The Astronaut’s Wife (1999)
Alien Possession
Charlize Theron becomes paranoid and suspects her space shuttle astronaut husband Johnny Depp of returning possessed by an alien. Essentially an SF version of Rosemary’s Baby
Alien Possession
Alien Possession is similar to the Possession Film in which a human being is inhabited by another force. In this case, the possessing force is alien in nature as opposed to a demonic or supernatural agency.
Alien possession occurs when aliens take control of human bodies or minds. Frequently the purpose of doing so is part of an Alien Invasion so that they can pass unnoticed amongst humans. In some examples, the invasion involves mass possession of the populace. Sometimes it can be more innocently to visit or explore this world.
Other forms of alien possession can include parasitic organisms that take control of a body, most memorably in the case of the chestburster in Alien (1979) – these are more properly covered under Parasites. In other examples, aliens are known to take control of the dead or else be able to hop between bodies.
See also Body Snatchers for aliens that replicate and mimic human form.
The Beast With a Million Eyes (1955)
Alien Invader/Animals Amok
Modest and occasionally atmospheric 1950s B-budget alien invasion film where the title is explained as the alien’s ability to control animals, making this arguably the first Animals Amok film
Before We Vanish (2017)
Japanese Alien Invasion Film
Japan’s Kiyoshi Kurosawa is known for his intensely uncanny and bafflingly cryptic horror films. Here he makes an alien invasion film, although a minimalist and very different one that proves quite fascinating
Blasted (2022)
Laser Tag Team vs Alien Invaders Comedy
Norwegian comedy where two friends who were a champion laser tag duo in their teens are now in adult life where they are forced to pair back up to fight off alien invaders
The Block Island Sound (2020)
Mysterious Happenings in a Bay
An enigmatic and undeniably effective film about mysterious happenings where those who journey out into a bay return having been affected in disturbing ways
The Box (2009)
Mysterious Stranger Offers Couple a Terrible Choice
Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly adapts a Richard Matheson story about a couple who are offered a terrible choice by a stranger but delivers a bafflingly incomprehensible film
The Brain from Planet Arous (1957)
Possession by Evil Alien Brain
B movie in which John Agar is possessed by a glowing alien brain, this unfortunately fails to live up to either its lurid vigour or its bad movie reputation
The Cape Canaveral Monsters (1960)
Alien Invaders Sabotage the Space Mission
The one other SF film made by Phil Tucker, the director of Robot Monster. An alien invader effort made to capitalise on the Space Race with aliens trying to sabotage rocket launches
The Cat (1992)
Cop vs Aliens/Hong Kong Action
This is a completely demented Hong Kong film about alien body snatchers who are hiding in an apartment building on Earth
Dark Breed (1995)
Action Film/Alien Possession
An action movie inspired by tv’s The X Files involving space shuttle pilots returned to Earth possessed by aliens. The emphasis is more on action scenes than a coherent plot
Dark Metropolis (2010)
Dystopia of Genetically Engineered Superhumans
a low-budget SF film set in an underground world ruled by a caste of genetically engineered people concerning who now face rebellion from among the lower classes
The Dark Side of the Moon (1990)
The Devil in Outer Space
Conceptually ridiculous film where a spaceship crew in lunar orbit come across a space shuttle that disappeared through the Bermuda Triangle and contains a parasitic organism that is The Devil
Doom: Annihilation (2019)
Videogame Adaptation/Labyrinth of Monsters
This was the second film based based on the Doom game and actually does a far better job of getting the essence of the game and paying fanservice to its elements than the earlier 2005 film did
Dreamcatcher (2003)
Alien Body Snatchers/Stephen King Adaptation
Lawrence Kasdan directs an adaptation of the Stephen King novel about a group of men on a weekend get together in the woods who find themselves in the midst of an alien invasion
The Dustwalker (2019)
Aliens Create Zombies in the Australian Outback
A zombie film of sorts in which the people of an Australian outback town are taken over by an alien force. A zombie film that seems to be trying not to be a zombie film.
Fried Barry (2020)
Man Inhabited by an Alien
A South African variant on a film like Starman where a man is inhabited by an alien and stumbles through a series of encounters on the seedier side of life
Ghosts of Mars (2001)
Resurrected Spirits on Mars
John Carpenter returns to cinema screens amid the 2000-1 spate of Mars movies. Despite promise, this ends up being not much more than his early film Assault on Precinct 13 relocated on Mars
The Hidden (1987)
Body-Hopping Alien
This was a minor cult hit at the time and concerns an alien that hops between human host bodies while having the invincibility of a Terminator. The idea is played with considerable panache and directed with great flair
The Hidden II (1994)
Body-Hopping Alien
The Hidden was a wittily enjoyable hit about body-hopping aliens. This is a cheap sequel that substantially reuses material from the first film, while missing everything that made the original work
Howard the Duck (1986)
Talking Alien Duck/Comic Book Adaptation
This adaptation of the cult Marvel comic-book from Lucasfilm should have been a classic but went tail-feathers up in a big way such that it became the term used for a film that bombs for years afterwards
The Human Duplicators (1965)
Android Takeover Plot/Alien Invasion
This is regarded as a bad movie classic. An alien invasion tale, it was the first film on the theme of humans being replaced by androids. No worse than any other B movie of the era, it does suffer from a dullness
Immortal (ad vitam) (2004)
Future New York/Ancient Egyptian Gods Return
Comic-book creator Enki Bilal creates a visually extraordinary film about Ancient Egyptian gods awakening in a future New York
Inseminoid (1981)
Alien Impregnation
Fairly trashy low-budget British copy of Alien with several well-known actors running around a series of caves after Judy Geeson becomes impregnated by an alien embryo
Invasion of Alien Bikini (2011)
Gonzo Alien Seduction/South Korean Comedy
Wacky South Korean comedy that seems like Species played with the sensibilities of My Stepmother is an Alien – the whole film plays out as a nonsensically charming seduction
Killdozer (1974)
Alien-Possessed Bulldozer
This tv movie’s premise – “a killer bulldozer” – has had it slotted into bad movie stakes. It was clearly intended as a copy of Duel and its killer truck premise but lacks Steven Spielberg as director
Killer Tongue (1996)
Possessed Tongue/Gonzo Monster Movie
A giddy madcap, frequently over-the-top and entirely ridiculous Spanish film in which Melinda Clarke’s tongue is possessed by an alien whereupon the tongue starts killing people
Kronos (1957)
Alien Energy-Devouring Machine
A 1950s alien invader film that is driven by the quite imaginative image of a giant black alien cube marching across the countryside devouring all forms of energy
Monolith (1994)
Cops vs Body-Hopping Alien
Ridiculous action film produced at the peak of The X Files popularity about two detectives against a body-hopping alien and sinister government agency
Murdercycle (1998)
Alien-Possessed Motorcycle
Passable B-budget film about an alien-possessed motorcycle
Planet of the Vampires (1965)
Mysterious Planet/Alien Possessed Dead
Cult Italian horror director Mario Bava makes an SF film where explorers find an alien planet where aliens possess the dead (not vampires despite the title). In many ways a precursor of Alien
The Quatermass Experiment (2005)
Mutating Astronaut
A remake of the first Quatermass story conducted as a live broadcast tv movie. Quite a considerable technical achievement considering the limitations and one that works with quite reasonable results
The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)
Mutating Astronaut
The first of the Quatermass films and the first major genre hit for Hammer Films. Nigel Kneale creates a literate work of science-fiction horror about a returned astronaut mutating after exposure to an alien fungus
Supernova (2000)
Spaceship Rescues Mutated Killer
The celebrated Walter Hill directs an Alien-inspired film about a mutated killer loose on a spaceship. This was a problem-ridden production that pans out far less interestingly than it promises to be
War of the Satellites (1958)
Aliens Sabotage Space Launches
An early film from legendary B movie producer/director Roger Corman. This is an alien invasion film but has been twisted out of shape to exploit the fascination with satellites after the launch of Sputnik several months before the film came out
X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019)
Comic-Book Superheroes
Despite the bad press surroundings this, I failed to find it as bad as other reviewers. It’s a solid if not standout entry in the series with some fine superheroic action sequences