5 Best Sci-Fi Horror Movies Nobody Talks About Anymore

"Alien" is a masterpiece and "The Thing" is one of the greatest sci-fi horrors of all time. Yada-yada-yada. Please, tell us something we don't know. There are so many sci-fi horror movies that still chill us to our bones, and some of them don't even involve being frozen by the harsh vacuum of space.

Even with all the immensely popular and cult-classic entries in the genre, there are some that simply don't get the props they deserve. The kind of films that check all the necessary boxes but, for some reason or another, sit as underrated entries that never get spoken about enough compared to the others that clearly just hit us at the right time, in the right place.

With that in mind, we've once again scanned BGR's massive movie must-see list and pulled out some that, frankly, we wish got a bit more attention. These are the kind of movies that walked so others could run, and they did a darn good job of it too. From interplanetary parasites to giant, kaiju-like creatures that some movie-loving fans didn't know existed, here's a compilation of sci-fi horror films that could become absolute classics if only more people shouted about them. To start off, we're going back to class with a movie that should've been the "Scream" of sci-fi horror.

Somehow, a star from one of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made, a future hero of "The Pitt," and Bilbo Baggins, long before he got the ring, all walked, ran, and scared the life out of each other in the same school halls that played host to an alien invasion in "The Faculty."

Directed by Robert Rodriguez and penned by "Scream" writer Kevin Williamson, the film applied his whip-smart snark and scares to the sci-fi genre and posed the question of what if "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" took place during school hours? The answer was an immensely overlooked movie that shone a spotlight on an up-and-coming star of the time, Josh Hartnett, and his "Breakfast Club" clan of world-saving teenagers.

Besides young stars like Hatosy, Jordana Brewster, and Usher in a rare movie appearance, the titular teachers, taken over by water-based space worms, also add to the terror. Robert Patrick plays the overly aggressive school coach; Famke Janssen goes from meek bookworm to femme fatale with an injury akin to "The Thing"; and even legendary comedian Jon Stewart makes an appearance as the school science teacher who has a close encounter with what's going to send the school out for summer. Whereas some high school movies might be a little dated, this underrated sci-fi horror holds up well and, as Wood's geeky photographer rightly puts it, is "guaranteed to jack you up."

Given how great the setup was, comic book movie fans were desperate to see that Daniel Espinosa's 2017 sci-fi horror effort "Life" was a secret prequel to Tom Hardy's "Venom." It wasn't, but that didn't stop this "Alien" adjacent horror movie among the stars, which saw a space crew make first contact with a lifeform that quickly goes from a starfish-sized critter to a squid-shaped monster that wraps around and rips through our heroes one by one.

Comparisons with Ridley Scott's 1979 masterpiece are unavoidable, given the movie's premise and the monster's adaptability. Nevertheless, the film is confident enough to stand on its own, with a cast just as compelling as the original doomed crew of the Nostromo. Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, "Shōgun" star Hiroyuki Sanada, and a double-bluff appearance from Ryan Reynolds all give muted but massively compelling performances as astronauts whose journey home is interrupted by a starfish from hell.

Even almost a decade after its release, "Life" remains the kind of small-budget, low-fanfare film that deserves much more attention than it received. Containing a decent amount of body horror and genuinely shocking kills, Espinosa's extraterrestrial outing really does feel like a cult classic from another time and deserves just as much attention for being so.

In the pantheon of daring ventures Kristen Stewart undertook over the last few years, there was one instance in which she ventured into the depths, creating a claustrophobic horror alongside Vincent Cassel. Directed by William Eubank, "Underwater" follows a small drill team working in a facility resting on the sea bed. Their workload gets interrupted when an earthquake brings a host of unknown creatures of all shapes and scary sizes swimming their way, ready to tear them all apart.

Containing splashes of "Sphere" and "Alien," Eubank manages to apply the same claustrophobic pressure and dread that would otherwise be felt in similar horrors set among the stars as opposed to under the sea. However, just like so many other fortified sci-fi movies, "Underwater" excels in its set and costume design, fixing screws and bolts into the film to make it feel as intense as it does.

Additionally, the movie's monsters are used sparingly, as a good sci-fi horror should, telling rather than always showing what's pulling our heroes down to the depths. When they do make appearances, though, they're equally parts scary and stunning to look at, with extra aid coming from the lights slowly dwindling in the dark waters we're dragged through for most of the film. Give it a watch if you've not already; just be prepared to go through plenty of scenes that'll find you holding your breath without realizing it.

If you're a fan of the ugly, nightmarish cult classic "Event Horizon," then "Pandorum" deserves just as much love for attempting to replicate the same kind of body-horror elements and not doing a bad job of it. Unfortunately, the film also shared a similar fate at the box office, becoming just as much of a bomb and, over the years, a cult movie that's earned less attention than Paul W.S. Anderson's space-based head trip.

Directed by Christian Alvart, "Pandorum" sees Ben Foster play an engineer aboard a space station that contains the last remains of humanity. Waking up with disgruntled Lieutenant Payton (Dennis Quaid), the two work to get the vessel back to ship-shape condition, only to enter deadly encounters with disfigured human-like beings that are also aboard the ship and hungry for anyone that doesn't share their cannibalistic tendencies.

Foster and Quaid do a great job in this dingy, dark-looking nightmare, which features interesting twists and turns and commendable creature designs. There's also the added appearance of Cam Gigandet, who appears to stir up some trouble. While it might not have had much love back in the day, it would make for a decent double-bill when paired with "Event Horizon," with Sam Neill losing his mind there too.

Long before James Gunn was given the keys to the DC universe, and even before he applied his magic to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he was better known for dabbling in movies with hefty doses of horror, rather than those involving world-saving heroes. One such entry that definitely caught the attention of sci-fi horror fans was his icky, sticky comedy with killer creature designs, "Slither." Released in 2006, the film stars Nathan Fillion as the sheriff of a small town invaded by alien parasites that turn the infected into truly gnarly-looking monsters.

Touching the same kind of comedic nerve as films like "Shaun of the Dead" (which hit theaters two years before), "Slither" revels in turning humans into sweaty, bloated beasts that spit parasites or tear townsfolk apart with tentacles. Joining the alien activity alongside Fillion are Elizabeth Banks and Gunn regular Michael Rooker, one of the movie's most notable cast members, who gets the creature-transformation treatment.

Rooker's slug-like appearance, as well as another notable big change in a farmyard barn, are what allow the film to still hold up today. It also provides the clear, rough-around-the-edges character molds that would reappear in films like the "Guardian of the Galaxy" movies and indeed, Gunn's take on the imperfect but perfect superhero "Superman." It also explains why in those films, there were slightly more family-friendly versions of the slug-like terrors that turn up here. Give it a watch and see how Gunn got his groove.