The existence of aliens has long been debated, and Hollywood has only catered to our extraterrestrial fantasies.
Whether aliens are perceived as good or evil, it's always interesting to see a depiction of another life form on film.
If you're in the mood for a movie that's out of this world, check out these worthwhile alien movies you can stream on Netflix.
1. The Signal (2014)
Three college students from MIT take off on a road trip towards California. After a hacker sends them a series of mysterious emails, the students trace the hacker's location to an abandoned home in the Nevada desert, where they have an extraterrestrial encounter.
2. Total Recall (1990)
A construction worker seeks out a company that implants false memories of vacations to foreign lands, and chooses a trip to Mars. But this triggers an unexpected upheaval of suppressed memories, leading to several crazy Mars-related revelations.
Avoid the 2012 remake, which may look spiffy with its modernized visuals, but fails to capture much of what made the original so good. Seriously, watch the original!
3. Extinction (2018)
Peter is haunted by a recurring nightmare about losing his family. However, he soon realizes that his nightmare isn't just a bad dream—it's a prophecy of an upcoming alien invasion.
As extraterrestrial beings start to clobber the Earth, Peter is determined to keep his family safe.
4. Assimilate (2019)
High-schoolers Zack and Randy live in small-town Missouri, where nothing ever happens. When the duo decides to create a web series chronicling the town, they uncover something terrifying—creatures are killing and replacing their neighbors with lookalikes.
5. Beyond Skyline (2017)
In Beyond Skyline, police detective Mark Corley bails his estranged son out of jail at the wrong time.
As aliens suddenly begin invading the Earth, dozens of civilians get beamed into the spaceships flying overhead. Mark, his son, and two strangers are left to fend for themselves in underground subway tunnels.
6. Apollo 18 (2011)
Apollo 18 tells an alternate history of a canceled moon landing mission. In this film, the canceled Apollo 18 expedition is disguised as a satellite launch to cover up the astronauts' true mission: placing missile detectors on the moon.
The mission quickly goes awry when the astronauts realize that they're not alone up there.
7. Dark Skies (2013)
In Dark Skies, a suburban family's peaceful life is flipped upside-down when they find themselves caught in increasingly strange events—that appear to be orchestrated by supernatural forces and/or an extraterrestrial being.
Netflix doesn't have too many horror-thriller movies involving aliens, which makes Dark Skies stand out as unique viewing.
8. Rim of the World (2019)
In this adventure-comedy movie, four kids find themselves caught in an alien invasion and must work together if they want to save the world.
Rim of the World was inspired by the teen adventure movies of the 1980s, so expect a lot of tropes, cliches, and other homages to the genre. But if you can look past that, it's a fun movie.
9. Spectral (2016)
Spectral is a military sci-fi action-thriller that centers on a special-ops team that's tasked with investigating the mysterious appearance of killer beings that can only be seen with hyperspectral imaging goggles.
OK, to be fair, these ghostly apparitions aren't exactly "aliens"—but the feel of Spectral is very much in line with certain alien movies, so I think it's a fitting recommendation. Plus, it's better than a lot of other sci-fi movies on Netflix.
More Great Movies to Watch on Netflix
Aliens have long been a part of our film industry, and the trend shows no sign of stopping. Seeing each filmmakers' interpretation of extraterrestrial beings makes alien movies even more interesting.
