Alien Invasions
The alien subgenre is easily my least favorite, but if done right, I can be spooked by a fantastic extraterrestrial story. Netflix doesn’t really have an abundance of these flicks, though, as I’ve only encountered a few other-worldly tales worth getting probed over.
I feel as if aliens are the cheapest genre to exploit, going the little-green-man route while hiding creatures and abducting victims in blinding lights that distort your screen. Alien Abduction, currently available to stream via Netflix, is one such horrid tale, so consider this a warning before getting to my favorites of the bunch. I’ll be your sherpa while scaling the overwhelming mountains of Netflix titles – come with me if you want to live!
In what could be my biggest surprise of the year, Almost Human is one of the few alien abduction films I can emphatically stand behind. Joe Begos’ super-80s throwback takes everything that’s awesome about old-school horror, practical effects and grimy creature work, and spins a blue-lit alien story around such groovy mentalities. It’s bloody, violent and intriguing – something I can’t say for most of the alien flicks I’ve seen recently.
Another shout out goes to the Irish import Grabbers, an alien invasion flick akin to Amblin movies of yesteryear – except with a lot more alcoholism. The catch with Grabbers is that Richard Coyle and company must stay consistently inebriated if they’re to survive, because it’s discovered that the attacking aliens have a poisonous reaction to alcohol. Cue a sloppy, intoxicated fight for survival with plenty of Celtic charm, making for a more light-hearted alien onslaught.
I’m also going to give a last-minute bump to The Stuff. While it could possibly be described as a creature feature, or even a zombie film, I’m keeping it under “alien” because the marshmallow-fluff-looking concoction is most certainly alive. Larry Cohen’s satire on consumerism doesn’t employ the subtlety of Romero’s Dawn Of The Dead, but its cult appeal is undeniable. Bodies explode when destroyed, oozing the killer goo, and it’s a rather unique take on an alien invasion carried out through our gullets. Smooth, creamy, and low in calories? You just can’t get enough of The Stuff!
