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"In space no one can hear you scream"

This was the line featured on movie posters throughout America advertising one of the greatest sci-fi horror films ever made, "Alien". The movie helped to create a new genre of films that featured an unknown enemy in a restricted environment and the struggle of a small group of people to overcome them. In many ways the movie could be considered similar to slasher films of the era like "Friday the 13th" and "Halloween" although the plot was much better.

The movie featured an amazing cast that included veteran actors like Ian Holm and Tom Skerritt and a young unknown named Sigourney Weaver and some of the best special effects of the era. The Alien itself was an amazing creation that was so hideously beautiful that it would help to win its creator, H.R. Geiger an Academy Award.

The plot was rather simple: A cargo ship's crew is on their way home with a rather large haul of minerals when they're awakened early in response to an unknown signal on a deserted planet. The crew is sent on orders from their company to investigate what they believe to be a distress call and touch down on the world. On the planet the crew finds a derelict ship and an away team is assembled to investigate. After the team goes into the ship it's discovered that the distress signal is actually a warning.

In the ship, one of the crew stumbles across a large number of objects that look like eggs. One of the eggs opens up and a creature inside springs out and attaches itself to his face. The crew rush the poor crewman back to their ship. An attempt to extricate the creature from his face leads to a rather shocking realization: the creature has concentrated acid for blood. Needless to say, this puts a stop to the crew's chances of removing the creature.

After a short time the "face-hugger" drops off of the crew member's face and later is found dead. The crew member seems to be fine and no worse for wear. However, while eating dinner with the crew he goes into a seizure and falls onto the table and another creature bursts out of his chest and runs away.

This scene alone has become one of the most infamous in motion picture history. If you didn't expect this the first time you saw it, you'd probably jump and perhaps scream (I know I did the first time I saw it).

Later on the crew decides to hunt down the creature on board the ship with what little resources they have. While investigating a dark part of the ship (okay, most of the ship is dark), the captain (played by Tom Skerritt) comes face to face with the fully grown version of the creature and for a fraction of a second the audience is treated with what the creature looks like and is capable of.

This leads to some very suspenseful and exciting moments as the remaining crew members fight for their lives and a major conspiracy is found out about the company they work for and their designs on the creature.

I won't go into too much more detail because there might still be two or three people out there that have not seen this wonderfully perfect film.

Needless today, the movie did rather well in theaters and it would inspire three sequels and two crossover films (with the not-as-popular "Predator" franchise). The major impact "Alien" would have is creating a new style of films where ordinary people would have to face something that seems inviolable, extremely intelligent, and needless to say dangerous. There would be films set in other environments ("Leviathan"), or not have anything to do with monsters ("Event Horizon" - well, actually the movie did have Sam Neil in it), but none would ever come close to this classic film. Even if you never watch any of the sequels, this movie is definitely a must see.

Learn more about this author, David Furritus.
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