual sensation and masterful directorial style managed to act upon sci - fi permanently , and the ripple effect would strike franchise such asStar TrekandStar Wars , as well as theAlienfranchise .
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)
This remaking of the classical 1956 film played on the same gumption of paranoia as its harbinger , but the focus was order more on the alien tool themselves , and to better effect . It ’s still a terrifying and shivery account of man lose a dumb war against a ingenious invader .
There ’s no well-chosen ending to the film , and that ’s wholly the point . By rob the audience of abatement , Invasion of the Body Snatchersleaves watcher with an unsettling paranoia that does n’t go away presently after the credits have rolled .
War Of The Worlds (1953)
malign alien invaders were nothing new in pop culture or Hollywood picture , butWar of the Worldsmanaged to sop them in a heavy pelage of believability , and audience reacted powerfully . These maraud Martian were impervious even to Earth ’s most withering WMDs , make them one of sci - fi ’s most terrifying foes .
In the end , these aliens were n’t stop by a super - weapon or an act of last arcminute braveness , but by the very bacteria and viruses that humankind has develop an immunity against . It ’s a grave monitor of just how vulnerable humanity is to nature ’s tiniest organisms .
The Andromeda Strain (1971)
The Andromeda Strainwas particularly terrific . This radical - deadly extraterrestrial virus scared interview to death when it debuted on moving picture in 1971 . It ’s a smart , edgy , and terrifying science fiction thriller that mark world against the flyspeck of enemies , with the intact major planet ’s survival hanging in the symmetricalness .
The stress in the film ratchet up way by endurable in the final human action as the strain begins to mutate and get . It ’s a race against clock time to put a stop to it before all hope is lost . Even decade by and by , The Andromeda Strainis positively terrorize .
The Thing From Another World (1951)
Though the idea of aliens invading Earth is nothing new , The matter from Another Worldturned it into a horror story . Set at an Arctic research site , the motion picture follow a group of characters who get stalk by an alien creature .
If this set - up vocalize conversant , that ’s because it was popularized by John Carpenter’s1982remake . ButThe Thing from Another Worldarguably influencedAlienas well since both films have a claustrophobic premiss .
Forbidden Planet (1956)
Among the early sci - fi film , Forbidden Planetleft a legacy thatinfluencedlater operate includingStar WarsandStar Trek . Plot - wise , it ’s about a place - come crew that bring down on a satellite where an inconspicuous menace aggress them .
With that said , there are some similaritiesForbidden Planethas toAlien . For case , it has a automaton character who play an crucial role and the threat itself is a monstrosity born from human fault .
Night Of The Blood Beast (1958)
One of the most terrifying aspects ofAlienis the insemination ofXenomorpheggs by the bloodsucking Facehuggers . But there was a Roger Corman - produced film that had a like construct calledNight of the Blood Beast .
Released in 1958 , it come after the aftermath of a crashed roquette ship that bring back an unexpected alien rider . On top of that , the ship ’s piloting astronaut is carrying embryos of the alien ’s offspring in an undead state .
It! The Terror From Beyond Space (1958)
In recent years , older motion picture claim have been brought up as potential influence onAlienwithout check fromAlien ’s screenwriter Dan O’Bannon . PopMattersmagazine , for example , citedIt ! The Terror from Beyond Spacefrom 1958 as one such moving picture with many similarity toAlien .
The game concenter on a crew of cosmonaut bringing the subsister of a failed Martian expedition back to Earth . Unfortunately , they have to dish out with an foreign creature that snuck onboard .
First Spaceship On Venus (1960)
Also know asThe Silent Star , this East German - Polish film has a multi-ethnic spaceman squad traveling to Venus where they discover the remnants of an ancient civilization . While there , they encounter many danger including a mystifying black gist .
So in some way , First Spaceship on Venushas more in common withPrometheusthanAlien . But there are elements also see inAlien , such as the multiethnic cast and the astronaut make a robot companion .
Planeta Bur (1962)
A Soviet Russian picture , Planeta Burhas several loose titles and two re - edited American versions produced by Roger Corman . LikeFirst Spaceship on Venus , the picture show is about an expedition to the titular satellite with the astronauts facing many perils .
This let in a carnivorous plant that resembles the Trilobite ’s mouth inPrometheusand black reptilian creature that look like Xenomorph precursors . Even the astronauts ’ robot familiar attacks them at one stage like inAlien .
