Ridley Scott's seminal 1979 science-fiction horror film, Alien, is officially coming to Netflix on September 1. The 116-minute film, set in the year 2122 aboard a deep-space freight ship, is renowned for its masterful fusion of genres and its lasting impact on filmmaking.
The story begins when the crew of the Nostromo is awakened by a distress beacon from a nearby moon. Their investigation leads them to a derelict alien vessel and a collection of mysterious eggs. When an officer inspects an egg, a spider-like alien attaches to his face. Though the creature is eventually removed, it later re-emerges from the officer's chest, initiating a terrifying hunt as the alien rapidly grows and picks off the crew members one by one.
Alien is considered a landmark in sci-fi horror for its sophisticated use of classic horror storytelling techniques within a unique, state-of-the-art production and creature design. The film functions as a monster movie and a haunted house narrative, with the claustrophobic, industrial spaceship serving as the latter and the growing alien as the former.
The film's cast, largely composed of character actors from the late 1970s, allows the story to shine. While Tom Skerritt is prominent early on, Sigourney Weaver emerges as the film's true star, a significant development given the era's less conventional approach to strong female leads. Scott's direction is credited with launching Weaver into stardom.
Visually, Alien distinguished itself from many contemporary sci-fi films by depicting a cold, grimy, and lived-in future, particularly evident in the design of the Nostromo. This unglamorous aesthetic enhanced the film's sense of realism and dread.
The alien creature itself, designed by Swiss artist H. R. Giger, is perhaps the film's most enduring element. Giger's biomechanical and subtly erotic design was unprecedented in 1979 and remains one of cinema's most iconic creature designs. Scott himself has emphasized Giger's crucial contribution, stating that "if I hadn't got that monster, you would not have had that movie."
While Alien spawned numerous sequels and crossovers, including James Cameron's action-oriented Aliens, the original film's chilling atmosphere and Giger's designs are considered most effective in their pure horror context. The addition of Alien to Netflix's library makes this foundational piece of science-fiction horror accessible to a new generation of viewers.