Alien

Alien is a horror film in a science fiction setting. It's also just as powerful today as it was when it was released. Ridley Scott gets the aspect of horror that is mood, and better than nearly any other director, how to present a vision of the future that is both distinct fro the present, but also not what we think it will look like. Here, the story of a commercial spaceship that comes across a signal. From there, we encounter a conspiracy, and of course, an alien. Alien is a trapped-in-a-haunted house story in space, and it is so effective at setting the tone of impending terror that it's difficult to realize that it's a science fiction film that is really about the expendability of human life in the eyes of corporate greed. While the alien chest-buster is the most famous image from the film, it's far from the most impressive visual. While HR Giger's design for the alien is the most widely known (and imitated) piece of art, artists Ron Cobb and Chris Foss deserve credit for creating the images of the Nostromo, what was easily the most realistic spaceship ever to appear on film. Why it's on the list Alien is one of the finest examples of filmed science fiction horror, and the basis for a massively success franchise.