The only horror movie that actually scared me

The crew of the spaceship Nostromo is forced to investigate a crashed alien craft on an unknown planet. Something seems to have killed the alien pilot. Something strange...something terrible....and *very* lethal...

"Alien" isn't just a classic horror movie. It's also the only horror movie that actually scared me. OK, "Poltergeist" might have scared me when I was a child, but that doesn't count! I found "Alien" scary even when I saw it a second time, with commercial breaks.

Clearly, there is something very special about this movie...

The monster, sometimes known as the xenomorph, was designed by a Swiss surrealist painter, a certain H. G. Giger (who looks quite scary himself, by the way). This could explain a thing or two. "Alien" probably conjures up our deepest fears about parasites, non-human predators and claustrophobia. The all-powerful company with its callous disregard for human life is a more down-to-earth nightmare. And then there's Ash, who turns out to be a robot! Another archetype? Some people seem to believe that the alien archetypes are sexual in nature. If so, I must have missed them. There is virtually no sex whatsoever in this production.

Today, I'm no longer scared by "Alien", for rather obvious reasons. Still, the movie is worth watching, after all these years. And yes, Sigourney Weaver *is* Ripley.

The sequels aren't bad either, no mean accomplishment, since sequels are usually bunk. From the top of my head, I'd say my favourite is "Alien 3" where Ripley is stranded on a quasi-religious prison colony in outer space, naturally together with a couple of xenomorphs. More weird are the comic books based on the Alien movies, with their alternative and somewhat confusing storylines. As for "Alien vs. Predator", in contrast to many Alien fans, I found it quite entertaining, although (of course!) not a "real" Alien movie.

Be that as it may, the original is still the best.