Sci-Fi - Alien films
Created for the Self Help Radio* show "Planet", which aired on KFFD-LP 98.3/KFFP-LP 90.3 Portland (freeformportland.org) on 4/20/23.
(*not a self help show)
Films on the list are of the Sci-Fi genre and tagged on IMDb with 'alien' and are available for free. (You may need to check IMDb page to find out where.)
There are tags for "planet" and "alien planet", but the former didn't have some from the latter and there seemed to be a number of solely earth based films, and the latter was just over 90 films, which seemed very low, so I am going with the tag that 1200 plus films and will pick ones for the show from it. (My picks will be ones that take place on other planets, and those types will have the "shr planet" tag. All the films here are from the broader category. Might make a second list just for alien planets.)
More info here: twitter link to come
Also, check out the YouTube playlist I made with trailers & full films from the list: not created yet
(*not a self help show)
Films on the list are of the Sci-Fi genre and tagged on IMDb with 'alien' and are available for free. (You may need to check IMDb page to find out where.)
There are tags for "planet" and "alien planet", but the former didn't have some from the latter and there seemed to be a number of solely earth based films, and the latter was just over 90 films, which seemed very low, so I am going with the tag that 1200 plus films and will pick ones for the show from it. (My picks will be ones that take place on other planets, and those types will have the "shr planet" tag. All the films here are from the broader category. Might make a second list just for alien planets.)
More info here: twitter link to come
Also, check out the YouTube playlist I made with trailers & full films from the list: not created yet
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- DirectorEdgar G. UlmerStarsRobert ClarkeMargaret FieldRaymond BondAs a mysterious planet hurls itself toward Earth, an enigmatic extraterrestrial scout arrives on a remote Scottish island with unknown intentions.
- DirectorHarry HornerStarsPeter GravesAndrea KingHerbert BerghofAn American scientist is able to contact and communicate with Mars with shattering political, economic, and spiritual repercussions.
- DirectorWilliam Cameron MenziesStarsHelena CarterArthur FranzJimmy HuntA young boy learns that space aliens are taking over the minds of earthlings.
- DirectorBurt BalabanStarsPatricia NealHelmut DantineDerek BondA stranger from Venus lands in Britain and forms a bond with a young American woman. He comes with a warning to Earth's leaders that they must eliminate all nuclear weapons if the peoples of the solar system are to survive.
- DirectorDavid KramarskyRoger CormanLou PlaceStarsPaul BirchLorna ThayerDona ColeA dysfunctional family operating an isolated date farm in the California desert is threatened by the arrival of an extra-terrestrial.
- DirectorKôji ShimaStarsKeizô KawasakiToyomi KaritaBin YagisawaUFOs are seen around Tokyo. Because they look like giant starfish the aliens cannot approach us without creating panic. Hence one of them sacrifices itself and takes the form of a popular female singer. It/she warns mankind that a meteor will crash on Earth. While the approaching meteor causes hotter and hotter weather, mankind runs and builds a last-chance anti-meteor weapon.
- DirectorFred F. SearsStarsHugh MarloweJoan TaylorDonald CurtisExtraterrestrials traveling in high-tech flying saucers contact a scientist as part of a plan to enslave the inhabitants of Earth.
- DirectorCy RothStarsAnthony DexterSusan ShawPaul CarpenterA team of astronauts lands on a moon of Jupiter to find it populated with beautiful young women looking for mates. An old man explains to the explorers the group's story, as well as the moon's dangers.
- DirectorEdward D. Wood Jr.StarsGregory WalcottTom KeeneMona McKinnonEvil aliens attack Earth and set their terrible "Plan 9" into action. As the aliens resurrect the dead of the Earth, the lives of the living are in danger.
- DirectorNathan JuranStarsWilliam HopperJoan TaylorThomas Browne HenryThe first U.S. spaceship to Venus crash-lands off the coast of Sicily on its return trip. A dangerous, lizard-like creature comes with it and quickly grows gigantic.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsGene BarryValerie FrenchGeorge VoskovecAliens take five people, give them small capsules which can kill mankind without additional damage, with the understanding they will colonize Earth only if they use the weapons.
- DirectorRonald V. AshcroftStarsRobert ClarkeKenne DuncanMarilyn HarveyA gang of crooks has kidnapped a rich heiress come up against a beautiful, but lethal alien who has crash-landed her spaceship on Earth.
- DirectorRoger CormanStarsDick MillerSusan CabotRichard DevonAn "unknown force" declares war against planet Earth when the United Nations disobeys warnings to cease and desist in its attempts at assembling the first satellite in the atmosphere.
- DirectorBruno VeSotaStarsEd NelsonAlan Jay FactorCornelius KeefeThe inhabitants of a small Illinois town begin disappearing after a strange cone is found sticking out of the ground nearby.
- DirectorBernard L. KowalskiStarsMichael EmmetAngela GreeneJohn BaerAn astronaut is killed on reentry to Earth, but his body is seeded with rapidly gestating aliens.
- DirectorIrvin S. Yeaworth Jr.Russell S. Doughten Jr.StarsSteve McQueenAneta CorsautEarl RoweAn alien lifeform consumes everything in its path as it grows and grows.
- DirectorRichard E. CunhaStarsRichard TravisCathy DownsK.T. StevensEscaped cons stowaway on a flight to the moon and discover alien women ruled by a sadistic queen.
- DirectorRobert DayStarsMarshall ThompsonMarla LandiBill EdwardsThe first pilot to leave Earth's atmosphere lands, then vanishes; but something with a craving for blood prowls the countryside...
- DirectorTom GraeffStarsDavid LoveDawn BenderBryan GrantA young alien and a teenage earthling fall in love, and plot to stop the alien's race from using Earth as a food-breeding ground for giant lobsters from their planet.
- DirectorVirgil W. VogelStarsBarbara WilsonSten GesterRobert BurtonAliens release a furry critter in the wilds of Lapland where it takes a woman captive and threatens a group of scientists.
- DirectorMikhail KaryukovAleksandr KozyrFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsIvan PereverzevAleksandr ShvorinKonstantin BartashevichTwo countries race to have the first successful landing on Mars.
- DirectorSpencer Gordon BennetStarsArthur FranzDick ForanBrett HalseyShips mysteriously disappear on route across the Arctic Sea, and a specially-equipped submarine is sent to investigate.
- DirectorDavid BradleyStarsKen ClarkMichi KobiTom ConwayAn international team embarks on an expedition to the moon in an uncommonly spacious rocketship. There they encounter a faceless alien intelligence who conclude that the human race is too immature and dangerous and must be destroyed.
- DirectorRomano FerraraStarsMichel LemoineMaria Pia LuziJany ClairAn alien race sends cyborgs--made to look like the son of a famous scientist, whom they killed when he landed on their planet--to Earth to help pave the way for an invasion.
- DirectorBruno VeSotaStarsRobert BallFrank Ray PerilliGloria VictorTwo Abbott and Costello-type soldiers find plantlike creatures that are under the control of two beautiful alien scientists who are bent on conquering Earth.
- DirectorNathan JuranStarsEdward JuddMartha HyerLionel JeffriesWhen a spaceship lands on the moon, it is hailed as a new accomplishment, before it becomes clear that a Victorian party completed the journey in 1899, leading investigators to that mission's last survivor.
- DirectorTerence FisherStarsWillard ParkerVirginia FieldDennis PriceIn Britain, a group of survivors fights off a deadly alien invasion that uses robots and a poisonous gas to take over the Earth.
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsYôsuke NatsukiYuriko HoshiHiroshi KoizumiA detective is assigned to protect a princess who prophecies the Earth's end with the arrival of a powerful space monster. Mothra and her fairies must persuade Godzilla and Rodan to set aside their differences or face the invader alone.
- DirectorRobert GaffneyStarsMarilyn HanoldJames KarenLou CutellA Martian princess and a doctor replace the women on Mars, destroyed by atomic war, by raiding Puerto Rico while a shot down android terrorizes all.
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsNick AdamsAkira TakaradaJun TazakiAstronauts investigate Planet X and encounter the Xiliens, who ask Earth's people to help save their world from "Monster Zero". As one astronaut forms a romance with a mysterious woman, he uncovers the Xilien's true intentions.
- DirectorCurtis HarringtonStarsJohn SaxonBasil RathboneJudi MeredithThe year is 1990. An alien species makes contact with Earth through radio transmissions. After astronauts from earth venture to the planet, they find one - a female, who's mute. As they transport her back to earth, one by one, the male crew members die. It's too late when they realise she needs their blood to survive.
- DirectorPietro FrancisciStarsLeonora RuffoMario NovelliRoland LesaffreA spaceship from Hydra crashes on Sardinia. Aliens take a scientist, his daughter, technicians and spies hostage to fix their ship. After repairs, aliens abduct the humans but they rebel, sending the ship into deep space.
- DirectorTerence FisherStarsChristopher LeePatrick AllenPeter CushingWhile mainland Britain shivers in deepest winter, the northern island of Fara bakes in the nineties.
- DirectorFreddie FrancisStarsRobert HuttonJennifer JayneZia MohyeddinScientists investigating an unusual meteor shower in a rural field are possessed by an alien force bent on an ulterior purpose.
- DirectorPrimo ZeglioStarsLang JeffriesEssy PerssonLuis DávilaA team of astronauts is sent to the moon to rescue an alien who is seeking help to save her dying race. They are attacked by a force of bandit robots and discover that enemy spies are out to kill the alien.
- DirectorDavid L. HewittStarsScott BradyAnthony EisleyGigi PerreauHard-nosed new boss Stanton takes over a scientific research company upon the death of his benevolent father.
- DirectorNoriaki YuasaShigeo TanakaStarsKôjirô HongôTôru TakatsukaCarl CraigGamera the Flying Turtle falls under the spell of evil aliens, but two children free him and he returns to fight the aliens' monster, Viras.
- DirectorIshirô HondaJun FukudaStarsAkira KuboJun TazakiYukiko KobayashiAt the end of the 20th century, all of Earth's monsters have been safely rounded up and sent to Monsterland for scientific study. Chaos erupts when a race of she-aliens known as the Kilaaks unleashes the monsters on the world.
- DirectorPeter BogdanovichStarsMamie Van DorenMary MarrPaige LeeAstronauts landing on Venus encounter dangerous creatures and almost meet some sexy Venusian women who like to sun-bathe in hip-hugging skin-tight pants and seashell brassieres.
- DirectorNoriaki YuasaStarsNobuhiro KajimaMiyuki AkiyamaChristopher MurphyAliens kidnap two children and take them to another planet for the purpose of getting knowledge from their brains, but Gamera follows and tries to rescue them.
- DirectorGerry LevyStarsGeorge SandersMaurice EvansPatrick AllenIn Britain, bodies of NATO paratroopers are being snatched during routine jumps by a mysterious red-beam of alien origin.
- DirectorAl AdamsonStarsJohn CarradineRobert DixVicki VolanteIn the near future with a intergalactic vampire plague threatening earth, an expedition is sent to a distant galaxy in hopes of discovering the plague's source. Landing on a mysterious planet they discover that Spectrum radiation has turned the atmosphere into a one-color tint. Exploring further, the group discovers living dinosaurs, a race of vampire cavemen, and other strange creatures.
- DirectorRobert WiseStarsJames OlsonArthur HillDavid WayneTop scientists work feverishly in a secret, state-of-the-art laboratory to discover what killed the citizens of a small town and how the deadly contagion can be stopped.
- DirectorNoriaki YuasaStarsKôji FujiyamaDaigo InoueReiko KasaharaSpace aliens arrive on Earth with their giant shark and intend to take over the planet but they must first destroy Gamera.
- DirectorBernard GosselinStarsCatherine LeducFrançois GosselinMarcel SabourinThe film tells the story of an alien from outer space who befriends two young children when he lands in a small town in Quebec.
- DirectorJun FukudaYoshimitsu BannoIshirô HondaStarsHiroshi IshikawaYuriko HishimiMinoru TakashimaA manga artist becomes suspicious of his employers when a garbled message is discovered on tape. As he forms a team to investigate, Godzilla and Anguirus set out to help defeat the invaders.
- DirectorEugenio MartínStarsChristopher LeePeter CushingAlberto de MendozaWhile on the Trans-Siberian Express, an anthropologist and his rival must contain the threat posed by the former's cargo: a prehistoric ape which is the host for a parasitic life-form.
- DirectorRené LalouxStarsBarry BostwickJennifer DrakeEric BauginOn a faraway planet where blue giants rule, oppressed humanoids rebel against their machine-like leaders.
- DirectorLee S. Jones Jr.StarsElizabeth RushEle GrigsbyDavid Roster1970s spoof of American New Wave films, featuring a criminal couple on the run encountering a UFO cult.
- DirectorJun FukudaStarsMasaaki DaimonKazuya AoyamaReiko TajimaAn Okinawan prophecy appears to foretell Earth's destruction at the hands of Godzilla, only for the true Godzilla to reveal his doppelganger as a mechanical alien weapon.
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsDan O'BannonDre PahichBrian NarelleIn the far reaches of space, a small crew, 20 years into their solitary mission, find things beginning to go hilariously wrong.
- DirectorBill RebaneStarsPaul BentzenDebbi PickNick HoltA group of young pilots in a remote region of the Canadian wilderness begin to hear strange reports over their radios about planes crashing, cars stalling and a deadly plague which has gripped the planet. It becomes clear that earth is in the midst of an invasion. The group of pilots decide to barracade themselves in a cabin deep in the woods and wait for their impending doom.
- DirectorIshirô HondaJun FukudaStarsKatsuhiko SasakiTomoko AiAkihiko HirataAttempts to salvage Mechagodzilla are thwarted, causing an INTERPOL investigation that uncovers the work of a shunned biologist and his daughter, whose lives become entwined with the resurrected machine.
- DirectorBill RebaneStarsSteve BrodieBarbara HaleRobert EastonGiant spiders from another dimension invade Wisconsin.
- DirectorLarry CohenStarsTony Lo BiancoDeborah RaffinSandy DennisA New York detective investigates a series of murders committed by random New Yorkers who claim that "God told them to."
- DirectorJohn HayesStarsChristopher LeeSue LyonKirk ScottAfter witnessing a man's death in a bizarre accident, Father Pergado goes on a spiritual retreat, where he encounters his alien double bent on world conquest.
- DirectorEd HuntStarsRobert VaughnChristopher LeeDaniel PilonAn advance team from a dying, far-off civilization seeks a new world to conquer and inhabit -- Earth.
- DirectorMario GariazzoStarsRobert HoffmannNathalie DelonMartin BalsamA photographer and his model are on a photo shoot in a forest when they get the feeling they are being watched. The feeling becomes so strong that they decide to cut their session short and leave.
- DirectorMichael RaeStarsKim MilfordCheryl SmithGianni RussoA teenager stumbles upon an alien weapon, which transforms him into a grotesque killer.
- DirectorJohn De BelloStarsDavid MillerGeorge WilsonSharon TaylorA group of scientists band together to save the world from mutated killer tomatoes.
- DirectorDon CoscarelliStarsA. Michael BaldwinBill ThornburyReggie BannisterA teenage boy and his friends face off against a mysterious grave robber, known only as the Tall Man, who employs a lethal arsenal of unearthly weapons.
- DirectorGiulio ParadisiStarsMel FerrerGlenn FordLance HenriksenThe soul of a young girl with telekinetic powers and her mother become the prize in a battle between good ETs and evil ETs.
- DirectorAndrei TarkovskyStarsAlisa FreyndlikhAleksandr KaydanovskiyAnatoliy SolonitsynA guide leads two men through an area known as the Zone to find a room that grants wishes.
- DirectorAlfonso BresciaStarsYanti SomerGianni GarkoMalisa LongoEarth is attacked by an intergalactic villain and his army of robotic androids.
- DirectorJohn 'Bud' CardosStarsJim DavisChristopher MitchumDorothy MaloneAliens visit the solar-powered house of a middle-class family, and the house is suddenly sucked into a time warp that transports it back to prehistoric times.
- DirectorNoriaki YuasaShigeo TanakaStarsMach FumiakeYaeko KojimaYoko KomatsuUsing several clips from previous Gamera entries, this film deals with alien forces sending all the monsters Gamera has faced in one final battle to rid the planet of its last hope.
- DirectorTommy ChongStarsCheech MarinTommy ChongEvelyn GuerreroCheech and Chong live in a decrepit old house and drive their neighbour crazy with their loud music, weed smoking and general anarchy and slacker view on life. Then Chong meets Cheech's Texan cousin Red and things kick up a notch.
- DirectorLuigi CozziStarsIan McCullochLouise MarleauMarino MaséA former astronaut helps a government agent and a police detective track the source of mysterious alien pod spores, filled with lethal flesh-dissolving acid, to a South American coffee plantation controlled by alien pod clones.
- DirectorJimmy T. MurakamiRoger CormanStarsGeorge PeppardRobert VaughnRichard ThomasA farm boy recruits a band of outlaws to save the planet Akir from forces that threaten to wipe them out from the face of the universe. A battle stretching beyond the stars begins here.
- DirectorGreydon ClarkStarsJack PalanceMartin LandauTarah NutterSandy and Greg are teenagers who go camping, despite warnings not to, with their friends. They soon encounter aliens, who are using the area as a hunting ground.
- DirectorGreydon ClarkStarsJan-Michael VincentCybill ShepherdMartin LandauIn New Mexico, an alien spacecraft abducts two young children and an old man. 25 years later, the children are returned as adults to the same town now beset by strange cattle mutilations.
- DirectorRobert EmeneggerAllan SandlerStarsGordon De VolJacqueline RayJackson BostwickA team of men and women investigates the mysterious deaths of two previous expeditions to a strategically important but barren world.
- DirectorNorman J. WarrenStarsRobin ClarkeJennifer AshleyStephanie BeachamA crew of interplanetary archaeologists is threatened when an alien creature impregnates one of their members, causing her to turn homicidal and murder them one by one.
- DirectorGerald PottertonJohn BrunoJohn HalasStarsRichard RomanusJohn CandyJoe FlahertyA glowing green orb that embodies ultimate evil terrorizes a young girl with an anthology of bizarre and fantastic stories.
- DirectorBruce D. ClarkStarsEdward AlbertErin MoranRay WalstonA ragtag spaceship crew sent on a rescue mission encounter a formidable enemy, their worst fears projected by their own imaginations.
- DirectorCharles BandStarsRobert GlaudiniDemi MooreLuca BercoviciIn a post-apocalyptic USA, a doctor/scientist infected with a new strain of parasite ends up in a small desert town, trying to find a cure.
- DirectorAllan HolzmanStarsDon OliveraJesse VintJune ChadwickIn the distant future, a federation marshal arrives at a research lab on a remote planet where a genetic experiment has gotten loose and begins feeding on the dwindling scientific group.
- DirectorTom KennedyStarsBen MurphyNina AxelrodKevin BrophyAn alien, buried in King Tut's tomb, terrorizes a college campus.
- DirectorDon DohlerDave GeattyStarsTom GriffithJamie ZemarelKarin KardianA creature from outer space crash lands in a small town and starts killing people.
- DirectorSteven PaulStarsJerry LewisMadeline KahnMarty FeldmanA rich, beautiful couple give birth to deformed alien twins who, when their heads are together, are the smartest kids on the planet.
- DirectorPhilippe MoraStarsAlan ArkinChristopher LeeKate FitzpatrickDuring WWII, Captain Invincible fought against Nazis using superpowers. Later falsely accused of communism, he retires in Australia. When a secret US weapon gets stolen, he's called back but struggles with alcoholism.
- DirectorHoward R. CohenStarsVince EdwardsDavid MendenhallPatsy PeaseA futuristic, sensitive tale of adventure and confrontation when a 10 year old boy is accidentally kidnapped by a spaceship filled with a motley crew of space pirates.
- DirectorMichael LaughlinStarsPaul Le MatNancy AllenDiana ScarwidAlien beings, who settle in a small midwestern town, are disturbed by a young professor determined to rescue his daughter from their clutches.
- DirectorMamoru OshiiStarsFumi HiranoToshio FurukawaAkira KamiyaThe night before the school festival, things seem to be repeating themselves. Gradually, all the world functions come to a stop, the only ones that are not affected are a select group of student friends.
- DirectorJames FargoStarsPia ZadoraCraig ShefferTom NolanAliens land in the town of "Speelburgh" searching for the source of rock & roll. They find trouble with Dee Dee, Frankie and the pack.
- DirectorJohn SaylesStarsJoe MortonDaryl EdwardsRosanna CarterA mute alien with the appearance of a black human is chased by outer-space bounty hunters through the streets of Harlem.
- DirectorW.D. RichterStarsPeter WellerJohn LithgowEllen BarkinAdventurer, brain surgeon, rock musician Buckaroo Banzai and his crime-fighting team, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, must stop evil alien invaders from the eighth dimension who are planning to conquer Earth.
- DirectorG. Philip JacksonStarsAnne DansereauPeter BrikmanisJacques CoutureSet in the not-too-distant future, when the existing world economy has collapsed, and the new city-states are controlled by computers, many of which require a kind of telepathic linkage with a human counterpart. When the most important of these computers exhibits strange patterns during a crucial operation, its counterpart, a top scientist named Melody, begins having psychic experiences. For a low-budget film, a surprisingly deep exploration of emotions vs. logic and the elusive search for truth.
- DirectorGlen CoburnStarsDan GallionThom MeyersCharles CoburnFarmers in Texas become brainwashed bloodsuckers.
- DirectorMike HodgesStarsMel SmithGriff Rhys JonesJoanne PearceA trio of moronic aliens crash-land on Earth and become celebrities, while a fourth alien, who arrives separately, finds himself ignored.
- DirectorWilliam MaloneStarsStan IvarWendy SchaalLyman WardAfter a member of a geological research team who was sent to Saturn's largest moon: Titan crashes their spacecraft into a space station, another team is sent to Titan to investigate, not knowing the terror that awaits them.
- DirectorFred Olen RayStarsAldo RayAngelique PettyjohnWilliam FairAlien monster uses a psychic to try to take over the earth.
- DirectorDanny BilsonStarsTim ThomersonTimothy Van PattenArt LaFleurIn Italy, during World War II some American soldiers find an alien UFO.
- DirectorMardi RustamStarsNeville BrandAldo RayTina LouiseVacationing teens are systematically kidnapped and taken to a strange, rural hospital, run by a mysterious group that needs their blood.
- DirectorFernando ColomoStarsKlaus KinskiHarvey KeitelFernando ReyPrincess Alba is abducted by a dragon, and it's up to Klever to save her. But, it turns out that this dragon is an alien spacecraft, and Alba falls in love with the human-alien inside it.
- DirectorRick SloaneStarsMarcus VaughterJordana CapraJoel HileAliens chase a teenager who stole one of their ray guns.
- DirectorStephen HerekStarsDee WallaceM. Emmet WalshBilly Green BushA group of small but vicious alien creatures called Crites escape from an alien prison transport vessel and land near a small farm town on earth, pursued by two shape-shifting bounty hunters.
- DirectorTobe HooperStarsKaren BlackHunter CarsonTimothy BottomsA boy tries to stop aliens who have taken over his town and are attempting to brainwash its inhabitants.
- DirectorWillard HuyckStarsLea ThompsonJeffrey JonesTim RobbinsA sarcastic humanoid duck is pulled from his homeworld to Earth where he must stop an alien invasion with the help of a nerdy scientist and a struggling female rock singer.
- DirectorDeran SarafianStarsDennis ChristopherMartin HewittLynn-Holly JohnsonThree American friends travelling through Spain get stuck in a remote town where something very dangerous is changing the town's people.