When Ridley Scott first unleashed Alien unto the world, little did he know he was also bringing forth a relatively new subgenre — one that blends science fiction with horror, all wrapped in the claustrophobic terror of chest-bursting, face-hugging, head-impaling aliens on a doomed spaceship. At the time, horror was dominated by religious and supernatural themes, with films like The Omen, Rosemary’s Baby, and Carrie. So, when the audiences were seated to welcome the Nostromo crew, and this gnarly alien known as the Xenomorph… everyone lost their collective minds.
In the ‘70s, with the moon-landing still fresh in everyone’s minds, space was still this bright, intriguing light, full of galaxies and planets to explore. But Alien flipped that on its head, uncovering the terrifying unpredictability of the cosmos. It nudged people to wonder: what if the unknown and unexplored were not fantastical, but rather lethal, scary, and deadly?
This unsettling thought has seeped into the horror genre, sparking a wave of films inspired by such fear. Even the director of Event Horizon, Paul W. S. Anderson, credited Alien as a key influence. All these films illustrate how easily things could go catastrophically wrong beyond Earth. So much so that there’s now a new perception towards space — a place where oxygen is scarce, risks are high, malfunctions can spell doom, and extraterrestrial threats loom. It’s this sense of vulnerability and loss of control that truly haunts us.
Alien’s success has evolved into a franchise spanning decades of sequels, spin-offs, and prequels, each executed with different visions. Which brings us to now, and Alien: Romulus. Directed by Fede Álavrez, who brings his signature touch to the franchise, delivering a video game-styled, action-packed, fast-paced entry to the anthology.
In Romulus, Alvarez channels Scott’s methodology. He carefully paces the terror, holding back all the blood-gushing action until we’re well into the second act. When the Xenomorph finally comes into picture, it’s revealed incrementally — bit by bit, part by part — as the crew, one by one, becomes the victims of this lurking force. Obviously, this gradual, tension-building approach isn’t new — we saw it in Jaws — but with this alien’s mythical status, the temptation to show it in all its glory would’ve been irresistible. Alvarez, like Scott before him, defies that, opting instead for suspense over spectacle. This technique echoes in films till this day. Just think of Neil Marshall’s The Descent and Jordan Peele’s NOPE, where the monsters are slowly, effectively brought to the surface.
Unlike Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, which attempted to explore the philosophical origins of the alien-verse, Alvarez returns to the original formula by keeping the attention on the Facehuggers and Xenomorphs; while still giving us an extra something in the third act. (No spoilers here.) Although we’ve been familiar with these creatures for decades, Alvarez finds a way to make them scarier than ever, all thanks to a seamless blend of CGI and practical effects that would make H.R. Giger proud. The meticulous attention to detail in the blood (acid and otherwise), goo, and gore, not only weaves in the authenticity that audiences fell for in 1979, but also highlights why other films like The Thing and The Blob were so inspired by Alien.
This ties directly into something else that Alien pioneered: the fusion of body, sexuality, and horror. This concept, while subtly woven into the narrative, was intentionally crafted as noted by screenwriter Dan O’ Bannon in 2002. Unlike typical horror films dominated by the male gaze, O’Bannon made sure the aliens attacked everybody regardless of their gender, even leaving Ellen Ripley, one of horror’s first “final girls,” as the last one standing. These intentions were also told through the aliens’ violent, non-consensual acts on the characters’ bodies, amplified with the aforementioned gore. It left a mark on other films like Annihilation, which explores the dread of losing control over one’s body to grotesque transformations within the horror sci-fi genre. In Alien: Romulus, Fede Alvarez, known for his insanely brutal Evil Dead, still carries forward O’Bannon’s legacy, while pushing the boundaries of body horror with some truly extravagant levels of gore.
There’s been a lot of debate about Alien: Romulus, with some claiming it doesn’t break new ground or push the franchise forward. We disagree. It’s clear that Fede Alvarez had distinct intentions from the outset. The film comes across as a heartfelt love letter to the franchise, with a special shout-out to Ridley Scott’s Alien and James Cameron’s Aliens. He rekindles the flame of this anthology, taking what’s good from both films, and cranks it all up with his own horror expertise. The result is an adrenaline-fueled experience that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish, without ever letting you catch your breath. It’s the best Alien movie that this generation can ever hope to watch on the big screen.
It’s fair to say most horror or sci-fi films owe something to Alien, a point Fede Alvarez would likely affirm. So, the next time you watch a confined-space horror, a monster-movie, or a film with a final girl, take a moment to remember Alien – the film that kickstarted it all.
