A milestone in horror

Rating: 10/10 (25 June 2012)

Alien is one of those movies that does everything right. It's also one of the few movies that managed to scare the pants off of me.
Let's get one thing out of the way. This movie looks gorgeous. The special affects and the sets are done so well, and that's important because the whole movie takes place on this spaceship. So you got to feel like you're on the ship with the characters. The Alien affects are also great, and won an Oscar for best special affects. Rightfully so.
The actors all do a great job. Especially Sigourney Weaver. She did this movie early in her career, but it's still one of her best performances. You really feel her emotions and her determination when she's on screen.
Last but very not least are the horror elements. The movie has a very dark atmosphere, and the dark corridors of the ship and the setting only add to this. The scenes with the alien are all intense and very affective. Especially the famous chest burst scene. I also think one of the main reasons it's so scary is that it starts of a little slow, but not too slow. It lets your guard down, it builds up, and then it hits you in the face. There are also a lot of moments that catch you off guard, but I'm not going to spoil anything.
This is a perfect horror film, and a perfect science fiction film. Everybody should watch this movie. Get a bunch of your friends, turn off the lights, and turn on the movie. The darkness will add to the claustrophobic setting of being hunted on this vast and dark ship. An as the tagline says,In space, no one can hear you scream.