In the weekly column Extra Credit, Charles Bramesco recommends supplemental viewing for moviegoers whose interests have been piqued by a given week’s big new release.

Horror and science fiction: the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups of genre fusions, two great tastes that taste great together. Alex Garland’s ambitious, mysterious new feature Annihilation has reportedly driven him to the outer reaches of the sci-fi realm he squarely occupied with Ex Machina, and the roundly positive early notices (read ScreenCrush's review here) report a chilling change in his register. As a group of hardy scientists (among them Natalie Portman, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, and Jennifer Jason Leigh) venture into a shimmery nether-zone on an exploratory mission that quickly turns deadly, Garland unleashes all manner of surreal spectacles.

Because this column has already covered sci-fi films with a philosophical bent, this week shall be devoted to those that successfully incorporate elements of horror into stories otherwise defined by futures of technology and what lies beyond the stars. Strap in for takeoff, check your six, and remember — on ScreenCrush, no one can hear you scream:

Gallery – The Best Sci-Fi Movie Posters:

 

 

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