Unbearable Tension

Rating: 10/10 (13 June 2001)

I was a teen-ager when I first saw this picture back in theaters in 1979. When I got out, my legs were shaking. That hadn't happened to me since I had seen a re-issue of "Psycho" (1960) in a drive-in. "Alien" was inspired by a 1958 B & W mini-classic "It! the Terror From Beyond Space!" The film's terror follows a scene where an astronaut (John Hurt) is infected with an alien organism after a crew of 7 touch down on a planet to investigate a distress signal. What follows will take your breath away, (and leave your eyes semi-closed) with shocking, supremely suspenseful set-pieces, marvelous Ridley Scott direction, authentic-appearing sets, eerie music, an ever-evolving, terrifying Alien costume and superb ensemble playing by the rest of the cast: Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Ian Holm, Harry Dean Stanton, and Yaphet Kotto. Followed by three decreasingly effective sequels (so far).