A Quiet Place was one of 2018's biggest surprise box office hits. The movie was made on a modest budget and directed by John Krasinski--who, at that point, was best known for his role as the hapless Jim in The Office. But it went on gross more than $340 million at the worldwide box office, and the sequel arrives later this month.

A Quiet Place was an inventive spin on one of the most familiar concepts in horror and sci-fi--the alien invasion movie. While no one in the film actually describes the marauding creatures as aliens, Krasinski subsequently confirmed that "they're from another planet." And really, what else could they be? We don't discover how exactly they arrived on earth, but it looks like A Quiet Place: Part 2 might answer some of these questions.

HG Wells' classic novel The War of the Worlds laid the groundwork for alien invasion storytelling, but it was during the sci-fi movie boom of the 1950s that it became a popular idea for filmmakers to explore. There have been dozens--possibly hundreds--of examples made since then. The most effective movies have always been the scarier ones, that combine sci-fi with horror and truly exploit man's fear of being invaded by a terrifying alien force.

From tentacled beasts and amorphous blobs to shapeshifting extraterrestrials and deadly parasites, alien invaders have taken many forms over the years. And as A Quiet Place proved, a simple twist on the formula can still result in some highly effective and scary cinema. So here's a look at some of the best alien invasion horror movies ever made...