The 40 most popular 1960s science fiction movies, ranked. Click any film for ratings, reviews, trailers, and where to watch.


2001: A Space Odyssey
1968 · 2h 29m
country: United Kingdom
Humanity finds a mysterious object buried beneath the lunar surface and sets off to find its origins with the help of HAL 9000, the world's most advanced super computer.


Planet of the Apes
1968 · 1h 52m
country: United States
Astronaut Taylor crash lands on a distant planet ruled by apes who use a primitive race of humans for experimentation and sport. Soon Taylor finds himself among the hunted, his life in the hands of a benevolent chimpanzee scientist.


Labyrinth
1969 · 13m
country: France
The landscape surveyed here might be the estranged interior of your typical East-European émigré animator’s skull; with its deranged narrative values, artfully disturbed graphic style, and aggressive "musique concrète" sonorities, Kamler's are among the most astounding works you'll ever see... In company of Walerian Borowczyk, Peter Foldes & Arcady, Kamler is the successor to a prestigious tradition of East European émigré animators (think: Alexieff, Bartosch, Starewycz). Like their precursors, they are also among the most distinguished artists in cinema, celebrated for their graphic style and narrative experiment.


Night of the Living Dead
1968 · 1h 36m
country: United States
A ragtag group barricade themselves in an old Pennsylvania farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls ravaging the Northeast.


Barbarella
1968 · 1h 38m
country: France
In the far future, a highly sexual woman is tasked with finding and stopping the evil Durand-Durand. Along the way she encounters various unusual people.


Destroy All Monsters
1968 · 1h 29m
country: Japan
At the turn of the century, all of the Earth's monsters have been rounded up and kept safely on Monsterland. Chaos erupts when a race of she-aliens known as the Kilaaks unleash the monsters across the world.


The Time Machine
1960 · 1h 43m
country: United States
A Victorian Englishman travels to the far future and finds that humanity has divided into two hostile species.


Invasion of Astro-Monster
1965 · 1h 36m
country: Japan
Astronauts Glenn and Fuji investigate Planet X and encounter mysterious aliens known as the Xiliens, who ask Earth's people to help save their world from "Monster Zero". In exchange for borrowing Godzilla and Rodan, the Xiliens offer a cure for cancer. As Glenn investigates, he develops a romance with Miss Namikawa and uncovers the Xilien's true intentions.


Stay Tuned for Terror
1965 · 1h 25m
country: Argentina
A succession of television broadcasts has unexpected and terrifying effects on the minds of viewers.


Fantastic Voyage
1966 · 1h 41m
country: United States
In order to save an assassinated scientist, a submarine and its crew are shrunk to microscopic size and injected into his bloodstream.


Alphaville
1965 · 1h 39m
country: France
Lemmy Caution is on a mission to eliminate Professor Von Braun, the creator of a malevolent computer that rules the city of Alphaville. Befriended by the scientist’s daughter Natasha, Lemmy must unravel the mysteries of the strictly logical Alpha 60 and teach Natasha the meaning of the word “love.”


Fahrenheit 451
1966 · 1h 53m
country: United Kingdom
In the future, the government maintains control of public opinion by outlawing literature and maintaining a group of enforcers, known as “firemen,” to perform the necessary book burnings. Fireman Montag begins to question the morality of his vocation…


The Last Man on Earth
1964 · 1h 27m
country: United States
When a disease turns all of humanity into the living dead, the last man on earth becomes a reluctant vampire hunter.


The Nutty Professor
1963 · 1h 47m
country: United States
A timid, nearsighted chemistry teacher discovers a magical potion that can transform him into a suave and handsome Romeo. The Jekyll and Hyde game works well enough until the concoction starts to wear off at the most embarrassing times.


Seconds
1966 · 1h 47m
country: United States
An unhappy middle-aged banker agrees to a procedure that will fake his death and give him a completely new look and identity; one that comes with its own price.


Frankenstein Conquers the World
1965 · 1h 30m
country: Japan
During WWII, Germans obtain the immortal heart of Frankenstein's monster and transport it to Japan to prevent it being seized by the Allies. Kept in a Hiroshima laboratory, it is seeming lost when the United States destroys the city with the atomic bomb. Years later a wild boy is discovered wandering the streets of the city alone, born of the immortal heart.


Mysterious Island
1961 · 1h 41m
country: United Kingdom
During the US Civil War, Union POWs escape in a balloon and end up stranded on a South Pacific island, inhabited by giant plants and animals. They must use their ingenuity to survive the dangers, and to devise a way to return home. Sequel to '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' .


King Kong vs. Godzilla
1962 · 1h 37m
country: Japan
The advertising director of Pacific Pharmaceuticals, frustrated with the low ratings of their sponsored TV program, seeks a more sensationalist approach. He orders his staff to Faro Island to capture King Kong for exploitation. As Godzilla re-emerges, a media frenzy generates with Pacific looking to capitalize off of the ultimate battle.


La Jetée
1962 · 29m
country: France
A man confronts his past during an experiment that attempts to find a solution to the problems of a post-apocalyptic world caused by a world war.


Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
1964 · 1h 32m
country: Japan
After a meteorite unleashes a three-headed beast upon Tokyo, Mothra tries to unite with Godzilla and Rodan to battle the extraterrestrial threat.


Mothra vs. Godzilla
1964 · 1h 29m
country: Japan
Journalists Ichiro Sakai and Junko cover the wreckage of a typhoon when an enormous egg is found and claimed by greedy entrepreneurs. Mothra's fairies arrive and are aided by the journalists in a plea for its return. As their requests are denied, Godzilla arises near Nagoya and the people of Infant Island must decide if they are willing to answer Japan's own pleas for help.


Hibernatus
1969 · 1h 22m
country: France
Hubert de Tartas' life becomes a complete muddle when his wife's grandfather is unearthed after having spent 65 years in frozen hibernation in the polar circle. After being de-frosted, the Hibernating Man believes it is still the beginning of the century. Nothing is spared to keep that illusion alive. At the end of his rope, Hubert blurts out the truth and takes the man from Edwardian times on a crazy spree through an ultramodern Twentieth Century.


Village of the Damned
1960 · 1h 17m
country: United Kingdom
In a small English village everyone suddenly falls unconscious. When they awake every woman of child bearing age is pregnant. The resulting children have the same strange blond hair, eyes and a strong connection to each other.


All Monsters Attack
1969 · 1h 10m
country: Japan
Ichiro Miki is a child living in the industrial district of Kawasaki, where his parents' constant struggle to make ends meet often leaves the schoolboy alone. Constantly teased by a bully nicknamed Gabara, his only friends are toy consultant Shinpei and fellow classmate Sachiko. Ichiro turns to escapist dreams of Monster Island where he befriends the equally bullied Minilla.


Crack in the World
1965 · 1h 36m
country: United States
Dr. Steven Sorenson plans to tap the geothermal energy of the Earth's interior by means of a thermonuclear device detonated deep within the Earth. This experiment causes a crack to form and grow within the Earth's crust, which threatens to split the earth in two if it is not stopped in time.


Brides of Blood
1968 · 1h 37m
country: United States
Americans investigating the results of nuclear radiation discover a man-eating monster on a remote island.


Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed
1969 · 1h 41m
country: United Kingdom
Blackmailing a young couple to assist with his horrific experiments the Baron, desperate for vital medical data, abducts a man from an insane asylum. On route the abductee dies and the Baron and his assistant transplant his brain into a corpse. The creature is tormented by a trapped soul in an alien shell and, after a visit to his wife who violently rejects his monstrous form, the creature wreaks his revenge on the perpetrator of his misery: Baron Frankenstein.


X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes
1963 · 1h 19m
country: United States
A doctor uses special eye drops to give himself x-ray vision, but the new power has disastrous consequences.


Master of the World
1961 · 1h 42m
country: United States
A mad genius tries to bomb the world into peace.


Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
1961 · 1h 45m
country: United States
The crew of an atomic submarine battle to save the world from global destruction.


The Absent-Minded Professor
1961 · 1h 36m
country: United States
Bumbling professor Ned Brainard accidentally invents flying rubber, or "Flubber", an incredible material that gains energy every time it strikes a hard surface. It allows for the invention of shoes that can allow jumps of amazing heights and enables a modified Model-T to fly. Unfortunately, no one is interested in the material except for Alonzo Hawk, a corrupt businessman who wants to steal the material for himself.


The Evil of Frankenstein
1964 · 1h 27m
country: United Kingdom
Once hounded from his castle by outraged villagers for creating a monstrous living being, Baron Frankenstein returns to Karlstaad. High in the mountains they stumble on the body of the creature, perfectly preserved in the ice. He is brought back to life with the help of the hypnotist Zoltan who now controls the creature. Can Frankenstein break Zoltan's hypnotic spell that incites the monster to commit these horrific murders or will Zoltan induce the creature to destroy its creator?


Ikarie XB 1
1963 · 1h 28m
country: Czechoslovakia
The year is 2163. Starship Ikaria XB-1 embarks on a mission deep into space in search of alien life. During their perilous journey the crew confront the effects of a malignant dark star, the destructive legacy of the 20th century and, ultimately, the limits of their own sanity.


King Kong Escapes
1967 · 1h 44m
country: Japan
An adaptation of the Rankin/Bass cartoon, "The King Kong Show". King Kong is brought in by the evil Dr. Who to dig for Element X in a mine when the robot Mechani-Kong is unable to do the task. This leads to the machine and the real Kong engaging in a tremendous battle atop Tokyo Tower.


Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs
1966 · 1h 23m
country: Italy
Mad scientist Dr. Goldfoot plots another twisted scheme to take over the world by killing off the major military leaders of every country; to that end, he creates in his secret lab a bevy of bodacious girl bombs; full-length, life-size robots that explode when embraced.


The 10th Victim
1965 · 1h 32m
country: Italy
In the near future, big wars are avoided by giving individuals with violent tendencies a chance to kill in the Big Hunt. The Hunt is the most popular form of entertainment in the world and also attracts participants who are looking for fame and fortune. It includes ten rounds for each competitor, five as the hunter and five as the victim.


The Valley of Gwangi
1969 · 1h 36m
country: United States
A turn of the century wild west show struggling to make a living in Mexico comes into the possession of a tiny prehistoric horse. This leads to an expedition to the Forbidden Valley where they discover living dinosaurs. They capture one and take it back to be put on display, leading to inevitable mayhem.


Ebirah, Horror of the Deep
1966 · 1h 27m
country: Japan
Searching for his brother, Ryota stows away on a boat belonging to a criminal alongside two other teenagers. The group shipwrecks on Letchi island and discover the Infant Island natives have been enslaved by a terrorist organization controlling a crustacean monster. Finding a sleeping Godzilla, they decide to awaken him to defeat the terrorists and liberate the natives.


The Satan Bug
1965 · 1h 54m
country: United States
A US government germ warfare lab has had an accident. The first theory is that one of the germs has been released and killed several scientists. The big fear is that a more virulent strain, named The Satan Bug because all life can be killed off by it should it escape, may have been stolen.


Gorgo
1961 · 1h 18m
country: United Kingdom
When an underwater volcanic eruption tears up the sea bed off the coast of Ireland, two treasure hunters make the discovery of a lifetime when they encounter a gigantic prehistoric monster that’s been unleashed from the earth’s crust. After capturing the beast, the pair transport the creature down to London where it’s given the name of “Gorgo” and put on display to an avid public. Little do they realize that Gorgo is just an infant, and that his exponentially larger mother is about to emerge from the depths to avenge the capture of her offspring.
The 1960s broke the old rules everywhere at once — the French New Wave, the collapse of the Hollywood Production Code, and new waves across Europe and Japan reshaping what a film could show and say.
Science fiction uses the future — or a plausible alternative present — to think through the current moment. It's produced some of cinema's most influential images, and the genre's biggest leaps have usually followed leaps in effects technology.