9 Movies Inspired By Alien (1979), & 1 That Inspired Alien
Certain movies come along every now and then that are a success and then they go on to inspire audiences and filmmakers alike. One of these highly successful films is the space horror film, Alien, which inspired a series of mostly subpar sequels and many imitators.
It's easy to see why this movie, in particular, has inspired so many copycats. The story is incredibly simple and the setting well thought out. The movie centers around a crew that is trapped in a confined space and can't escape in any way, and they're being stalked and slain by a vicious alien creature. From video store B movies to modestly budgeted studio projects, these movies owe their existence to Alien's success.
10 Breach (2020)
A colony ship is the last hope for mankind, as Earth has been destroyed by human activity. While most of the passengers and crew are in stasis, a small crew of low-level workers is left awake to maintain the ship. The audience follows Noah, who stowed away to be with his pregnant girlfriend. But he isn't alone, as a terrorist smuggled a deadly parasite aboard that turns crew members into zombies and alien mutants.
While the characters don't really act realistically for the situation they're in, like when they throw wild college parties, adding classic zombies to the mix makes for some fun action. With the addition of Bruce Willis, the movie makes for a worthy B movie watch for fans of the genre.
9 Inseminoid (1981)
During an archeological expedition to a seemingly dead world, a group of scientists discovers the remnants of an alien civilization in a series of caves. However, they aren't alone, as their colleague Sandy is sexually assaulted and impregnated by an alien creature who managed to avoid destruction. She stalks her former friends, killing them and drinking their blood.
The theme of alien impregnation and the murderous results are directly taken from the chest bursters seen in the Alien franchise. This cult classic isn't exactly scary but it is quite funny in spots, even if you're laughing at the movie, not with it.
8 Forbidden World (1982)
A group of scientists is working out of a remote planet on a genetically engineered being to solve famine. Everything is going just fine until it turns into a xenomorph spider-like creature and goes on a killing spree. It's up to Marshal Mike Colby to put an end to the experiment once and for all.
Being a Roger Corman production, Forbidden World has great creature effects and set design for its slim budget, but the experimental editing does make it a bit confusing and it doesn't add anything to the Alien formula it was borrowing from.
7 Life (2017)
An unmanned probe brings soil samples from Mars to a crew of astronauts aboard the International Space Station. They discover that there is more than just signs of life in the soil, but also a rapidly growing alien life form. Unfortunately, this flying squid-like alien doesn't come in peace. It starts to pick off the human astronauts and has its eyes set on Earth.
Although this movie raises the stakes, by implying human extinction, it lacks the tension that made Alien frightening. But it is nice to see a movie with a decently big-budget borrow the concept, and it's much more competent than the cheaper imitations.
6 Star Crystal (1986)
In 2035, a Mars expedition discovers a mysterious rock-like object buried in the red sand and they don't get a chance to tell anyone, as they all mysteriously die. After the destruction of their space station, a small group of survivors finds themselves aboard the same shuttlecraft used on the Mars mission. Quickly, they realize they aren't alone on the ship and the number of humans is dropping.
Borrowing a plot suspiciously similar to Alien but with a shocking twist in the last 15 minutes, this is an interesting, if flawed, B movie. Also of note, there is a cameo from the Millenium Falcon on some space station doors, and the engine is a prop that was used in The Last Starfighter, Star Trek, The V miniseries, and even Airplane II.
5 Creature (1985)
A scientific expedition to Titan reveals the remnants of some kind of alien species. A German ship beat them there and accidentally unleashed the titular creature, which brought all but one of the German crew to a grim end, making the fact that our protagonists crashed on Titan even more concerning.
This cult classic is almost a remake of Alien in many ways, from the similar title to the alien egg and the hint of another civilization wiped out by the creature. The biggest difference is that this creature can control his victim's bodies.
4 Pitch Black (2000)
A meteor storm causes a transport ship to crash on an uncharted planet, among the 11 survivors are the master criminal Riddick (Vin Diesel), who has night vision, and the bounty hunter who had him in custody. The planet's permanent inhabitants are happy to see them, as the nocturnal predators begin devouring the survivors and a month-long eclipse approaches.
The inspiration from Alien is obvious in Pitch Black, including the alien design, set design, and some of the kills. Unlike many Alien imitators, though, this movie takes inspiration while crafting a plot that is quite different from the source.
3 Galaxy Of Terror (1981)
The spaceship Quest is sent on a rescue mission to find survivors after another spaceship crashes on a mysterious planet. But when they arrive, they only find mutilated bodies. The crew also begins dying in gruesome and strangely specific ways and oddly, their deaths mirror the deepest fears of each character.
Another Roger Corman production, with amazing production design from James Cameron, this Alien imitation is entertaining and looks more expensive than it was. The psychological root of the deaths allows for a variety of monsters, including one that looks like the xenomorph.
2 Alien 2: On Earth (1980)
No there isn't another movie named Alien that came before this one, Italian filmmaker Ciro Ippolito made this film to trick audiences into thinking it was a sequel to Ridley Scott's film. This is the most blatant example of trying to piggyback off of the success of Alien and it even led to a lawsuit.
A spaceship returns to Earth, but in place of the astronauts are alien creatures that can infiltrate someone's body and make them explode. The aliens find themselves in a cave, where they terrorize a group of spelunkers.
1 Contamination (1980)
Police are investigating a ship that sailed into the New York harbor with no one on board, but all they can find is a bunch of mysterious green eggs. They learn that these eggs spread an acid that makes humans spontaneously explode and they came from a South American coffee plantation run by an alien cyclops.
Italian director Luigi Cozzi (Starcrash) was another filmmaker to quickly try to imitate the success of Alien and the alien eggs and acid are a strong reference to Alien. However, this one tries harder to be a unique movie by taking inspiration from other successful movies, most noticeably Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
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