10 Most Disturbing Sci-Fi Horror Movies, Ranked

Science fiction and horror are two of the most popular genres in cinema, and the pair often go hand in hand. There is always something frightening about the extraterrestrial or unknown, and most monsters are the result of scientific curiosity. Plenty of movies have successfully combined the two genres, some of the most famous being Alien, Event Horizon and Cloverfield.

These films deliver otherworldly thrills, but there are a good number of sci-fi horror movies that go beyond typical conventions in order to craft something truly disturbing. They are often difficult to watch, challenge viewers both thematically and visually, and leave an impression that lasts long after the credits roll.

10 ‘The Mist’ (2007)

Directed by Frank Darabont

Based on the novella by horror icon Stephen King, The Mist is a gloomy tale that highlights how humans can be just as monstrous as extraterrestrial beings. After a freak storm, a mysterious mist is released on a small town, which brings about bloodthirsty creatures. David (Thomas Jane) and his son Billy (Nathan Gamble) become trapped inside a supermarket with other citizens, and tensions rise as they fight for their lives.

Despite the creatures being on the outside, the inside of the supermarket seems even more dangerous, as people’s fear slowly turns into chaos and violence. However, what is most shocking about The Mist is its infamous final scene. It’s a bold choice that may leave viewers polarized, and one of the most grim in cinematic history. Because of this, it’s best to go into the movie totally blind.

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9 ‘The Thing’ (1982)

Directed by John Carpenter

John Carpenter is the horror maestro who created the Halloween franchise, but it’s his 1982 film The Thing that really leaves a mark. It follows a research team in Antarctica that features Kurt Russell’s MacReady, as they are hunted by a shape-shifting alien creature. What’s most horrific is that the creature can take the form of its victims. The Thing is famous for its practical effects and body horror, which were incredibly groundbreaking at the time.

Although some of the effects may be outdated, Carpenter’s macabre and detailed images of gore, blood, flesh are still hard to stomach. All kinds of goo and ooze are on display, and in the most gruesome way possible. Those who are squeamish and struggle with body horror should avoid this one, even though it remains the best of its kind.

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8 ‘Splice’ (2009)

Directed by Vincenzo Natalia

As Frankenstein first warned us, any living thing created in a lab should be considered a danger. This is the premise of the 2009 film Splice, starring Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley. The pair play two scientists who create an animal-human hybrid by splicing DNA. They name the creature Dren (Delphine Chanéac), who slowly gains intelligence and proves to be a threat.

The disturbing physical appearance of Dren is enough to frighten audiences, and Chanéac’s performance pushes this further. However, the film goes to traumatizing places in its exploration of morals and ethics, with one scene standing out. At a point in the movie, Clive (Brody) actually has sex with Dren. It’s enough to shock anybody, proving that Splice is a film that isn’t afraid to be controversial or push boundaries.

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7 ‘The Platform’ (2019)

Directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia

Netflix’s The Platform utilizes horror and sci-fi elements to explore themes surrounding class warfare. The film is set in a prison in a dystopian future, where inmates are fed through a descending platform. The wealthy prisoners on the upper levels get all the food they want (and more than they need), while the poor ones on the lower levels are only left with scraps.

When a prisoner named Goreng (Iván Massagué) fights back, chaos ensues. While providing effective social commentary, The Platform dissects the savage and barbaric measures humans are forced to succumb to in order to stay alive in extreme situations. With not enough food to go around, many prisoners resort to cannibalism and eat their fellow inmates. It is as dark and repulsive as it sounds.

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6 ‘Possessor’ (2020)

Directed by Brandon Cronenberg

As the son of body horror iconDavid Cronenberg, Brandon Cronenberg had much to live up to as a director, and followed in his father’s deranged filmmaking footsteps. He cemented his talent with the 2020 film Possessor, starring Andrea Riseborough. She plays Tasya Vos, a corporate assassin who can take control of other people’s bodies through brain implant technology, which is how she pulls off her hits.

The son of Cronenberg takes a leaf out of his father’s book, delivering visceral and unnatural imagery that will truly haunt viewers. An example of this is a scene where that shows someone jamming a needle into their own scalp. That’s not even in the uncut version, which does exist and is even more of a gore-fest than the original cut.

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5 ‘Crimes of the Future’ (2022)

Directed by David Cronenberg

As the king of body horror, David Cronenberg has directed many films that blur the lines between sci-fi and horror, with some of his most acclaimed being The Fly and Videodrome. However, it’s one of his more recent efforts, Crimes of the Future, that really solidifies the filmmaker’s twisted mind. Set in a dystopian future, the film sees Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen) and his partner Caprice (Léa Seydoux) perform live surgery on stage as a form of entertainment.

The film features stomach churning mutations of the human body, including a man that has ears all over his body. Bodies are drilled into, mutilated and more. What’s most unsettling is how the film occasionally presents this in a sexual manner, with surgery seemingly being a ‘turn on’ for people. Crimes of the Future is definitely only for a select audience.

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4 ‘Under the Skin’ (2013)

Directed by Jonathan Glazer

Before director Jonathan Glazer explored the real-life horrors of the Holocaust in Oscar-winner The Zone of Interest, he made one of A24’s earliest hits, the creepy and compelling Under the Skin. The film stars Scarlett Johansson, who plays an alien entity who takes the form of a young woman in Scotland. She seduces lonely men who are unaware of her true identity, and takes them into an otherworldly dimension where they are consumed.

While Under the Skin may not be as gruesome or outwardly shocking as some other sci-fi movies, it still manages to be one of the most unnerving due to the mood and atmosphere it creates. From the haunting score to the endless black void the men find themselves in, it is the way the film is crafted that really leaves a dark impression.

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3 ‘Infinity Pool’ (2023)

Directed by Brandon Cronenberg

Brandon Cronenberg followed up the depravity of Possessor with his next feature, Infinity Pool. Alexander Skarsgård and Cleopatra Coleman play a couple on a beach vacation on an island, lured there by a mysterious woman played by scream queen Mia Goth. They become involved in an accident that exposes them to the island’s violence and hedonism, and must choose whether to be executed or buy a clone and watch themselves die.

Infinity Pool is a film that is even more jarring and challenging to watch than Possessor, with excessive and exploitative scenes that feature body horror, sex, torture and more. It creates a nightmarish world full of visuals that are hard to unsee. Like Possessor, there is also an uncut version of Infinity Pool, but the original cut is enough to make anybody sick.

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2 ‘Annihilation’ (2018)

Directed by Alex Garland

Ex Machina director Alex Garland delivers one of the most striking and horrifying sci-fi films ever with Annihilation. The film stars Natalie Portman as Lena, a biologist who is sent on a secret expedition with a team to an environmental disaster zone. They find themselves in an environment where the rules of nature don’t apply, as they find mutated plants and animals, and eventually start mutating themselves.

Annihilation features many surreal visuals that are as mesmerizing as they are frightening. From a bloody mutated bear to a morphing alien creature, the movie creates cosmic horror of terrifying proportions and abstract images that are difficult to comprehend. It is a film that manages to disturb on both visual and thematic levels, and is relentless in its execution.

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1 ‘High Life’ (2018)

Directed by Claire Denis

Claire Denis directs the unconventional and arthouse sci-fi horror High Life, starring Robert Pattinson. The film sees a group of criminals sign up for a mission in space where they become subjects in a human reproduction experiment. When a storm wipes away the entire crew, Monte (Pattinson) is left with his baby daughter, who is a product of the experiment. He must find a way to save them both.

At first glimpse, High Life seems like your conventional A24 sci-fi horror flick, with existential themes and an avant-garde style to separate it from regular space movies. However, the film features prolonged and detailed sexual imagery that is offensive, unnatural and arguably unnecessary. There is one particular scene featuring a character played by Juliette Binoche that may mentally scar viewers, and have them questioning Denis’s intentions.

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