Looking for something to watch for Halloween? I spend a lot of time watching movies, so if your taste runs to killer aliens from outer space, here are my picks for the best alien horror films on dvd.

When it comes to using aliens as the threat, imagination is really the limit. They can hunt us for any number of reasons and the killings can take place anywhere, from spaceships to right here on planet Earth. And there's no one single way to kill them, which makes them even more dangerous.

• Alien -- A mining ship, investigating a suspected SOS, lands on a distant planet and discovers a hive of eggs. Accidentally disturbing one of the eggs, the crew has no idea the danger they're in until it's too late. This film works all the angles of a good horror movie -- the unknown killer, claustrophobia in the tunnels of the ship, being hunted and trapped -- to great effect, creating a film that will make you jump more than once. Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton and John Hurt star in this film directed by Ridley Scott.
• Aliens -- The adventures of Ripley continued in this sequel that not only equaled but, in some ways, bested the original. In this film, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is awakened from stasis only to find that in her long-sleep, a mining colony has been set up on the original planet. When the colony becomes unreachable, she is sent to assist a team of space marines in a rescue attempt -- only to become the hunted, once again. This film definitely has more action than the original and it also plays strongly on the theme of motherhood.
• The Faculty -- Robert Rodriguez directed this MTV-generation horror film set on a high school campus. When a motley group of students realize that first the teachers, then fellow students, are being taken over by alien beings, they have to somehow work together to defeat the invasion before they too are assimilated. Fine work by a cast that includes Elijah Wood, Jordana Brewster, Clea DuVall and Josh Hartnett, as well as a plot that keeps you guessing until the final reveal make this a favorite for me.
• SLiTHER -- A meteorite crashes in the outskirts of a sleepy town in South Carolina and the alien inside immediately sets out to infest as many humans as possible. Though there is a healthy dose of twisted humor, this is a horror film that takes the genre seriously. You'll be laughing as you're being grossed out by alien infestation. You can read my full review of this film here. With a cast led by Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Michael Rooker and Gregg Henry, this James Gunn-directed movie is a must-see.
• The Thing -- Director John Carpenter and special makeup effects master Rob Bottin teamed up for this 1982 remake of the 1951 science fiction classic The Thing from Another World, that is heavy on the gore. In this version, scientists at an arctic research station discover an alien spacecraft under the thick ice, and thaw out the alien body found aboard. It's up to Kurt Russell to lead the battle when they discover the alien can assume any human form.

Got a fave zombie film I left off the list? Post it on the message boards.

*All titles are linked to the dvd's page at Amazon.com, in case you want to buy it or get more information on the movie. Most of these titles should be available at your local dvd rental store, as well.

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