3. Alien (1979)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dead Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto
The commercial vessel Nostromo receives a distress call from an unexplored planet. After searching for survivors, the crew heads home only to realize that a deadly bioform has joined them.
Well, it appears the question of ‘which is better, Alien or Aliens?’ has been answered somewhat by our writing staff.
Dark, moody and claustrophobic, Ridley Scott’s Alien is perhaps the pinacle of science fiction horror as a group unknowingly let a deadly alien onboard their ship. It gets better with every watch and has easily the greatest female lead in science fiction history.
“Influencing countless films including Sunshine and Moon, Alien uniquely mashes up horror and science-fiction. Artist H.R. Giger creates erotica-fused biology to create a phallus-headed beast and white walls are merely blank canvases for blood. Ridley Scott is the genius that merged art and cinema together, to be appreciated forever after. In space, no one can hear you scream. In Sci-Fi, no-one can think of anything more horrific than Alien.” Simon Columb, Staff Writer
Originally published August 5, 2014. Updated April 15, 2018.
