Alien Movies: Essential Films
A curated selection of the Alien franchise's most critically acclaimed and narratively important entries, focusing on the films that best represent what makes the series legendary. This collection spans from the claustrophobic horror masterpiece that started it all to the action-packed sequel that redefined the series, plus the strongest entries from the more recent films.
This order captures the franchise's core themes and highest-quality filmmaking while avoiding the more divisive sequels, providing newcomers and casual fans with the most rewarding Alien experience. You'll get both the intimate terror of the original xenomorph encounters and the expanded mythology that explores humanity's place in a hostile cosmos.
There are 3 other watch orders available – see the links up above.
Alien
The crew of a commercial spaceship encounters a deadly alien creature that stalks them through their vessel after being brought aboard from a distant planet. This sci-fi horror classic follows their desperate fight for survival against a nearly indestructible extraterrestrial predator.
Aliens
Ripley, the sole survivor of a deadly alien encounter, reluctantly joins a team of Colonial Marines to return to the planet where the nightmare began. This intense sci-fi sequel delivers relentless action as humanity faces an even greater xenomorph threat.
Prometheus
A team of explorers follows clues about humanity's origins to a distant planet, where they encounter ancient secrets and deadly threats that could determine the fate of mankind.
Alien: Romulus
A group of young space colonizers encounter deadly alien creatures while exploring an abandoned space station in this latest installment of the iconic horror franchise.
Other Film Series
Alien vs. Predator
Two iconic alien species clash in brutal combat, with humans caught in the crossfire of their ancient conflict.
Godzilla
The legendary Japanese kaiju franchise spanning 70+ years across multiple eras and continuities.
Phantasm
A surreal horror franchise following young Mike Pearson and ice cream vendor Reggie in their ongoing battle against the interdimensional Tall Man and his deadly silver spheres.
Romero's Living Dead
George A. Romero's groundbreaking zombie saga, featuring classic horror films and several reboots.
The Purge
A dystopian horror franchise set in an America where all crime is legal for 12 hours once a year during an annual event called The Purge.
Warlock
A supernatural horror trilogy featuring different standalone stories about malevolent warlocks, connected more by theme than narrative continuity.