All 8 Alien movies ranked from worst to best

When we’re talking classic horror franchises in the history of the genre, the Alien movie series must be included in that conversation. Started in 1979 with the first installment which was directed by the one and only Ridley Scott, the series follows protagonist Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), an officer working on a spaceship called the Nostromo.

On their way home to Earth, her crew makes a stop at another planet to check out a distress signal and ends up finding an alien creature. And what the group doesn’t realize is that there’s a parasite ready to attack. Ripley emerges as the one person who can stop the alien from making its way to Earth. The first movie in the series is incredibly chilling and sets the tone for the ones to follow.

The Alien franchise is best known for its awesome and now-iconic design of the creature, otherwise known as the Xenomorph, which has given audiences nightmares for decades now. The character Ellen Ripley is also regarded as one of the most badass female characters ever depicted in cinema, and Weaver’s performance has been widely applauded. The movies have had a deep impact on pop culture, and as both a horror and sci-fi fan, I really treasure them.

That said, not every movie in the bunch is perfect. So let’s break down each of the eight installments in the mainline series and rank them from worst to best. Just in time for spooky season, we’re updating our list to include the two crossover movies, Alien vs. Predator and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem. I have to admit I do have a soft spot for the first Alien vs. Predator, as silly as it is.

Get your Halloween movie watch list ready and be sure to add a few Alien movies into the mix!

We’ll begin with the worst movie in the main series; can you guess which one it is?