What do you want to watch tonight?
Each title says who it's good for, and who it isn't. Tap what you want tonight, or say no to one and why.
Closest to Super 8 first
Stranger Things 2016
Series
When a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces, and one strange little girl.
The sides of Stranger Things
- The eighties
- A gang of friends
- Monsters and real fear
- A family you choose
Good for you if
- you love the 1980s: bikes, walkie-talkies, arcade games.
- you like a monster hunt in a small town.
- you like a gang of kids who never leave a friend behind.
Bad for you if
- creatures and gore are too scary for you or the kids.
- five long seasons is more than you want to start.
About: friendship · growing up · the unknown
It 1990
Series
In 1960, seven outcast kids known as "The Losers' Club" fight against an ancient shape-shifting alien who poses as a child-killing clown, while also dealing with bullies and abusive parents. Thirty years later, they reunite to stop the creature once and for all when it returns to their hometown.
The sides of It
- A shape-shifting clown called Pennywise
- Seven outcast kids in a small town in 1960
- The same friends reunited thirty years later
Good for you if
- you like being scared by a clown in a storm drain.
- you like the Losers' Club sticking together against bullies and worse.
- you like a story that cuts between seven kids and the adults they became.
Bad for you if
- you can't watch children dying or abusive parents.
- a TV miniseries from 1990 feels dated to you.
About: childhood fear · friendship · memory · bullying
It 2017
Film
In a small town in Maine, seven children known as The Losers Club come face to face with life problems, bullies and a monster that takes the shape of a clown called Pennywise.
The sides of It
- A clown in the sewers
- A gang of misfit kids
- Summer in a small town
Good for you if
- you want proper scares and a clown you won't forget.
- you like a group of outcast kids who stick together.
- you like horror with real jokes. Richie never stops talking, even with a clown after him.
Bad for you if
- children in danger and blood ruin it for you.
- a predatory father and a murdered little brother are too much for you.
About: fear · friendship · growing up
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 1982
Film
An alien is left behind on Earth and saved by the 10-year-old Elliott who decides to keep him hidden in his home. While a task force hunts for the extra-terrestrial, Elliott, his brother, and his little sister Gertie form an emotional bond with their new friend, and try to help him find his way home.
The sides of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
- A boy who finds a lost alien
- Bikes flying across the moon
- Phone home
Good for you if
- you like a friendship that can make grown-ups cry.
- you like childhood seen as magical.
- you want a classic for the whole family.
Bad for you if
- films from 1982 feel dated to you.
- you roll your eyes at sentiment. A boy and an alien feel everything together.
About: friendship · childhood · home
The X-Files 1993
Series
The exploits of FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully who investigate X-Files: marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. Mulder believes in the existence of aliens and the paranormal while Scully, a skeptic, is assigned to make scientific analyses of Mulder's discoveries that debunk Mulder's work and thus return him to mainstream cases.
The sides of The X-Files
- Two FBI agents on cases nobody else wants
- A believer and a skeptic
- A government hiding the truth about aliens
Good for you if
- you like Mulder and Scully driving into a new small town with a new unexplained case.
- you like being creeped out by a monster of the week.
- you like UFOs, mutants and folklore treated as police work.
Bad for you if
- you can't commit to eleven seasons.
- you need the alien conspiracy to be fully explained in the end.
About: belief · conspiracy · trust
Annihilation 2018
Film
A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition into a mysterious zone where the laws of nature don't apply.
The sides of Annihilation
- Five scientists entering the Shimmer
- Nature mutating into something else
- A bear that screams
Good for you if
- you like science fiction that feels like a nightmare.
- you like rainbow-coloured, mutated landscapes.
- you like an ending that refuses to explain itself.
Bad for you if
- body horror and one terrifying creature are too much for you.
- you need momentum. The expedition moves slowly and quietly through the Shimmer.
About: self-destruction · change · grief
Prometheus 2012
Film
A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race.
The sides of Prometheus
- Scientists looking for our creators
- An android with his own plans
- A surgery you won't forget
Good for you if
- you like huge alien ruins and cold, beautiful images.
- you want grand questions on a grand scale.
- you like body horror and unsettling ideas.
Bad for you if
- characters making bad choices drive you mad.
- you scare easily. Dark alien tunnels and a desperate surgery scene will stay with you.
About: creation · faith · hubris
The Expanse 2015
Series
A thriller set two hundred years in the future following the case of a missing young woman who brings a hardened detective and a rogue ship's captain together in a race across the solar system to expose the greatest conspiracy in human history.
The sides of The Expanse
- A missing young woman and a detective on Ceres
- The crew of the Rocinante
- Earth, Mars and the Belt on the brink of war
Good for you if
- you like sci-fi where ships obey real physics and gravity matters.
- you like a solar system colonised all the way out to the asteroid belt.
- you like the politics between Earth, Mars and the Belters.
Bad for you if
- you lose track of storylines spread across planets and ships.
- six seasons is too much for you.
About: colonialism · loyalty · humanity
Arrival 2016
Film
Taking place after alien crafts land around the world, an expert linguist is recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or are a threat.
The sides of Arrival
- The grief underneath the sci-fi
- Aliens that are truly alien
- Understanding as the plot
- Time that doesn't run straight
Good for you if
- you like a film that quietly breaks you at the end.
- you like patient scenes where people try to understand each other.
- you like aliens treated as a real problem of language and science.
Bad for you if
- you want an alien invasion with battles. There are none.
- you'd rather not work to follow a story. Louise's memories only fall into place in the last act.
About: language · grief · time · choice
Aliens 1986
Film
Ripley, the sole survivor of the Nostromo's deadly encounter with the monstrous Alien, returns to Earth after drifting through space in hypersleep for 57 years. Although her story is initially met with skepticism, she agrees to accompany a team of Colonial Marines back to LV-426.
The sides of Aliens
- Ripley goes back with the marines
- A colony gone silent
- A queen and a mother
Good for you if
- you like the scary original turned into a war film.
- you like marines counting their ammo in a corridor.
- you like creatures coming from the walls.
Bad for you if
- films from 1986 feel dated to you.
- you can't take gore. Marines are torn apart and acid blood eats through armour.
About: motherhood · survival · courage
War of the Worlds 2005
Film
Ray Ferrier is a divorced dockworker and less-than-perfect father. Soon after his ex-wife and her new husband drop off his teenage son and young daughter for a rare weekend visit, a strange and powerful lightning storm touches down.
The sides of War of the Worlds
- A father fleeing with his kids
- Tripods rising from the ground
- A cellar and a probe
Good for you if
- you like an invasion seen from the ground, from a family's view.
- you like terrifying destruction scenes.
- you like a long, quiet scene hiding in a basement.
Bad for you if
- you want something for the kids. Here two children run from an alien invasion, terrified.
- you need the science to hold up. The tripods were buried under our cities long before us.
About: survival · fatherhood · fear
Life 2017
Film
The six-member crew of the International Space Station is tasked with studying a sample from Mars that may be the first proof of extra-terrestrial life, which proves more intelligent than ever expected.
The sides of Life
- A cell from Mars on a space station
- It grows
- A crew that can't let it reach Earth
Good for you if
- you like a creature loose in a tight space.
- you like a smart, fast alien.
Bad for you if
- crushing, gruesome deaths ruin it for you.
- you need some hope. Life on the station turns darker by the hour.
About: survival · curiosity · sacrifice
Cloverfield 2008
Film
Five young New Yorkers throw their friend a going-away party the night that a monster the size of a skyscraper descends upon the city. Told from the point of view of their video camera, the film is a document of their attempt to survive the most surreal, horrifying event of their lives.
The sides of Cloverfield
- A goodbye party in Manhattan
- A monster attacks the city
- Everything filmed on a camcorder
Good for you if
- you like an attack seen only from the ground.
- you like a monster you barely see.
- you like the Statue of Liberty's head in the street.
Bad for you if
- you want steady, framed images. Everything is shot on a shaking camcorder.
- you need answers. Nobody learns what the monster is or where it came from.
About: survival · love · chaos
Star Trek: Picard 2020
Series
Set twenty years after the events of Star Trek Nemesis, we follow the now-retired Admiral Picard into the next chapter of his life.
The sides of Star Trek: Picard
- A retired admiral at his vineyard
- A last mission among the stars
- Old shipmates reunited
Good for you if
- you like starships, Starfleet and the edge of the galaxy.
- you like Patrick Stewart playing Picard one more time, older and wiser.
- you like old crewmates coming back for one another.
Bad for you if
- you need momentum, and the first season takes its time gathering Picard's crew.
- you roll your eyes at grand speeches about duty and humanity.
About: aging · regret · legacy · friendship
Captain America: The Winter Soldier 2014
Film
After the cataclysmic events in New York with The Avengers, Steve Rogers, aka Captain America is living quietly in Washington, D.C. and trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk. Joining forces with the Black Widow, Captain America struggles to expose the ever-widening conspiracy while fighting off professional assassins sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, the Falcon. However, they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy—the Winter Soldier.
The sides of Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- A conspiracy inside the agency
- A masked killer from the past
- A fight in an elevator
Good for you if
- you like a spy thriller where nobody can be trusted.
- you like close, hard-hitting fights.
- you like uncovering who's really giving the orders.
Bad for you if
- you need the science to hold up. A super soldier frozen for seventy years takes on flying aircraft carriers.
- you roll your eyes at speeches about freedom and doing the right thing.
About: trust · freedom · friendship
Jurassic World 2015
Film
Twenty-two years after the events of Jurassic Park, Isla Nublar now features a fully functioning dinosaur theme park, Jurassic World, as originally envisioned by John Hammond.
The sides of Jurassic World
- A dinosaur theme park open to the public
- A new dinosaur that escapes
- A trainer and his raptors
Good for you if
- you want big dinosaurs on a big screen.
- you like chases through a jungle and a crowded park.
- you like the dream of a dinosaur park open to the public, at last.
Bad for you if
- you watch for the people more than the dinosaurs. Here the creatures are the stars.
- you'd rather not be scared. The Indominus rex hunts the park's guards through the jungle.
About: greed · nature · control
I Am Legend 2007
Film
Robert Neville is a scientist who was unable to stop the spread of the terrible virus that was incurable and man-made. Immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City and perhaps the world. For three years, Neville has faithfully sent out daily radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But he is not alone.
The sides of I Am Legend
- The last man in New York
- A dog as his only friend
- Creatures that come out at night
Good for you if
- you like dark buildings you have to go into.
- you like a lonely hero and the dog who keeps him going.
- you like daily routines of survival in an empty city.
Bad for you if
- you can't take loneliness and grief on screen. Neville talks to mannequins to stay sane.
- you like a big cast. Will Smith is nearly alone on screen for an hour.
About: loneliness · hope · survival
Gravity 2013
Film
Dr Ryan Stone, an engineer on her first space mission, and Matt Kowalski, an astronaut on his final expedition, have to survive in space after they are hit by debris while spacewalking.
The sides of Gravity
- An astronaut adrift above Earth
- Debris coming around every orbit
- Getting home alone
Good for you if
- you want ninety minutes of holding your breath.
- you want space at its most beautiful and frightening.
- you like one person fighting to stay alive.
Bad for you if
- you need a story with conversations. She's mostly alone.
- you want a plot to work out. It's one straight line from orbit to the ground.
About: survival · grief · rebirth
A Quiet Place Part II 2021
Film
Following the events at home, the Abbott family now face the terrors of the outside world. Forced to venture into the unknown, they realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.
The sides of A Quiet Place Part II
- The family leaves home
- A deaf girl with a plan
- A survivor in an old factory
Good for you if
- you like silence that makes every sound terrifying.
- you like creatures that hunt by noise.
Bad for you if
- you like a slow build. Part II throws the family into danger from the first scene.
- you want a story that wraps up. This one ends with more to come.
About: family · courage · survival
Star Trek: Discovery 2017
Series
Follow the voyages of Starfleet on their missions to discover new worlds and new life forms, and one Starfleet officer who must learn that to truly understand all things alien, you must first understand yourself.
The sides of Star Trek: Discovery
- A human officer raised by Vulcans
- A starship that jumps on a spore network
- A crew flung far into the future
Good for you if
- you like Starfleet ships, aliens and new worlds.
- you like a crew discovering what lies beyond the known map.
- you like following Michael Burnham's arc more than the mission of the week.
Bad for you if
- you roll your eyes at big emotional speeches on the bridge.
- five seasons is too much for you.
About: identity · exploration · loyalty