Alien: Earth recently took Disney+ by storm, offering the Alien franchise’s first live-action TV series and creating the perfect opportunity to debut new, stranger, and even more terrifying Xenomorphs. The series focuses on a space vessel that crash-lands on Earth, bearing alien specimens, some of which are so strange that even the iconic Xenomorph appears somewhat tame in comparison.
If you loved Alien: Earth and are looking for more unusual alien species, this guide will show you where to find the freakiest aliens in shows and movies on platforms like Disney+, Paramount+, and Hulu, ranked by fear factor.
10. Species 19 - Alien: Earth (2025-Present)
Species 19 is one of the new aliens introduced in Alien: Earth. The creatures have an insectoid appearance that looks like a cross between a centipede and a leech. Despite their relatively small stature, the aliens can do quite a bit of damage. Once attached to a host, they suck its blood, causing their bodies to become grotesquely engorged and sucking the host dry in a matter of minutes. While they’re certainly creepy, they fall into the category of gross rather than scary and will mostly only terrify those with a fear of bugs.
Alien: Earth is a triumph for the Alien franchise, paying tribute through its sci-fi horror and nostalgic cinematography to the earlier movies while taking the franchise in an exciting new direction with new aliens and a new setting. It thoughtfully explores complex topics like technological advancement and corporate power while also featuring a goriness and horror reminiscent of Jurassic Park (1993). The series is perfect for sci-fi horror fans and viewers who especially loved the original Alien (1979) movie.
9. Weeping Angels - Doctor Who (2005-Present)
The Weeping Angels made their Doctor Who debut in 2007. They are an alien species that resemble angel statues, with their hands covering their faces, as if they are crying. However, the moment you look away from them, they move. You never actually see them move; you just turn around to find the statue closer, baring its fangs and reaching for you. Being touched by one will send someone randomly back in time, where they’ll be unable to return to their timeline. Weeping Angels look and behave quite frighteningly, although what they do to victims isn’t nearly as terrifying or gory as what other aliens on this list are capable of.
Doctor Who is bursting with strange and unique alien species, some of whom are good and some of whom are bad. The series leans more squarely toward science fiction than horror, but the time travel premise makes it flexible enough to dabble in horror, history, and fantasy whenever it pleases. Doctor Who makes sci-fi fun and is reminiscent of The Librarians (2014) with its infectious energy, optimism, and sense of adventure.
8. Pennywise the Clown - It (2017)
Pennywise the Clown is the shapeshifting extraterrestrial at the center of the It franchise. The creature’s most terrifying iteration appears in It (2017), where Bill Skarsgård offers a sinister, unnerving performance as the bloodthirsty monster. While Pennywise can shapeshift into anything to induce fear in children, it most often takes the form of a creepy clown. Pennywise is unnerving, especially in its grotesque habit of feasting on children. Although absolutely terrifying to those with the relatively common fear of clowns, Pennywise’s most common appearance isn’t as freaky or unusual as some creatures on this list.
It is an excellent adaptation of one of Stephen King’s most famous works. The film blends horror with a compelling coming-of-age story featuring a strong message about overcoming one’s fears. The coming-of-age elements dull the horror somewhat, but they make It more profound and moving than the typical horror movie. Fans of coming-of-age horror, like Raw (2016) and Carrie (1976), will also love It.
7. The Thing - The Thing (1982)
In The Thing, the titular extraterrestrial can assume the form of any animal or human, using its abilities to wreak havoc on a team of researchers in Antarctica. The Thing is similar in power to Pennywise. Still, it arguably uses its abilities to an even more terrifying extent, impersonating humans and animals to drive humans to madness through paranoia and distrust. To add to the terror, viewers never actually see The Thing in its natural form. The lack of a natural form takes away from some horror derived from appearance, but also makes it a bit more unsettling since you don’t even know what you’re up against.
The Thing is one of the best sci-fi horror films available. Between its isolated, extreme environment, body horror, the mystery surrounding the assailant, and the drastic measures of those driven by paranoia, the film is both thought-provoking and terrifying. If you love the suspense of Alien and the body horror of The Substance (2024), you’ll love The Thing.
6. Daddy Long-Legs - No One Will Save You (2023)
Daddy Long-Legs appears toward the end of No One Will Save You and functions as the leader/priest of the gray aliens. While most of the gray aliens look like the typical alien archetype, Daddy Long-Legs is a bit of a jump scare due to its enormous size. Easily the size of a house with massive, spider-like limbs and an affinity for odd hand gestures, Daddy Long-Legs’ appearance is nightmarish. It has a far more alien-like and fear-inducing appearance than the Weeping Angels or Pennywise, but its clumsiness and failure to inflict real harm keep it from ranking higher on this list.
No One Will Save You is one of the most innovative horror movies of the 21st century, mainly due to its minimal dialogue. Bolstered by a very physical and body language-heavy performance from Kaitlyn Dever, the film evokes tension and suspense while subverting alien invasion tropes. It's the perfect film for sci-fi horror fans seeking a movie that offers something fresh and distinctive.
5. T. Ocellus - Alien: Earth (2025-Present)
T. Ocellus, or Species 64, is another new alien in Alien: Earth. Its design is simple but gross and unsettling, as it resembles a human eye with tentacles. Species 64’s abilities are even more terrifying than its appearance, as it kills and controls its prey by gouging out an eye and inserting itself in its place. It can even give its host unusual abilities, such as allowing a lamb to stand on its hind legs for an extended period.
The creature is also extremely intelligent, successfully freeing itself from its containment. While Species 64’s small size makes it slightly less terrifying than some of the enormous creatures on this list, its abilities and intelligence are exceedingly freaky and scary. Alien fans, you already know this series is for you.
4. Yautja - Predator (1987)
The Yautja made their debut in Predator, which went on to spawn an extensive film franchise. These extraterrestrials appear quite terrifying, standing tall in stature with a mixture of humanoid and arthropodic features, including mandibles, dreadlocks, and claws. However, their appearance isn’t the most terrifying thing about them. They are skillful hunters who enjoy hunting humans. The Predators boast significant physical and technological advantages over humans, with far more advanced technology. As terrifying and formidable as they are, their honor system makes them slightly less scary than the creatures on this list who kill indiscriminately.
Predator is the perfect sci-fi horror movie for viewers who loved The Thing and Alien but are seeking something with a little more action. It moves at a breakneck pace and keeps viewers’ adrenaline pumping through its hunting premise and battle of wits. If you’re looking for a visually stunning mixture of horror, sci-fi, and action, Predator has you covered.
3. Death Angels - A Quiet Place (2018)
Death Angel is the unofficial name given to the extraterrestrial species in A Quiet Place. These creatures are terrifying, boasting a Demogorgon-like appearance due to their armored head plates that retract to reveal a mouth full of fangs. Although eyeless, the creatures contain extremely sensitive hearing and inhuman speed. At the slightest noise, they arrive with lightning speed to snatch their prey, killing them with their powerful claws and teeth. Death Angels' armored skin also makes them nearly indestructible. Terrifying to look at and highly lethal, they’re some of the most fear-inducing aliens in cinema.
A Quiet Place, like No One Will Save You, is an innovative horror movie that features little dialogue or noise. Knowing that every little noise draws Death Angels will have audiences constantly holding their breath with suspense, but still never quite predicting or escaping the numerous jump scares. Reminiscent of Bird Box (2018) and Never Let Go (2024), A Quiet Place is terrifying, shocking, and unique, but also a surprisingly emotional tale about family and surviving against all odds.
2. Xenomorph - Alien (1979)
The Xenomorph debuts in Ridley Scott’s Alien and takes on several terrifying, deadly life forms. Starting as eggs, the creatures develop into Facehuggers. These tentacled creatures with long tails latch onto a host's face with an unbreakable hold and implant the host with a Xenomorph embryo. The embryo develops into the Chestbuster, which then explodes from within its host, eventually transforming into the adult Xenomorph. Adult Xenomorphs are large, bipedal creatures with superhuman speed and strength, deadly barbed tails, claws, and a terrifying secondary jaw that protrudes from their mouth. It’s a creature rivaled in weirdness, grotesqueness, and horror by very few.
Alien is an excellent sci-fi horror movie that utilizes suspense and tension masterfully, while dazzling viewers with a creature so innovative and bizarre that it’s sure to terrify even the most resilient horror fans. It’s not just a great sci-fi horror movie, but a brilliant work of cinema overall, sure to intrigue film enthusiasts. If you loved Aliens (1986), Alien: Earth, and Alien: Romulus (2024), which come closest to recreating the horror and suspense of the original, you’ll love Alien.
1. Offspring - Alien: Romulus’ (2024)
The only thing that can top a Xenomorph is an even more disturbing variation of one. In Alien: Romulus, a pregnant teenager, Kay (Isabela Merced), is terrorized by a Xenomorph. In a bid to save her life, she injects herself with Compound Z-01, an alien pathogen found in Xenomorph DNA. The result is that she gives birth to the Offspring, a human/xenomorph hybrid, which is just as terrifying as it sounds. Extremely pale, inhumanly tall, with a misshapen torso and black eyes, the Offspring also has claws, a retractable toothed tongue, and a Xenomorph-like tail. It’s just as deadly as a Xenomorph, but larger, creepier, and more humanoid, which gives it a slight edge in the fear factor.
Alien: Romulus is an excellent take on the Alien franchise. It boasts the sci-fi horror, jump scares, and masterful suspense of Alien, as well as the innovation and creativity, as it continually strives to surpass the weirdness and terror of the franchise. Reviving the vibe of the original Alien, but with the freshness and ambition of Alien: Earth, it’s one of the best installments in the franchise.
