Alien (1979) Directed by Ridley Scott

Part of Greatest English Language Horror

Review by Brendan Peterson: For three decades, film fans have debated whether “Alien” should be classified as horror or science fiction. My local video store has it shelved in 'Sci-Fi,' but to me “Alien” will always be a horror flick. And with its chilling tag line (“In space, no one can hear you scream”), who can argue otherwise? Spawning three sequels of varying quality, “Alien” was a groundbreaking film when it was released in 1979, and it showcases filmmaker Ridley Scott at the top of his game. The straightforward story focuses on the seven-member crew of The Nostromo, a commercial towing vehicle returning to earth. Tom Skerrit plays Dallas, the long- haired, classical-music-loving captain, and Sigourney Weaver—in her feature film debut—plays Ripley, the tough-as-nails boss- in-training. The diverse team of space explorers is rounded out by characters played by John Hurt, Ian Holm, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton and Yaphet Kotto, each bringing unique color and life to the ensemble cast.

As the film begins, it’s just another day in space for this crew, as each member looks forward to getting home and collecting a paycheck. But when the Nostromo makes an unexpected stop to check out a deserted ship, and when John Hurt comes into contact with an overly clingy alien life form, it all goes downhill. The nail biting final hour is a battle for survival that showcases taut, suspenseful filmmaking at its finest. Shooting just his second feature, the elder Scott uses every tool at his disposal to bring us into the center of this claustrophobic world of doom and gloom. From Cinematographer Derek Vanlint's opening, as the camera weaves through the twisty corridors of the spooky ship, it’s clear that we're in for an unsettling ride; and Scott combines intricate sound design with otherworldly lighting to ensure that every detail in every scene serves the story and keeps a consistent tone.

All these years later, the film hasn’t lost its sheen. Unlike any number of has-been sci-fis that look just plain silly with their visions of the “future,” "Alien's" modernity is as convincing today as it was 30 years ago (other than a few DOS-ish computer screens). Scott’s breathtaking set design was realized with the help of artist H.R. Giger, who also designed the film's iconic alien, and it's more intricate, lived-in and believable than any environment of its kind that I’ve seen in the movies since. And what about that alien? How does this “perfect organism” hold up all these years later? She looks marvelous; drippy, toothy and ready to rumble, this creature is heads and tails above other old movie monsters that tend to look plastic and fake in retrospect. In fact, one of the joys of this first 'Alien' film is getting to know this crazy creature, and it's unfortunate that in subsequent films she became less mysterious and more of a traditional movie beast.

Of course, “Alien” is more than a brilliant technical accomplishment; the film is about people, not machines. Novice filmmakers can learn a lot by pondering the character development and essential themes that are communicated in simple, focused conversations and action. Credit the team of great actors, Ridley Scott’s confident direction and Dan O’Bannon’s script for creating a meaningful monster flick. From always-smoking cat-lover Harry Dean Stanton to super-serious weirdo Ian Holm, these characters are more than one dimensional cartoons designed to be picked off by the creature. (Speaking of Mr. Holm, his decapitated head scene is a horror movie classic and itself worth the price of admission.) Throughout the film, conversations and the concerns of the crew are always real, and Scott captures all this in a believable way, using an Altmnan-esque overlapping dialogue strategy to give us that fly-on-the-wall sensation.

It's “Alien’s” quiet moments that bring the chills in this ominous downward spiral of a story. Anyone who has ever looked for an unwanted critter in a dark basement understands the tension of looking for something unexpected, and anticipating a scare. “Alien” is a string of these anxious moments, and it never lets up. This is terror without gore or cheap shocks, and the overarching dread of the film stems from a feeling of being lost and alone in the universe with nowhere to go. It’s the kind of fear that resonates to your core, creeps under your skin and stays with you for days and weeks. In the end, “Alien” brilliantly subverts what we expect from a genre picture: it's less concerned with action adventure hi-jinx and offers a thoughtful and disturbing take on space exploration, the ethics of science, biological bedlam, and government corruption. Not only that but it features one of the strongest female heroes of all time; Sigourney Weaver is a quiet, controlled powerhouse who is clearly the only person in any universe who can go toe-to-toe with this disgruntled space monster. Her final scenes with the Alien are intense, emotional and some of the greatest horror movie moments ever captured on celluloid.

Last Word: A brilliant, disturbing and profound sci-fi-horror hybrid that sees Ridley Scott at the top of his game and Sigourney Weaver in a powerhouse performance that launched her career.