Jordan Peele’s latest, NOPE, is out in theaters this Friday, meaning we have only days to ponder extraterrestrial theories and the title’s meaning. The trailers have done an excellent job keeping plot details under wraps, but they heavily embrace UFO and alien imagery.
So, this week’s streaming picks are dedicated to alien features of all variety and social themes. Here’s what to watch this week, from unsettling true accounts to epic roaming kaiju-sized extraterrestrials.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
Fire in the Sky – EPIX, Paramount+, Prime Video
This film mostly plays out as a sci-fi drama about friends coping with their friend’s sudden disappearance caused by an unidentified flying object. The friends are ridiculed and suspected of murder until their missing pal reappears days later, in the nude and traumatized. When the truth finally gets revealed, it’s genuinely disturbing. While much of the runtime is light on alien action, Fire in the Sky viscerally makes up for that in the cryptid climax. If you’ve already seen it, then you know the truth behind the disappearance delivers nightmare fuel that sticks with you.
Starship Troopers – HBO Max, Netflix
Set in the future, humanity’s quest to colonize new planets led them to the discovery of a hostile insect-like alien species. The Bugs don’t take kindly to the invasion, and a war erupts. In other words, the bugs aren’t exactly the bad guy here. That doesn’t make them any less deadly and, in some cases- like the intelligent brain-sucking Brain Bug- very unnerving. It may not entirely classify as horror, but this big-budget spectacle emphasizes the human characters and their roles in the war; director Paul Verhoeven never skimps on showing just how gruesome war can be. Especially a battle with monstrous-sized bugs of all varieties.
Save the Green Planet! – Kanopy
Byeong-gu believes Earth is on the verge of an alien invasion and that he’s the only one who can save it. With his loyal girlfriend’s help, he kidnaps and brutally tortures corporate execs and politicians he believes to be aliens in disguise. A complete genre mashup, from sci-fi to comedy to horror with paranoia and extreme violence, Save the Green Planet has many shocking moments and unexpected twists. It’s a genre-bender that features one unreliable narrator. Or is he?
Monsters – HBO Max, Tubi
Written and directed by Gareth Edwards, this giant creature feature is likely responsible for Edwards landing the gig directing the 2014 American reboot, Godzilla. His feature debut is set six years after extraterrestrials crash-landed in Central America and began to spread. The U.S. and Mexican military struggle to keep the giant creatures contained in a quarantined area, creating a danger zone in which a cynical journalist must navigate as he escorts a shaken tourist to the safety of the U.S. border. Gareth transcends the shackles of budgetary constraints with great visual effects and a story focused on the human condition. It’s innovative and ambitious.
Attack the Block – Starz
A teen gang in South London must team up with the other residents on their block, including the woman they mugged, to protect their neighborhood from a terrifying alien invasion. A compelling and charming genre mashup blends sci-fi and comedy with creature feature horror, Joe Cornish’s debut offers tension, laughs, and engaging social commentary. Most of all, it delivers a cast of endearing characters led by John Boyega as Moses and fantastic creature work by Mike Elizalde and Spectral Motion. It’s infectious.
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