Alien (1979)
In very much the same vein as Jaws, Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror classic set its creature amidst the unknown; only instead of the big blue ocean, it was the bigger, darker outer space. This is a clear example of how monster movies evolved by borrowing characteristics from the horror genre, with the blood and gore noticeably turned up a notch from creature features before it. The plot of the film very much resembles a haunted house movie, except instead of a haunted house it’s a cargo spaceship with a crew of innocent space truckers, and instead of a ghost or mad-mad, it’s a vicious, flesh eating alien. With the conception of the Xenomorph taking place in a human stomach after a face-hugging creature impregnates the host against its will, the film tackles some pretty dark subject matter. Whereas previous monsters such as King Kong and Frankenstein could engender a certain amount of sympathy from viewers, you’ll find no such luck with this double-mouthed extraterrestrial.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
