12 Movies and TV Shows That Perfectly Mix the Sci-Fi and Horror Genres

Modern TV and film industries very rarely come up with a truly original idea. That said, a blend of two or more existing themes can sometimes produce a really cool novelty. Below is a list of some memorable movies and TV shows that perfectly mixes the sci-fi and horror genres.

Alien

It is hard to remember any film with a better combination of sci-fi and horror before Alien. The recipe sounds familiar now, but back then it was a brave groundbreaking idea in Hollywood.

Aliens

Okay, there is one film that shows a better combination of sci-fi and horror. One of the most exciting sequels ever made in the sci fi horror genre, Aliens takes the slow paced original, Alien, a step further and ramps up the action and suspense! This 1986 winner takes off with the same main character, Ellen Ripley, who makes her return to the planet where all hell broke loose the first time she was there, and everyone on her ship was killed by the alien, except for Ripley and the cat. The sequel is still one of the wildest rides you can experience on any screen!

Shaun of the Dead

It seems anything zombie related must be science fiction, but because of what the zombies do to us, it’s also horror. There is also the romantic-comedy genre, and sometimes there is a zombie-comedy movie. Shaun of the Dead has all three in one smart package. It is the movie that gave birth to the “romzomcom.”

Anna and the Apocalypse

In case you are looking for a Christmas story sprinkled with comedy and set in the middle of a zombie outbreak, look no further than Anna and the Apocalypse. The best thing about the blend is that the arrival of the undead is surprisingly unexpected.

Pan’s Labyrinth

Packaged in an enjoyable assortment of drama, horror, dark fantasy, and a touch of science fiction, Pan’s Labyrinth is a multi-layered story of family and sacrifice. It is the tale of Ofelia as she navigates her way through a mythical world of labyrinth. The visuals are as spine-chilling as the darkest horrors from your favorite Stephen King novels.

Deadpool

A superhero/vigilante Deadpool seems to like his godlike abilities and uses them to hunt down anyone even remotely possible for his superpower. It has brutal carnage, dirty jokes, playful language, and sad love story. Like all superhero-type movies, the sci-fi element is obvious, where the horror portions are spread throughout the film in splotches of gore and during the above mentioned carnage.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

The title says it all: the film is an adaption of Pride and Prejudice, but with the additional twist of zombies. In the end, it does not really deliver the blood thirsty macabre everyone expects, but overall, the mix of genres works reasonably well.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Yet another film of which you can almost tell how the story goes just from the title. It is not exactly a history lesson about leadership and the American Civil War but is an entertaining feature that depicts a great president going into brutal combat against the undead.

From Dusk Till Dawn

It begins with an excellent promise of a crime scenario, which then turns into an action horror sequence with vampires in it. The comedy, action, light sci-fi, horror, and mystery complement each other to build the suspense, and as a result From Dusk Till Dawn is a unique melting-pot.

Battle: Los Angeles

Here is a good way to be prepared for the movie: remember the battle action scenes from Black Hawk Dawn? Now imagine the American soldiers are fighting aliens instead of local insurgents. It has heroism, drama, war, and a touch of post-apocalyptic action going all around.

What We Do in the Shadows

No one says vampires have to be scary and totally reclusive. Some of them live in Staten Island accompanied by a documentary crew. After abandoning their goal of conquering humans, they now embark on a journey just to kill time in their eternal life.

The Twilight Zone

With new stories and characters for each show, The Twilight Zone offers plenty of mixed-genre entertainment. It is filled with horror, fantasy, sci-fi, and Western (among others) in every thought-provoking episode.

I’ll bet you have more movies that include the sci-fi and horror mix. If so, tell us what they are. We’d love to hear from you.

If you liked this, then check out 21 Incredible Quotes by Margaret Atwood!

Other things you may want to know about.

What is the difference between sci-fi and horror?

According to nightmare-magazine.com if science fiction is the genre of ideas, and horror is the genre of fear, then there is plenty of room for these two to blend together. Take ‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelley for example. She set out to write a horror story, but while creating it she wrote one of the greatest horror novels of all time.

For more on this topic check out Lucy A. Snyder’s article on nightmare-magazine.com called The H Word: The Intersection of Science Fiction and Horror.

What are the 3 genres of horror?

According to Stephen King the three levels are gross-out, horror, and terror. The Gross-out is the “ew” factor while the act of something physically revolting is happening. The Horror factor is when your mind is struggling to grasp what is happening. The Terror is when images are created in your mind about unknown things that are going on around you.

Want more info about this? Check out regmovies.com and read the article called Stephen King’s 3 levels of horror.