Irish eyes are smiling today as we welcome the annual St. Patrick’s Day parades, pub parties, and patriotic celebrations popping up around the Western world. But if you’d rather stay home and enjoy a nice movie, we’ve put together an intriguing list of 7 Irish sci-fi movies heralding in one aspect or another from the Emerald Isle.
The best sci-fi movies might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Ireland, but here are some bangers that demand attention. These movies showcase a distinct Irish sensibility sprinkled with tentacled sea monsters, alien babies, space hijackers, vintage UFOs, otherworldly parasites, resource-sucking invaders, exploding eyeballs, and the hint of a magically-created crustacean.
Shout “Erin go bragh” and let’s get busy with 7 Irish sci-fi films to enjoy this St. Patrick’s Day.
“Grabbers” (2012)
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“It’s always the quiet places where the madness happens.” This fun sci-fi horror comedy that suggests the tactic of remaining drunk to survive an alien creature’s murderous menace is the perfect way to indulge in St. Patrick’s Day while tipping back a pint or two.
After the fishing residents of Ireland’s Erin Island are besieged by tentacled alien creatures, pilot whales start appearing dead on the beach, and lobstermen catch some slimy beast, they arrive at the conclusion that they’ll be far less appetizing to the cosmic monsters if their blood is saturated with alcohol. Infused with witty “Shawn of the Dead”-like humor and hilarious special effects!
“Sea Fever” (2019)
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Delivered by BAFTA-winning Dublin filmmaker Neasa Hardiman, “Sea Fever” brings to mind larger aquatic-set Hollywood sci-fi releases like “Deep Star Six,” “Leviathan,” and in some elements of paranoid contagion horror, “The Thing” and “Prometheus.” It’s a sea-centered story of a marine biology student named Siobhan who boards a fishing trawler sailing the choppy seas of Western Ireland to conduct a research project.
While floating across the Deep Blue Sea, the ship is gripped by some space-born underwater behemoth that infects the vessel and its crew with a parasitic organism living in the water bins. Sioban endeavors to fight these eyeball-seeking critters and the tentacular being’s blue goo larvae to the death.
“Vivarium” (2019)
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Be prepared for a few sleepless nights after watching this surreal cinematic descent into mild madness. “Vivarium” is a spider’s web puzzle box of psychological sci-fi delights that remains open to a number of interpretations of its story about a home-shopping couple who arrive at a strange residential neighborhood with identical houses, then become trapped in this suburban nightmare while trying to escape.
The plot involves mimicry, the nature of reality, avian metaphors, freedom, the mundane horrors of domesticity, and an alien species seeking someone to raise their offspring to imitate human beings. Directed by Irish filmmaker Lorcan Finnegan and starring Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg, “Vivarium” is a trippy existential jewel to ponder over and dissect.
“Summer of the Flying Saucer” (2008)
A super enjoyable family comedy that plays out in the small town of Knockshee, Ireland circa 1967 where an extraterrestrial craft piloted by two benign humanoid alien beings plops down on the humble Galway-area farm of Danny and his family.
Bored with his West Ireland life and trying to integrate as a long-haired, peace-loving Hippie, Danny finds new meaning after this load of interlopers arrives, falling in love with the girl alien, and attempting to help the visitors blend in until they can repair their craft and travel home. Dubliner Martin Duffy directs this charmer with a light touch.
“The Quiet Hour” (2014)
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Not to be confused with the Hollywood sci-fi horror franchise, “A Quiet Place,” this excellent Irish production focusing on an alien invasion picks up in the aftermath of an extraterrestrial assault where two hours of the day are immune to the cosmic visitors’ surveillance.
A teenager played by Dakota Blue Richards is the first line of defense for her blind brother and the family’s rural farm against human scavengers and those hovering beehive-like alien craft in the sky. Directed by filmmaker Stéphanie Joalland and produced in Ireland’s grey-skied Tipperary County, “The Quiet Hour” is an atmospheric slow-burn that does a fine job with its limited budget, small cast, and bleak countryside locations.
“Spacejacked” (1997)
Cheesiness is an absolute staple of the beloved genre and this Irish-made TV movie is a treasure of pure smooth Velveeta. Produced by the king of indie schlock, Roger Corman, from his Galway, Ireland-based studio, “Spacejacked” stars Corbin Bernsen (“Major League”) as a computer hacker and second mate aboard a luxury space liner named the Star Princess who sabotages the craft to gain access to the rich passengers’ bank accounts in a hostage situation amid the stars.
Available on home video and occasionally popping up on streamers as a curious low-budget relic of the ’90s, it’s a “so bad it’s good” pick that must be seen to be believed.
“The Lobster” (2015)
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More of a satirical sci-fi fantasy than an offering exhibiting traditional science fiction material, “The Lobster” stars Irish actor Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz in a strange story of sexuality and transformation in a near-future dystopian settlement named The City where coupled monogamy is encouraged to an extreme.
Here, unattached folks are intentionally booked into an Irish seafront resort called The Hotel and required to hook up in a romantic partnership within a period of 45 days or be subjected to being turned into a chosen animal. “The Lobster’s” deliberate oddness is certainly not for everyone, but Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos layers this absurdist entry with a surreal romantic authenticity and Irish appeal.
