If you were to ask a horror fan which decade boasts the best sci-fi horror films, they would undoubtedly say the 1980s. With heavy hitters like John Carpenter’s The Thing, David Cronenberg’s The Fly, The Blob remake of 1988, and Predator, it doesn’t get much better for the subgenre. In fact, these are such iconic films, it can be hard to remember that the next decade had a spread of awesome movies that helped carry the horror genre through a weaker run.
Of course, the 1990s had several horror juggernauts of their own. Scream, The Sixth Sense, The Silence of the Lambs, and The Blair Witch Project are some of horror’s most memorable and most profitable entries. However, the slasher genre was essentially dead, the creature feature succumbed to Jurassic Park (which is arguably a horror movie), and the focus of cinema had moved on to massive, special effects-heavy blockbusters, like Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Speed, Titanic, and Armageddon.
The sci-fi horror subgenre moved horror along in a solid, quiet way. Although none of the entries on this list were gigantic financial successes, many have become important inspirations, cult classics, and fan favorites since their releases.
7Species (1995)
In a movie that had no business being as erotic as it was, Roger Donaldson’s Species follows several scientists who must stop an escaped alien from breeding with a human. The film is probably the most profitable on this list, turning a $35 million budget into $113 million. A lot of its initial theater success had to do with its oversaturated marketing of Natasha Henstridge’s revealing role as the alien Sil, but Species also had a great supporting cast that included several prior and eventual Oscar winners and nominees, like Ben Kingsley, Forest Whitaker, and Michelle Williams.
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One of the areas that Species really shone was in its effects and design. Sil’s alien form was designed by H.R. Giger (the designer of Xenomorphs), and the animatronics and special effects were handled by Steve Johnson and a team that had previously worked on films like Predator, The Stand, and Ghost Story. Although it was a pretty cut-and-dry story, the film was left with a bit of an open ending, which led to three more Species movies between 1998 and 2007.
6The Faculty (1998)
After Robert Rodriguez’s first foray into horror with From Dusk Till Dawn, he and Scream writer Kevin Williamson teamed up to release the teenage high school alien flick, The Faculty. The movie follows a group of teens who believe their teachers have been replaced by aliens intent on taking over the town. The Faculty has a surprisingly diverse and great cast of character actors that consists of Josh Hartnett, Clea DuVall, Jordana Brewster, Famke Janssen, Salma Hayek, Piper Laurie, Christopher McDonald, Elijah Wood, Robert Patrick, Jon Stewart, and Usher.
Even though some of the digital effects don’t hold up in 2025, The Faculty still captures that classic feel of 1980s Bruce Coville books, like My Teacher Is an Alien and My Teacher Fried My Brains filled with The Breakfast Club-style characters. The movie had all sorts of neat little alien creatures, including a giant practical monster in the final act. Honestly, The Faculty still stands tall as a genuinely good sci-fi horror, even after a couple of decades.
5Predator 2 (1990)
Even though it’s only in the middle of the pack for the Predator franchise, Predator 2 is a lot of fun and doesn’t get enough love in the ‘90s sci-fi-horror-action bag. The film brings the extraterrestrial hunter to the gang-war-torn city of Los Angeles to take on specially trained members of the LAPD, played by Danny Glover, Bill Paxton, and Maria Conchita Alonso. There’s also a fun side-villain role from Gary Busey.
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Predator 2 may not have had all the fun characters as the first, and was a little sillier, but it’s still an action-packed ride that had tons of spine-ripping gore. The sequel introduced fans to new deadly weapons and accessories the Predator used, had a great final showdown, and showed us the inside of the Yautja ship, exploring the franchise’s lore a bit. The movie also showed the first connection between the Predator and Alien franchises by revealing a Xenomorph skull on the Yautjas’ trophy wall.
4Bride of Re-Animator (1990)
On the opposite side of the sci-fi horror spectrum comes Bride of Re-Animator, the first sequel to Stuart Gordon’s ‘80s cult classic. Bryan Yuzna’s dark comedy brings back Jeffrey Combs in the role of Dr. Herbert West, and Bruce Abbott and David Gale return as Dr. Cain and Dr. Hill as well. This time, Dr. Hill, who is just a severed head at this point, has psychic powers, and West and Cain are busy reanimating Dr. Cain’s deceased fiancée.
Bride of Re-Animator is plainly just a good time. The film is chock-full of fantastic, goopy practical effects, much like its predecessor, and while it’s missing Barbara Crampton’s presence, it does have a lot of the same things that make the first film so excellent, including Combs’ hilariously dry comedic performance, severed limbs with minds of their own, and Richard Band’s synth-heavy score. If you’re looking for a fun movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously, yet still manages to be great, look no further than this one.
3Fire in the Sky (1993)
For being the least-known film on this list, Robert Lieberman’s Fire in the Sky is without a doubt the most terrifying. The film is loosely based on the 1975 abduction story of Travis Walton and his horrific experiences inside an alien spacecraft, while his coworkers face scrutiny from their townspeople, who accuse them of murdering their friend. The cast includes D.B. Sweeney, Robert Patrick (again), Peter Berg, Henry Thomas (The Haunting of Hill House, E.T.), and James Garner.
Even though the film is wrapped in a mystery story mixed with a police procedural, a good chunk of it details Travis’ abduction and probing, which is absolutely frightening. The set pieces and practical effects are amazing, the aliens are strangely spooky, and Sweeney’s acting during this entire scene is incredible. It’s truly one of the scariest horror film moments of all time.
2Mimic (1997)
Mimic is the Guillermo del Toro movie that everyone tends to forget about. A creepy creature feature about giant roaches who disguise themselves as humans, Mimic doesn’t pull its punches in the goop and gore departments. Del Toro’s special effects genius is in full effect, with giant, practical roaches and great CGI used in darkness to keep the film realistic. It has a solid cast, too, with Mira Sorvino, Josh Brolin, Norman Reedus (in his first major studio film role), and F. Murray Abraham.
Mimic is intense and not for the faint of heart, especially those who have issues with bug movies. It’s also pretty unforgiving, showing both major characters and children killed off unceremoniously by humongous insects that slice and dice. Its use of great sets adds to the grimy atmosphere of the NYC underbelly. The train car siege scene in the final act is fantastic and brings vibes of classic monster movies.
1Event Horizon (1997)
Unquestionably, the best sci-fi horror movie of the 1990s is Paul W.S. Anderson’s Event Horizon. No other movie in this subgenre has been as inspirational (Dead Space) or has people still wishing for its original cut after 25 years. The film is about the journey of the Event Horizon, a spacecraft that disappeared for decades and traveled through a hellish dimension. The crew of the Lewis and Clark must investigate what happened to the ship and its crew, and while doing so, they are confronted with the evil that has been lying within its hull.
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Even though a few of the CG effects are a little lacking compared to today’s standards, Event Horizon’s creep factor never dwindled. A star-studded cast of Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Jason Isaacs, and Kathleen Quinlan brings memorable backstories and quotable characters that give the audience an extra level of concern when they start succumbing to a nightmare scenario, one by one.
Even with how unsettling and gory Event Horizon is, it could have been even better, as most of the consulting that Hellraiser creator Clive Barker added to the film was cut out by the studio. Fans of the film have clamored for more Event Horizon backstory since its release, but because it was a financial failure, a sequel was never made, and it’s been kind of swept under the rug… until now. Later this month, IDW will finally be releasing a five-issue comic series titled Event Horizon: Dark Descent, which will detail the ship’s journey through hell.
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