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Movie genres exist to help the viewers discern what they might expect from their viewing experience. They also help to make a decision on what to watch next based on each person's favorite genre. But the lines between the genres aren't always as straightforward and clean as people might expect. There's a lot of overlap, as certain genres have features in common.
Science fiction, for example, blends well with horror, as both can involve stories of experimentation gone wrong or horrific creatures from alien worlds. It's not uncommon for a movie that starts as a clear science fiction piece to slowly became a horror story instead. So for those who like their sci-fi with a bit of horror, there multiple options to choose from — as long as they're ready for a scare.
5 Frankenstein (1931)
The 1931 Frankenstein is one of the best-rated adaptations of Mary Shelley's revolutionary novel. And just like its source material, it's both a science fiction story and a horror one. It starts with Victor Frankenstein creating the monster and abandoning it. As the story progresses, the monster travels through the world and brings terror with it, even though it doesn't necessarily have evil intentions.
The transformation from the scientific part of the story (the creation of the monster) to the horror part (the monster's rampage) is done in a coherent way. Despite the creature's actions, Boris Karloff in the leading role makes sure that the Frankenstein's monster ultimately comes across more as a victim of bad circumstances than the villain.
4 Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)
Just like multiple science fiction horrors, Invasion of the Body Snatchers also has another, older version, that premiered in the 1950s. However, the 1978 story is in many ways better, not only thanks to the cast, but also because the story progresses smoothly from science fiction to horror and leaves a strong impression. When strange pods start appearing on Earth and people behave in an unusual way, it takes the heroes awhile to realize that people are being replaced by their identical copies while they sleep. The one important difference is that those copies have no emotions.
The story becomes more frightening as the heroes realize there's no escaping the replacement. After all, humans can fight many great things, but sooner or later, they have to go to sleep... and that's when the aliens get them. The paranoid atmosphere and the constant threat help make the movie a switch to the horror genre, and the acting performances from Donald Sutherland, Leonard Nimoy, and Veronica Cartwright as well as the final scene make Invasion of the Body Snatchers a truly chilling piece.
3 Alien (1979)
It's not a coincidence that some of the best movies of all time go from science fiction to horror. If the movie takes the time to establish the characters first, scientific setting regardless, it's more likely the viewers will fear for them once the horror part starts. Alien, one of the greatest sci-fi horrors ever made, follows this recipe. In the first 45 minutes or so, there aren't any extraterrestrials or scary scenes. It's only after the audience grows familiar with the crew that the killing starts. It's both scary and painful to watch because, by that time, the viewers have come to know and care for the characters.
That's why it's so easy to cheer them to survive even though the alien clearly has them outnumbered, and it looks like it can kill them at any time. The xenomorph itself is easily one of the most frightening sci-fi horror creatures of all time, but without the strong human performances (most famously, Sigourney Weaver as Ripley), Alien wouldn't work as well as it does.
2 The Terminator (1984)
There are multiple reasons why The Terminator became such a classic and spawned multiple sequels. One of them is how naturally the movie moves between multiple genres. Initially, it comes across as a science fiction action movie. But as the Terminator, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger who became a star thanks to this role, keeps pursuing Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese, the movie takes on more horror elements.
In the end, this transformation is the clearest as the Terminator is deprived of all human-like characteristics, most notably his appearance, and shows his true self while he confronts the heroes in the final showdown. There's something deeply disconcerting about his robotic nature and the persistence with which he goes after Sarah, resulting in Kyle Reese's death. And while the very last scene sees Sarah alive and pregnant, the dialogue and the soundtrack both suggest that there's something dark coming, looming on the horizon.
1 The Fly (1986)
The 1986 movie wasn't the first version of such a story, but it became a classic. Not only does it have excellent special effects, but it also creates an intense atmosphere. In the beginning, it looks like a standard science fiction story about a brilliant scientist who's working on something extraordinary. Unfortunately for the main hero, the movie switches to horror when Jeff Goldblum's Seth begins to mutate into a giant fly-like monster.
Seth does his best to stop the transformation, but his effort is in vain. It's easy to sympathize with Seth and be afraid of him at the same time as he becomes more and more monstrous. Goldblum's performance helps sell the story and The Fly goes smoothly from a sci-fi piece to an atmospheric horror.