Before streaming, before endless franchises, and long before CGI took over, the 1980s and 1990s gave us a golden age of movie aliens.
They were terrifying, lovable, ridiculous, and unforgettable – often brought to life by people inside suits or behind puppets rather than computers.
These are the aliens that defined the VHS era. Not just because of how they looked, but because of how they felt when you first saw them.
In the latest Fast Forward episode of the Rewind Classic Movies podcast, GB and AJ pick their Top 10 Movie Aliens of the 80s and 90s. You can listen in the player above or wherever you get your podcasts.
NOTE: There are spoilers for that episode in this article, if you consider a spoiler to be naming aliens from old movies and ruining the rankings. Although not exactly the same as the podcast, it is heavily inspired by.
10. Max (Flight of the Navigator, 1986)
Max wasn’t a monster. He wasn’t a conqueror. He was your mate.
Technically a sentient alien ship rather than a physical creature, Max stood out because of personality. He learned from Earth’s pop culture, cracked jokes, and slowly became more human over the course of the film. As a kid, you didn’t fear Max – you wanted a buddy like him.
In a decade obsessed with invasion and annihilation, Max proved aliens could be funny, loyal, and oddly comforting.
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9. Wack & Neek (Explorers, 1985)
Joe Dante’s Explorers gave us aliens who didn’t want to destroy Earth and instead just wanted to hang out and watch TV.
Wack and Neek felt like aliens designed by kids raised on Saturday morning cartoons. Weird, playful, and completely unthreatening, they represented a gentler strain of 80s sci-fi that rarely gets talked about today.
They were odd, memorable, and unmistakably of their time.
8. Prince Vultan (Flash Gordon, 1980)
Yes, he’s humanoid. Yes, he’s played by Brian Blessed. And yes he absolutely counts. Because, by definition, he’s not from Earth.
The Hawk Men leader is a reminder that “alien” didn’t always mean rubber masks and slime. In Flash Gordon, aliens were flamboyant, theatrical, and gloriously over-the-top.
Prince Vultan’s booming presence, winged design, and sheer energy made him unforgettable. He’s a perfect example of early-80s sci-fi excess. Iconic. DIIIIIIVE!!
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7. The Iron Giant (The Iron Giant, 1999)
Not all aliens arrived screaming. He may be a robot, but he’s from outer space.
The Iron Giant landed quietly, confused, and misunderstood. He wasn’t a villain. He was a child, learning what he could be. In a genre dominated by fear, the Giant became one of the most emotional alien figures of the era.
By the time he sacrifices himself, he’s not just an alien. He’s a hero.
6. The Arachnids (Starship Troopers, 1997)
The bugs of Starship Troopers are terrifying not because of individuality, but because of scale.
Endless, swarming, and controlled by something unseen, they tapped into a very specific kind of fear: being overwhelmed. The Brain Bug in particular pushed the idea that aliens could be intelligent, strategic, and deeply unsettling without ever being human-like.
They felt modern in the 90s and still do.
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5. The Predator (Predator, 1987)
Invisible. Patient. Ruthless. And one ugly motherfu….
The Predator worked because it was more than just a monster – it was a hunter with rules. The design, movement (Kevin Peter Hall), and sound created something instantly iconic, and the performance inside the suit gave it weight and presence.
By the time it reveals itself, the Predator is already legendary.
4. The Xenomorph (Alien, Aliens, 1979, 1986)
Few alien designs have ever been as instantly recognisable.
The Xenomorph wasn’t just frightening. It was biomechanical, sexual (what? -Ed), and grotesque in a way that felt genuinely alien. Its life cycle alone set it apart from everything that came before.
Whether lurking in shadows or charging en masse, the Xenomorph became the benchmark for sci-fi horror.
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3. The Thing (The Thing, 1982)
The ultimate paranoia alien from John Carpenter.
The Thing isn’t one creature, it’s any creature. Anyone. Everyone. That idea alone made it terrifying, but the practical effects pushed it into legend.
Grotesque transformations, body horror, and total distrust turned The Thing into a masterclass in alien terror. It didn’t want to rule Earth. It just wanted to survive. By becoming you.
2. Yoda (The Empire Strikes Back, 1980)
A tiny green alien who shouldn’t work but absolutely does. Which is good, because the success of Star Wars depended on it.
Yoda arrives as comic relief, then slowly reveals himself as one of the most important characters in cinema history. Brought to life through puppetry and voice alone (Frank Oz), he became proof that aliens didn’t need spectacle to be powerful.
Wisdom, patience, and emotional weight made Yoda iconic long before CGI got involved (and later completely changed the character).
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1. The Aliens We Grew Up With
The truth is, the VHS era didn’t just give us great movie aliens of the 80s and 90s. It gave us timeless variety.
Aliens could be friends or monsters. Wise teachers or unknowable horrors. They could make us laugh, cry, or sleep with the lights on. And because they were often physical, imperfect, and handcrafted, they felt real in a way modern effects sometimes struggle to replicate.
These aliens didn’t just appear on screen. They stayed with us. And the number 1 alien can’t be defined by anyone but you.
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