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The pop culture hive mind is always surrounded by aliens. Given the existential malaise of the twenty-first century, which has left many people yelling for escape and asking, “What else?” it makes reasonable that viewers would go to the skies. However, a strong desire to truly feel something has grown stronger where the timeless nostalgia of “E.T.” or the carefree charm of “Earth Girls Are Easy” may have previously established emotional contact.

The scariest alien films frighten in many of the same ways as the scariest horror films set on Earth: creating likable characters (and occasionally killing them); creating otherworldly visual displays with ominous implications; timing jump scares, if any; and daring to depict the unthinkably horrible. The unmatched ability of the subgenre to explore the unknown and conjure up horrific human fates that are so sweepingly wicked that few other films can attempt them is another way that alien films set themselves apart.

“The Fourth Kind,” directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, effectively lists the taxonomy of human-alien interactions: For these kinds of items, they have many levels and categories. When you observe a UFO, it’s the first type of encounter. The second type is when you notice signs of it, like radiation or crop circles. Making contact is the third type. However, nothing is more terrifying than the fourth kind. That one is when you are kidnapped.

Hollywood heavyweights like John Carpenter, Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, M. Night Shyamalan, James Gunn, and Jordan Peele have dedicated their warped imaginations to bringing these experiences to the big screen. These filmmakers have questioned what we owe to one another in the face of imminent disaster and have made important observations about human nature along the way.

32. The 1958 film “The Blob”
    The Blob, which was released to unfavorable reviews at the time, is a movie that is easy to write off as cheesy and outdated. Nevertheless, Irvin Yeaworth’s classic tale of a tiny village being overrun by a big, carnivorous ape from space has persisted for decades and is still a very amusing film to watch today. Strong pacing and endearing characters make it easy to turn on and enjoy. The film is far more humorous and lighthearted than you might anticipate, faithfully following the monster movie motions as the Blob ravages the little town and a bunch of heroes tries to stop its murderous march. The film’s protagonist, Steve McQueen, is especially outstanding because he showcased all of his talents while going on to achieve more success. —WC
33. The 2000 film “Pitch Black”
    Before swiftly transitioning into straight action, a franchise frequently begins in a horror genre. Classic examples include “Alien” and “The Terminator,” and a decade or so after those 1980s mainstays came David Twohy’s sleeper hit “Pitch Black,” which features action star Vin Diesel in his breakthrough role and tells the story of spaceship passengers who are stranded on a desert planet and attacked by creatures during a solar eclipse.

Goofy movie action would be featured in later sequels. However, “Pitch Black” is pure horror and does it quite effectively. Although it is somewhat reminiscent of “Alien,” “Pitch Black” does a good job of following its concept, with lots of action sequences and scares to bring the dark back to life. —WC

30. The 1997 film “Event Horizon”
    Since Paul W. S. Anderson’s cult masterpiece “Event Horizon” contains no actual aliens, it is admittedly a bit of a stretch to include it on this list. But that might actually make the movie scarier. It’s a Lovecraftian movie about the unknown, and it makes a lot of mileage out of the fear of unfathomable alien creatures. Starring as members of a rescue vessel dispatched to assist the crew of the lost spaceship Event Horizon are Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, and Kathleen Quinlan. They uncover a malevolent presence inside the metal husk, but it’s unclear if it’s an alien or a spirit from hell before they find it. The absence of answers may irritate some people, but it only serves to heighten the terror the crew experiences. —WC
31. In 1998, “The Faculty”
    “The Faculty” is here to prove your suspicions if you ever believed that your high school instructors weren’t from Earth. An incredibly ’90s cast of young actors (Jordana Brewster, Clea DuVall, Elijah Wood, Josh Hartnett, and Usher!) star in Robert Rodriguez’s underappreciated horror movie as a motley crew of Herrington High School students who serve as the last line of defense against an army of alien parasites that take over the school’s principals and teachers. Salma Hayek, Piper Laurie, Famke Janssen, Jon Stewart, and Bebe Neuwirth, who plays the principal, are among the other ridiculous ringers who portray such faculty. The picture is more humorous than frightening because of its clever dialogue, which was written by Kevin Williamson of “Scream.” Still, there are plenty of exciting moments in the movie, and it cleverly explores teenage alienation, conformity, and loneliness through its main parasitic antagonists. —WC
32. (2011) “Attack the Block”
    John Boyega was fighting aliens in a nearby apartment building before he was palling about with Chewbacca in a galaxy far, far away. Boyega plays young gang leader Moses in Joe Cornish’s critically praised directing debut, “Attack the Block,” whose tough exterior belies a heart of pure gold. One night, when he is mugging nurse Samantha (Jodie Whitaker), a meteorite with a dog-like alien with bright green fangs falls from the sky, giving him the opportunity to show off his golden heart. As other meteorites strike, what initially appears to be a single, easily eliminated bug becomes numerous, and Samantha and Moses end up serving as the improbable first line of defense against a full-scale alien invasion. Despite having a straightforward plot, “Attack the Block” is elevated by Boyega’s captivating, star-making performance, Cornish’s exciting and suspenseful directing, and the film’s realistic South London setting. —WC
33. (2009) “District 9”
    In “District 9,” director Neill Blomkamp’s somber sci-fi fantasy about crustaceous aliens captured and housed in dilapidated encampments in his native South Africa, humans are the true villains. It is, indeed, a hamfisted (hamclawed?) metaphor for Apartheid. However, it also offers a grimly realistic assessment of what might reasonably occur if extraterrestrials were to approach our historically unstable species—a scenario that tragically reverses the course of events and takes Earth seriously as a menace to the cosmos.
34. In 1977, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,”
    Spoiler alert: Steven Spielberg’s classic about alien visits is a serene story of discovery rather than a menacing one in the end. Even so, the renowned filmmaker’s exquisitely crafted 1977 alien drama, which stars Richard Dreyfuss from Jaws as a guy who sees a UFO, is incredibly engrossing and contains some particularly frightening sequences for younger audiences. Yes, it largely consists of miniature alien men’s silhouettes and flashing lights. However, I also think of a certain toddler who got sucked out of a certain dog door.
35. “The Attack of Mars!(1996)
    This colorfully designed Ed Wood knockoff-turned-cult classic, which stars Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Pierce Brosnan, Jack Black, Sarah Jessica Parker, Danny DeVito, and others, is given a wild, not-for-everyone, B-movie touch by Tim Burton. “Mars Attacks!” The way Martians look, with that exposed brain scenario going on, is really off-putting. Beyond that, though, they’re creepy for the demonic pleasure they appear to derive from our death, like thugs who are only amused. “We’ll take it, nice planet!”
36. “Preserve Yourself!” (2020)
    Co-writer/directors Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson’s brisk “Save Yourselves!” poses a threat to the inconspicuous pouffes that arrive on Earth that is reminiscent of a sea urchin. Starring as a Brooklyn couple, the well-cast John Reynolds and Sunita Mani initially think the alien invaders, who have spear-like tongues, the capacity to levitate, and other abilities, are furniture. A huge error.
37. The 2014 film “Edge of Tomorrow”
    Like the majority of Tom Cruise movies, “Edge of Tomorrow” is mostly a violent action movie. Nevertheless, Doug Liman’s underappreciated 2014 invasion film adds a particularly unique and adaptable extraterrestrial force to the pantheon of extraterrestrials. When Cruise’s cowardly draftee inherits the power and uses it to find a way to destroy them, the Mimics—the enemies the world’s citizens fight against—become their worst enemies. They are tentacled abominations with quick reflexes and the ability to rewind time when they are killed. This gives them a significant advantage over humanity. The Mimics are innovative and memorable even without the time paradoxes; their well-considered mythology and hive-mind twist make their demise all the more satisfying. —WC
38. The 1997 film “Starship Troopers”
    Although “Starship Troopers” by Paul Verhoeven is unsettling, its scathing satire is still its primary selling point. Johnny Rico, portrayed by Casper Van Dien, is a soldier who defends humanity’s armed forces in a titanic conflict with the extraterrestrial enemy known as the Arachnids. A five-picture franchise began with this 1997 film.
39. In 1988, “Killer Klowns from Outer Space.“
    Viewers who suffer from “coulrophobia,” or a fear of clowns, will find “Killer Klowns from Outer Space” particularly annoying. But don’t worry, Stephen Chiodo’s grotesquely ridiculous 1988 horror comedy about aliens that resemble circus performers landing on Earth has plenty to make everyone cringe. “Boys, what are you going to do with those pies?”
40. The 1960 film “Village of the Damned”
    Ten women mysteriously conceive a batch of alien babies at the beginning of Wolf Rilla’s black-and-white thriller “Village of the Damned,” which has one of the more intriguing plots in alien horror. One of horror’s most renowned hidden treasures, the pale-blond creatures they give birth to serve as the focal point of a terrifying invasion plot.
41. 1987’s “Predator”
    In John McTiernan’s original “Predator,” Arnold Schwarzenegger battles the titular apex antagonist. Despite still having human adversaries on all sides, Major Dutch Schaefer must outmaneuver a gun-wielding extraterrestrial hunter while on a rescue mission in Central America. Other guests include Richard Chaves, Shane Black, Jesse Ventura, and Carl Weathers.
42. (2016) “10 Cloverfield Lane”
    Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays Michelle in Dan Trachtenberg’s horror film “10 Cloverfield Lane.” Michelle is a young woman who is spared during the alien apocalypse by a guy (John Goodman) and his son (John Gallagher Jr.), and she awakens in a bunker. At any rate, that’s what they told her.
43. The 1988 film “They Live”
    Nada (Roddy Piper), an aimless vagrant who transforms into an action hero in John Carpenter’s “They Live,” gets a pair of sunglasses that enable him to see extraterrestrial invaders concealed among humanity’s most powerful people. Some of the most hilarious Carpenter lines ever written, as well as scathing political commentary, are fueled by Nada’s attempt to expose these brainwashing parasites. (‘I came here to kick ass and chew bubble gum, but I’m out of bubble gum.’)