What do you do in a horror franchise when you’re trying to keep it going but want to be unique? Well, take it to space, obviously! Within horror, sci-fi horror is one of those sub-genres that either nails it or makes a film so bad that it’s good and eventually reaches cult-level attention. It hasn’t been done too often, but some of the most popular horror franchises have taken their killers to the vast unknown and seeing how they stack up in zero gravity. Let’s take a look at the ones who did it and the ones that shot for the moon but fell a little short.
5. Amityville In Space
This film is the most recent out of all on the list and definitely the most far-fetched. A priest is asked to come and rid the house of demons, but instead uses his powers to ask God to take the house off the face of Earth. The house gets super-launched into space and orbits around for centuries before a team of space marines discovers the house and the priest. From here, the priest and marines have to rid the house of evil before it can make its way back to Earth. The Amityville franchise is a free-for-all right now since the name cannot be trademarked because it is a physical location. Because of this, the franchise keeps spawning its own demons and directors are making whatever they want with the name on it.
4. Critters 4
Out of all the films on this list, Critters is the one that does have original sci-fi roots, making this entry seem less far-fetched. Critters 4 takes place in 2045 when Captain Rick finds a pod with the remaining 2 Krite eggs and Charlie McFadden, the bounty hunter from the previous films. The eggs hatch while they’re waiting for the eggs to be taken and the Krites attack. We lose a little bit of the emphasis on the monsters in this film and a lot of the comedy that comes with a Critters movie, so it’s not a fan favorite within the franchise.
3. Leprechaun 4: In Space
The fourth installment of the Leprechaun movies is entertaining, just as its predecessors, but lacks a bit of story line. We never really find out how, but somehow the Leprechaun is in orbit and abducts an alien planet’s royalty, so he can become the supreme ruler of the planet. Of course, there are space defenders/marines there to stop him and his evil plot. We do see Warwick Davis wield a lightsaber and, at their core, the Leprechaun films are pure cheese entertainment. The fourth other worldly installment is no different.
2. Hellraiser: Bloodline
Another 4th movie in the franchise, this Hellraiser sequel is rather ambitious and is set across three timelines, one of them being 2127 in space. This was the last Hellraiser movie to have a theatrical release, the last one to have Clive Barker‘s involvement, and we get to see the inception of the Lament box. This story in the franchise brings with it a lot of gore, and we get an excellent performance from Pinhead, as to be expected. There were some budget cuts with this film, so not all the special effects are up to par, but the introduction of new cenobites as well as tying the storyline together across three different time periods makes this one of the favorites among Hellraiser fans.
1. Jason X
The Friday The 13th franchise has spanned far and wide, from Manhattan, to hell, and to space in the tenth film, Jason X. In 2455, humans have left Earth 2 to return to Old Earth, where everything is contaminated and deadly, but, of course, there are some ancient artifacts to be found! One of those artifacts happens to be a frozen Jason Voorhees, who defrosts while on a spaceship back to Earth 2 and takes full advantage of the confined space to wreak havoc on those aboard. One of the coolest kills in this film is when Jason sticks Adrienne’s head into a vat of liquid nitrogen then proceeds to smash it on the counter. Always campy and cheesy, Friday The 13th movies follow the same blueprint for what to expect and Jason X delivered across all fronts in a terrain that is generally underutilized.
