ALIEN (1979)

By Steve Biodrowski     June 07, 2001

The film that put Gothic horror in outer space, ALIEN proved that material often derided as B-movie fodder could be handled with finesse and glossy production values, without diminishing the thrills or polishing over the horror. Dan O'Bannon's script is filled with memorable moments of revulsion (the face-hugger, the chest-burster), and the uncredited rewrite by Walter Hill & David Giler adds an impressive layer of gritty, working class characterization. Director Ridley Scott films the whole thing to exquisite effect, capturing both the terror and the beauty of the titular creature, a sleek and amazing design by H.R. Giger that is only briefly glimpsed, preventing us from getting a clear picture of the beast's nature until the final scenes reveal it in all its glory. Those extreme closeups, of lips curling back from rows of teeth within teeth, are enough to make the skin crawl, and the atmosphere of dread reaches unrelieved levels, with never a sense of respite being offered. In DRACULA, you felt safe during the day; in JAWS, you felt safe out of the water; but in ALIEN, there is no safety to be found aboard the ill-fated Nostromo. And the clever, ten-little-indians plot structure, with no character clearly identified as the protagonist, leaves you genuinely unsure who will survive to the final credits. The cast (Tom Skerritt, Yaphet Kotto, John Hurt, Harry Dean Stanton, Ian Holm, Veronica Cartwright) are all excellent, with newcomer Sigourney Weaver showing all the talent that would make her a star. A beautiful piece of filmmaking about a terrifying subject.