# List of science fiction films of the 1940s

A list of science fiction films released in the 1940s. These 45 films include core elements of science fiction and are widely distributed with reviews by reputable critics.

## List

* 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
1940 :
| Title | Director | Cast | Country | Subgenre/Notes |
| The Ape | William Nigh | Boris Karloff, Maris Wrixon, Gene O'Donnell | United States | |
| Before I Hang | Nick Grinde | Boris Karloff, Evelyn Keyes, Bruce Bennett | United States | |
| Black Friday | Arthur Lubin | Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Stanley Ridges, | United States | |
| The Devil Bat | Jean Yarborough | Bela Lugosi | United States | |
| Dr. Cyclops | Ernest B. Schoedsack | Albert Dekker, Janice Logan, Thomas Coley | United States | |
| Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe | Ford I. Beebe, Ray Taylor | Harry C. Bradley, Larry "Buster" Crabbe, Shirley Deane | United States | Serial film |
| The Invisible Man Returns | Joe May | Cedric Hardwicke, Vincent Price, Nan Grey, John Sutton | United States | |
| The Invisible Woman | Edward Sutherland | Virginia Bruce, John Barrymore, John Howard, Charlie Ruggles | United States | |
| Mysterious Doctor Satan | Jon English, William Witney | Edwin Stanley, C. Montague Shaw | United States | Serial film |
| Son of Ingagi | Richard Kahn | Zack Williams, Laura Bowman, Spencer Williams | United States | |
| Weltraumschiff 1 startet ... (i.e. Spaceship I takes off) | Anton Kutter | Carl Wery, Fritz Reiff, Rolf Wernicke | Nazi Germany | |
| 1941 |||||||
| Title | Director | Cast | Country | Subgenre/Notes |
| The Devil Commands | Edward Dmytryk | Boris Karloff, Richard Fiske, Amanda Duff, Anne Revere | United States | |
| Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | Victor Fleming | Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman, Lana Turner, Donald Crisp | United States | |
| Tainstvennyy ostrov (Mysterious Island) | Eduard Penclin | Alexej Krasnopolsky, Pavel Kiyansky, Nikolai Komissarov, Yuri Grammatikati, Andrey Andriyenko-Zemskov | Soviet Union | adaptation of the 1874 novel by Jules Verne |
| Man Made Monster | George Waggner | Lionel Atwill, Lon Chaney Jr., Anne Nagel, Frank Albertson | United States | |
| The Monster and the Girl | Stuart Heisler | Ellen Drew, Robert Paige, Paul Lukas | United States | |
| 1942 |||||||
| Title | Director | Cast | Country | Subgenre/Notes |
| Bowery at Midnight | Wallace W. Fox | Bela Lugosi, John Archer | United States | |
| The Corpse Vanishes | Wallace W. Fox | Bela Lugosi, Luana Walters, Tristram Coffin, Elizabeth Russell | United States | |
| Dr. Renault's Secret | Harry Lachman | J. Carrol Naish, John Shepperd, Lynne Roberts | United States | |
| Invisible Agent | Edwin L. Marin | Ilona Massey, Jon Hall, Peter Lorre, Cedric Hardwicke | United States | |
| The Mad Monster | Sam Newfield | Johnny Downs, George Zucco, Anne Nagel, Reginald Barlow | United States | |
| 1943 |||||||
| Title | Director | Cast | Country | Subgenre/Notes |
| The Ape Man | William Beaudine | Bela Lugosi, Wallace Ford, Louise Currie | United States | |
| The Mad Ghoul | James Hogan | David Bruce, Evelyn Ankers, George Zucco | United States | |
| 1944 |||||||
| Title | Director | Cast | Country | Subgenre/Notes |
| The Invisible Man's Revenge | Ford Beebe | Jon Hall, John Carradine, Evelyn Ankers | United States | |
| The Lady and the Monster | George Sherman | Vera Ralston, Richard Arlen, Mary Nash, Sidney Blackmer | United States | |
| The Monster Maker | Sam Newfield | J. Carrol Naish, Ralph Morgan, Tala Birell | United States | |
| 1945 |||||||
| Title | Director | Cast | Country | Subgenre/Notes |
| Manhunt of Mystery Island | Spencer Gordon Bennet, Yakima Canutt, Wallace A. Grissell | Linda Stirling, Harry Strang, Tom Steele | United States | Serial film |
| The Man in Half Moon Street | Ralph Murphy | Nils Asther, Helen Walker | United States | |
| The Monster and the Ape | Howard Bretherton | Robert Lowery, Ralph Morgan, George Macready | United States | Serial film |
| The Purple Monster Strikes | Spencer Gordon Bennet, Fred C. Brannon | Linda Stirling, Ken Terrell, Mary Moore | United States | Serial film |
| Strange Holiday | Arch Oboler | Griff Barnett, Claude Rains, Barbara Bates, Tommy Cook, Paul Hilton | United States | |
| 1946 |||||||
| Title | Director | Cast | Country | Subgenre/Notes |
| The Crimson Ghost | Fred C. Brannon, William Witney | Forrest Taylor, Dale Van Sickel, Linda Stirling, Charles Quigley | United States | Serial film |
| The Flying Serpent | Sam Newfield | George Zucco, Ralph Lewis, Hope Kramer | United States | Mad scientist |
| The Mysterious Mr. M | Lewis D. Collins, Vernon Keays | Richard Martin, Pamela Blake, Dennis Moore | United States | Serial film |
| 1947 |||||||
| Title | Director | Cast | Country | Subgenre/Notes |
| The Black Widow | Spencer Gordon Bennet, Fred C. Brannon | Bruce Edwards, Virginia Lee, Carol Forman, Anthony Warde | United States | Serial film |
| Brick Bradford | Spencer Gordon Bennet, Thomas Carr | Kane Richmond, Rick Vallin | United States | Serial film |
| Jack Armstrong | Wallace Fox | John Hart, Pierre Watkin | United States | Serial film |
| 1948 |||||||
| Title | Director | Cast | Country | Subgenre/Notes |
| Chemistry and Love | Arthur Maria Rabenalt | Hans Nielsen, Tilly Lauenstein, Ralph Lothar | East Germany | Comedy |
| Counterblast | Paul L. Stein | Mervyn Johns, Robert Beatty, Nova Pilbeam | United Kingdom | |
| Krakatit | Otakar Vávra | Karel Höger | Czechoslovakia | |
| Unknown Island | Jack Bernhard | Virginia Grey, Richard Denning, Barton MacLane | United States | |
| 1949 |||||||
| Title | Director | Cast | Country | Subgenre/Notes |
| Bruce Gentry | Spencer Gordon Bennet, Thomas Carr | Tom Neal | United States | Serial film |
| King of the Rocket Men | Fred C. Brannon | Tristram Coffin, Mae Clarke | United States | Serial film |
| Mighty Joe Young | Ernest B. Schoedsack | Terry Moore, Ben Johnson, Robert Armstrong | United States | |
| The Perfect Woman | Bernard Knowles | Patricia Roc, Stanley Holloway, Nigel Patrick | United Kingdom | |