{"id":2517873,"date":"2026-07-26T13:11:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T13:11:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2517873"},"modified":"2026-07-26T13:11:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T13:11:07","slug":"what-happened-to-space-horror-movies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/what-happened-to-space-horror-movies\/","title":{"rendered":"What happened to space horror movies?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p id=\"elk-43d01d46-8696-11f1-b406-71bea51c4218\">We all know the clich\u00e9: any horror franchise that goes on long enough inevitably goes to space. Critters, Hellraiser, Friday the 13th, Dracula\u2026 they&#8217;ve all taken a trip to the stars.<\/p>\n<p>The trope, fair or not, has often overshadowed the fact that science fiction and horror are absolutely perfect bedfellows, with outer space&#8217;s total isolation, tiny quarters, and oppressive vastness perfectly suited for the horror genre. Horror movies set in space have delivered classics of both genres that have lasted generations and built entire franchises in and of themselves.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" id=\"elk-seasonal\"\/><\/p>\n<aside id=\"seasonal_0\" class=\"hawk-root\" data-article-category=\"entertainment\" data-block-type=\"embed\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\"\/>\n<p id=\"elk-43d01d46-8696-11f1-b406-71bea51c4218-2\">Why then, in the middle of a horror film renaissance, has the genre seemingly abandoned outer space? What has become of the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/best-space-horror-movies\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/best-space-horror-movies\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/best-space-horror-movies\"><u><strong>space horror movie<\/strong><\/u><\/a>, and why has Hollywood either stopped producing them entirely or, maybe more accurately, failed to make a good one out of the few they do put out?<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" id=\"elk-a470a6ac-8696-11f1-8a8c-b18199627766\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"space-the-horror-frontier-3\">Space: The horror frontier<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"\" id=\"elk-4245e04c-869f-11f1-a44c-4949ca12cf57\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\" style=\"max-width:1920px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\"> <picture data-new-v2-image=\"true\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/PZEBsLGJqDjF8NNLT7pRHQ-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/PZEBsLGJqDjF8NNLT7pRHQ-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/PZEBsLGJqDjF8NNLT7pRHQ-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/PZEBsLGJqDjF8NNLT7pRHQ-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/PZEBsLGJqDjF8NNLT7pRHQ-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/PZEBsLGJqDjF8NNLT7pRHQ-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\"\/>\n<\/picture><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/PZEBsLGJqDjF8NNLT7pRHQ.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"expand-button icon-expand-image icon\" data-url=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/PZEBsLGJqDjF8NNLT7pRHQ.jpg\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-a470a760-8696-11f1-ae5a-3904ae8d8100\">To be clear, science fiction and horror haven\u2019t been on that much of a break overall; it\u2019s just that when the two genres meet, they no longer seem to have any interest in leaving planet Earth.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, the combination either brings the alien threat planetside, \u00e0 la &#8220;The Quiet Place&#8221;, &#8220;Nope&#8221;, or &#8220;No One Will Save You&#8221;, or makes the horror come from man\u2019s own hand like &#8220;Ex Machina&#8221; or &#8220;M3GAN&#8221;. Either way, the result is that horror no longer lives in space, with the only truly major space-horror film release this decade being the admittedly excellent &#8220;<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/alien-romulus--movie-review\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/alien-romulus--movie-review\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/alien-romulus--movie-review\"><u><strong>Alien: Romulus<\/strong><\/u><\/a>&#8220;, along with some smaller projects like &#8220;Europa Report&#8221; and &#8220;Life&#8221;.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            You may like<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>I was sure there must be more \u2014 some hidden classics that I missed \u2014 but researching for this article, I was shocked at just how few space horror movies we&#8217;ve had in the past couple of decades. It\u2019s like everyone agreed &#8220;<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/event-horizon-director-paul-anderson-interview\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/event-horizon-director-paul-anderson-interview\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/event-horizon-director-paul-anderson-interview\"><u><strong>Event Horizon<\/strong><\/u><\/a>&#8221; was peak and gave up making horror films in space.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"\" id=\"elk-4245e0c4-869f-11f1-bf0b-b51a0e13b755\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\" style=\"max-width:1920px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\"> <picture data-new-v2-image=\"true\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/wEZcSsaGHLyEUZZbQ5cdha-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/wEZcSsaGHLyEUZZbQ5cdha-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/wEZcSsaGHLyEUZZbQ5cdha-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/wEZcSsaGHLyEUZZbQ5cdha-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/wEZcSsaGHLyEUZZbQ5cdha-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/wEZcSsaGHLyEUZZbQ5cdha-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/wEZcSsaGHLyEUZZbQ5cdha.jpg\" alt=\"Sam Neill from the sci-fi horror movie &quot;Event Horizon&quot;, shown possessed, with his eyes removed and blood on his face.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/wEZcSsaGHLyEUZZbQ5cdha-1200-80.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/wEZcSsaGHLyEUZZbQ5cdha-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/wEZcSsaGHLyEUZZbQ5cdha-970-80.jpg 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/wEZcSsaGHLyEUZZbQ5cdha-650-80.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/wEZcSsaGHLyEUZZbQ5cdha-480-80.jpg 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/wEZcSsaGHLyEUZZbQ5cdha-320-80.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/wEZcSsaGHLyEUZZbQ5cdha.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/wEZcSsaGHLyEUZZbQ5cdha.jpg\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] inline expandable\"\/>\n<\/picture><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/wEZcSsaGHLyEUZZbQ5cdha.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"expand-button icon-expand-image icon\" data-url=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/wEZcSsaGHLyEUZZbQ5cdha.jpg\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Paramount)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-4245e132-869f-11f1-8b7b-b9cd9ebc14c5\">Horror in space has never been a dominant subgenre, but it was once big enough to be considered an entire trope. So it feels especially strange that in the middle of a horror renaissance, as the genre continues to dominate box offices, it is totally left behind. Horror has crawled out of the B-grade shadows and into Oscar contention with films like &#8220;Get Out&#8221;, &#8220;Midsommar&#8221;, and &#8220;It Follows&#8221;, and the box office returns are staggering.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"newsletter-branded-widget text-center block bg-center bg-cover py-5 px-4 my-5 rounded-[var(--newsletter-branded--border-radius,0)]\" style=\"background-image: url('https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tBPAsGUDCH3SyTofGpt78X.png')\" data-component-name=\"Newsletter:ArticleInline\" url=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=space.com\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/media\/img\/spc-logo-w.svg\" alt=\"Space\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"w-auto h-7 block w-auto mx-auto mb-4 h-[30px]\" data-component-name=\"Image\"\/><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Respected directors are diving into the genre and creating masterpieces, but none of them seem interested in outer space. We are nearly a decade into a horror renaissance that has seen almost every type of horror unpacked, remade, and turned into arthouse, and yet space horror has sat almost entirely dormant. So what gives?<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" id=\"elk-heading-buying-guide-5\"\/><\/p>\n<aside id=\"heading-buying-guide-5_0\" class=\"hawk-root\" data-article-category=\"entertainment\" data-block-type=\"embed\" data-model-name=\"Space: The horror frontier\" data-name=\"Streaming widget\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-widget-title=\"Space: The horror frontier\" data-widget-type=\"streaming\"\/><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" id=\"elk-a470a800-8696-11f1-932b-4139e377ca2d\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"in-space-no-one-can-hear-you-arthouse-3\">In space, no one can hear you arthouse<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"\" id=\"elk-4245e1a0-869f-11f1-82e7-8337488da0d6\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\" style=\"max-width:1280px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\"> <picture data-new-v2-image=\"true\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zc5B8Jkw5yZJMAbtJU5ZQK-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zc5B8Jkw5yZJMAbtJU5ZQK-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zc5B8Jkw5yZJMAbtJU5ZQK-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zc5B8Jkw5yZJMAbtJU5ZQK-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zc5B8Jkw5yZJMAbtJU5ZQK-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zc5B8Jkw5yZJMAbtJU5ZQK-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zc5B8Jkw5yZJMAbtJU5ZQK.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot from the 2007 sci-fi movie &quot;Sunshine&quot;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zc5B8Jkw5yZJMAbtJU5ZQK-1200-80.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zc5B8Jkw5yZJMAbtJU5ZQK-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zc5B8Jkw5yZJMAbtJU5ZQK-970-80.jpg 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zc5B8Jkw5yZJMAbtJU5ZQK-650-80.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zc5B8Jkw5yZJMAbtJU5ZQK-480-80.jpg 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zc5B8Jkw5yZJMAbtJU5ZQK-320-80.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zc5B8Jkw5yZJMAbtJU5ZQK.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zc5B8Jkw5yZJMAbtJU5ZQK.jpg\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] inline expandable\"\/>\n<\/picture><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zc5B8Jkw5yZJMAbtJU5ZQK.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"expand-button icon-expand-image icon\" data-url=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zc5B8Jkw5yZJMAbtJU5ZQK.jpg\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Fox Searchlight Pictures)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-a470a88c-8696-11f1-98ad-4507a06e2571\">Why is this happening then? Where is the arthouse unpacking of &#8220;Jason X&#8221;? Why didn\u2019t Danny Boyle\u2019s &#8220;Sunshine&#8221; kick off the horror renaissance a decade earlier? Why did the &#8220;Alien&#8221; franchise become whatever the hell &#8220;Prometheus&#8221; was before finally returning to its roots (and then <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/entertainment\/space-movies-shows\/alien-earth-is-an-intelligent-and-thought-provoking-bloodbath-and-everything-we-ever-wanted-from-an-alien-show-review\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/entertainment\/space-movies-shows\/alien-earth-is-an-intelligent-and-thought-provoking-bloodbath-and-everything-we-ever-wanted-from-an-alien-show-review\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/entertainment\/space-movies-shows\/alien-earth-is-an-intelligent-and-thought-provoking-bloodbath-and-everything-we-ever-wanted-from-an-alien-show-review\"><u><strong>promptly coming down to Earth!<\/strong><\/u><\/a>)? Where\u2019s our English remake of Aniara from an up-and-coming indie director?<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s most likely a slew of reasons none of this has happened, but the most likely culprit is that horror has become far more grounded than it used to be. While we still get slashers and jump scares, the renaissance that A24 ushered in has not only brought horror out of the shadows, but also delivered a redefined genre that doesn\u2019t jive as well with spaceships and alien creatures.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            What to read next<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>That\u2019s not to say it can\u2019t, but this new generation of horror isn\u2019t interested in going off-planet to tell its slow-burning stories of grief and trauma, full of thinly veiled metaphors for real-life issues. \u201cEarth and the present day are scary enough as is\u201d seems to be the argument.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"\" id=\"elk-4245e20e-869f-11f1-a0ac-2dc0a009bff9\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\" style=\"max-width:2000px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\"> <picture data-new-v2-image=\"true\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Yq4MgsFkYJiPS7ycskSi45-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Yq4MgsFkYJiPS7ycskSi45-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Yq4MgsFkYJiPS7ycskSi45-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Yq4MgsFkYJiPS7ycskSi45-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Yq4MgsFkYJiPS7ycskSi45-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Yq4MgsFkYJiPS7ycskSi45-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Yq4MgsFkYJiPS7ycskSi45.jpg\" alt=\"Still from the film &quot;Aniara.&quot;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Yq4MgsFkYJiPS7ycskSi45-1200-80.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Yq4MgsFkYJiPS7ycskSi45-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Yq4MgsFkYJiPS7ycskSi45-970-80.jpg 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Yq4MgsFkYJiPS7ycskSi45-650-80.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Yq4MgsFkYJiPS7ycskSi45-480-80.jpg 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Yq4MgsFkYJiPS7ycskSi45-320-80.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Yq4MgsFkYJiPS7ycskSi45.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Yq4MgsFkYJiPS7ycskSi45.jpg\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] inline expandable\"\/>\n<\/picture><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Yq4MgsFkYJiPS7ycskSi45.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"expand-button icon-expand-image icon\" data-url=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Yq4MgsFkYJiPS7ycskSi45.jpg\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Magnet Releasing)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-4245e27c-869f-11f1-ae57-859abd10825b\">Of course, there\u2019s the other reason. The reason for everything: money.<\/p>\n<p>The other new branch of horror that has come out of this renaissance comes from studios like Blumhouse, which churn out low-budget horror films and rake in huge profits. And that&#8217;s no knock on budget horror flicks, some of which are truly amazing.<\/p>\n<p>But while space horror can be made on the cheap, it\u2019s definitely not as easy to do. It requires more investment, design, and often sets and special effects than a traditional horror film does. It\u2019s just cheaper and easier to make sci-fi horror that\u2019s set on Earth, and with so many of them becoming massive hits, why bother going to space?<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" id=\"elk-heading-buying-guide-10\"\/><\/p>\n<aside id=\"heading-buying-guide-10_0\" class=\"hawk-root\" data-article-category=\"entertainment\" data-block-type=\"embed\" data-model-name=\"In space, no one can hear you arthouse\" data-name=\"Streaming widget\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-widget-title=\"In space, no one can hear you arthouse\" data-widget-type=\"streaming\"\/><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" id=\"elk-a470a922-8696-11f1-b708-95662358d7d8\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"drag-me-to-space-3\">Drag me to space<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"\" id=\"elk-4245e2ea-869f-11f1-9958-8963d531ffc8\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\" style=\"max-width:1920px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\"> <picture data-new-v2-image=\"true\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/XhVJaZD2hedy8vU9vTZM7h-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/XhVJaZD2hedy8vU9vTZM7h-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/XhVJaZD2hedy8vU9vTZM7h-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/XhVJaZD2hedy8vU9vTZM7h-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/XhVJaZD2hedy8vU9vTZM7h-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/XhVJaZD2hedy8vU9vTZM7h-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/XhVJaZD2hedy8vU9vTZM7h.jpg\" alt=\"Sam Rockwell played Sam Bell in the 2009 film &quot;Moon.&quot;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/XhVJaZD2hedy8vU9vTZM7h-1200-80.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/XhVJaZD2hedy8vU9vTZM7h-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/XhVJaZD2hedy8vU9vTZM7h-970-80.jpg 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/XhVJaZD2hedy8vU9vTZM7h-650-80.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/XhVJaZD2hedy8vU9vTZM7h-480-80.jpg 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/XhVJaZD2hedy8vU9vTZM7h-320-80.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/XhVJaZD2hedy8vU9vTZM7h.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/XhVJaZD2hedy8vU9vTZM7h.jpg\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] inline expandable\"\/>\n<\/picture><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/XhVJaZD2hedy8vU9vTZM7h.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"expand-button icon-expand-image icon\" data-url=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/XhVJaZD2hedy8vU9vTZM7h.jpg\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Sony Picture Classics)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-a470a9ae-8696-11f1-b4e2-75d780abf6aa\">Given both sci-fi and horror&#8217;s history of social commentary and cultural unpacking, arthouse horror not going to space \u2014 budget restraints aside \u2014 seems like a major miss, especially when the very aspects it explores are perfectly built for the isolation, detachment, and fear that space evokes.<\/p>\n<p>Outside of horror, excellent space movies like &#8220;Moon&#8221; and &#8220;<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/entertainment\/space-movies-shows\/the-martian-is-10-years-old-looking-back-at-sci-fis-answer-to-the-shawshank-redemption\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/entertainment\/space-movies-shows\/the-martian-is-10-years-old-looking-back-at-sci-fis-answer-to-the-shawshank-redemption\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/entertainment\/space-movies-shows\/the-martian-is-10-years-old-looking-back-at-sci-fis-answer-to-the-shawshank-redemption\"><u><strong>The Martian<\/strong><\/u><\/a>&#8221; have explored these themes, but we&#8217;re missing that spooky, scary edge.<\/p>\n<p>And look, I\u2019m not even saying that space horror has to be arthouse. The trope that horror franchises go to space eventually is actually one I\u2019d like to see more of. Why not jump the shark a bit more with horror franchises? A science fiction version of <em>Saw<\/em> sounds a hell of a lot more fun than Chris Rock&#8217;s dreadful spin-off. Sci-fi space &#8220;Purge&#8221; on a colony ship? Yes, and please. &#8220;Evil Dead&#8221;\u2019s new anthology style of horror is practically begging to take a trip to space. There\u2019s so much space in space, and these franchises could totally take a trip there.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"\" id=\"elk-4245e34e-869f-11f1-9233-dd7d58407659\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\" style=\"max-width:1920px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\"> <picture data-new-v2-image=\"true\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gFvj4DxtqZZvHC4JQSmQfn-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gFvj4DxtqZZvHC4JQSmQfn-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gFvj4DxtqZZvHC4JQSmQfn-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gFvj4DxtqZZvHC4JQSmQfn-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gFvj4DxtqZZvHC4JQSmQfn-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gFvj4DxtqZZvHC4JQSmQfn-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gFvj4DxtqZZvHC4JQSmQfn.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot from the sci-fi horror video game &quot;Alien: Isolation&quot;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gFvj4DxtqZZvHC4JQSmQfn-1200-80.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gFvj4DxtqZZvHC4JQSmQfn-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gFvj4DxtqZZvHC4JQSmQfn-970-80.jpg 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gFvj4DxtqZZvHC4JQSmQfn-650-80.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gFvj4DxtqZZvHC4JQSmQfn-480-80.jpg 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gFvj4DxtqZZvHC4JQSmQfn-320-80.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gFvj4DxtqZZvHC4JQSmQfn.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gFvj4DxtqZZvHC4JQSmQfn.jpg\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] inline expandable\"\/>\n<\/picture><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gFvj4DxtqZZvHC4JQSmQfn.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"expand-button icon-expand-image icon\" data-url=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gFvj4DxtqZZvHC4JQSmQfn.jpg\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Sega)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-4245e3b2-869f-11f1-8620-9b4d0dfb6789\">There is one bright spot, however, for the space-loving horror enthusiast. Video games seem to have taken up the mantle.<\/p>\n<p>Space horror has always flourished in the medium, from AAA classics like &#8220;Dead Space&#8221; to indie darlings like &#8220;Iron Lung&#8221; (<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/entertainment\/space-movies-shows\/markipliers-iron-lung-is-a-welcome-return-to-grindhouse-sci-fi-films-of-the-90s\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/entertainment\/space-movies-shows\/markipliers-iron-lung-is-a-welcome-return-to-grindhouse-sci-fi-films-of-the-90s\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/entertainment\/space-movies-shows\/markipliers-iron-lung-is-a-welcome-return-to-grindhouse-sci-fi-films-of-the-90s\"><u><strong>which itself was transformed into a space horror film!<\/strong><\/u><\/a>). The subgenre has been going strong for decades, even if film gave up on it. Hell, for nearly a decade, the best output from the &#8220;Alien&#8221; franchise was &#8220;<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/alien-isolation-sequel-confirmed\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/alien-isolation-sequel-confirmed\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/alien-isolation-sequel-confirmed\"><u><strong>Alien: Isolation<\/strong><\/u><\/a>&#8220;, one of the scariest games ever made.<\/p>\n<p>While movies may no longer be playing in the wider universe, at least our video games are taking us there and then scaring us out of our space boots.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" id=\"elk-heading-buying-guide-15\"\/><\/p>\n<aside id=\"heading-buying-guide-15_0\" class=\"hawk-root\" data-article-category=\"entertainment\" data-block-type=\"embed\" data-model-name=\"Drag me to space\" data-name=\"Streaming widget\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-widget-title=\"Drag me to space\" data-widget-type=\"streaming\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.space.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We all know the clich\u00e9: any horror franchise that goes on long enough inevitably goes to space. Critters, Hellraiser, Friday the 13th, Dracula\u2026 they&#8217;ve all taken a trip to the stars. The trope, fair or not, has often overshadowed the fact that science fiction and horror are absolutely perfect bedfellows, with outer space&#8217;s total isolation, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2517874,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2517873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/What-happened-to-space-horror-movies.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2517873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2517873"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2517873\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2517875,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2517873\/revisions\/2517875"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2517874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2517873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2517873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2517873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}