Hooked On Horror's 31 Days Of Horror 2026
As is tradition every Halloween since 2020, we give you (our incredible & amazing audience) our 31 Days of Horror. Which, if you didn’t know, means you’ll be getting a film recommendation from myself (Adam) & Mike complete with behind the scenes content, facts, art and more everyday throughout October. How we've managed to pick 16 films each I don't know...
Hooked On Horror's 31 Days Of Horror 2026
This year, you horror fans voted for this years to focus on Monster Movies & Creature Features. So, without further ado, here’s Hooked On Horror’s 31 Days Of Horror 2026. Be sure to come back here for a new film daily!
October 1st
Aliens (James Cameron, 1986)
Aliens by Benedict Woodhead
Ellen Ripley is sent back to the planet LV-426 to establish contact with a terraforming colony. Once there, she encounters the Alien Queen and her offspring and has to fight them to survive.
Thought we’d start things off strong with a truly incredible film featuring, for me personally, one of the greatest movie monsters of all time- the Xenomorph. As Ash says in the first film, they’re “The perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility.”
Where the first film is pure, slow-burn horror, this one leans far more into action while still weaving in that underlying sense of dread and tension. It shifts the tone but never loses the franchise’s identity.
It’s a fantastic sequel and easily one of the best in the series. Sigourney Weaver is even more of a badass here, with her character development being one of the strongest parts of the film — especially in the extended cut, where the addition of the scene involving her daughter adds real emotional weight and context.
The effects are on another level compared to the first film, massively stepping things up and making the scale feel much bigger and more intense. We saw a lot more of what these creatures can do in this, and how terrifying they truly are. And of course, let’s not forget how breathtaking that Alien Queen is in this. *
The cast are all excellent, with Michael Biehn and Bill Paxton stealing pretty much every scene they’re in, bringing both intensity and personality to the chaos. Still, it’s hard not to feel a bit gutted when the Queen kills Bishop at the end — a brutal moment in an already relentless finale.
*Side note: Don’t forget Disney owns Fox, which technically means Ripley & the Alien Queen are both Disney Princesses.
Check back for tomorrow for October 2nd.
