It is widely considered one of the best horror films ever made, which might sound strange as it is set on a spaceship, but Alien 1979 set the standard for monsters on the big screen. This film captured audiences’ attention even before its release, as its poster quickly became famous in cinemas thanks to the unforgettable tagline: “In space no one can hear you scream.”

The concept of being completely isolated, with nothing but the vast emptiness of space around you, captured viewers’ imaginations, and showed a much grittier side to sci-fi movies. Alien came out just two years after Star Wars: A New Hope when sci-fi movies were seen as an optimistic light where they were focused on giant space battles and futuristic technology. However, Alien showed how mundane the future could be as the story begins with the crew coming back to Earth after a mining operation, where their spaceship then detect a potential distress signal. 

After following the signal, the crew end up on a alien planet where they discover a bunch of strange eggs and a horrifying creature attaches itself to one of the crew member’s face. 

The film then transforms into a tense horror, as the crew are picked off one by one, and the main character Ripley soon realises she is trapped alone with a highly intelligent creature that is nearly unstoppable.

Alien is such unique movie for its time as it introduced a new kind of female action hero who was not overly sexualised or needed to constantly be rescued like other female characters of the 1970s. 

Ripley, known for her iconic curly hair, jumpsuit and big orange cat, was highly resourceful, and she would go on to inspire many other films such as the Terminator and the Matrix. 

Director Ridley Scot was able to put a new twist on the haunted house film, and the strange robotic designs of the artist H. R. Giger is what made Alien so iconic even today. 

It has been 47 years since Alien first appeared on the big screen but it is still considered one of the best horror and sci-fi ever made as it still as a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes . 

In top review, one critic said that Alien can still “scare the peanuts right out of your M&Ms.” They added: “It was about time someone made a science fiction thrilled that thrills…and boils everything down to the pure ravishingly vulgar essence of fright.”

One enthusiastic fan said: “You can have Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and 2001. I’ll take Alien” 

Another top audience review stated: “Alien (1979) is easily my favourite horror and sci-fi thriller of all time. As a millennial, I skipped over this classic growing up and only recently watched it as an adult, and I’m glad I finally did. From start to finish, the film is a perfect 10/10.”

Alien can be found on Disney Plus in the UK, and after watching it you can then decide for yourself if you are brave enough to watch the sequels which are also on the streaming service.