Episode 184 of This Week in Space finds hosts Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik surveying the scarier side of space cinema — from floppy rubber-suit monsters to brain-controlling triffids and moon spiders. They blend film commentary with cultural context, explaining why isolation and the unknown make space a fertile setting for horror. The episode also includes current space news and tips for listeners who want to follow the new space age.
This Week in Space — Episode 184: Why Space Is Scary (A Tour of the Best — and Worst — Alien Creature Films)
Episode 184 of This Week in Space finds hosts Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik surveying the scarier side of space cinema — from floppy rubber-suit monsters to brain-controlling triffids and moon spiders. They blend film commentary with cultural context, explaining why isolation and the unknown make space a fertile setting for horror. The episode also includes current space news and tips for listeners who want to follow the new space age.
12:53, 02.11.2025Culture
This Week in Space — Episode 184: Why Space Is Scary
On Episode 184 of This Week in Space, hosts Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik explore why the cosmos so often becomes the stage for horror. The episode offers a lively, informed survey of memorable — and delightfully ridiculous — movies featuring extraterrestrial critters, and explains why those images continue to haunt audiences.
The hosts highlight a range of films, from genuinely chilling classics to campy entries defined by floppy rubber suits and low-budget special effects. They revisit triffid-like plant monsters that hijack human minds, rock spiders on lunar landscapes, and other iconic movie monsters that turn isolation, contamination, and the unknown into visceral fear. Listeners get both affectionate teasing of genre excesses and thoughtful analysis of why those tropes endure.
Why Space Makes a Great Setting for Horror
Pyle and Malik place these films in cultural and storytelling context. They describe how themes such as isolation, limited resources, the impossibility of immediate help, and fear of contamination translate into visuals and plot devices in space horror. The conversation also tracks special-effects trends and recurring motifs — creeping vines, possession, and lone astronauts in peril — that have defined the subgenre across decades.
Also in This Episode
- News and commentary about current space developments and the new space age.
- Discussion of the race back to the Moon and ongoing plans to reach Mars.
- Recommendations for listeners who want to follow space news weekly.
Listen and subscribe to the show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. To get episodes ad-free, visit https://twit.tv/clubtwit.
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Equipment & Gifts
Top telescope pick: For beginners looking to see planets and comets, the Celestron Astro Fi 102 is recommended in our beginner's telescope guide.
Model rocket: Estes offers a detailed, launchable scale model of the Falcon 9 for collectors and hobbyists. The model retails for about $149.99; partners at collectSPACE.com are offering a 10% discount with code IN-COLLECTSPACE.
About the Show
This Week in Space covers the new space age with a deep dive into a different topic every Friday. Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik discuss developments in human and robotic spaceflight, the race to the Moon, plans for Mars, and cultural perspectives on space exploration. The show is produced for Space.com and is available through most podcast platforms.