What Happened to Sci-Fi Horror Movies?

[Olas]

If you ask me, sci-fi horror might be one of the most interesting genres out there. The creativity and futurism of sci-fi mixed with the macabre of horror seems like a recipe for awesome, and has lead to countless cinematic classics. I was thinking about this today when it occurred to me that I can barely think of any noteworthy sci-fi horror films from the last decade, or even the last couple. You might be able to classify zombie movies as sci-fi if they're caused by a virus or something similar, but that feels very separated from true sci-fi as most people think of it. If you don't count zombie movies, then it almost seems like the genre is dead. Here's a list of literally every somewhat noteworthy sci-fi horror film I can think of from the last decade:

- Alien vs Predator Requiem
- Splice
- The Thing (prequel)
- Prometheus

And I'm not even sure whether Prometheus is really horror or not. None of those movies are really that good (IMO) and 3 of them are spinoffs from franchises started in the 80s, back when the genre still had some life in it. I know there's probably tons of lower budget, more obscure ones I'm overlooking, but it's a little sad if the genre that brought us Frankenstien and Alien is now limited to Syfy original movies and strait-to-DVD junk. I genuinely think the best sci-fi horror film released in my LIFETIME might be Event Horizon, a that film Jim Sterling felt the need to defend.

It seems like sci-fi has become primarily an action oriented genre, while horror has become the domain of either ghosts and demons, or torturing psychopaths. What do you guys think, do you agree, and why do you think this is?

 

[BathorysGraveland2]

Hmm, I did see an astronaut movie a little while ago that took place on the moon. That was definitely horror. No idea what the name of it was though. All I remember from it was the astronauts exploring some really dark crater and being attacked by little rock alien things.

Other than that, yeah seems pretty niche now.

 

[Thaluikhain]

It seems like sci-fi has become primarily an action oriented genre, while horror has become the domain of either ghosts and demons, or torturing psychopaths.

Yeah, I'm hardly an expert, but that's what it looks like to me.

I'd also say that this isn't just an issue with horror in sci-fi, but with anything that isn't action. An awful lot of it looks like generic action movies, with some space or robots stuck in. That's a very limited view of science fiction. It's annoying that sci-fi has to have robots and laser fights, the way fantasy has to have elves and urban fantasy has to have vampires.

 

[Terminal Blue]

Well, I guess the reason everyone kind of rallied behind Prometheus a bit even though they all knew it was kind of.. meh..

The fact is, it's very difficult to release a big-budget R-rated (or 18-rated in the UK) movie. Executives see it as a huge gamble. Prometheus got through because it was (clumsily) attached to an existing popular franchise and because it had Ridley Scott's chops behind it.

The fact is, slasher movies and exorcist knock-offs are cheap as shit to make. A film like Prometheus costs about 10 times as much as a film like paranormal activity. Thus, it's very easy for executives to approve those kinds of films. Doing a serious sci-fi film (as opposed to a Leprechaun 4: in space) requires serious money.

That wasn't necessarily true in the past, but audiences tend to expect more now. Much as we might like the idea of doing everything with practical effects and styrofoam, there is a fear (and it may be legitimate) that modern audiences just aren't going to go for that. It also requires a lot of creativity and actual talent to pull off a good movie with limited effects.. I mean, think about it, what proportion of the sci-fi horror films of the past are actually good?

 

[small]

its definitely a genre that jumped into the niche corner, the same with horror comedies, i can remember two in the last few years with cabin in the woods and tucker and dale vs evil

 

[Casual Shinji]

It seems like sci-fi has become primarily an action oriented genre, while horror has become the domain of either ghosts and demons, or torturing psychopaths. What do you guys think, do you agree, and why do you think this is?

That's because sci-fi is more expensive to produce, and action draws in bigger crowds than horror.

 

[HardkorSB]

There's this sci-fi horror movie from 2013 called Under the Skin with Scarlet Johansson, it's pretty awesome.
It's slow moving and you won't be jumping out of your seat while watching it (it may send some chills down your spine though) but it's one of those movies that stays in your head for a long time (you might say that it gets under your skin
The trailer for it gives away a little too much in my opinion so your best bet is to watch it without knowing anything about it.

Pandorum was OK, nothing spectacular but I was entertained while watching it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMEhkTxs3_E

Last Days on Mars is watchable as well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6JiCJ5x3Qw

These's The Signal from this year, haven't seen it yet but I probably will soon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-_53i63DfY

The guy who directed Godzilla has made another monster movie in 2010 called Monsters (a sequel for it came out this year):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmR-l3y_coo

The Mist, based on a Stephen King's story:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhCKXJNGzN8

There's a movie called Altered, pretty low budget but entertaining:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbeXGNiASEw

These are just some of them, there's quite a lot if you look for them.
Haven't even mentioned all the Syfy channel movies, if you count those in there's a truckload of them.

 

[Darks63]

Hmm, I did see an astronaut movie a little while ago that took place on the moon. That was definitely horror. No idea what the name of it was though. All I remember from it was the astronauts exploring some really dark crater and being attacked by little rock alien things.

Other than that, yeah seems pretty niche now.

If it was a found footage movie than you are talking about Apollo 18.


OT: Horror in general seems to have cycles like all things crap like paranormal activity is popular right now and before that is was torture porn stuff like Saw and Hostel.

HardkorSB has given a small list I would add Europa report as a decent Sci-Fi horror movie.

 

[diligentscribbler]

I think space stopped being scary (at least on a scale smaller than the Cosmic abomination (Cthulhu is always scaryt))

Sci-fi horror kinda peaked during the cold war because space was an aesthetic for masking a fear of science. Just think about the way they talk about the creatures in Alien or the Thing its always absolute, we can quantify the terror but there's nothing we can do (MAD anyone?). Horror always mirrors human fears and that's true even moving into the 20th and 21st century.

but i guess that's just like my opinion, man

 

[Dizchu]

I'm not sure if the 2009 film Moon qualifies (it is a sci-fi with horror elements) but it really does nail the atmosphere aspect.

Sci-fi horror is personally one of my favourite genres (System Shock 2 and Doom are my favourite games ever and they have sci-fi horror aesthetics, though SS2 is more grounded in reality). It's also one that has an enormous amount of shlock. The AvP film franchise for example is absolutely awful.

The problem is that these days horror and sci-fi films are made with absolutely different work ethics. Horror is made with as small a budget as possible (to ensure maximum profit) and sci-fi films are gigantic spectacles like Avatar and Interstellar. You are not likely to find much overlap in today's market. Thought-provoking horror doesn't sell, and thought-provoking horror is what sci-fi needs to achieve the sci-fi horror fusion.

I'm sorry but things look bleak.

At least we have classics like Alien, Aliens, The Thing, The Fly etc.

The first Cube film is a decent sci-fi horror (and Splice by the same director). The acting and script are kinda goofy but the concept is fascinating. The other films in the series are good for a laugh I guess.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Attack the Block could qualify as sci-fi horrow. Barely.
I don't consider Prometheus a horror movie by any definition of the word.

 

[Cowabungaa]

Space exploration just isn't really in the public eye as much as it was in the 70's and 80's, despite fantastic advances we made in the last decade or so (tonight for starters). Hence why the focus of horror has changed, as has the subject material of sci-fi movies in general. We as a culture are just more concerned with other things now.

 

[Hawk of Battle]

Event Horizon murdered them all and is now wearing their skins as a trophy whilst it sits in the warp growing ever more insane awaiting the birth of Slaanesh.