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Plan 9 from Outer Space poster

Movies that feel likePlan 9 from Outer Space (1957)

In California, an old man grieves the loss of his wife, and dies the day after she is buried. However, the space soldier Eros and his mate Tanna use an electric device to resurrect them both, alongside the strong Inspector Clay, who was murdered by the alien-controlled dead couple. When the populations of Hollywood and Washington D.C. see flying saucers on the sky, a colonel, a police lieutenant, a commercial pilot, his wife, and a policeman try to stop the aliens.

If you loved Plan 9 from Outer Space, the closest films we have are The Thing from Another World (1951), The Fly (1958) and Son of Frankenstein (1939). All three share Plan 9 from Outer Space's cerebral and dread feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Island of Lost Souls (1932).

🍅 66% Rotten Tomatoes★ 3.9 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Edward D. Wood Jr.cerebraldreadunsettling
8 of 12 streaming nowHBO Max · Amazon Prime Video · Paramount Plus Premium

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If Plan 9 from Outer Space hit the spot, these will too

The Thing from Another World poster
The Thing from Another World
1951 · dir. Christian Nyby
🍅 87%★ 7drama · horror · science fiction

Both are built on the same subject: alien invasion

The difference: Sits closer to drama than Plan 9 from Outer Space does

Scientists and US Air Force officials fend off a blood-thirsty alien organism while investigating at a remote arctic outpost.

The Fly poster
The Fly
1958 · dir. Kurt Neumann
🍅 95%★ 7.1science fiction · horror · dramaPrime Video

Cerebral where it counts, dread-soaked underneath

The difference: Reviewed even better

Industrialist François Delambre is called late at night by his sister-in-law, Helene, who tells him that she has just killed her husband. Reluctant at first, she eventually explains to the police that he invented a matter transportation apparatus and, while experimenting on himself, a fly entered the chamber.

Son of Frankenstein poster
Son of Frankenstein
1939 · dir. Rowland V. Lee
🍅 95%★ 7.1horror · science fiction

Science fiction built on unease, twice over

One of the sons of late Dr. Henry Frankenstein finds his father's ghoulish creation in a coma and revives him, only to find out the monster is controlled by Ygor who is bent on revenge.

Phantasm poster
Phantasm
1979 · dir. Don Coscarelli
🍅 72%★ 6.6horror · science fictionPrime Video

Cerebral horror, and it commits to that

The difference: 22 years apart, and the 1970s show

A 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.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers poster
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
1978 · dir. Philip Kaufman
🍅 93%★ 7.4science fiction · horror

Both keep coming back to the same thing: alien

The residents of San Francisco are becoming drone-like shadows of their former selves, and as the phenomenon spreads, two Department of Health workers uncover the horrifying truth.

Island of Lost Souls poster
Island of Lost Souls
1932 · dir. Erle C. Kenton
🍅 88%★ 7.3science fiction · horror

Science fiction with a pulse of dread, in both cases

An obsessed scientist conducts profane experiments in evolution, eventually establishing himself as the self-styled demigod to a race of mutated, half-human abominations.

Phase IV poster
Phase IV
1974 · dir. Saul Bass
🍅 50%★ 6.4horror · science fiction

Both lean on unease more than on horror

Arizona ants mock the food chain on their way to a desert lab to get two scientists and a woman.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers poster
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
1956 · dir. Don Siegel
🍅 97%★ 7.7science fiction · horror · thrillerParamount+

Common ground: alien

The difference: Leans harder into thriller than Plan 9 from Outer Space does

A small-town doctor learns that the population of his community is being replaced by emotionless alien duplicates.

Creature from the Black Lagoon poster
Creature from the Black Lagoon
1954 · dir. Jack Arnold
🍅 81%★ 6.9adventure · horror · science fictionPrime VideoPeacock

Cerebral science fiction in both cases

When scientists exploring the Amazon River stumble on a “missing link” connecting humans and fish, they plan to capture it for later study. But the Creature has plans of his own, and has set his sights on the lead scientist's beautiful fiancée, Kay.

The Invisible Man poster
The Invisible Man
1933 · dir. James Whale
🍅 95%★ 7.6horror · science fictionPrime VideoPeacock

Both lean on dread more than on horror

After experimenting on himself and becoming invisible, scientist Jack Griffin, now aggressive due to the drug's effects, seeks a way to reverse the experiment at any cost.

Scanners poster
Scanners
1981 · dir. David Cronenberg
🍅 69%★ 6.7science fiction · horrorMax

The shared currency is unease

A scientist trains a man with an advanced telepathic ability called 'scanning' to stop a dangerous Scanner with extraordinary psychic powers from waging war against non-Scanners.

Seconds poster
Seconds
1966 · dir. John Frankenheimer
🍅 79%★ 7.6science fiction · thriller · horror

Science fiction in the same key

An unhappy middle-aged banker agrees to a procedure that will fake his death and give him a completely new look and identity; one that comes with its own price.

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The best-reviewed films that share Plan 9 from Outer Space’s defining feeling.