Top 10 Movies That Will Make You TERRIFIED of Space

This found-footage thriller puts a unique twist on the typical sci-fi storyline. After a space crew discovers liquid water and single-celled organisms on a distant moon of Jupiter, the team struggles to make it back to Earth with their monumental discovery. The fact that this discovery alone would change the course of humanity only serves to make the vastness of space all the more beautiful and chilling. But when characters start getting picked off one-by-one, it starts to feel more like a horror flick than a science fiction movie. “Europa Report” doesn’t explicitly reveal what other “complex” life forms may be watching the crew, but it’s enough to give you a serious case of the creeps.

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#9: “Event Horizon” (1997)

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Even though it underperformed upon release, this space horror has gained a recent cult following, blurring the lines between science and the supernatural. After a search-and-rescue mission is sent to recover the remains of a craft lost in deep space, the team – led by Laurence Fishburne and Sam Neill – discovers that a horrifying reality exists not too far from our own. The cold cruel nature of space combined with actively malicious evil is a perfect recipe for inescapable terror. Plus, with a twist you may not see coming, this movie makes us question some pretty fundamental things, and frankly, the answers are gruesome. Watch out for that glimpse into Hell near the end: it’s a doozy.

Dennis Quaid plays a ranking officer aboard the spaceship that’s carrying the last members of the human race. When he awakens far too early from his cryogenic sleep, he discovers that his memory has been damaged and he’s at risk of falling victim to the syndrome nicknamed Pandorum, a kind of deep-space psychosis that causes hallucinations, violence and more. Oh yeah, AND the ship is also overrun with a horde of flesh eating inhuman monsters. With its tight quarters, low lighting, and uncertain nature, you’ll be holding your breath in suspense. All we can say is: space is scary enough when you KNOW what’s going on; this film just takes it up a few notches.

No sci-fi list would be complete without this landmark work by Stanley Kubrick. Everything from the cinematography to the suspense-filled soundtrack makes sure that “2001” is oozing with the kind of preternatural terror reserved for those things that are bigger than us. And of course, when it comes to outer space, everything is bigger than us. Even our man-made constructs, in the form of the antagonist supercomputer HAL, have an eerie way of getting the better of us humans. We may feel big here on Earth, but a small step off the planet will show us just how little control we really have.

Another groundbreaking work for modern sci-fi, this movie’s star-studded cast portrays a harrowing scenario, made all the more intense by its hyperrealism and by the fact that it’s based on a true story. After an accident occurs during a return-trip to the moon, it’s up to the three astronauts on board Apollo 13 to somehow make their way safely back to Earth. Lacking any overt alien antagonist, this movie will terrify you with the sheer complexity of what it takes to simply survive in outer space. In the harshest of natural environments, the smallest mistake can be disastrous.

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#5: “The Martian” (2015)

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Humanity’s fixation on the Red Planet continues with this smash-hit Ridley Scott success, which was nominated for seven Oscars, and, oddly enough, won a Golden Globe for Best...Comedy(?). Being stranded all alone on a remote planet doesn’t sound that funny to us, and that’s exactly what happens to Matt Damon’s character. Damon must learn to survive in a harsh, foreign world, with only his knowledge of science and botany to help him. Like other entries on our list, this film also doesn’t have any direct antagonist, whether human or alien – but that just makes the threat all the more sinister. We’re shown once again that, when it comes to actually living life outside our little sphere, we know next to nothing.

For a peek into the mind-bending nature of outer space, look no further than this runaway hit from director Christopher Nolan. Matthew McConaughey plays a retired NASA test pilot living on a dying Earth, and he’s prepared to do anything to save his family, and all of humankind – even if it means leaving everything behind to travel through deep space. However, when wormholes and black holes are involved – even ones that may hold some solutions – the established rules of space and time cease to apply. Specifically filmed with the input of leading scientists in the field, this movie prides itself on its relatively accurate depiction of deep space physics. In that case, nothing could scare us more.

Director Danny Boyle takes on the vastness of space in this underrated sci-fi thriller, with an ensemble cast that includes Rose Byrne, Chris Evans and Cillian Murphy along for the ride. As our solar system’s sun is dying, humanity sends a last-ditch mission to reignite the dying star with a massive nuclear explosion. Both a man-against-nature film and a man-against-man film, “Sunshine” celebrates science as a solution to the world’s problems. The film captures the terrible beauty and awesome power of the sun, and will definitely make you look twice next time it’s a nice day outside. Just, please don’t look directly at it, or for too long. Otherwise…

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#2: “Alien” (1979)

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Decades after its release, this movie’s portrayal of the ultimate killing organism still haunts our nightmares. We’re honestly not sure where we’d rather be: floating in the endless void of space, or trapped inside a claustrophobic ‘80s spaceship with a xenomorph for company. Proving nearly impossible to kill, while also being able to easily dispatch any human in a colorful variety of ways, the Alien makes us feel more desperate and helpless than almost anything cinema’s thrown at us. Fortunately, as the archetype of the badass survivor, Sigourney Weaver forever cemented herself in the sci-fi fandom, surviving the creature’s onslaught time and time again. Point goes to the humans!

Before we unveil our top pick, here’s an Honorable Mention:
- “Galaxy of Terror” (1981)

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#1: “Gravity” (2013)

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Being stranded on a spaceship is frightening enough; but what about floating – untethered and out of control – in nothing but a space suit, with the entirety of the universe stretching ahead of you? Yeah, no thanks. But that’s exactly what two astronauts have to deal with in this beyond-suspenseful space ride, when space debris from broken satellites decimates their ship in orbit, leaving them completely exposed. What’s perhaps most frightening about this cataclysmic scenario is its theoretical possibility, first proposed in 1978 by Donald J. Kessler. The fear, helplessness, and eventual acceptance of death by our main characters is almost too much to bear, and may just crush any aspirations you may have about going into space. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Do you agree with our list? What’s your favorite terrifying space movie? For more entertaining Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.