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{{hatnote group|{{distinguish|Aliens (film){{!}}''Aliens'' (film)}}{{redirect|Alien 1|other uses|Alien 1 (disambiguation)}}{{Redirect|Alien film|films that feature aliens|List of films featuring extraterrestrials}}}}

{{Use American English|date=May 2024}}

{{Infobox film
| name                = Alien
| image               = Alien movie poster.jpg
| alt                 = A large egg-shaped object that is cracked and emits a yellowish light hovers in mid-air against a black background and above a waffle-like floor. The title "ALIEN" appears in block letters above the egg, and just below it, the tagline appears in smaller type: "In space no one can hear you scream."
| caption             = Theatrical release poster by [[Philip Gips]]
| director            = [[Ridley Scott]]
| producer            = {{plainlist|
* [[Gordon Carroll]]
* [[David Giler]]
* [[Walter Hill]]
}}
| screenplay          = [[Dan O'Bannon]]
| story               = {{plainlist|
* Dan O'Bannon
* [[Ronald Shusett]]
}}
<!-- Starring order is per poster billing block, do not change -->
| starring            = {{plainlist|
* [[Tom Skerritt]]
* [[Sigourney Weaver]]
* [[Veronica Cartwright]]
* [[Harry Dean Stanton]]
* [[John Hurt]]
* [[Ian Holm]]
* [[Yaphet Kotto]]
}}
| music               = [[Jerry Goldsmith]]
| cinematography      = [[Derek Vanlint]]
| editing             = {{plainlist|
* [[Terry Rawlings]]
* [[Peter Weatherley]]
}}
|production_companies = {{plainlist|
* [[20th Century-Fox]]
* [[Brandywine Productions]]<ref name="mfb-review">{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Monthly Film Bulletin]] |volume=46 |issue=540 |page=191 |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] |title=Alien |year=1979 |location=London |issn=0027-0407 |last=Pulleine |first=Tim |quote="''p.c'' — 20th Century-Fox (London), A Brandywine-Ronald Shushett production"}}</ref><ref name="afi">{{cite web |url=http://afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=53908 |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] |title=Alien|access-date=August 25, 2015 |quote=Production Company: 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. Production Text: a Brandywine-Ronald Shusett production|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906013116/http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=53908|archive-date=September 6, 2015}}</ref>
}}
| distributor         = 20th Century Fox
| released            = {{film date|1979|05|25|United States|1979|09|06|United Kingdom}}
| runtime             = 116 minutes<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/alien-film-qxnzzxq6vlgtmta1mtezoq |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220416170633/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/alien-film-qxnzzxq6vlgtmta1mtezoq |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 16, 2022 |website=[[British Board of Film Classification]] |title=Alien |access-date=April 16, 2022}}</ref>
| country             = {{plainlist|
* United Kingdom
* United States<ref name="mfb-review" /><ref name="afi" />
}}
| language = English
| budget = $8.4–14 million{{efn|Official documentation for the film states that the budget was $11 million, but other sources give different numbers. [[Sigourney Weaver]] has stated that it was $14 million, while [[Ridley Scott]], [[Ivor Powell]], and [[Tom Skerritt]] have each recalled it being closer to $8.4 million.<ref>McIntee, 14–15.</ref>}}<ref name="box office mojo">{{cite Box Office Mojo |title=Alien (1979) |id=0078748/ |access-date=October 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025173708/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0078748/ |archive-date=October 25, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| gross               = $188 million<ref name="box office mojo" /><ref name="numbers">{{cite The Numbers |id=Alien-(1979) |title=Alien (1979) |access-date=May 7, 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507190604/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Alien-(1979)#tab=summary|archive-date=May 7, 2019}}</ref>
}}

'''''Alien''''' is a 1979 [[Science fiction film|science fiction]] [[horror film]] directed by [[Ridley Scott]] and written by [[Dan O'Bannon]], based on a story by O'Bannon and [[Ronald Shusett]]. It follows a commercial starship crew who investigate a derelict space vessel and are hunted by a [[Xenomorph|deadly extraterrestrial creature]]. The film stars [[Tom Skerritt]], [[Sigourney Weaver]], [[Veronica Cartwright]], [[Harry Dean Stanton]], [[John Hurt]], [[Ian Holm]], and [[Yaphet Kotto]]. It was produced by [[Gordon Carroll]], [[David Giler]], and [[Walter Hill (director)|Walter Hill]] through their company [[Brandywine Productions]] and was distributed by [[20th Century-Fox]]. Giler and Hill revised and made additions to the script; Shusett was the executive producer. The alien creatures and environments were designed by the Swiss artist [[H. R. Giger]], while the concept artists [[Ron Cobb]] and [[Chris Foss]] designed the other sets.

''Alien'' premiered on May 25, 1979, the opening night of the fourth [[Seattle International Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/10097 |title=First Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) opens at Moore Egyptian Theatre on May 14, 1976 |first=John |last=Caldbick |date=May 1, 2012 |work=HistoryLink.org|access-date=April 22, 2020|archive-date=July 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725032101/https://www.historylink.org/File/10097|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.siff.net/festival/memory-the-origins-of-alien |title=Memory — The Origins of Alien |website=SIFF.net|access-date=April 22, 2020|archive-date=July 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725024445/https://www.siff.net/festival/memory-the-origins-of-alien|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.liveabout.com/seattle-international-film-festival-siff-4782119 |title=Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF): History and Winners |first=Christopher |last=McKittrick |website=LiveAbout.com|access-date=April 22, 2020|archive-date=July 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702084457/https://www.liveabout.com/seattle-international-film-festival-siff-4782119|url-status=live}}</ref> It received a [[wide release]] on June 22 and was released on September 6 in the United Kingdom. It initially received mixed reviews, but won the [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects]], three [[Saturn Award]]s ([[Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film|Best Science Fiction Film]], [[Saturn Award for Best Direction|Best Direction]] for Scott, and [[Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] for Cartwright), and a [[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation]]. ''Alien'' grossed $78.9&nbsp;million in the United States and £7.8 million in the United Kingdom during its first theatrical run. Its worldwide gross has been estimated at between $104 million and $188 million.

In subsequent years, ''Alien'' was critically reassessed and described as one of the greatest and most influential science fiction and horror films of all time. In 2002, ''Alien'' was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the [[Library of Congress]] and was selected for preservation in the United States [[National Film Registry]]. In 2008, it was ranked by the [[American Film Institute]] as the seventh-best film in the science fiction genre, and as the 33rd-greatest film of all time by ''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]''. The success of ''Alien'' spawned [[Alien (franchise)|a media franchise of films, books, video games, and toys]], and propelled Weaver's acting career. The story of [[Ellen Ripley|her character]]'s encounters with the alien creatures became the thematic and narrative core of the sequels ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]'' (1986), ''[[Alien 3]]'' (1992), and ''[[Alien Resurrection]]'' (1997). A crossover with the ''[[Predator (franchise)|Predator]]'' franchise produced the ''[[Alien vs. Predator]]'' films, while a [[Alien (franchise)#Prequel series|two-film prequel series]] was directed by Scott before ''[[Alien: Romulus]]'' (2024), a standalone sequel, was released. A television prequel written by [[Noah Hawley]] and produced by Scott, ''[[Alien: Earth]]'', was released on [[FX on Hulu]] on August 12, 2025.

==Plot==
<!-- NOTE: The plot summary serves as an overview of the film's events. As per WP:FILMPLOT, the word count in a plot section should be 400-700 words. -->
<!-- DO NOT INSERT A YEAR HERE, NO YEAR IS MENTIONED OR SHOWN IN THE FILM AND IT WILL BE REMOVED -->The commercial space tug ''Nostromo'' is returning to Earth with a seven-member crew in [[Suspended animation in fiction|"stasis"]]: captain Dallas, executive officer Kane, warrant officer [[Ellen Ripley|Ripley]], navigator Lambert, science officer [[Ash (Alien)|Ash]], and engineers Parker and Brett, along with the ship cat, [[Jones (fictional cat)|Jones]]. The ship's computer, [[MU / TH / UR|"Mother"]], detects a transmission from a nearby planetoid and wakes the crew. Following company policy to investigate transmissions indicating intelligent life, they leave their payload in orbit and land on the surface, but the ship is damaged. Dallas, Kane, and Lambert discover the transmission comes from a derelict alien vessel. Inside is a giant, fossilized alien corpse with a hole in its torso. Meanwhile, Mother partially deciphers the transmission, which Ripley determines is a warning beacon and not an [[SOS]] as first thought.

Kane enters a chamber containing hundreds of large eggs. When he touches one, an [[arthropod]]-like [[Xenomorph#Facehugger|lifeform]] springs out, penetrates his helmet, and attaches to his face. Back at the ''Nostromo'', Ripley refuses to allow them aboard, citing quarantine regulations, but Ash disobeys her. While the engineers work on ship repairs, Ash attempts to extricate the creature from Kane's face; he stops when he discovers that its highly corrosive acidic blood could harm Kane and damage the ship's hull. The creature eventually detaches itself and dies. After the crew returns to space, Kane awakens and seems well. During a final crew meal before returning to stasis, he suddenly chokes and convulses as a [[Xenomorph#Chestburster|small alien creature]] bursts from his chest and escapes into the ship.

After ejecting Kane's body into space, the crew uses [[Tracking Device|tracking devices]] to try to locate and kill the creature. Encountering Jones, Brett follows him into a landing leg compartment,<ref name="Ridley Scott interview2">{{cite book |last=Scott |first=Ridley |author-link=Ridley Scott |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JwDeB37eyI0C&pg=PA23 |title=Ridley Scott: Interviews |date=2005 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |isbn=978-1-57806-726-8 |page=23 |access-date=May 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725024605/https://books.google.com/books?id=JwDeB37eyI0C&pg=PA23 |archive-date=July 25, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> where the now fully-grown alien kills him. The crew determines that the alien is moving around the ship with the [[Duct (flow)|air ducts]], and Dallas devises a plan to force the creature off the ship with an [[airlock]]. Dallas asks Mother about alternative plans to kill the alien, but the computer ominously refuses to answer his questions. Dallas then enters the ducts with a [[flamethrower]], but is ambushed and killed by the alien.

A hysterical Lambert believes that they will all die and suggests abandoning the ship in the [[escape pod]]. Ripley, now in command, rejects the plan because the escape pod cannot support the remaining four crew members. Ripley decides they will try Dallas's plan again. She accesses Mother herself and discovers a secret company directive: Ash must return with the alien for study, regardless of risk to the crew. Ash attempts to kill her when confronted, and Parker attacks and incapacitates Ash, who is now revealed to be an [[Android (robot)|android]]. Ash states that the alien cannot be killed and expresses admiration for it. Parker incinerates Ash's remains.

With no hope of defeating the alien, Ripley decides to initiate the [[self-destruct sequence]] and go ahead with Lambert's plan to abandon the ship. While they are gathering supplies, the alien kills both Parker and Lambert. Now alone, Ripley starts the self-destruct process, but the alien blocks her route to the escape shuttle. Ripley narrowly escapes and turns back to abort the sequence, but fails to return before the override option expires. With only a few minutes left to evacuate, Ripley frantically returns to the shuttle and finds that the alien is gone. She takes Jones, boards the shuttle and launches it seconds before the ''Nostromo'' explodes.

As Ripley prepares for stasis, she discovers that the alien has stowed itself in a narrow compartment. She dons a spacesuit, loads a [[grappling hook]] gun, and straps herself to a chair before she begins discharging gases to drive the alien from its hiding place. It tries to attack her but she opens the shuttle door. The [[explosive decompression|depressurization blast]] leaves the alien clinging to the door frame. Ripley shoots it with the gun, knocking it out, but the door closes on the grapple line, leaving the alien tethered to the ship. As it swings behind an [[engine nacelle]], Ripley fires the engines to sever the line and blast the alien into space. After recording her log entry, she places Jones and herself into stasis to start their return journey to Earth.

== Cast ==
{{See also|List of Alien (film series) characters{{!}}List of ''Alien'' (film series) characters}}
[[File:Alien (1979) - main cast.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.25|alt=The seven principal cast members of the film stand in front of a white backdrop, in costume and holding prop weapons from the film.|The principal cast members of ''Alien'' (left to right: [[Ian Holm|Holm]], [[Harry Dean Stanton|Stanton]], [[Sigourney Weaver|Weaver]], [[Yaphet Kotto|Kotto]], [[Tom Skerritt|Skerritt]], [[Veronica Cartwright|Cartwright]], and [[John Hurt|Hurt]])]]
* [[Tom Skerritt]] as Dallas, captain of the ''Nostromo''. Skerritt had been approached early in the film's development, but declined as it did not yet have a director and had a very low budget. Later, when Scott was attached as director and the budget had been doubled, Skerritt accepted the role.<ref name="McIntee, 29" /><ref name="truckers" />
* [[Sigourney Weaver]] as [[Ellen Ripley|Ripley]], the [[warrant officer]] aboard the ''Nostromo''. [[Meryl Streep]] was considered for the role, but she was not contacted as her partner [[John Cazale]] had recently died.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weiner |first=David |author-link=David A. Weiner |date=May 24, 2019 |title=Ridley Scott on the Hard Road to 'Alien' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/alien-ridley-scott-reveals-how-iconic-scene-went-wrong-1213109/ |access-date=September 3, 2023 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref> [[Helen Mirren]] also auditioned.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vulture.com/2010/12/helen_mirren_chat_room.html | title=Helen Mirren on the Tempest and Stealing All Her Best Roles from Men | date=December 13, 2010 }}</ref> Weaver, who had Broadway experience but was relatively unknown in film, impressed Scott, Giler, and Hill with her audition. She was the last actor to be cast for the film and performed most of her [[screen test]]s in-studio as the sets were being built.<ref name="truckers" /><ref name="McIntee, 30" /> The role of Ripley was Weaver's first leading role in a motion picture and earned her nominations for a [[Saturn Award for Best Actress]] and a [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts|BAFTA]] award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Role.<ref>{{cite web |title=BAFTA Awards |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1980/film/most-promising-newcomer-to-leading-film-roles|access-date=May 26, 2021 |website=awards.bafta.org}}</ref>
* [[Veronica Cartwright]] as Lambert, the ''Nostromo''{{'}}s [[navigator]]. Cartwright had experience in horror and science-fiction films, having acted as a child in ''[[The Birds (film)|The Birds]]'' (1963), and more recently in ''[[Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978 film)|Invasion of the Body Snatchers]]'' (1978).<ref name="McIntee, 17">Mcintee, 17.</ref> She originally read for the role of Ripley and was not informed that she had instead been cast as Lambert until she arrived in London for wardrobe.<ref name="truckers" /><ref name="McIntee, 29-30">McIntee, 29–30.</ref> She disliked the character's emotional weakness,<ref name="McIntee, 30">McIntee, 30.</ref> but nevertheless accepted the role: "They convinced me that I was the audience's fears; I was a reflection of what the audience is feeling."<ref name="truckers" /> Cartwright won a [[Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress]] for her performance.<ref name="past saturn awards">{{cite web |title=Past Saturn Awards |publisher=The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Horror Films |url=http://www.saturnawards.org/past.html |access-date=September 6, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080914184217/http://www.saturnawards.org/past.html |archive-date=September 14, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Harry Dean Stanton]] as Brett, the engineering technician. Stanton's first words to Scott during his audition were, "I don't like sci fi or monster movies".<ref name="McIntee, 29" /> Scott was amused, and convinced Stanton to take the role after reassuring him that ''Alien'' would actually be a [[Thriller film|thriller]] more akin to ''[[And Then There Were None (1974 film)|Ten Little Indians]]''.<ref name="McIntee, 29" />
* [[John Hurt]] as Kane, the [[executive officer]] who becomes the host for the alien. Hurt was Scott's first choice for the role, but he was contracted on a film in South Africa during ''Alien''{{'}}s filming dates, so [[Jon Finch]] was cast as Kane, instead.<ref name="McIntee, 30" /> However, Finch became ill during the first day of shooting and was diagnosed with type 1 [[Diabetes mellitus|diabetes]], which had also exacerbated a case of [[Acute bronchitis|bronchitis]].<ref name="McIntee, 32" /> Hurt was in London by this time, his South African project having fallen through, and he quickly replaced Finch.<ref name="truckers" /><ref name="McIntee, 32" /> His performance earned him a nomination for a [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role]].<ref>{{cite web |title=BAFTA Awards |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1980/film/supporting-actor|access-date=May 26, 2021 |website=awards.bafta.org}}</ref>
* [[Ian Holm]] as [[Ash (Alien)|Ash]], the ship's science officer who is revealed to be an [[Android (robot)|android]]. Holm was a [[character actor]], who, by 1979, had already been in 20 films.<ref name="commentary" />
* [[Yaphet Kotto]] as Parker, the chief engineer.<ref name="truckers" /> Kotto was sent a script off the back of his recent success as villain Dr. Kananga in the ''[[Production of the James Bond films|James Bond]]'' film ''[[Live and Let Die (film)|Live and Let Die]]'' (1973), and said he rejected a lucrative film offer in the hope of being cast in ''Alien''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Steve |first=Head |title=An Exclusive Interview with Yaphet Kotto. Parker talks Alien with IGNFF's Steve Head. |url=http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/456/456974p1.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715230437/http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/456/456974p1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 15, 2012 |publisher=IGN Movies |access-date=April 21, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Bolaji Badejo]] as [[Xenomorph|the alien]]. Badejo, a 26-year-old design student, was discovered in a bar by a member of the casting team, who put him in touch with Scott.<ref name="McIntee, 30" /><ref name="8th passenger" /> Scott believed that Badejo, at {{convert|6|ft|10|in|cm}} — {{convert|7|ft|cm}} inside the costume — and with a slender frame,<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Clark |first1=Frederick S. |last2=Jones |first2=Alan |date=1979 |title=Bolaji Bodejo: The Alien |url=http://alienseries.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/interview-with-bolaji-badejo-1979/ |magazine=Cinefantastique |location=Oak Park, Illinois, USA |publisher=Frederick S. Clark |access-date=September 21, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20140813032002/http://alienseries.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/interview-with-bolaji-badejo-1979/ |archive-date=August 13, 2014}}</ref> could portray the alien and look as if his arms and legs were too long to be real, creating the illusion that a human being could not possibly be inside the costume.<ref name="McIntee, 30" /><ref name="8th passenger" /><ref name="book of alien" /> [[Stuntmen]] [[Eddie Powell]] and [[Roy Scammell]] also portrayed the alien in some scenes.<ref name="book of alien" /><ref name="McIntee, 30-31">McIntee, 30–31.</ref>
* [[Helen Horton]] as the voice of [[MU / TH / UR|Mother]], the ''Nostromo''{{'s}} computer.<ref name=indie>{{cite news |last=Hansen |first=Pal |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/fallen-angel-how-lily-james-is-bringing-scandal-to-downton-abbey-this-christmas-8425972.html |title=Fallen angel: How Lily James is bringing scandal to Downton Abbey this Christmas |work=[[The Independent]]|access-date=March 16, 2015 |date=December 23, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627162547/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/fallen-angel-how-lily-james-is-bringing-scandal-to-downton-abbey-this-christmas-8425972.html|archive-date=June 27, 2015}}</ref>

== Production ==
=== Writing ===
[[File:Dan O'Bannon.jpg|upright|thumb|left|Screenwriter Dan O'Bannon]]
While studying cinema at the [[University of Southern California]], [[Dan O'Bannon]] had made a science-fiction comedy film, ''[[Dark Star (film)|Dark Star]]'', with director [[John Carpenter]] and [[concept art]]ist [[Ron Cobb]], with production beginning in late 1970.<ref name="star beast">"Star Beast: Developing the Story", ''The Beast Within: The Making of Alien''.</ref> The film featured an alien (created by spray-painting a [[beach ball]] and adding rubber "claws"), which was played for the comedic effect. The experience left O'Bannon "really wanting to do an alien that looked ''real''."<ref name="star beast" /><ref name="McIntee, 20" /> A "couple of years" later he began work on a similar story that would focus more on horror. "I knew I wanted to do a scary movie on a spaceship with a small number of astronauts", he later recalled, "''Dark Star'' as a horror movie instead of a comedy."<ref name="star beast" /> [[Ronald Shusett]], meanwhile, was working on an early version of what would eventually become ''[[Total Recall (1990 film)|Total Recall]]''.<ref name="star beast" /><ref name="McIntee, 20" /> Impressed by ''Dark Star'', he contacted O'Bannon and the two agreed to collaborate on their projects, choosing to work on O'Bannon's film first, as they believed it would be less costly to produce.<ref name="star beast" /><ref name="McIntee, 20" />

O'Bannon had written 29 pages of a script titled ''Memory'', containing what would become the opening scenes of ''Alien'': a crew of astronauts awakens to find that their voyage has been interrupted because they are receiving a signal from a mysterious planetoid. They investigate and their ship breaks down on the surface.<ref name="book of alien" /><ref name="McIntee, 20" /> He did not yet have a clear idea as to what the alien antagonist of the story would be.<ref name="star beast" />

O'Bannon soon accepted an offer to work on [[Alejandro Jodorowsky]]'s adaptation of ''[[Dune (novel)|Dune]]'', a project that took him to Paris for six months.<ref name="star beast" /><ref name="McIntee, 21">McIntee, 21.</ref> Though the project ultimately fell through, it introduced him to several artists whose work gave him ideas for his science-fiction story including [[Chris Foss]], [[H. R. Giger]], and [[Jean Giraud|Jean "Moebius" Giraud]].<ref name="book of alien" /> O'Bannon was impressed by Foss's covers for science-fiction books, while he found Giger's work "disturbing":<ref name="star beast" /> "His paintings had a profound effect on me. I had never seen anything that was quite as horrible and at the same time as beautiful as his work. And so I ended up writing a script about a Giger monster."<ref name="book of alien" /> After the ''Dune'' project collapsed, O'Bannon found himself homeless and broke, and returned to Los Angeles where he would borrow Shusett's couch. In need of money he decided to write a [[spec script]] the studios would buy,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090615202042/http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/7576/the_den_of_geek_interview_dan_obannon.html The Den of Geek interview: Dan O'Bannon]</ref> and the two revived his ''Memory'' script. Shusett suggested that O'Bannon use one of his other film ideas, about [[gremlin]]s infiltrating a [[B-17 Flying Fortress|B-17 bomber]] during [[World War II]], and set it on the spaceship as the second half of the story.<ref name="book of alien" /><ref name="McIntee, 21" /> The [[working title]] of the project was now ''Star Beast'', but O'Bannon disliked this and changed it to ''Alien'' after noting the number of times that the word appeared in the script. O'Bannon and Shusett liked the new title's simplicity and its double meaning as both a [[noun]] and an [[adjective]].<ref name="book of alien" /><ref name="star beast" /><ref name="McIntee, 21-22">McIntee, 21–22.</ref> Shusett came up with the idea that one of the crew members could be implanted with an alien embryo that would burst out of him; he thought this would be an interesting [[plot device]] by which the alien could board the ship.<ref name="star beast" /><ref name="McIntee, 21" />

{{quote box|quote=Dan [O'Bannon] put his finger on the problem: what has to happen next is the creature has to get on the ship in an interesting way. I have no idea how, but if we could solve that, if it can't be that it just snuck in, then I think the whole movie will come into place. In the middle of the night, I woke up and I said, "Dan I think I have an idea: the alien screws one of them [...] it jumps on his face and plants its seed!" And Dan says, oh my god, we've got it, we've got the whole movie.|source=—Screenwriter Ron Shusett<ref name="Alien evolution documentary">{{cite AV media |title=Alien Evolution |medium=DVD |publisher=[[20th Century Fox]] Home Entertainment, Inc. |date=2001}}</ref><ref name="Alien saga documentary">{{cite AV media |title=Alien Saga |medium=DVD |publisher=Prometheus Entertainment |date=2002}}</ref>|width=30em |quoted=1}}

O'Bannon drew inspiration from many works of science fiction and horror. He later said: "I didn't steal ''Alien'' from anybody. I stole it from ''everybody''!"<ref name="McIntee, 19">McIntee, 19.</ref> ''[[The Thing from Another World]]'' (1951) inspired the idea of professional men being pursued by a deadly alien creature through a claustrophobic environment.<ref name="McIntee, 19" /> ''[[Forbidden Planet]]'' (1956) gave O'Bannon the idea of a ship being warned not to land, and then the crew being killed one by one by a mysterious creature when they defy the warning.<ref name="McIntee, 19" /> ''[[Planet of the Vampires]]'' (1965) contains a scene in which the heroes discover a giant alien [[skeleton]]; this influenced the ''Nostromo'' crew's discovery of the alien creature in the derelict spacecraft.<ref name="McIntee, 19" /> O'Bannon has also noted the influence of "Junkyard" (1953), a short story by [[Clifford D. Simak]] in which a crew lands on an asteroid and discovers a chamber full of eggs.<ref name="McIntee, 20">McIntee, 20.</ref> He has also cited as influences ''Strange Relations'' by [[Philip José Farmer]] (1960), which covers alien reproduction and various [[EC Comics]] horror titles carrying stories in which monsters eat their way out of people.<ref name="McIntee, 20" />

With most of the plot in place, Shusett and O'Bannon presented their script to several studios,<ref name="star beast" /> pitching it as "''[[Jaws (film)|Jaws]]'' in space".<ref name="hays">{{cite web |last=Hays |first=Matthew |title=A space odyssey |work=[[Montreal Mirror]] |date=October 23, 2003 |url=http://www.montrealmirror.com/ARCHIVES/2003/102303/film1.html |access-date=September 6, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905074007/http://www.montrealmirror.com/ARCHIVES/2003/102303/film1.html |archive-date=September 5, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> They were on the verge of signing a deal with [[Roger Corman]]'s studio when a friend offered to find them a better deal and passed the script on to Gordon Carroll, David Giler, and Walter Hill, who had formed a production company called Brandywine with ties to [[20th Century-Fox]].<ref name="star beast" /><ref name="McIntee, 24" /> O'Bannon and Shusett signed a deal with Brandywine, but Hill and Giler were not satisfied with the script and made numerous rewrites and revisions.<ref name="star beast" /><ref name="McIntee, 25">McIntee, 25.</ref> This caused tension with O'Bannon and Shusett, since Hill and Giler had very little experience with science fiction; according to Shusett, "They weren't good at making it better, or, in fact, at not making it even worse."<ref name="star beast" /> O'Bannon believed that Hill and Giler were attempting to justify taking his name off the script and claiming Shusett's and his work as their own.<ref name="star beast" /> Hill and Giler did add some substantial elements to the story, including the [[Android (robot)|android]] character Ash, which O'Bannon felt was an unnecessary subplot<ref name="commentary">{{cite AV media |people=[[Dan O'Bannon]] (Writer), [[Ridley Scott]] (Director), [[Sigourney Weaver]] (Actor) |title=Alien |medium=DVD (audio commentary track) |publisher=[[20th Century Fox]] Home Entertainment, Inc. |date=2003}}</ref> but which Shusett later described as "one of the best things in the movie...That whole idea and scenario was theirs."<ref name="star beast" /> Hill and Giler went through eight drafts of the script in total, concentrating largely on the Ash subplot, but also making the dialogue more natural and trimming some sequences set on the planetoid.<ref name="McIntee, 26" /> Despite the fact that the final shooting script was written by Hill and Giler, the [[Writers Guild of America]] awarded O'Bannon sole credit for the screenplay.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvd7w7s1 |title=Ridley Scott: A Biography |first=Vincent |last=LoBrutto |year=2019 |publisher=[[University Press of Kentucky]] |pages=45–60 |doi=10.2307/j.ctvd7w7s1 |jstor=j.ctvd7w7s1 |isbn=978-0-8131-7710-6 |s2cid=193104220}}</ref>

=== Development ===
[[File:NASA Journey to Mars and “The Martian” (201508180030HQ).jpg|left|thumb|232x232px|Director [[Ridley Scott]]]]
20th Century-Fox did not express confidence in financing a science-fiction film. However, after the success of ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' in 1977, its interest in the genre rose substantially. According to Carroll: "When ''Star Wars'' came out and was the extraordinary hit that it was, suddenly science fiction became the hot genre." O'Bannon recalled that "They wanted to follow through on ''Star Wars'', and they wanted to follow through fast, and the only spaceship script they had sitting on their desk was ''Alien''".<ref name="star beast" /> ''Alien'' was [[greenlit]] by 20th Century-Fox, with an initial budget of $4.2&nbsp;million.<ref name="star beast" /><ref name="McIntee, 26" /> It was funded by North Americans, but made by 20th Century-Fox's British production subsidiary.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/10-great-british-sci-fi-films |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] |title=10 great British sci-fi films |last=Oliver |first=John |date=March 3, 2015 |access-date=October 12, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427201637/http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/lists/10-great-british-sci-fi-films |archive-date=April 27, 2015}}</ref>

O'Bannon had originally assumed that he would direct ''Alien'', but 20th Century-Fox instead asked Hill to direct.<ref name="McIntee, 26">McIntee, 26.</ref><ref name="visualists">"The Visualists: Direction and Design", ''The Beast Within: The Making of Alien''.</ref> Hill declined due to other film commitments, as well as not being comfortable with the level of visual effects that would be required.<ref name="McIntee, 26-27">McIntee, 26–27.</ref> [[Peter Yates]], [[John Boorman]],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brooks |first=Xan |date=February 13, 2020 |title=John Boorman: 'You think the holy grail is lost? No. I have it on my piano' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/feb/13/john-boorman-you-think-the-holy-grail-is-lost-no-i-have-it-on-my-piano |access-date=February 26, 2024 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> [[Jack Clayton]], [[Robert Aldrich]], and [[Robert Altman]] were considered for the task, but O'Bannon, Shusett, and the Brandywine team felt that these directors would not take the film seriously and would instead treat it as a [[B movie|B monster movie]].<ref name="visualists" /><ref name="McIntee, 27">McIntee, 27.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |first=Marah |last=Eakin |date=November 22, 2021 |title=Ridley Scott on Adam Driver, explosions, and the subjectivity of art |url=https://www.avclub.com/ridley-scott-on-adam-driver-explosions-and-the-subjec-1848093546 |access-date=November 2, 2023 |website=The A.V. Club |language=en}}</ref> According to Cobb, [[Steven Spielberg]] was also considered to direct the film and was interested but prior obligations prevented him from directing the film.{{sfn|Salisbury|2014|p=15}} Giler, Hill, and Carroll had been impressed by Ridley Scott's debut feature film ''[[The Duellists]]'' (1977) and made an offer to him to direct ''Alien'', which Scott quickly accepted.<ref name="book of alien" /><ref name="McIntee, 27" /> Scott created detailed [[storyboard]]s for the film in London, which impressed Fox enough to double the film's budget.<ref name="McIntee, 29" /><ref name="visualists" /> His storyboards included designs for the spaceship and [[space suit]]s, drawing on such films as ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'' and ''Star Wars''.<ref name="McIntee, 29" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://theasc.com/articles/the-filming-of-alien-directing |title=The Filming of Alien – the American Society of Cinematographers (En-US)}}</ref> However, he was keen on emphasizing horror in ''Alien'' rather than fantasy, describing the film as "''[[The Texas Chain Saw Massacre]]'' of science fiction".<ref name="visualists" /><ref name="McIntee, 27" />

=== Casting ===
{{further|topic=individual characters|List of Alien characters}}
[[Casting (performing arts)|Casting calls]] and [[audition]]s were held in New York City and London.<ref name="McIntee, 29" /> With only seven human characters in the story, Scott sought to hire strong actors so he could focus most of his energy on the film's visual style.<ref name="McIntee, 29" /> He employed casting director [[Mary Selway]], who had worked with him on ''The Duellists'', to head the casting in the United Kingdom, while Mary Goldberg handled casting in the United States.<ref name="truckers">"Truckers in Space: Casting", ''The Beast Within: The Making of Alien''.</ref><ref name="McIntee, 14">McIntee, 14.</ref> In developing the story, O'Bannon had focused on writing the alien first, putting off developing the other characters.<ref name="visualists" /> Scott initially envisioned Ripley to be a male, but he later changed the character to be a female after Ladd said "why can't Ripley be a woman".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2020-05-29/ultimate-summer-movie-showdown-ridley-scott-alien | title=Director Ridley Scott on his classic 'Alien' and filmmaking after the pandemic | website=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=May 30, 2020 }}</ref> Shusett and he had intentionally written all the roles generically; they made a note in the script that explicitly states, "The crew is unisex and all parts are interchangeable for men or women."<ref name="truckers" /><ref name="McIntee, 22">McIntee, 22.</ref> This freed Scott, Selway, and Goldberg to interpret the characters as they pleased, and to cast accordingly. They wanted the ''Nostromo''{{'}}s crew to resemble working astronauts in a realistic environment, a concept summarized as "truckers in space".<ref name="McIntee, 29" /><ref name="truckers" /> According to Scott, this concept was inspired partly by ''Star Wars'', which deviated from the pristine future often depicted in science-fiction films of the time.<ref>{{cite AV media |people=[[Ridley Scott|Scott, Ridley]] |date=2004 |title=The Force Is With Them: The Legacy of Star Wars |type=''[[Star Wars]]'' Trilogy DVD box set, audio commentary track |publisher=[[Lucasfilm Ltd.]] and [[20th Century Fox]] Home Entertainment, Inc |location=Los Angeles <!--|access-date=August 2, 2008--> |quote=Within the context of that fantasy {{bracket|[[George Lucas]]}} said people still have to wash behind their ears at night. That was another wonderful touch. It influenced me when I did ''Alien''. I thought I better push it a bit further and make them truck drivers.}}</ref>

To assist the actors in preparing for their roles, Scott wrote several pages of backstory for each character explaining their histories.<ref name="McIntee, 26" /><ref name="fear of the unknown">"Fear of the Unknown: Shepperton Studios, 1978", ''The Beast Within: The Making of Alien''.</ref> He filmed many of their rehearsals to capture spontaneity and improvisation, and tensions between some of the cast members, particularly towards the less-experienced Weaver; this translated convincingly to film as tension between the characters.<ref name="fear of the unknown" /> [[Roger Ebert]] notes that the actors in ''Alien'' were older than was typical in [[thriller film]]s at the time, which helped make the characters more convincing:

{{blockquote|
None of them were particularly young. Tom Skerritt, the captain, was 46, Hurt was 39 but looked older, Holm was 48, Harry Dean Stanton was 53, Yaphet Kotto was 42, and only Veronica Cartwright at 30 and Weaver at 28 were in the age range of the usual thriller cast. Many recent action pictures have improbably young actors cast as key roles or sidekicks, but by skewing older, ''Alien'' achieves a certain texture without even making a point of it: These are not adventurers but workers, hired by a company to return 20&nbsp;million tons of ore to Earth.<ref name="ebert 2003 review">{{cite news |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |title=Great Movies: Alien (1979) |newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |date=October 26, 2003 |url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031026/REVIEWS08/310260301/1023 |access-date=July 14, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080503165232/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20031026%2FREVIEWS08%2F310260301%2F1023 |archive-date=May 3, 2008 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>
}}

[[David A. McIntee]], the author of ''Beautiful Monsters: The Unofficial and Unauthorized Guide to the Alien and Predator Films'', asserts that part of the film's effectiveness in frightening viewers "comes from the fact that the audience can all identify with the characters...Everyone aboard the ''Nostromo'' is a normal, everyday, working Joe just like the rest of us. They just happen to live and work in the future."<ref name="McIntee, 41">McIntee, 41.</ref>

=== Filming ===
[[File:Alien model filming.jpg|thumb|right|alt=In a film studio, a director operates a crane-mounted camera aimed at a large gray model spacecraft, raised several feet in the air by a support structure underneath. The model is lit from one side by bright studio lights and has tall spires with many pieces protruding from them.|Ridley Scott filmed model shots of the ''Nostromo'' and its attached ore refinery. He made slow passes filming at {{frac|2|1|2}} frames per second to give the models the appearance of motion.<ref name="book of alien" />]]
''Alien'' was filmed over 14 weeks from July 5 to October 21, 1978.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2CIJFMMvx9MC&dq=alien+filming+dates+july+october+1978&pg=PT1012 | title=America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry | isbn=978-1-4411-7541-0 | last1=Eagan | first1=Daniel | date=November 26, 2009 | publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA }}</ref> Principal photography took place at [[Pinewood Studios]] and [[Shepperton Studios]] near London, while model and miniature filming was done at [[Bray Studios (UK)|Bray Studios]] in [[Water Oakley]], [[Berkshire]].<ref name="McIntee, 14" /> The production schedule was short due to the film's low budget and pressure from 20th Century-Fox to finish on time.<ref name="fear of the unknown" />

A crew of over 200 craftspeople and technicians constructed the three principal sets: the surface of the alien planetoid, and the interiors of the ''Nostromo'' and the derelict spacecraft.<ref name="book of alien">{{cite book |last1=Scanlon |first1=Paul |last2=Cross |first2=Michael |title=The Book of Alien |publisher=[[Titan Books]] |year=1979 |location=London |isbn=1-85286-483-4}}</ref> Art director Les Dilley created {{frac|1|24}}-scale miniatures of the planetoid's surface and derelict spacecraft based on Giger's designs, then made [[Molding (process)|moulds]] and [[Casting|casts]] and scaled them up as diagrams for the wood and [[fiberglass]] forms of the sets.<ref name="McIntee, 29">McIntee, 29.</ref> Tons of sand, plaster, fiberglass, rock, and gravel were shipped into the studio to sculpt a desert landscape for the planetoid's surface, which the actors would walk across wearing space-suit costumes.<ref name="book of alien" /> The suits were thick, bulky, and lined with [[nylon]], had no cooling systems, and initially, no venting for their exhaled [[carbon dioxide]] to escape.<ref name="McIntee, 33" /> Combined with a [[heat wave]], these conditions nearly caused the actors to pass out; nurses had to be kept on-hand with oxygen tanks.<ref name="fear of the unknown" /><ref name="McIntee, 33">McIntee, 33.</ref>

All of the visuals on the computer screens on the ''Nostromo'''s bridge are [[computer-generated imagery]] (CGI). The staff used CGI because it was easier than any alternative.<ref name="studies">{{cite journal |last1=Abbott |first1=Stacey |title=Computer-Generated Imagery and the Science Fiction Film |journal=Science Fiction Studies |url=https://www.depauw.edu/sfs/backissues/98/abbott98.html |access-date=November 10, 2023}}</ref>

For scenes showing the exterior of the ''Nostromo'', a {{convert|58|ft|m|adj=on}} landing leg was constructed to give a sense of the ship's size. Scott was not convinced that it looked large enough, so he had his two young sons and the son of [[Derek Vanlint]] (the film's cinematographer) stand in for the regular actors, wearing smaller space suits to make the set pieces seem larger.<ref name="McIntee, 33" /><ref name="darkest reaches">"The Darkest Reaches: Nostromo and Alien Planet", ''The Beast Within: The Making of Alien''.</ref> The same technique was used for the scene in which the crew members encounter the dead alien creature in the derelict spacecraft. The children nearly collapsed due to the heat of the suits; oxygen systems were eventually added to help the actors breathe.<ref name="fear of the unknown" /><ref name="McIntee, 33" /> Four identical cats were used to portray Jones, the crew's pet.<ref name="McIntee, 14" /> During filming, Weaver discovered that she was [[allergy|allergic]] to the combination of cat hair and the [[glycerol|glycerin]] placed on the actors' skin to make them appear sweaty. By removing the glycerin she was able to continue working with the cats.<ref name="McIntee, 32" /><ref name="fear of the unknown" />

''Alien'' originally was to conclude with the destruction of the ''Nostromo'' while Ripley escapes in the shuttle ''Narcissus''. However, Scott conceived of a "fourth act" in which Ripley is forced to confront the alien on the shuttle. He pitched the idea to 20th Century-Fox and negotiated an increase in the budget to film it over several extra days.<ref name="commentary" /><ref name="McIntee, 35" /> Scott had wanted the alien to bite off Ripley's head and make the final log entry in her voice, but the producers vetoed this idea, because they believed the alien should die at the end of the film.<ref name="McIntee, 35" />

=== Post-production ===
Editing and post-production took roughly 20 weeks and concluded in late January 1979.<ref name="future tense" /> The sound effects editor, Terry Rawlings, had previously collaborated with Scott on sound effects editing for ''The Duellists''.<ref name="future tense" /> Scott and Rawlings edited much of ''Alien'' to have a slow pace to build suspense for the more tense and frightening moments. According to Rawlings: "I think the way we did get it right was by keeping it slow, funny enough, which is completely different from what they do today. And I think the slowness of it made the moments that you wanted people to be sort of scared...then we could go as fast as we liked because you've sucked people into a corner and then attacked them, so to speak. And I think that's how it worked."<ref name="future tense" /> The first cut of the film was over three hours long; the final version is just under two hours.<ref name="future tense" /><ref name="McIntee, 40" />

One scene that was cut from the film occurred during Ripley's final escape from the ''Nostromo''; she encounters Dallas and Brett, who have been partially [[Cocoon (silk)|cocooned]] by the alien. O'Bannon had intended the scene to indicate that Brett was becoming an alien egg, while Dallas was held nearby to be implanted by the resulting facehugger.<ref name="McIntee, 24">McIntee, 24.</ref> Production designer Michael Seymour later suggested that Dallas had "become sort of food for the alien creature",<ref name="darkest reaches" /> while Ivor Powell suggested that "Dallas is found in the ship as an egg, still alive."<ref name="future tense" /> Scott remarked, "they're morphing, [[metamorphosis|metamorphosing]], they are changing into...being consumed, I guess, by whatever the alien's organism is...into an egg."<ref name="commentary" /> The scene was cut partly because it did not look realistic enough, but also because it slowed the pace of the escape sequence.<ref name="McIntee, 24" /><ref name="McIntee, 35" /> Tom Skerritt remarked that "The picture had to have that pace. Her trying to get the hell out of there, we're all rooting for her to get out of there, and for her to slow up and have a conversation with Dallas was not appropriate."<ref name="future tense" /> The footage was included with other deleted scenes as a special feature on the 1992 Collector's Edition [[LaserDisc]] release of ''Alien'', and a shortened version of it was reinserted into the 2003 Director's Cut, which was re-released in theaters and on [[DVD]].<ref name="McIntee, 24" /><ref name="director's cut">{{Cite AV media |date=December 2, 2003 |title=Alien (Director's Cut) |type=''[[Alien Quadrilogy]]'', DVD disc 1 |publisher=[[20th Century Fox]] Home Entertainment, Inc |location=Los Angeles}}</ref>

=== Music ===
{{Main|Alien (soundtrack)}}
[[File:Jerry Goldsmith 2.jpg|upright|thumb|right|[[Jerry Goldsmith]] composed the music for ''Alien''.]]
The musical score was composed by [[Jerry Goldsmith]], conducted by [[Lionel Newman]], and performed by the [[National Philharmonic Orchestra]]. Scott had originally wanted the film to be scored by [[Isao Tomita]], but Fox wanted a more familiar composer and Goldsmith was recommended by then-president of Fox [[Alan Ladd Jr.]]<ref name="McIntee, 38" /> Goldsmith wanted to create a sense of romanticism and lyrical mystery in the film's opening scenes, which would build throughout the film to suspense and fear.<ref name="future tense">"Future Tense: Music and Editing", ''The Beast Within: The Making of Alien''.</ref> Scott did not like Goldsmith's original main title piece, however, so Goldsmith rewrote it as "the obvious thing: weird and strange, and which everybody loved."<ref name="future tense" /><ref name="McIntee, 38" /> Another source of tension was editor [[Terry Rawlings]]' choice to use pieces of Goldsmith's music from previous films, including a piece from ''[[Freud: The Secret Passion]]'', and to use an excerpt from [[Howard Hanson]]'s Symphony No. 2 ("Romantic") for the end credits.<ref name="future tense" /><ref name="McIntee, 38" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Symphony 2 Howard Hanson |url=http://web.ukonline.co.uk/nso/Hanson2.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030202140126/http://web.ukonline.co.uk/nso/Hanson2.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 2, 2003 |publisher=Ukonline.co.uk |access-date=October 12, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Great American Composers |url=http://www.classicalcdreview.com/hanson.html |publisher=Classicalcdreview.com|access-date=October 12, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923204545/http://www.classicalcdreview.com/hanson.html|archive-date=September 23, 2015}}</ref>

Scott and Rawlings had also become attached to several of the musical cues they had used for the temporary score while editing the film, and re-edited some of Goldsmith's cues and rescored several sequences to match these cues and even left the temporary score in place in some parts of the finished film.<ref name="future tense" /> Goldsmith later said, "You can see that I was sort of like going at opposite ends of the pole with the filmmakers."<ref name="future tense" /> Nevertheless, Scott praised Goldsmith's score as "full of dark beauty"<ref name="McIntee, 38" /> and "seriously threatening, but beautiful".<ref name="future tense" /> It was nominated for a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score]], a [[Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media|Grammy Award for Best Soundtrack Album]], and it won a [[BAFTA Award for Best Film Music]].<ref name="Golden Globe">{{cite web |url=http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/year/1978 |title=The 37th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1979) |publisher=Hollywood Foreign Press Association |access-date=September 1, 2022 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060512133117/http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/year/1979 |archive-date=May 12, 2006}}</ref><ref name=Grammy>{{cite web |url=http://www.awardsandshows.com/features/grammy-awards-1980-228.html |title=Grammy Awards 1980 Nominees |access-date=September 1, 2022}}</ref><ref name=BAFTA>{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1980/film |title=Film in 1980 |publisher=[[BAFTA]] |access-date=September 1, 2022}}</ref> The score has been released as a [[soundtrack album]] in several versions with different tracks and sequences.<ref name="McIntee, 38-39" />

== Design ==
=== Creature effects ===
{{multiple image
 | align = left
 | direction = vertical
 | width = 200
 | header =
 | image1 = Alien-The Facehugger.png
 | alt1 = A man covered with sweat lays on a medical examination table, with a spider-like alien creature covering his face. The creature is beige in color and has four long, thin fingers on either side of its body that grasp tightly around the man's head, and its long tail is coiled around his neck.
 | caption1 = The "facehugger" was the first creature Giger designed for the film, giving it human-like fingers and a long tail.<ref name="8th passenger" /><ref name="McIntee, 31" />
 | image2 = Alien-The Chestburster.png
 | alt2 = The head and tail of an alien creature is emerging from the ruptured chest cavity of a dead man. The small eyeless creature is beige in color, has sharp metallic-looking teeth and a long segmented tail. A significant amount of blood covers the creature and the man's body.
 | caption2 = The "chestburster" was shoved up through the table and a false torso by a puppeteer.<ref name="8th passenger" /> The scene has been recognized as one of the film's most memorable.
}}
O'Bannon introduced Scott to the artwork of [[H. R. Giger]]; both of them felt that his painting ''[[Necronom IV]]'' was the type of representation they wanted for the film's antagonist and began asking the studio to hire him as a designer.<ref name="visualists" /><ref name="McIntee, 27" /> Fox initially believed Giger's work was too ghastly for audiences, but the Brandywine team were persistent and eventually won out.<ref name="McIntee, 27" /> According to Gordon Carroll: "The first second that Ridley saw Giger's work, he knew that the biggest single design problem, maybe the biggest problem in the film, had been solved."<ref name="visualists" /> Scott flew to [[Zürich]] to meet Giger and recruited him to work on all aspects of the alien and its environment including the surface of the planetoid, the derelict spacecraft, and all four forms of the alien from the egg to the adult.<ref name="visualists" /><ref name="McIntee, 27" />

The scene of Kane inspecting the egg was shot in post-production. A [[fiberglass]] egg was used so that actor John Hurt could shine his light on it and see movement inside, which was provided by Scott fluttering his hands inside the egg while wearing rubber gloves.<ref name="McIntee, 34" /> The top of the egg was hydraulic, and the innards were a cow's stomach and [[tripe]].<ref name="8th passenger">"The Eighth Passenger: Creature Design", ''The Beast Within: The Making of Alien''</ref><ref name="McIntee, 34" /> Test shots of the eggs were filmed using hen's eggs, and this footage was used in early teaser trailers. For this reason, the image of a hen's egg was used on the poster and has become emblematic of the franchise as a whole—as opposed to the alien egg that appears in the finished film.<ref name="McIntee, 34">McIntee, 34.</ref>

The "facehugger" and its [[proboscis]], which was made of a sheep's [[intestine]], were shot out of the egg using high-pressure air hoses. The shot was reversed and slowed down in editing to prolong the effect and reveal more detail.<ref name="8th passenger" /><ref name="McIntee, 34" /> The facehugger itself was the first creature that H.R. Giger designed for the film, going through several versions in different sizes before deciding on a small creature with human-like fingers and a long tail.<ref name="8th passenger" /><ref name="McIntee, 31" /> Dan O'Bannon, with help from Ron Cobb, drew his own version based on Giger's design, which became the final version.<ref name="commentary" /><ref name="McIntee, 31" /> Cobb came up with the idea that the creature could have a powerful acid for blood, a characteristic that would carry over to the adult Alien and would make it impossible for the crew to kill it by conventional means, such as guns or explosives, since the acid would burn through the ship's hull.<ref name="commentary" /><ref name="McIntee, 21" /> For the scene in which the dead facehugger is examined, Scott used pieces of fish and [[shellfish]] to create its [[viscus|viscera]].<ref name="8th passenger" /><ref name="McIntee, 34" />

The "chestburster" design was inspired by [[Francis Bacon (painter)|Francis Bacon]]'s 1944 painting ''[[Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion]]''.<ref name="8th passenger" /> Giger's original design, which was refined, resembled a plucked chicken.<ref name="8th passenger" /> Screenwriter [[Dan O'Bannon]] credits his experiences with [[Crohn's disease]] for inspiring the chest-bursting scene.<ref name="observer">{{cite web |url=http://observer.com/2011/07/the-horror-the-horror-fright-flicks-finally-get-their-due/ |title=The Horror! The Horror! Fright Flicks Finally Get Their Due |access-date=August 17, 2012 |work=New York Observer |date=July 5, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929224702/http://observer.com/2011/07/the-horror-the-horror-fright-flicks-finally-get-their-due/ |archive-date=September 29, 2012}}</ref>

For the filming of the chestburster scene, the cast members knew that the creature would be bursting out of Hurt, and had seen the chestburster puppet, but they had not been told that fake blood would also be bursting out in every direction from high-pressure pumps and [[Bullet hit squib|squibs]].<ref name="McIntee, 32" /><ref>{{cite news |title=The Making of Alien's Chestburster Scene |date=October 13, 2009 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/oct/13/making-of-alien-chestburster |access-date=May 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100430221033/http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/oct/13/making-of-alien-chestburster |archive-date=April 30, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> The scene was shot in one take using an artificial torso filled with blood and viscera, with Hurt's head and arms coming up from underneath the table. The chestburster was shoved up through the torso by a puppeteer who held it on a stick. When the creature burst through the chest, a stream of blood shot directly at Cartwright, shocking her enough that she fell over and went into hysterics.<ref name="McIntee, 32" /><ref name="8th passenger" /><ref name="book of alien" /> According to Tom Skerritt, "What you saw on camera was the real response. She had no idea what the hell happened. All of a sudden this thing just came up."<ref name="8th passenger" /> The creature then runs off-camera, an effect accomplished by cutting a slit in the table for the puppeteer's stick to go through and passing an air hose through the puppet's tail to make it whip about.<ref name="8th passenger" />

The real-life surprise of the actors gave the scene an intense sense of realism and made it one of the film's most memorable moments. During preview screenings, the crew noticed that some viewers would move towards the back of the theater so as not to be too close to the screen during the sequence.<ref name="McIntee, 40" /> The scene has frequently been called one of the most memorable moments in cinema history.<ref>{{cite web |last=Christian |first=Roger |title=Inside Alien's Chestburster Scene |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/alien-chestburster-scene/ |publisher=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |date=April 26, 2014 |access-date=September 1, 2022}}</ref> In 2007, ''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'' named it as the greatest [[18 (British Board of Film Classification)|18-rated]] moment in film, ranking it above the [[decapitation]] scene in ''[[The Omen]]'' (1976) and the transformation sequence in ''[[An American Werewolf in London]]'' (1981).<ref name="empire">{{cite news |title=Alien named as top 18-rated scene |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6597295.stm |access-date=September 7, 2008 |date=April 26, 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001202917/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6597295.stm |archive-date=October 1, 2007}}</ref> ''[[IGN]]'' ranked it the 10th-best film moment of all time.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/lists/100-best-movie-moments/10 |title=Top 100 Best Movie Moments |publisher=[[IGN]] |access-date=September 1, 2022}}</ref>

For the scene in which Ash is revealed to be an android, a puppet was created of his torso and upper body, which was operated from underneath.<ref name="fear of the unknown" /> During a preview screening, this scene caused an usher to faint.<ref name="McIntee, 40" /><ref name="nightmare fulfilled">"A Nightmare Fulfilled: Reaction to the Film", ''The Beast Within: The Making of Alien''.</ref> In the following scene, Ash's head is placed on a table and reactivated; for portions of this scene, an [[animatronic]] head was made using a face cast of Holm.<ref name="McIntee, 35" /> However, the latex of the head shrank while curing and the result was not entirely convincing.<ref name="fear of the unknown" /> For the bulk of the scene, Holm knelt under the table with his head through a hole. Milk, caviar, pasta, [[fiber optics]], and [[Foley catheter|Foley urinary catheters]] were combined to form the android innards.<ref name="fear of the unknown" /><ref name="McIntee, 35" />

=== The alien ===
{{further|topic=the creature|Xenomorph}}
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Alien (1979) - The Alien.jpg|upright|thumb|right|alt=A tall human-like alien creature stands inside the cargo hold of a spacecraft. It is all black in color, has a long, horizontally configured phallic-shaped head with its long rigid tongue extended, long arms with six digits on each hand, and long tubes protruding from its back.|Bolaji Badejo in costume as the Alien: The suit was made of [[latex]], with the head as a separate piece housing the moving parts that controlled the second mouth.]] -->
Giger made several conceptual paintings of the adult alien before settling on the final version. He sculpted the body using [[plasticine]], incorporating pieces such as [[vertebra]]e from snakes and cooling tubes from a [[Rolls-Royce (car)|Rolls-Royce]].<ref name="McIntee, 30" /><ref name="8th passenger" /> The head was manufactured separately by [[Carlo Rambaldi]], who had worked on the aliens in ''[[Close Encounters of the Third Kind]]''.<ref name="McIntee, 37" /> Rambaldi followed Giger's designs closely, making some modifications to incorporate the moving parts that would animate the jaw and inner mouth.<ref name="8th passenger" /> A system of hinges and cables was used to operate the rigid tongue, which protruded from the mouth and featured a second mouth at its tip with its own set of movable teeth.<ref name="8th passenger" /> The final head had about 900 moving parts and points of articulation.<ref name="8th passenger" /> Part of a [[human skull]] was used as the "face", and was hidden under the smooth, translucent cover of the head.<ref name="McIntee, 30" /> Rambaldi's original alien jaw is now on display in the [[Smithsonian Institution]].<ref name="McIntee, 35">McIntee, 35.</ref> In April 2007, the original alien suit was sold at auction.<ref name="gadgetmadness">{{cite web |title=Buy the 1979 Original Alien Suit By H.R. Giger |publisher=Gadgetmadness.com |date=April 2, 2007 |url=http://www.gadgetmadness.com/archives/20070402-buy_the_1979_original_alien_suit_by_hr_giger.php |access-date=September 8, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820050446/http://www.gadgetmadness.com/archives/20070402-buy_the_1979_original_alien_suit_by_hr_giger.php |archive-date=August 20, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Copious amounts of [[K-Y Jelly]] were used to simulate [[saliva]] and give the alien a slimy appearance.<ref name="8th passenger" /><ref name="McIntee, 31">McIntee, 31.</ref> The alien vocalizations were provided by [[Percy Edwards]], a [[voice artist]] who had provided bird sounds for British television throughout the 1960s and 1970s and the whale sounds for ''[[Orca (1977 film)|Orca: Killer Whale]]'' (1977).<ref name="McIntee, 38">McIntee, 38.</ref><ref name="McIntee, 18">McIntee, 18.</ref>

In most scenes, the alien was portrayed by Bolaji Badejo. A latex costume was made to fit Badejo's slender {{convert|6|ft|10|in|cm|adj=on}} frame by taking a full-body plaster cast.<ref name="8th passenger" /><ref name="book of alien" /> Scott later said that the alien "takes on elements of the host – in this case, a man".<ref name="McIntee, 27" /> Badejo attended [[tai chi]] and [[mime artist|mime]] classes to create convincing movements.<ref name="McIntee, 30" /><ref name="8th passenger" /> For some scenes, such as when the alien lowers itself from the ceiling to kill Brett, it was portrayed by stuntmen Eddie Powell and Roy Scammell.<ref name="book of alien" /><ref name="McIntee, 30-31" /> Powell, in costume, was suspended on wires and then lowered in an unfurling motion.<ref name="8th passenger" /><ref name="McIntee, 34" />

Scott chose not to show the full alien for most of the film, keeping most of its body in shadow to create a sense of terror and heighten suspense. The audience could thus project their own fears into imagining what the rest of the creature might look like:<ref name="8th passenger" /> "Every movement is going to be very slow, very graceful, and the alien will alter shape so you never really know exactly what he looks like."<ref name="book of alien" /> Scott said: "I've never liked horror films before, because in the end it's always been a man in a rubber suit. Well, there's one way to deal with that. The most important thing in a film of this type is not what you see, but the effect of what you ''think'' you saw."<ref name="book of alien" />

The alien has been referred to as "one of the most iconic movie monsters", and its biomechanical appearance and sexual overtones have been frequently noted.<ref name="mackinder review">{{cite web |last=Mackinder |first=Adrian |title=Alien (1979) Movie Review |work=Future Movies |date=January 1, 2002 |url=https://www.futuremovies.co.uk/reviews/alien-1979/adrian-mackinder |access-date=July 2, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131222022523/http://www.futuremovies.co.uk/reviews/alien-1979/adrian-mackinder |archive-date=December 22, 2013}}</ref> [[Roger Ebert]] wrote that "''Alien'' uses a tricky device to keep the alien fresh throughout the movie: it evolves the nature and appearance of the creature, so we never know quite what it looks like or what it can do... The first time we get a good look at the alien, as it bursts from the chest of poor Kane (John Hurt). It is unmistakably phallic in shape, and the critic Tim Dirks mentions its 'open, dripping vaginal mouth'."<ref name="ebert 2003 review" />

=== Sets ===
The sets of the ''Nostromo''{{'}}s three decks were each created almost entirely in one piece, with each deck occupying a separate stage. The actors had to navigate through the hallways that connected the stages, adding to the sense of [[claustrophobia]] and realism.<ref name="book of alien" /><ref name="fear of the unknown" /><ref name="McIntee, 31" /> The sets used large [[transistor]]s and low-resolution computer screens to give the ship a "used", industrial look and make it appear as though it was constructed of "retrofitted old technology".<ref name="darkest reaches" /> {{anchor|Semiotic Standard}}Ron Cobb created industrial-style symbols and color-coded signs for various areas and aspects. The symbols, which Cobb called ''Semiotic Standard'', aimed to give the ''Nostromo'' "a standardized, multi-lingual, industrial look"<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cobb |first1=Ron |title=Colorvision |date=1981 |publisher=Wild and Woolley |pages=60–61 |isbn=978-0909331436}}</ref> and to create a sense of being lost in machines, to aid Scott's metaphor of the ship as a [[Gothic fiction#Role of architecture|Gothic castle]] or World War II submarine.<ref name="darkest reaches" />

The company that owns the ''Nostromo'' is not named in the film, and is referred to by the characters as "the company". However, the name and logo of the company appears on several set pieces and props such as computer monitors and beer cans as "Weylan-Yutani".<ref name="McIntee, 15">McIntee, 15.</ref> Cobb created the name to imply a business alliance between Britain and Japan, deriving "Weylan" from the [[British Leyland Motor Corporation]] and "Yutani" from the name of his Japanese neighbor.<ref name="McIntee, 28" /><ref>{{cite book |last1=Mollo |first1=John |first2=Ron |last2=Cobb |title=The Authorized Portfolio of Crew Insignias from the United States Commercial Spaceship Nostromo, Designs and Realizations |quote=One of the things I enjoyed most about "ALIEN" was its subtle satirical content. [...] "Weylan-Yutani" for instance is almost a joke, but not quite. I wanted to imply that poor old England is back on its feet and has united with the Japanese, who have taken over the building of spaceships the same way they have now with cars and supertankers. In coming up with a strange company name, I thought of British Leyland and [[Toyota]], but we couldn't use "Leyland-Toyota" in the film. Changing one letter gave me "Weylan", and "Yutani" was a Japanese neighbor of mine. [...] "Weylan-Yutani" now only appears on the beer can, underwear, and some stationary, so the joke sort of got lost.|author2-link=Ron Cobb}}</ref> The 1986 sequel, ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]],'' named the company "Weyland-Yutani",<ref name="McIntee, 28" /><ref name="aliens">{{cite AV media |people=[[James Cameron|Cameron, James]] (Director) |title=[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]] |medium=[[DVD]] |publisher=[[20th Century Fox]] |location=Beverly Hills, California |date=2003}}</ref> and it has remained a central aspect of the franchise.

Art director [[Roger Christian (filmmaker)|Roger Christian]] used scrap metal and parts to create set pieces and props to save money, a technique he employed while working on ''Star Wars''.<ref name="darkest reaches" /><ref name="McIntee, 31-32">McIntee, 31–32.</ref> For example, some of the ''Nostromo''{{'s}} corridors were created from portions of scrapped [[English Electric Canberra|Canberra]] bomber aircraft, and a mirror was used to create the illusion of longer corridors in the below-deck area.<ref name="darkest reaches" /> Special-effects supervisors [[Brian Johnson (special effects artist)|Brian Johnson]] and Nick Allder made many of the set pieces and props function, including moving chairs, computer monitors, motion trackers, and flamethrowers.<ref name="McIntee, 32">McIntee, 32.</ref><ref name="book of alien" />

Giger designed and worked on all the alien aspects, which he designed to appear organic and [[Biomechanical art|biomechanical]] in contrast to the industrial look of the ''Nostromo'' and its human elements.<ref name="book of alien" /><ref name="darkest reaches" /> For the interior of the derelict spacecraft and egg chamber, he used dried bones with [[plaster]] to sculpt the scenery and elements.<ref name="book of alien" /><ref name="darkest reaches" /> Veronica Cartwright described Giger's sets as "so erotic...it's big vaginas and penises...the whole thing is like you're going inside of some sort of womb or whatever...it's sort of visceral."<ref name="darkest reaches" /> The set with the deceased alien creature, which the production team nicknamed the "space jockey", proved problematic, as 20th Century-Fox did not want to spend the money for such an expensive set that would only be used for one scene. Scott described the set as the [[cockpit]] or driving deck of the mysterious ship, and the production team convinced the studio that the scene was important to impress the audience and make them aware that this was not a [[B movie]].<ref name="darkest reaches" /><ref name="McIntee, 34" /> To save money, only one wall of the set was created, and the "space jockey" sat atop a disc that could be rotated to facilitate shots from different angles in relation to the actors.<ref name="book of alien" /><ref name="McIntee, 34" /> Giger [[airbrush]]ed the entire set and the "space jockey" by hand.<ref name="darkest reaches" /><ref name="McIntee, 34" />

The origin of the jockey creature is not explored, but Scott later theorized that it might have been the ship's pilot, and that the ship might have been a weapons-carrier capable of dropping alien eggs onto a planet so that the aliens could use the local lifeforms as hosts.<ref name="commentary" /> In early versions of the script, the eggs were to be located in a separate pyramid structure, which would be found later by the ''Nostromo'' crew and would contain statues and [[hieroglyph]]s depicting the alien reproductive cycle, contrasting the human, alien, and space-jockey cultures.<ref name="McIntee, 21" /> Cobb, Foss, and Giger each created concept artwork for these sequences, but they were discarded due to budgetary concerns and the need to shorten the film.<ref name="book of alien" /> Instead, the egg chamber was set inside the derelict ship and was filmed on the same set as the space-jockey scene; the entire disc piece supporting the jockey and its chair was removed and the set was redressed to create the egg chamber.<ref name="book of alien" /> Light effects in the egg chamber were created by lasers borrowed from English rock band [[the Who]]. The band was testing the lasers for use in their stage show on the sound stage next door.<ref>{{cite book |title=Alien Vault: The Definitive Story of the Making of the Film |author=Nathan, Ian |publisher=Voyageur Press |date=September 17, 2011}}</ref>

=== Spaceships and planets ===
{{Quote box |quote=I resent films that are so shallow they rely entirely on their visual effects, and of course science-fiction films are notorious for this. I've always felt that there's another way to do it: a lot of effort should be expended toward rendering the environment of the spaceship, or space travel, whatever the fantastic setting of your story should be–as convincingly as possible, but always in the background. That way the story and the characters emerge and ''they'' become more real.|source=—Ron Cobb on his designs for ''Alien''<ref name="book of alien" />|align=right |salign=left |width=25%}}

O'Bannon brought in artists Ron Cobb and Chris Foss, with whom he had worked on ''[[Dark Star (film)|Dark Star]]'' and ''[[Dune (1984 film)#Early attempts and Jodorowsky's Dune|Dune]]'' respectively, to work on designs for the human aspects such as the spaceship and space suits.<ref name="visualists" /><ref name="McIntee, 28">McIntee, 28.</ref> Cobb created hundreds of preliminary sketches of the interiors and exteriors of the ship, which went through many design concepts and possible names such as ''Leviathan'' and ''Snark'' as the script developed. The final name was derived from the title of [[Joseph Conrad]]'s 1904 novel ''[[Nostromo]]'', while the escape shuttle, called ''Narcissus'' in the script, was named after Conrad's 1897 [[novella]] ''[[The Nigger of the 'Narcissus']]''.<ref name="McIntee, 15" /> The production team particularly praised Cobb's ability to depict the interior settings of the ship in a realistic and believable manner. Under Scott's direction, the design of the ''Nostromo'' shifted towards an {{convert|800|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}} tug towing a refining platform {{convert|2|mi|km}} long and {{convert|1.5|mi|km}} wide.<ref name="book of alien" /> Cobb also created some conceptual drawings of the alien, which went unused.<ref name="visualists" /><ref name="McIntee, 28" /> Moebius was attached to the project for a few days and his costume renderings were the basis for the final space suits created by costume designer John Mollo.<ref name="book of alien" /><ref name="McIntee, 28" />

The spaceships and planets were shot using models and miniatures. These included models of the ''Nostromo'', its attached mineral refinery, the escape shuttle ''Narcissus'', the alien planetoid, and the exterior and interior of the derelict spacecraft. Visual-effects supervisor Brian Johnson and supervising modelmaker [[Martin Bower]] and their team worked at Bray Studios, roughly {{convert|25|mi}} from Shepperton Studios.<ref name="outward bound">"Outward Bound: Visual Effects", ''The Beast Within: The Making of Alien''.</ref><ref name="McIntee, 36">McIntee, 36</ref> The designs of the ''Nostromo'' and its attachments were based on combinations of Scott's storyboards and Ron Cobb's conceptual drawings.<ref name="outward bound" /> The basic outlines of the models were made of wood and plastic, and most of the fine details were added from [[scale model|model kits]] of warships, tanks, and World War II bombers.

Three models of the ''Nostromo'' were made: a {{convert|12|in|cm|adj=on}} version for medium and long shots, a {{convert|4|ft|m|adj=on}} version for rear shots, and a {{convert|12|ft|m|adj=on}}, {{convert|7|ST|t|adj=on}} rig for the undocking and planetoid surface sequences.<ref name="book of alien" /><ref name="McIntee, 36" /> Scott insisted on numerous changes to the models even as filming was taking place, leading to conflicts with the modeling and filming teams. The ''Nostromo'' was originally yellow, and the team filmed shots of the models for six weeks before Johnson left to work on ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]''. Scott then ordered it changed to gray, and the team had to begin shooting again from scratch.<ref name="outward bound" /><ref name="McIntee, 36" /> He asked that more and more pieces be added to the model such that the final version (with the refinery) required a metal framework so that it could be hoisted by a forklift. He also took a hammer and chisel to sections of the refinery, knocking off many of the spires that Bower had spent weeks creating. Scott also had disagreements with miniature-effects cinematographer [[Dennis Ayling]] over how to light the models.<ref name="outward bound" />

A separate model, about {{convert|40|ft|m}} long, was created for the ''Nostromo''{{'s}} underside from which the ''Narcissus'' would detach and from which Kane's body would be launched during the funeral scene. Bower carved Kane's burial [[shroud]] out of wood; it was launched through the hatch using a small [[catapult]] and filmed at high speed. The footage was slowed down in editing.<ref name="outward bound" /><ref name="McIntee, 37">McIntee, 37.</ref> Only one shot was filmed using [[chroma key|blue-screen]] compositing – that of the shuttle racing past the ''Nostromo''. The other shots were simply filmed against black backdrops, with stars added by [[multiple exposure|double exposure]].<ref name="McIntee, 36" /> Though [[motion control photography]] technology was available at the time, the budget would not allow for it. Instead, the team used a camera with wide-angle lenses mounted on a drive mechanism to make slow passes over and around the models filming at {{frac|2|1|2}} frames per second,<ref name="book of alien" /> giving them the appearance of motion. Scott added smoke and wind effects to enhance the illusion.<ref name="outward bound" /> For the scene in which the ''Nostromo'' detaches from the refinery, a {{convert|30|ft|m|adj=on}} docking arm was created using pieces from model railway kits. The ''Nostromo'' was pushed away from the refinery by a forklift covered in black velvet, causing the arm to extend out from the refinery. This created the illusion that the arm was pushing the ship forward.<ref name="outward bound" /><ref name="McIntee, 36" /> Shots of the ship's exterior in which characters are seen moving around inside were filmed using larger models, which contained projection screens displaying pre-recorded footage.<ref name="outward bound" />

A separate model was created for the exterior of the derelict alien spacecraft. [[Matte (filmmaking)|Matte paintings]] were used to fill in areas of the ship's interior, as well as exterior shots of the planetoid's surface.<ref name="outward bound" /> The surface as seen from space during the landing sequence was created by painting a globe white, then mixing chemicals and dyes onto [[transparency (projection)|transparencies]] and projecting them onto it.<ref name="book of alien" /><ref name="McIntee, 36" /> The planetoid was not named in the film, but some drafts of the script gave it the name Acheron<ref name="McIntee, 30" /> after [[Acheron|the river]] which in [[Greek mythology]] is described as the "stream of woe"; it is a branch of the river [[Styx (mythology)|Styx]], and forms the border of [[Hell]] in [[Dante Alighieri|Dante]]'s ''[[Inferno (Dante)|Inferno]]''. The 1986 sequel ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]'' named the planetoid as "LV-426",<ref name="aliens" /> and both names have been used for it in subsequent [[expanded universe|expanded-universe]] media such as comic books and video games.

=== Title sequence ===
The title sequence was developed by [[R/GA|R/Greenberg Associates]] "to instill a sense of foreboding, the letters broken into pieces, the space between them unsettling."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.artofthetitle.com/title/alien/ |title=Alien (1979) — Art of the Title |website=[[Art of the Title]]|access-date=March 17, 2021}}</ref> It is referenced as one of the most iconic opening sequences of all time.<ref>{{cite web |first=Oliver |last=Lyttelton |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2015/11/the-50-best-opening-credit-sequences-of-all-time-107796 |title=The 50 Best Opening Credit Sequences Of All Time |website=[[IndieWire]] |date=November 3, 2015|access-date=March 17, 2021}}</ref>

== Release ==
{{Quote box |quote="It was the most incredible preview I've ever been in. I mean, people were screaming and running out of the theater."<ref name="nightmare fulfilled" /> |source=—Editor Terry Rawlings describing the film's screening in Dallas. |align=right |salign=right |width=25%}}
An initial screening of ''Alien'' for 20th Century-Fox representatives in [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]] was marred by poor sound. A subsequent screening in a newer theater in [[Dallas]] went significantly better, eliciting genuine fright from the audience.<ref name="nightmare fulfilled" /> Two theatrical [[film trailer|trailers]] were shown to the public. The first consisted of rapidly changing still images set to some of Jerry Goldsmith's electronic music from ''[[Logan's Run (1976 film)|Logan's Run]]'', with the tagline in both the trailer and on the teaser poster "A word of warning...". The second used test footage of a hen's egg set to part of Goldsmith's ''Alien'' score.<ref name="McIntee, 40" /> The film was previewed in various American cities in the spring of 1979<ref name="McIntee, 40" /> and was promoted with the [[tagline]] "In space no one can hear you scream",<ref name="nightmare fulfilled" /><ref name="Allrovi overview">{{cite web |title=Alien |publisher=[[Allrovi]] |url=http://www.allrovi.com/movies/movie/alien-v1503 |access-date=July 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110731155143/http://www.allrovi.com/movies/movie/alien-v1503 |archive-date=July 31, 2011}}</ref> which was written by [[Barbara Gips]], husband of [[Philip Gips]], who designed the poster.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Longman |first=Jeré |date=27 October 2025 |title=Barbara Gips, 89, Creator of Movie Catchphrases That Could Be as Memorable as the Films |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/24/movies/barbara-gips-dead.html |access-date=2025-12-06 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

''Alien'' was [[Motion Picture Association of America film rating system|rated "R"]] in the United States, "[[History of British film certificates#1970–1982|X]]" in the United Kingdom, and "[[Australian Classification Board#Film and video game classifications|M]]" in Australia.<ref name="McIntee, 14" /> In the UK, the [[British Board of Film Classification|British Board of Film Censors]] almost passed the film as an "AA" (for ages 14 and over), although concerns existed over the prevalent sexual imagery. 20th Century-Fox eventually relented in pushing for an AA certificate after deciding that an X rating would make it easier to sell as a horror film.<ref name="BBFC">{{cite web |url=https://darkroom.bbfc.co.uk/original/40d09668df091cfc0a32835f35c3674e:bc144b65f7d4e9f9243b495e7515609f/alien-report.pdf |title=Alien: BBFC classification report |publisher=[[BBFC]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313202054/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/sites/default/files/attachments/Alien-Final.pdf |archive-date=March 13, 2013 |url-status=live |access-date=November 7, 2018}}</ref>

''Alien'' had its world premiere as a midnight screening on May 24, 1979, at the [[Seattle International Film Festival]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://issuu.com/siffnews/docs/fest1979_catalog/13 |title= Seattle International Film Festival 1979 Catalog |date= March 24, 2024 |access-date=2025-05-13}}</ref> and opened in a [[limited release]] in American theaters on May 25.<ref name="Allrovi overview" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Ross |first=Jane |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-film-alien-anniversary/sigourney-weaver-marks-alien-anniversary-i-thought-it-was-a-small-movie-idUSKCN1ST2PA |title=Sigourney Weaver marks 'Alien' anniversary: 'I thought it was a small movie' |date=May 23, 2019 |publisher=Reuters|access-date=June 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624033453/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-film-alien-anniversary/sigourney-weaver-marks-alien-anniversary-i-thought-it-was-a-small-movie-idUSKCN1ST2PA|archive-date=June 24, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Moviegoers lined up for blocks to see the film at [[Grauman's Egyptian Theatre]] in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], where a number of models, sets, and props were displayed outside to promote it during its first run.<ref name="McIntee, 40" /><ref name="nightmare fulfilled" /> It received a [[wide release]] in the United States on June 22.<ref>{{cite web |last=Illuminati |first=Chris |url=https://brobible.com/entertainment/article/alien-movie-facts/ |title='Alien' Was Released 37 Years Ago This Week — Here Are Some Crazy Facts Only True Fans Know About The Film |date=June 20, 2016 |website=BroBible|access-date=June 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624033457/https://brobible.com/entertainment/article/alien-movie-facts/|archive-date=June 24, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Vandals [[Arson|set fire]] to the model of the space jockey, believing it to be the work of the [[devil]].<ref name="McIntee, 40" /> The film started its international release in Japan on July 20 and then Brazil on August 20.<ref name=foreign /> In the United Kingdom, ''Alien'' premiered at a gala performance at the 33rd [[Edinburgh International Film Festival]] on September 1, 1979,<ref>{{cite news |title=Something nasty lurking amid the good old Alien corn: Derek Malcolm reviews the new films in London and Edinburgh |first=Derek |last=Malcolm |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=September 6, 1979 |author-link=Derek Malcolm}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/event/2261 |title=33rd Edinburgh International Film Festival |work=[[British Film Institute]] |publisher=BFI (Online Database) |access-date=August 20, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120802222547/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/event/2261 |archive-date=August 2, 2012}}</ref> before starting an exclusive run at the [[Odeon Leicester Square]] in London on Thursday, September 6, 1979,<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |title=Japan & Britain Launch For 'Alien' |date=June 13, 1979 |page=24}}</ref> for one week before expanding slowly until opening wide in Britain in 180 theaters on October 1, 1979.<ref name=foreign>{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |title=Fox's 'Alien' Wows Alien Filmgoers |date=October 10, 1979 |page=28}}</ref> The film opened in France and Spain in September before expanding to other markets in October 1979.<ref name=foreign />

=== Box office ===
The film was a commercial success, opening in 90 theaters across the United States (plus 1 in Canada), setting 51 house records and grossing $3,527,881 over the four-day [[Memorial Day]] weekend with a per-screen average of $38,767,<ref name="box office mojo" /> which ''[[Daily Variety]]'' suggested may have been the biggest per-screen opening in history.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Daily Variety]] |page=1 |last=Pollock |first=Dale |title=Per-Screen 'Alien' B.O. May Be Record |date=May 30, 1979}}</ref> It was the [[List of 1979 box office number-one films in the United States|number one film in the United States]] where it remained for three weeks.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title=50 Top-Grossing Films|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_variety_1979-06-20_295_7/page/9|date=June 20, 1979|page=9}}</ref> In its first 4 weeks it grossed $16.5&nbsp;million from only 148 prints before expanding to 635 screens.<ref name="box office mojo" /> In the UK, the film opened at the [[Odeon Leicester Square]] in London and grossed [[Pound sterling|£]]71,988 in its opening week, the biggest opening week of all-time for any cinema in the UK, to become the number one film in the UK.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |page=41 |title='Alien' Bows In Britain |date=September 12, 1979}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Screen International]]|date=September 15, 1979|page=2|title=London Box Office|last=Brown|first=Chris}}</ref> It remained at number one for eight weeks.<ref name=guinness>{{cite book |last1=Swern |first1=Phil |title=The Guinness Book of Box Office Hits |date=1995 |publisher=Guinness Publishing Ltd |isbn=0-85112-670-7 |page=437|url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessbookofbo0000swer/page/437/mode/1up?view=theater|via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>
By the beginning of October 1979, the film had grossed $27 million internationally including $16.9 million in Japan, $4.8 million in France and $3.7 million in the UK.<ref name=foreign /> It went on to gross $78.9&nbsp;million in the United States and [[Pound sterling|£]]7,886,000 in the United Kingdom during its first run.<ref name="McIntee, 40" /> Including reissues, it has grossed $81.8&nbsp;million in the United States and Canada, while international box-office figures have varied from $24&nbsp;million to $122.7&nbsp;million. Its total worldwide gross has been listed within the range of $104.9&nbsp;million<ref name="box office mojo" /> to $188&nbsp;million.<ref name="numbers" /> In 1992, Fox noted the worldwide gross was $143&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Daily Variety]] |title=The Baddest of Them All (Fox advertisement) |page=8 |date=October 6, 1992}}</ref>

20th Century Fox claimed that ''Alien'' lost $2&nbsp;million in the 11 months following its release. The claim was decried by industry accountants as an example of [[Hollywood accounting|Hollywood creative accounting]], used to disguise the revenue and limit any payments to Brandywine. By August 1980, Fox readjusted the figure to $4&nbsp;million profit, although this was similarly refuted. Eager to begin work on a sequel, Brandywine sued Fox over their profit distribution tactics, but Fox claimed that ''Alien'' was not a financial success and did not warrant a sequel. The lawsuit was settled in 1983 when Fox agreed to fund a sequel.<ref name="Macek2015">{{cite magazine |last=Macek |first=J.C. III |date=May 12, 2015 |title=Hollywood Creative Accounting, or, How to Hide a Hit and Still Profit From It |url=https://www.popmatters.com/192246-hollywood-creative-accounting-or-how-to-hide-a-hit-and-still-profit--2495541881.html |url-status=live |magazine=[[PopMatters]] |oclc=1122752384 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204131532/https://www.popmatters.com/192246-hollywood-creative-accounting-or-how-to-hide-a-hit-and-still-profit--2495541881.html |archive-date=February 4, 2023 |access-date=May 9, 2024}}</ref>

=== Critical reception ===
Critical reaction to ''Alien'' was initially mixed. Some critics who were not usually favorable towards science fiction, such as [[Barry Norman]] of the [[BBC]]'s ''Film'' series, were positive about the film's merits.<ref name="McIntee, 40" /> Others, however, were not; reviews by ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', ''[[Sight and Sound]]'', [[Vincent Canby]], and [[Leonard Maltin]]{{efn|Maltin reassessed the film upon the release of the Director's Cut and gave ''Alien'' a positive review.<ref>{{cite web |last=Christopher |first=Rob |url=http://chicagoist.com/2013/09/17/leonard_maltin_talks_about_45_years.php |title=Interview: Leonard Maltin Discusses 45 Years Of His Movie Guide |publisher=Chicagoist |date=September 17, 2013 |access-date=October 12, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926063011/http://chicagoist.com/2013/09/17/leonard_maltin_talks_about_45_years.php |archive-date=September 26, 2013}}</ref>}} were mixed or negative.<ref>{{cite web |title=Anti Reviews on Movie-Film-Review |publisher=[[Christopher Tookey]] |url=http://www.movie-film-review.com/devfilm.asp?rtype=3&id=387 |access-date=October 11, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100727104752/http://www.movie-film-review.com/devfilm.asp?rtype=3&id=387 |archive-date=July 27, 2010}}</ref> A review by ''[[Time Out (company)|Time Out]]'' said the film was an "empty bag of tricks whose production values and expensive trickery cannot disguise imaginative poverty".<ref name="halliwell">{{cite book |last1=Halliwell |first1=Leslie |editor-first=John |editor-last=Walker |title=Halliwell's Film & Video Guide 2001 |location=London |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |year=2001 |page=16 |isbn=0-00-653219-5 |edition=16th}}</ref> In their original review on ''[[Sneak Previews]]'', critics [[Gene Siskel]] and [[Roger Ebert]] gave the film "two 'yes' votes." Ebert called it "one of the scariest old-fashioned space operas I can remember." Siskel agreed that it was scary but said it was basically a "haunted house film" set "in a spaceship" and was "not the greatest science fiction film ever made."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/video/vi3037575961 |title=Sneak Previews Season 1 Episode 18 |publisher=IMDB |access-date=September 12, 2020 |archive-date=November 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114044802/https://www.imdb.com/video/vi3037575961 |url-status=live}}</ref> Siskel gave the film three stars out of four in his original print review, calling it "an accomplished piece of scary entertainment" and praising Sigourney Weaver as "an actress who should become a major star," but listed among the film's disappointments that "[f]or me, the final shape of the alien was the least scary of its forms."<ref>[[Gene Siskel|Siskel, Gene]] (May 25, 1979). "Faint praise: Alien' succeeds in the scare department". ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. Section 3, p. 2.</ref>

=== Accolades ===
{{further|List of accolades received by the Alien film series#Alien|l1=List of accolades received by ''Alien''}}
''Alien'' won the 1980 [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects]] and was also nominated for [[Academy Award for Best Production Design|Best Art Direction]] (for [[Michael Seymour (production designer)|Michael Seymour]], [[Leslie Dilley]], [[Roger Christian (filmmaker)|Roger Christian]], and [[Ian Whittaker]]).<ref name="academy awards database">{{cite web |title=Awards database |publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] |url=http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/BasicSearchInput.jsp |access-date=September 6, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080921143432/http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/BasicSearchInput.jsp |archive-date=September 21, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Allrovi awards">{{cite web |title=''Alien'': Awards |url=http://www.allrovi.com/movies/movie/alien-v1503 |access-date=July 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110731155143/http://www.allrovi.com/movies/movie/alien-v1503 |archive-date=July 31, 2011}}</ref> It won [[Saturn Award]]s for [[Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film|Best Science Fiction Film]], [[Saturn Award for Best Direction|Best Direction]] for Ridley Scott, and [[Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] for Veronica Cartwright,<ref name="past saturn awards" /> and was also nominated in the categories of [[Saturn Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] for Sigourney Weaver, [[Saturn Award for Best Make-up|Best Make-up]] for Pat Hay, [[Saturn Award for Best Special Effects|Best Special Effects]] for [[Brian Johnson (special effects)|Brian Johnson]] and Nick Allder, and [[Saturn Award for Best Writing|Best Writing]] for Dan O'Bannon.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/year/1979/1979sat.htm |title=1979 7th Saturn Awards |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=October 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060524133940/http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/year/1979/1979sat.htm |archive-date=May 24, 2006}}</ref> It was also nominated for [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]] (BAFTA) awards for [[BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]] for John Mollo, [[BAFTA Award for Best Editing|Best Editing]] for Terry Rawlings, [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role|Best Supporting Actor]] for John Hurt, and Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Role for Sigourney Weaver.<ref name=BAFTA /> It also won a [[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation]] and was nominated for a [[British Society of Cinematographers]] award for Best Cinematography for [[Derek Vanlint]], as well as a Silver Seashell award for Best Cinematography and Special Effects at the [[San Sebastián International Film Festival]].<ref name=Hugo>{{cite web |url=https://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1980-hugo-awards/ |title=1980 Hugo Awards |date=July 26, 2007 |access-date=September 1, 2022}}</ref><ref name=SanSebastian>{{cite web |url=https://www.sansebastianfestival.com/1979/awards_and_jury_members/awards/1/72/in |title=San Sebastian 1979 Awards|access-date=September 1, 2022 |language=es}}</ref> Jerry Goldsmith's score received nominations for the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score]], the [[Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media|Grammy Award for Best Soundtrack Album]], and won a [[BAFTA Award for Best Film Music]].<ref name="Golden Globe" /><ref name=Grammy /><ref name=BAFTA />

== Post-release ==
=== Home video ===
''Alien'' has been released in many [[home video]] formats and packages over the years. The first of these was a 17-minute [[Super 8&nbsp;mm film|Super-8]] version for home projectionists.<ref name="McIntee, 39" /> It was also released on both [[VHS]] and [[Betamax]] for [[video rental|rental]], which grossed it an additional $40,300,000 in the United States alone.<ref name="McIntee, 40" /> Several VHS releases were subsequently issued both separately and as [[box set|boxed sets]]. [[LaserDisc]] and [[Videodisc]] versions followed, including deleted scenes and director commentary as bonus features.<ref name="McIntee, 39" /><ref name="McIntee, 259">McIntee, 259.</ref> A VHS box set containing ''Alien'' and its sequels ''Aliens'' and ''Alien 3'' was released in facehugger-shaped boxes, and included some of the deleted scenes from the Laserdisc editions.<ref name="McIntee, 259" /> In addition, all three films were released on [[THX]] certified widescreen VHS releases in 1997.<ref>{{cite news |last=Seeber |first=Ken |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-aliens-released/98855854/ |title='Alien'(s) released in Widescreen Series|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126154255/https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-aliens-released/98855854/ |date=December 4, 1997 |access-date=January 26, 2024 |archive-date=January 26, 2024 |page=20 |publisher=[[The Southern Illinoisan|Southern Illinoisan]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref> When ''Alien Resurrection'' premiered in theaters that year, another set of the first three films was released including a ''Making of Alien Resurrection'' tape. A few months later, the set was re-released with the full version of ''Alien Resurrection'' taking the place of the making-of video.<ref name="McIntee, 259" /> ''Alien'' was released on [[DVD]] in 1999, both separately and, as ''The Alien Legacy'', packaged with ''Aliens'', ''Alien 3'' and ''Alien Resurrection''.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/1999/06/04/more-aliens-come-vhs-and-dvd/ |title=More "Aliens" come to VHS and DVD |author=Sauter, Michael |date=June 4, 1999 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=September 25, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013043956/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,273583,00.html |archive-date=October 13, 2012}}</ref> This set, which was also released in a VHS version, included a commentary track by Ridley Scott.<ref name="McIntee, 39" /><ref name="McIntee, 259" /> The first three films of the series have also been packaged as the ''Alien Triple Pack''.

{{quote box|quote="The traditional definition of the term 'Director's Cut' suggests the restoration of a director's original picture, free of any creative limitations. It suggests that the filmmaker has finally overcome the interference of heavy-handed studio executives, and that the film has been restored to its original, untampered form. Such is not the case with ''Alien'': The Director's Cut. It's a completely different beast."<ref name="quadrilogy" /> |source=—Ridley Scott |align=right |salign=right |width=25%}}

==== Director's Cut ====
In 2003, 20th Century Fox was preparing the ''Alien Quadrilogy'' DVD box set, which would include ''Alien'' and its three sequels. In addition, the set would also include alternative versions of all four films in the form of "special editions" and "[[director's cut]]s". Fox approached Scott to digitally restore and remaster ''Alien'', and to restore original scenes which had been cut during the editing process for inclusion in an expanded version of the film.<ref name="quadrilogy">{{Cite AV media |people=[[Ridley Scott]] ([[Film director|Director]]) |date=December 2, 2003 |title=[[Alien Quadrilogy]] |medium=DVD booklet |publisher=[[20th Century Fox]] Home Entertainment, Inc |location=Los Angeles}}</ref> Upon viewing the expanded version, Scott felt that it was too long and chose to recut it into a more streamlined alternative version:
{{blockquote|
Upon viewing the proposed expanded version of the film, I felt that the cut was simply too long and the pacing completely thrown off. After all, I cut those scenes out for a reason back in 1979. However, in the interest of giving the fans a new experience with ''Alien'', I figured there had to be an appropriate middle ground. I chose to go in and recut that proposed long version into a more streamlined and polished alternate version of the film. For marketing purposes, this version is being called "The Director's Cut."<ref name="quadrilogy" />
}}
The "Director's Cut" restored around four minutes of deleted footage, while cutting about five minutes of other material, leaving it about a minute shorter than the theatrical cut.<ref name="McIntee, 40">McIntee, 40.</ref> Many of the changes were minor, such as new sound effects, trimming of some shots to speed up the film's pace and the removal of the "What Are My Chances?" scene. The restored footage included the scene in which Ripley discovers the cocooned Dallas and Brett during her escape of the ''Nostromo''. Fox released the Director's Cut in theaters on October 31, 2003.<ref name="McIntee, 40" /> The ''Alien Quadrilogy'' boxed set was released December 2, 2003, with both versions of the film included along with a new commentary track featuring many of the film's actors, writers, and production staff, as well as other special features and a documentary entitled ''The Beast Within: The Making of Alien''. Each film was also released separately as a DVD with both versions of the film included. Scott noted that he was very pleased with the original theatrical cut of ''Alien'', saying that "For all intents and purposes, I felt that the original cut of ''Alien'' was perfect. I still feel that way", and that the original 1979 theatrical version "remains my version of choice".<ref name="quadrilogy" /> He has since stated that he considers both versions "director's cuts", as he feels that the 1979 version was the best he could possibly have made it at the time.<ref name="quadrilogy" />

The ''Alien Quadrilogy'' set earned ''Alien'' a number of new awards and nominations. It won DVDX Exclusive Awards for Best Audio Commentary and Best Overall DVD, Classic Movie, and was also nominated for Best Behind-the-Scenes Program and Best Menu Design.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0001644/2003/2/ |title=DVD Exclusive Awards 2003 |website=[[IMDb]] |access-date=September 1, 2022}}</ref> It also won a [[Saturn Award]] for Best DVD, and was nominated for Best DVD Collection and Golden [[Satellite Award]]s for Best DVD Extras and Best Overall DVD.<ref>{{cite web |title=The 2004 8th Annual SATELLITE™ Awards Nominees |url=http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/ipa-satelliteawards-nominees.html |publisher=International Press Academy |accessdate=December 25, 2021 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040402023056/http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/ipa-satelliteawards-nominees.html |archivedate=April 2, 2004}}</ref> In 2010 both the theatrical version and Director's Cut of ''Alien'' were released on [[Blu-ray Disc]], as a stand-alone release and as part of the ''Alien Anthology'' set.<ref name="Empire">{{cite web |url=https://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=28371 |title=Alien Series Has A Blu-ray Release Date |access-date=May 28, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121116170108/http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=28371 |archive-date=November 16, 2012}}</ref>

In 2014, to mark the film's 35th anniversary, a special re-release boxed set named ''Alien: 35th Anniversary Edition'', containing the film on [[Blu-ray]], a [[digital copy]], a reprint of ''Alien: The Illustrated Story'', and a series of collectible art cards containing artwork by H.R. Giger related to the film, was released.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://geeksofdoom.com/2014/09/12/alien-35th-anniversary-blu-ray-edition-coming-this-fall |title='Alien' 35th Anniversary Blu-ray Edition Coming This Fall |first=Adam |last=Frazier |date=September 12, 2014|access-date=September 1, 2022}}</ref> A [[soundtrack album]] was released, featuring selections of Goldsmith's score. Additionally, a [[single (music)|single]] of the Main Theme was released in 1980,<ref name="McIntee, 38-39">McIntee, 38–39.</ref> and a disco single using audio excerpts from the film was released in 1979 on the UK label [[Bronze Records]] by a recording artist under the name ''Nostromo''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/241603-Nostromo-Alien |title=Nostromo – Alien (1979, Vinyl) |date=September 21, 1979 |publisher=[[Discogs]]|access-date=September 1, 2022}}</ref> ''Alien'' was re-released on [[Ultra HD Blu-ray]] and 4K digital download on April 23, 2019, in honor of the film's 40th anniversary.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/20th_Century_Fox/Disc_Announcements/Ridley_Scott/4K/alien-4k-ultra-hd-bluray-dated/43592 |title=ALIEN 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Dated {{!}} High-Def Digest|website=www.highdefdigest.com|access-date=February 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214002903/https://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/20th_Century_Fox/Disc_Announcements/Ridley_Scott/4K/alien-4k-ultra-hd-bluray-dated/43592|archive-date=February 14, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The 4k Blu-ray Disc presents the film in 2160p resolution with [[HDR10]] [[high-dynamic-range video]]. Several previously released bonus features on the 4k Blu-ray include audio commentary from director Ridley Scott, cast and crew, the final isolated theatrical score and composer's original isolated score by Jerry Goldsmith, and deleted and extended scenes.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://hd-report.com/reviews/alien-1979-4k-ultra-hd-blu-ray-review/ |title=Alien (1979) 4k Ultra HD Blu-ray Review |date=April 28, 2019 |website=hd-report.com|access-date=May 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505020449/https://hd-report.com/reviews/alien-1979-4k-ultra-hd-blu-ray-review/|archive-date=May 5, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Cinematic analysis ===
Critics have analyzed ''Alien''{{'s}} sexual overtones. The film is often cited as a major work of [[abjection]], as outlined by [[Julia Kristeva]] in her 1980 work ''[[Powers of Horror]]''. According to Kristeva, the abject refers to that which signifies the breakdown of conventional borders and rules. It confronts the subject with the fallibility of the human body and societal norms, and thus exposes how the supposedly sacred distinctions between what is Self and what is Other are arbitrary.<ref>Kristeva, Julia. [Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection]</ref> She suggests that this confrontation—often manifesting in excrement, bodily invasion, and corpses—is an inherently traumatic interruption of subjectivity, and thus all evidence of abjection is hidden in conventional society. Much of ''Alien''{{'s}} effectiveness as a work of horror has been attributed to its use of abject themes and imagery, a narrative strategy that has made Kristeva's abject a major framework for feminist and psychoanalytic critics such as Barbara Creed. Following Creed's assertion that the alien creature is a representation of the "monstrous-feminine as [[archaic mother]]",<ref name=":0">Creed, Barbara. "Alien and The Monstrous-Feminine." ''Alien Zone: Cultural Theory and Contemporary Science Fiction Cinema''. Ed. [[Annette Kuhn]]. London: Verso, 1990. 128-141.</ref> Ximena Gallardo C. and C. Jason Smith compared the facehugger's attack on Kane to a male rape and the chestburster scene to a form of violent birth, noting that the alien's [[phallic]] head and method of killing the crew members add to the sexual imagery.<ref>Gallardo C., Ximena and C. Jason Smith (2004).''[https://books.google.com/books?id=k_H3vLIRECgC Alien Woman: The Making of Lt. Ellen Ripley] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512223750/https://books.google.com/books/about/Alien_Woman.html?id=k_H3vLIRECgC |date=May 12, 2016}}''. "Chapter 1: Men, Women, and an Alien Baby" 13-61. Continuum. {{ISBN|0-8264-1569-5}}.</ref><ref>Gallardo C., Ximena [https://archive.today/20100316221238/http://reconstruction.eserver.org/043/gallardoc.htm "'Who Are You?: Alien/Woman as Posthuman Subject in Alien Resurrection'"]. Reconstruction 4.3 (Summer 2004).</ref> Dan O'Bannon, who wrote the film's screenplay, has argued that the scene is a metaphor for the male fear of penetration, and that the "oral invasion" of Kane by the facehugger functions as "payback" for the many horror films in which sexually vulnerable women are attacked by male monsters.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kermode |first=Mark |title=All Fright on the Night |newspaper=[[The Observer]] |date=October 19, 2003 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2003/oct/19/features.review |access-date=May 29, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005115207/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2003/oct/19/features.review |archive-date=October 5, 2013}}</ref> David McIntee claims that "''Alien'' is a rape movie as much as ''[[Straw Dogs (1971 film)|Straw Dogs]]'' (1971) or ''[[I Spit on Your Grave]]'' (1978), or ''[[The Accused (1988 film)|The Accused]]'' (1988). On one level, it's about an intriguing alien threat. On one level it's about [[Parasites in fiction|parasitism]] and disease. And on the level that was most important to the writers and director, it's about sex, and reproduction by non-consensual means. And it's about this happening to a man."<ref name="McIntee, 43">McIntee, 43.</ref> He notes how the film plays on men's fear and misunderstanding of pregnancy and childbirth, while also giving women a glimpse into these fears.<ref name="McIntee, 43-44">McIntee, 43–44.</ref>

Alternatively, H.R. Giger's xenomorph design has been interpreted through the lens of "machinic modernism," an aesthetic movement reacting to industrialization and social upheaval, linked to proto-fascist ideology (New Cinemas 2023).<ref name="Eden 63–90">{{Cite journal |last=Eden |first=Michael |date=2023-06-01 |title=Seeing the xenomorph, Giger's alien in the context of machinic modernism |url=https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/10.1386/ncin_00048_1 |journal=New Cinemas: Journal of Contemporary Film |language=en |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=63–90 |doi=10.1386/ncin_00048_1 |issn=1474-2756|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The xenomorph embodies traits such as armoured aggression, zoomorphism, and hierarchical social organization, reflecting anti-humanist ideals that valorize violence and dominance. Eden contextualizes the creature alongside works by [[Wyndham Lewis]] and [[Jacob Epstein]], whose art similarly celebrated hardened, phallic forms as responses to modernity's destabilizing forces. The alien's role in the narrative—eliminating a flawed, liberal crew to pave the way for Ripley's emergent leadership—mirrors proto-fascist fantasies of elite replacement, where a "heroic" figure (Ripley) justifies authoritarian reorganization by contrast to both weak democracies (the crew) and totalitarian horrors (the xenomorphs).<ref name="Eden 63–90"/> This framing draws on insights of Professor Anne Quema who observed that 'Giger in particular, and the Gothic in general, belong to the twentieth century trend of anti-humanist representation of identity. This iconoclastic project has its roots in early European avant-gardism so that Epstein's [[Rock Drill (Jacob Epstein)|Rock-Drill]] [...] and Giger's biomechanoids are part of the same genealogy.' <ref>{{Cite journal |last=Quéma |first=Anne |date=2004 |title=The Gothic and the Fantastic in the Age of Digital Reproduction |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/689565 |journal=ESC: English Studies in Canada |volume=30 |issue=4 |pages=81–119 |doi=10.1353/esc.2004.0067 |issn=1913-4835|url-access=subscription }}</ref> These readings, challenge the view of the xenomorph as a purely feminist return of the repressed,<ref name=":0" /> or as a boundary-defying deconstructive symbol,<ref>{{Citation |last=Cohen |first=Jeffrey Jerome |title=Monster Culture (Seven Theses) |date=2020-01-15 |work=The Monster Theory Reader |pages=37–56 |url=https://doi.org/10.5749/j.ctvtv937f.5 |access-date=2025-05-22 |publisher=University of Minnesota Press|doi=10.5749/j.ctvtv937f.5 |isbn=978-1-4529-6039-5 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> instead framing it as a "[[vanishing mediator]]" that consolidates fascistic subjectivity through its phallic coherence and mythic violence.

Film analyst Lina Badley has written that the alien's design, with strong [[Sigmund Freud|Freudian]] sexual undertones, multiple phallic symbols, and overall feminine figure, provides an [[androgyny|androgynous]] image conforming to [[archetype|archetypal]] mappings and imageries in horror films that often redraw gender lines.<ref name="badley">{{cite book |last=Badley |first=Lina |title=Film, Horror, and the Body Fantastic: Contributions to the Study of Popular Culture |publisher=[[Greenwood Press]] |location=Westport, CT |year=1995 |page=120 |isbn=978-0-313-27523-4}}</ref> O'Bannon described the sexual imagery as overt and intentional: "I am going to put in every image I can think of to make the men in the audience cross their legs. Homosexual oral rape, birth. The thing lays its eggs down your throat, the whole number."<ref>{{cite web |last=Emerson |first=Jim |title=Prometheus: Alien origins: The skeleton beneath the exoskeleton |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/scanners/prometheus-alien-originsthe-skeleton-beneath-the-exoskeleton |website=RogerEbert.com |date=June 14, 2012 |access-date=September 10, 2021}}</ref>

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| caption2 = Some have argued the film's narrative details and visual design were inspired by those of the 1965 Italian film ''[[Planet of the Vampires]]'' ''(top)'', such as a scene in which the crew discovers a ruin containing giant alien skeletons.<ref name="PopMatters">{{cite web |title=PopMatters – Building the Perfect Star Beast: The Antecedents of 'Alien' |date=November 20, 2012 |url=https://www.popmatters.com/column/165516-building-the-perfect-star-beast-the-antecedents-of-alien/|access-date=January 4, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131118023020/http://www.popmatters.com/column/165516-building-the-perfect-star-beast-the-antecedents-of-alien/|archive-date=November 18, 2013}}</ref>
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''Alien''{{'s}} roots in earlier works of fiction have been analyzed and acknowledged extensively by critics. The film has been said to have much in common with B movies such as ''[[The Thing from Another World]]'' (1951),<ref name="ebert 2003 review" /><ref name="french">{{cite news |last=French |first=Philip |title=Alien (review) |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=November 2, 2003 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Observer_review/0,,1075900,00.html |access-date=July 15, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080604032720/http://film.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/Critic_Review/Observer_review/0%2C%2C1075900%2C00.html |archive-date=June 4, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Creature from the Black Lagoon]]'' (1954),<ref>Maçek III, J.C. [https://www.popmatters.com/pm/column/165516-building-the-perfect-star-beast-the-antecedents-of-alien/ "Building the Perfect Star Beast: The Antecedents of 'Alien'."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121127172302/http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column/165516-building-the-perfect-star-beast-the-antecedents-of-alien |date=November 27, 2012}} ''[[PopMatters]]'', November 21, 2012.</ref> ''[[It! The Terror from Beyond Space]]'' (1958),<ref name="McIntee, 19" /><ref name="mackinder review" /> ''[[Night of the Blood Beast]]'' (1958),<ref>{{cite web |last=Eggerston |first=Chris |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/19353 |title=Not So Scary... Top Ten Worst Movie Monsters! |website=[[Bloody Disgusting]] |date=March 4, 2010 |access-date=November 12, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811141458/http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/19353 |archive-date=August 11, 2016}}</ref> and ''[[Queen of Blood]]'' (1966),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.terrortrap.com/interviews/curtisharrington/ |title=Retrospective in Terror: An Interview with Curtis Harrington – April 2005 |publisher=The Terror Trap |access-date=November 12, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409110004/http://www.terrortrap.com/interviews/curtisharrington/ |archive-date=April 9, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>
as well as its fellow 1970s horror films ''[[Jaws (film)|Jaws]]'' (1975) and ''[[Halloween (1978 film)|Halloween]]'' (1978).<ref name="ebert 2003 review" /> Literary connections have also been suggested: Philip French of the ''Guardian'' has perceived thematic parallels with Agatha Christie's ''[[And Then There Were None]]'' (1939).<ref name="french" /> Many critics have also suggested that the film derives in part from [[A. E. van Vogt]]'s ''[[The Voyage of the Space Beagle]]'' (1950), particularly its stories "The Black Destroyer", in which a cat-like alien infiltrates the ship and hunts the crew, and "Discord in Scarlet", in which an alien implants parasitic eggs inside crew members which then hatch and eat their way out.<ref>McIntee, 19–20.</ref><ref>[[Kingsley Amis|Amis, Kingsley]] (1981), Introduction to ''The Golden Age of Science Fiction: An Anthology''; London: Hutchinson, pg 26.</ref> O'Bannon denies that this was a source of his inspiration for ''Alien''{{'s}} story.<ref name="McIntee, 20" /> Van Vogt in fact initiated a lawsuit against 20th Century Fox over the similarities, but Fox settled out of court.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Voyage of the Space Beagle |work=My Science Fiction Life |publisher=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mysciencefictionlife/A20258336 |access-date=August 2, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719123104/http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mysciencefictionlife/A20258336 |archive-date=July 19, 2011}}</ref>

Several critics have suggested that the film was inspired by Italian filmmaker [[Mario Bava]]'s [[Cult film|cult]] [[Cult following|classic]] ''[[Planet of the Vampires]]'' (1965), in both narrative details and visual design.<ref name="PM">{{cite web |url=https://www.popmatters.com/pm/column/165516-building-the-perfect-star-beast-the-antecedents-of-alien/ |work=[[PopMatters]] |date=November 21, 2012 |title=Building the Perfect Star Beast: The Antecedents of 'Alien' |first=J.C. |last=Maçek III|access-date=November 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121127172302/http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column/165516-building-the-perfect-star-beast-the-antecedents-of-alien|archive-date=November 27, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> Rick Sanchez of [[IGN]] has noted the "striking resemblance"<ref name="dvd.ign.com">{{cite web |url=http://dvd.ign.com/articles/354/354551p1.html |title=Planet of the Vampires |last=Sanchez |first=Rick |date=February 27, 2002 |work=dvd review |publisher=IGN Entertainment, Inc. |page=1|access-date=April 10, 2012 |location=San Francisco|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050308015154/http://dvd.ign.com/articles/354/354551p1.html|archive-date=March 8, 2005}}</ref> between the two movies, especially in a celebrated sequence in which the crew discovers a ruin containing the skeletal remains of long-dead giant beings, and in the design and shots of the ship itself.<ref name="Frentzen" /> [[Cinefantastique]] also noted the remarkable similarities between these scenes and other minor parallels.<ref name="Frentzen">Frentzen, Jeffrey. ''Cinefantastique'' Magazine, Volume 8, Number 4, 1979, pgs. 24 – 25. "''Alien'': It! The Terror from Beyond the Planet of the Vampires"</ref> Robert Monell, on the DVD Maniacs website, observed that much of the conceptual design and some specific imagery in ''Alien'' "undoubtedly owes a great debt" to Bava's film.<ref>{{cite web |last=Monell |first=Robert |title=Planet of the Vampires |url=http://www.dvdmaniacs.net/Reviews/M-P/planet_of_the_vampires.html |publisher=DVD Maniacs |access-date=January 24, 2007 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061218150252/http://www.dvdmaniacs.net/Reviews/M-P/planet_of_the_vampires.html<!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=December 18, 2006}}</ref> Despite these similarities, O'Bannon and Scott both claimed in a 1979 interview that they had not seen ''Planet of the Vampires'';<ref name="Carducci">Carducci, Mark Patrick and Lovell, Glenn. ''Cinefantastique'', Volume 9, Number 1, 1979, pp.10–39. "Making ''Alien'': Behind The Scenes"</ref> decades later, O'Bannon would admit: "I stole the giant skeleton from the ''Planet of the Vampires''."<ref name="Rinzler">J.W.Rinzler. ''The Making of Alien'', Titanbooks, 2019, page 22.</ref>

Writer [[David A. McIntee|David McIntee]], as well as reviewers for ''[[PopMatters]]'' and ''[[Den of Geek]]'', have noted similarities to the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' serial ''[[The Ark in Space]]'' (1975), in which an insectoid queen alien lays [[larva]]e inside humans which later eat their way out, a life cycle inspired by that of the [[Ichneumonoidea|ichneumon wasp]].<ref name="McIntee, 20" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.popmatters.com/169127-doctor-who-the-ark-in-space-special-edition-2495772781.html |title=There's some seriously scary ethno-violence in 'Doctor Who: The Ark in Space – Special Edition' |work=[[PopMatters]] |first=Marco |last=Lanzagorta |date=March 13, 2013 |access-date=October 9, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/doctor-who-the-ark-in-space-special-edition-review/ |title=Doctor Who: The Ark In Space – Special Edition review |work=[[Den of Geek]] |first=Andrew |last=Blair |date=February 15, 2013 |access-date=October 9, 2021}}</ref> McIntee also noted similarities between the first half of the film, particularly in early versions of the script, to [[H. P. Lovecraft]]'s ''[[At the Mountains of Madness]]'', "not in storyline, but in dread-building mystery",<ref name="McIntee, 23">McIntee, 23.</ref> and calls the finished film "the best Lovecraftian movie ever made, without being a Lovecraft adaptation", due to its similarities in tone and atmosphere to Lovecraft's works.<ref name="McIntee, 41" /> In 2009, O'Bannon said the film was "strongly influenced, tone-wise, by Lovecraft, and one of the things it proved is that you can't adapt Lovecraft effectively without an extremely strong visual style ... What you need is a cinematic equivalent of Lovecraft's prose."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG2JRNVji-8 |title=Dan O'Bannon H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival 2009 Howie Award, PART 1 |publisher=[[YouTube]] |date=October 29, 2009|access-date=December 25, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20150914120419/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG2JRNVji-8|archive-date=September 14, 2015}}</ref> H. R. Giger has said he liked O'Bannon's initial ''Alien'' storyline "because I found it was in the vein of Lovecraft, one of my greatest sources of inspiration."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.littlegiger.com/articles/files/Cinefantastique_09_01.pdf |title=H. R. Giger – Alien Design |publisher=littlegiger.com |work=[[Cinefantastique]] |last=Levy |first=Frederic Albert|access-date=December 25, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103061926/http://www.littlegiger.com/articles/files/Cinefantastique_09_01.pdf|archive-date=January 3, 2014}}</ref>

=== Audience research ===
Findings from an international audience research project conducted by staff from [[Aberystwyth University]], [[Northumbria University]] and [[University of East Anglia]] were published in 2016 by [[Palgrave Macmillan]] as ''Alien Audiences: Remembering and Evaluating a Classic Movie''. 1,125 people were surveyed about their memories and opinions of the film in order to test some of the theories offered by academics and critics about why the film became so popular and why it has endured for so long as a masterpiece. The study discusses memories of ''Alien'' in the cinema and on home video from the point of view of everyday audiences, describing how many fans share the film with their children and the shocking impact of the "chestburster" scene, among other things.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Barker |first1=Martin |last2=Egan |first2=Kate |last3=Ralph |first3=Sarah |last4=Phillips |first4=Tom |date=2016 |title=Alien Audiences: Remembering and Evaluating a Classic Movie |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-1-137-53205-3}}</ref>

=== Re-release ===
For its 45th anniversary, ''Alien'' was re-released in theaters by [[20th Century Studios]] on April 26, 2024.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fangoria.com/alien-in-theaters/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240812154948/https://www.fangoria.com/alien-in-theaters/|work=[[Fangoria]]|title=The Original Alien Returns to Theaters This Month|date=April 16, 2024|last=Wampler|first=Scott|accessdate=March 4, 2025|archive-date=August 12, 2024}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
=== Critical reassessment ===
In a 1980 episode of ''[[Sneak Previews]]'' discussing science fiction films of the 1950s and 1970s, the reviewers were critical of ''Alien''. [[Roger Ebert]] reiterated [[Gene Siskel]]'s earlier opinion, stating that the film was "basically just an intergalactic haunted house thriller set inside a spaceship". He described it as one of several science fiction pictures that were "real disappointments" compared to ''Star Wars'', ''[[Close Encounters of the Third Kind]]'', and ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]''. However, in both episodes Ebert singled out the early scene of the ''Nostromo''{{'s}} crew exploring the alien planet for praise, calling the scene "inspired", said that it showed "real imagination" and claimed that it transcended the rest of the film.<ref name="Sneak Previews">{{cite AV media |last1=Siskel |first1=Gene |author1-link=Gene Siskel |last2=Ebert |first2=Roger |author2-link=Roger Ebert |title=Invasion of the Outer Space Movies |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMXDU8EWDzE |url-status=live |date=1980 |access-date=October 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228044745/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMXDU8EWDzE&gl=US&hl=en&has_verified=1&bpctr=9999999999 |archive-date=February 28, 2020}}</ref> Over two decades later, Ebert had revised his opinion, including the film on his [[The Great Movies|''Great Movies'' list]], where he gave it four stars and said it was "a great original".<ref>{{cite web |last=Ebert |first=Chaz |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-alien-1979 |title=Alien Movie Review & Film Summary (1979) |publisher=Roger Ebert |date=October 26, 2003 |access-date=October 12, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151026124801/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-alien-1979 |archive-date=October 26, 2015}}</ref> In 1980, ''Alien'' was mentioned in ''[[Cinefantastique]]''{{'}}s chronological recap of the top films of the 1970s but was not included in the article's "Decade's Top Ten" list. [[Frederick S. Clarke]], the ''Cinefantastique'' editor, wrote that ''Alien'' was "an exercise in style, refreshingly adult in approach, wickedly grim and perverse, that manages to compensate for a lack of depth in both story and characters".<ref name="ClarkeCinefantastique">{{cite magazine |last=Clarke |first=Frederick S. |title=1970~1979 Decade Recap: The Seventies 1970~1979 |magazine=[[Cinefantastique]] |volume=9 |issue=3–4 |year=1980 |pages=72–73 |issn=0145-6032 |oclc=2757769}}</ref> In 1982, [[John Simon (critic)|John Simon]] of the ''[[National Review]]'' praised the cast, particularly Weaver, and the visual values. He wrote: "For fanciers of horror, among whose numbers I do not count myself, ''Alien'' is recommendable, provided they are free from hypocrisy and finicky stomachs".<ref>{{cite book |title=Reverse Angle: A Decade of American Film |url=https://archive.org/details/reverseangledeca0000simo|url-access=registration |last1=Simon |first1=John |publisher=Crown Publishers Inc. |year=1982 |page=[https://archive.org/details/reverseangledeca0000simo/page/385 385] |isbn=978-0-517-54471-6}}</ref>

Despite initial mixed reviews, ''Alien'' has received critical acclaim over the years, particularly for its realism and unique environment,<ref name="mackinder review" /> and is cited one of the best films of 1979.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/top/bestofrt/?year=1979 |title=Top 100 Movies of 1979 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=November 24, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124230215/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/top/bestofrt/?year=1979|archive-date=November 24, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.listal.com/list/best-films-of-1979 |title=Best Films of 1979 list |website=Listal|access-date=November 24, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207202400/http://www.listal.com/list/best-films-of-1979|archive-date=February 7, 2017}}</ref> It is seen as one of the most influential science-fiction films.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2015/09/03/a-parasite-to-remember-why-alien-is-one-of-the-most-influential-movies-ever-made.html |title=Why Alien is one of the most influential movies ever made |website=[[The Toronto Star]] |first=Peter |last=Howell |date=September 3, 2015|access-date=November 24, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124221555/https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2015/09/03/a-parasite-to-remember-why-alien-is-one-of-the-most-influential-movies-ever-made.html|archive-date=November 24, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://screenprism.com/insights/article/which-films-influenced-alien-and-how |title=Which films influenced "Alien" and how? |website=Screen Prism |first=Nolan |last=Moore |date=May 25, 2015|access-date=November 24, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161125044510/http://screenprism.com/insights/article/which-films-influenced-alien-and-how|archive-date=November 25, 2016}}</ref> It holds {{a or an|{{RT data|score}}}} rating on [[Rotten Tomatoes]], based on {{RT data|count}} reviews and an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The website's critical consensus reads, "A modern classic, ''Alien'' blends science fiction, horror and bleak poetry into a seamless whole."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/alien |title=Alien (1979) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]]|access-date={{RT data|access date}}|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204135810/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/alien|archive-date=February 4, 2017|url-status=live}}{{RT data|edit}}</ref> [[Metacritic]] reports a weighted average score of 89 out of 100 based on 34 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/alien-re-release |work=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |title=Alien Reviews |access-date=April 9, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009124039/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/alien-re-release |archive-date=October 9, 2014}}</ref> ''[[Halliwell's Film Guide]]'' awarded it a full four stars, describing it as "a classic of suspense and art direction".<ref name="halliwell" /> Alan Jones of ''[[Radio Times]]'' awarded it five out of five, describing it as a "revolutionary 'haunted house in space' thrill-ride [...] stunning you with shock after shock", praising the "top-notch acting [...] and imaginative bio-mechanical production design", as well as "Ridley Scott's eye for detail and brilliant way of alternating false scares with genuine jolts, which help to create a seamless blend of gothic horror and harrowing science fiction".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/zwts/alien/ |title=Alien |work=[[Radio Times]] |first=Alan |last=Jones |access-date=October 9, 2021}}</ref>

Critical interest in the film was re-ignited with the theatrical release of the "Director's Cut" in 2003. Roger Ebert ranked it among "the most influential of modern action pictures" and praised its pacing, atmosphere, and settings:
{{blockquote|One of the great strengths of ''Alien'' is its pacing. It takes its time. It waits. It allows silences (the majestic opening shots are underscored by Jerry Goldsmith with scarcely audible, far-off metallic chatterings). It suggests the enormity of the crew's discovery by building up to it with small steps: The interception of a signal (is it a warning or an [[SOS]]?). The descent to the extraterrestrial surface. The bitching by Brett and Parker, who are concerned only about collecting their shares. The masterstroke of the surface murk through which the crew members move, their helmet lights hardly penetrating the soup. The shadowy outline of the alien ship. The sight of the alien pilot, frozen in his command chair. The enormity of the discovery inside the ship ("It's full of ... leathery eggs ...").<ref name="ebert 2003 review" />
}}
[[David A. McIntee]] praises ''Alien'' as "possibly the definitive combination of horror thriller with science fiction trappings."<ref name="McIntee, 41" /> He notes that it is a horror film first and a science fiction film second, since science fiction normally explores issues of how humanity will develop under other circumstances. ''Alien'', on the other hand, focuses on the plight of people being attacked by a monster: "It's set on a spaceship in the future, but it's about people trying not to get eaten by a drooling monstrous animal. Worse, it's about them trying not to get raped by said drooling monstrous animal."<ref name="McIntee, 41" /> Along with ''Halloween'' and ''[[Friday the 13th (1980 film)|Friday the 13th]]'' (1980), he describes it as a prototype for the [[slasher film]] genre: "The reason it's such a good movie, and wowed both the critics, who normally frown on the genre, and the casual cinema-goer, is that it is a distillation of everything that scares us in the movies."<ref name="McIntee, 41" /> He also describes how the film appeals to a variety of audiences: "Fans of [[Alfred Hitchcock|Hitchcockian]] thrillers like it because it's moody and dark. Gorehounds like it for the chest-burster. Science fiction fans love the [[hard science fiction]] trappings and hardware. Men love the battle-for-survival element, and women love not being cast as the helpless victim."<ref name="McIntee, 42">McIntee, 42.</ref>

[[David Edelstein]] wrote, "''Alien'' remains the key text in the 'body horror' subgenre that flowered (or, depending on your viewpoint, festered) in the seventies, and Giger's designs covered all possible avenues of anxiety. Men traveled through vulva-like openings, got forcibly impregnated, and died giving birth to rampaging gooey vaginas dentate — how's that for future shock? This was truly what [[David Cronenberg]] would call 'the new flesh,' a dissolution of the boundaries between man and machine, machine and alien, and man and alien, with a psychosexual invasiveness that has never, thank God, been equaled."<ref name="Edelstein">{{cite web |last=Edelstein |first=David |title=Prometheus Review: More Than Just an Alien |publisher=vulture.com |url=https://www.vulture.com/2012/06/movie-review-prometheus-alien-prequel.html |access-date=June 13, 2012 |date=June 8, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120610175933/http://www.vulture.com/2012/06/movie-review-prometheus-alien-prequel.html |archive-date=June 10, 2012}}</ref>

In 2008, the [[American Film Institute]] ranked ''Alien'' the seventh-best science fiction film as part of ''[[AFI's 10 Top 10]]'', a [[CBS]] television special ranking the greatest movies in ten classic American film genres. The ranks were based on a [[opinion poll|poll]] of over 1,500 film artists, critics, and historians, with ''Alien'' ranking just above ''[[Terminator 2: Judgment Day]]'' (1991) and just below Scott's other science fiction film ''[[Blade Runner]]'' (1982).<ref name="AFI poll">{{cite web |title=AFI's 10 Top 10: Top 10 Sci-Fi |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] |url=http://www.afi.com/10top10/category.aspx?cat=7 |access-date=July 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328081240/http://www.afi.com/10top10/category.aspx?cat=7 |archive-date=March 28, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> The same year, ''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'' named ''Alien'' the 33rd-greatest film, based on a poll of 10,200 readers, critics, and members of the film industry.<ref name="Empire 500">{{cite web |title=''Empire's'' The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time |publisher=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] magazine |date=October 3, 2008 |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/500-greatest-movies/ |access-date=July 27, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310180609/http://www.empireonline.com/500/91.asp |archive-date=March 10, 2012}}</ref> In 2021, Phil Pirrello of [[Syfy]] named it the second-scariest science fiction film. He described it as a "groundbreaking science fiction classic" and "a movie so influential that it's hard to think of a time before ''Alien''".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/scariest-sci-fi-movies-list-aliens-anniversary |title=The 25 scariest sci-fi movies ever made, from 'Aliens' to 'Invisible Man', ranked |work=[[Syfy]] |first=Phil |last=Pirrello |date=July 15, 2021 |access-date=October 9, 2021}}</ref>

=== Cultural influence ===
[[File:Paisley Abbey &quot;Xenomorph&quot; Gargoyle (10317339143) (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Paisley Abbey]] "Alien" [[gargoyle]] ({{circa|1990}}) in [[Paisley, Renfrewshire|Paisley]], Scotland]]
{{Quote box |quote="The 1979 ''Alien'' is a much more cerebral movie than its sequels, with the characters (and the audience) genuinely engaged in curiosity about this weirdest of lifeforms...Unfortunately, the films it influenced studied its thrills but not its thinking."<ref name="ebert 2003 review" /> |source=—Film critic [[Roger Ebert]] on ''Alien''{{'}}s cinematic effect. |align=right |salign=right |width=25%}}
''Alien'' had both an immediate and long-term effect on the science fiction and horror genres. Shortly after its debut, [[Dan O'Bannon]] was sued by another writer named Jack Hammer for allegedly plagiarising a script entitled ''Black Space''. However, O'Bannon was able to prove that he had written his ''Alien'' script first.<ref name="McIntee, 40-41">McIntee, 40–41.</ref> In the wake of ''Alien''{{'s}} success, a number of other filmmakers imitated or adapted some of its elements, sometimes by using "Alien" in titles. One of the first was ''The Alien Dead'' (1979), which had its title changed at the last minute to cash in on ''Alien''{{'s}} popularity.<ref name="McIntee, 262">McIntee, 262.</ref> ''[[Contamination (film)|Contamination]]'' (1980) was initially going to be titled ''Alien 2'' until 20th Century Fox's lawyers contacted writer/director [[Luigi Cozzi]] and made him change it. The film built on ''Alien'' by having many similar creatures, which originated from large, slimy eggs, bursting from characters' chests.<ref name="McIntee, 262" /> An unauthorized sequel to ''Alien'', titled ''[[Alien 2: On Earth]]'', was released in 1980 and included alien creatures which incubate in humans. Other science fiction films of the time that borrowed elements from ''Alien'' include ''[[Galaxy of Terror]]'' (1981), ''[[Inseminoid]]'' (1981), ''[[Forbidden World]]'' (1982), ''[[Xtro]]'' (1982), and ''[[Dead Space (film)|Dead Space]]'' (1991).<ref name="McIntee, 262" />

The "chestburster" effect was parodied in [[Mel Brooks]]'s comedy ''[[Spaceballs]]''. Near the end, in a diner, John Hurt does a cameo appearance as a customer who seems to be suffering indigestion. He turns out to have an "alien" in his gut, and moans, "Oh, no...not again!" The "alien" then does a song-and-dance, singing a line of "Hello, Ma Baby", from the classic Warner Bros. cartoon ''[[One Froggy Evening]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/01/25-best-scenes-comedy-spoof-movies/spaceballs-chestburster |title=The 25 Best Scenes in Comedy Spoof Movies: 1. Chestburster song and dance number |website=Complex |access-date=March 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330233346/https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/01/25-best-scenes-comedy-spoof-movies/spaceballs-chestburster |archive-date=March 30, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Nintendo]]'s long-running ''[[Metroid]]'' video game series, created in 1986, was significantly influenced by ''Alien'', both in stylistic and thematic elements. As an homage to ''Alien'', villains in [[Metroid (video game)|the first ''Metroid'' installment]] were named Ridley and Mother Brain, after the movie's director and the ship computer, respectively.<ref>"The Making of Super Metroid". [[Retro Gamer]]. [[Imagine Publishing]] Ltd. (65): 60. July 2009.</ref>

Notably, at [[Paisley Abbey]], during a restoration project that took place in the 1990s, a stonemason from [[Edinburgh]] hired to replace twelve crumbling stone [[gargoyle]]s erected one bearing a strong resemblance to the space creature from the film.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-23810978 BBC News Scotland] 'Alien' gargoyle on ancient abbey, August 23, 2013</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Did You Know ? |title=The Mystery Of Why There's An "Alien" Gargoyle On A 12th-Century Scottish Abbey May Have Been Solved |date=March 30, 2018 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlQBfmjnAmw |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/UlQBfmjnAmw |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |url-status=live|access-date=April 11, 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> A picture of the gargoyle went viral in 2013, though a photograph of the statue first surfaced on the internet in 1997.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-23810979 |title='Alien' gargoyle on ancient abbey |date=August 23, 2013 |publisher=BBC News|access-date=April 11, 2018 |language=en-GB}}</ref> In 2002, it was confirmed the abbey would be subject to a 10-year-long restoration project.

In [[SFR Yugoslavia]] the film and its sequels were distributed under the title ''Osmi putnik'' (transl. ''Eighth Traveller'').<ref name="kulturkokoska">{{cite web|first= Ivana |last= Adamović |title= Ko se boji tuđina još! |website= Kultur!Kokoška |date= 24 May 2017 |access-date= 3 August 2024 |url= https://kulturkokoska.rs/ko-se-boji-tudina-jos/}}</ref> The highly popular Yugoslav and later [[Croatia]]n [[hard rock]] band [[Osmi Putnik]] chose their name after the film.<ref name="janjatović">{{cite book|last=Janjatović|first=Petar|title=Ex YU rock enciklopedija 1960–2023|year=2024|publisher=self-released / Makart|location=Belgrade|page=218}}</ref>

In 2002, ''Alien'' was deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" by the [[National Film Preservation Board]] of the United States,<ref name="nfpb about">{{cite web |title=National Film Preservation Board |publisher=[[National Film Preservation Board]] |url=https://www.loc.gov/film/filmabou.html |access-date=September 6, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829144823/http://www.loc.gov/film/filmabou.html |archive-date=August 29, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and was inducted into the [[National Film Registry]] of the [[Library of Congress]] for historical preservation alongside other films of 1979 including ''[[All That Jazz (film)|All That Jazz]]'', ''[[Apocalypse Now]]'', ''[[The Black Stallion (film)|The Black Stallion]]'', and ''[[Manhattan (1979 film)|Manhattan]]''.<ref name="national film registry">{{cite web |title=Films Selected to the National Film Registry, Library of Congress, 1989–2007 |publisher=[[National Film Registry]] |url=https://www.loc.gov/film/titles.html |access-date=September 6, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829144902/http://www.loc.gov/film/titles.html |archive-date=August 29, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Librarian of Congress Adds 25 Films to National Film Registry |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-02-176/librarian-of-congress-adds-25-films-to-national-film-registry/2002-12-17/ |access-date=September 14, 2020 |website=Library of Congress |archive-date=October 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030133619/https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-02-176/librarian-of-congress-adds-25-films-to-national-film-registry/2002-12-17/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2019, author [[J. W. Rinzler]] published ''The Making of Alien'', a behind-the-scenes book about the making of the film with cast and crew interviews and previously unseen photographs. ''[[The Verge]]'' praised the book as "the definitive story of the classic horror film".<ref>{{cite web |last=Liptak |first=Andrew |title=J.W. Rinzler's The Making of Alien is the definitive story of the classic horror film |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/4/20699924/j-w-rinzler-the-making-of-alien-definitive-behind-the-scenes-book-interview |website=The Verge |date=August 4, 2019 |access-date=August 6, 2021}}</ref>

[[Eli Roth]] cites ''Alien'' as his primary influence, saying "I saw ''Alien'' when I was 8 years old. To me, it was like a combination of ''Jaws'' and ''Star Wars'' and that's the movie that made me want to be a director. It traumatized me. I actually threw up I was so nervous after I saw it but that's like the highest compliment you can give a horror film."<ref>{{cite web |last=Nissim |first=Mayer |title=Eli Roth: 'Alien made me throw up' |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a273441/eli-roth-alien-made-me-throw-up/ |publisher=[[Digital Spy]] |date=September 6, 2010 |access-date=October 9, 2021}}</ref> [[Ty Franck]], one of the authors behind the sci-fi series ''[[The Expanse (TV series)|The Expanse]]'', credits ''Alien'' as one of his major inspirations.<ref>{{cite episode |title=''Alien'' and ''The Expanse'' Deep Dive |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKuHsj8jMb8  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/ZKuHsj8jMb8 |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |url-status=live|access-date=February 12, 2021 |series=Ty & That Guy |network=[[Amazon Studios]] |date=February 8, 2021 |minutes= |time= |transcript=|transcript-url= |quote= |via=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

=== Merchandise ===
[[Alan Dean Foster]] wrote a novelization of the film in both adult and "junior" versions, which was adapted from the film's shooting script.<ref name="McIntee, 38" /> ''[[Heavy Metal (magazine)|Heavy Metal]]'' magazine published ''[[Alien: The Illustrated Story]]'', a [[graphic novel]] adaptation of the film scripted by [[Archie Goodwin (comics)|Archie Goodwin]] and drawn by [[Walt Simonson]], as well as a 1980 ''Alien'' [[calendar]].<ref name="McIntee, 38" /> Two behind-the-scenes books were released in 1979 to accompany the film. ''The Book of Alien'' contained many production photographs and details on the making of the film, while ''Giger's Alien'' contained much of H. R. Giger's concept artwork for the movie.<ref name="McIntee, 38" /> A [[scale model|model kit]] of the alien, 12 inches high, was released by the [[Model Products Corporation]] in the United States, and by [[Airfix]] in the United Kingdom.<ref name="McIntee, 39">McIntee, 39.</ref> [[Kenner]] also produced a larger-scale Alien action figure, as well as a board game in which players raced to be first to reach the shuttle pod while Aliens roamed the ''Nostromo''{{'s}} corridors and air shafts.<ref name="McIntee, 39" /> Official [[Halloween costume]]s of the alien were released in October 1979.<ref name="McIntee, 39" />

=== School play adaptation ===
In 2019, students at [[North Bergen High School]] in New Jersey adapted the film into a play. The production had no budget, with props and sets developed from recycled toys and other items. Social media recognition brought Scott's attention to the play. He wrote a letter of congratulations to the students ("My hat comes off to all of you for your creativity, imagination, and determination") and recommended they consider an adaptation of his film ''[[Gladiator (2000 film)|Gladiator]]'' for their next stage production.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2019/03/ridley-scott-writes-letter-praising-high-school-students-alien-production-1202054131/ |title=Ridley Scott Praises Students for 'Alien' Stage Show, Offers Funds for Encore Performance |first1=Zack |last1=Sharf |date=March 28, 2019|access-date=April 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407152217/https://www.indiewire.com/2019/03/ridley-scott-writes-letter-praising-high-school-students-alien-production-1202054131/|archive-date=April 7, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> He donated to the school to put on an encore performance at which Weaver was in attendance. She got on stage before the performance to congratulate the cast and crew for their creativity and commitment.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/25/entertainment/alien-high-school-play/index.html |title=A high school's 'Alien' play is the talk of Hollywood |first=Lisa Respers |last=France |website=CNN |date=March 25, 2019|access-date=April 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190812103351/https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/25/entertainment/alien-high-school-play/index.html|archive-date=August 12, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Video game adaptations ===
{{Main|Alien (1982 video game)|Alien (1984 video game)|Alien: Isolation}}
In 1982, Fox Video Games released an ''[[Alien (1982 video game)|Alien]]'' video game for the [[Atari 2600]]. With gameplay reminiscent of ''[[Pac-Man]]'', in it the player traverses a maze collecting items and destroying alien eggs, while avoiding the creature.<ref name=Prima>{{cite web|last=Buffa|first=Christopher|title=Alien Evolution - From Atari 2600 to PlayStation 4|url=https://www.primagames.com/games/alien-isolation/feature/alien-evolution-atari-2600-playstation-4|publisher=[[Prima Games]]|access-date=2017-09-10|date=2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170907124814/https://www.primagames.com/games/alien-isolation/feature/alien-evolution-atari-2600-playstation-4|archive-date=2017-09-07|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Argus Press Software]] made another game called ''[[Alien (1984 video game)|Alien]]'' in 1984 for the [[Commodore 64]], [[ZX Spectrum]], and [[Amstrad CPC]] computers, a straighter adaptation of the film where after Kane's death the player controls the crew of the ''Nostromo'' roaming the ship in search for the alien.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thunderboltgames.com/feature/an-alien-retrospective|website=Thunderbolt Games|title=An Alien Retrospective|first=Pete|last=Worth|date=11 February 2013|accessdate=21 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722041434/http://www.thunderboltgames.com/feature/an-alien-retrospective|archive-date=22 July 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|website=[[Polygon.com]]|url=http://www.polygon.com/2014/10/3/6892091/history-of-alien-games-aliens|title=From Atari to Isolation: A video and written history of Alien games|first1=Alexa Ray|last1=Corriea |first2=Danielle|last2=Riendeau|date =3 October 2014|accessdate=21 July 2015}}</ref>

The 2014 video game ''[[Alien: Isolation]]'', which serves as a partial sequel to ''Alien'' in featuring Ripley's daughter Amanda trying to find out the whereabouts of her mother 15 years after the destruction of the ''Nostromo'', had two downloadable content packs titled ''Crew Expendable'' and ''Last Survivor'' depicting alternate versions of key events from the film, with the original cast members Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerrit, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, and Yaphet Kotto reprising their respective roles.<ref>{{cite web |access-date=6 August 2015 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/07/09/original-alien-cast-reunite-for-alien-isolation-dlc?+main+twitter |title=Original Alien Cast Reunite for Alien: Isolation DLC |website=[[IGN]] |author=Daniel Krupa |date=9 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150806200903/http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/07/09/original-alien-cast-reunite-for-alien-isolation-dlc?+main+twitter |archive-date=6 August 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

''Crew Expendable'' centers around the events of the movie after Brett's disappearance in the air ducts, prompting the crew to attempt to force the alien into the airlock. Unlike the film, where Dallas would be the first to attempt this while armed with a flamethrower, the game provides the player with the option to play as Ripley, Dallas, or Parker, which would result in the chosen character to enter the ducts first.

''Last Survivor'' focuses on the climax of the film, where Ripley is left to be the last crew member and proceeds to self-destruct the ''Nostromo''.

In 2023, an ''Alien'' Chapter DLC was released for the multiplayer asymmetrical horror game [[Dead by Daylight]]. It included the ''Xenomorph'' and ''Ellen Ripley'' as a playable Killer and Survivor, respectively. The Nostromo was added as a Map in the form of the ''Nostromo Wreckage'', where players can interact with the environment and spot Easter-eggs such as ''Jonesy the Cat'', and a ''Facehugger''. The Xenomorph's Power allows it to enter ''Crawler Mode'', where it runs on all fours, gains access to a Tail Attack, and becomes stealthier. Its secondary ability involves Tunnels that it can enter and travel quickly around the Map, gaining Crawler Mode quicker while inside them. Survivors are able to collect Flame Turrets from these tunnels, which, once placed down, can indicate if the Xenomorph is near, and will spew a stream of fire if it gets close enough, potentially forcing it out of Crawler Mode. The Xenomorph can destroy these turrets, which will force Survivors to collect new ones. Notable Cosmetics that players can buy and equip include the ''Xenomorph Queen'' from ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]'', the ''Grid Xenomorph'' from ''[[Alien vs. Predator (film)|Alien vs. Predator]]'', a Human-Xenomorph Hybrid based on the ''Newborn'' from ''[[Alien Resurrection]]'', and Rain Carradine from ''[[Alien: Romulus]]'' as a Skin for Ripley. Sigourney Weaver's likeness was not used for Ellen Ripley, and neither did she voice the character.

== Sequels and franchise ==
{{further|Alien (franchise)}}
[[File:Sigourney Weaver by Gage Skidmore 4.jpg|thumb|264x264px|[[Sigourney Weaver]] became the star of the ''Alien'' films, reprising her role as Ripley in three sequels between 1986 and 1997. She did not appear in either of the ''Alien vs. Predator'' crossovers of the 2000s, but has expressed interest in doing a fifth ''Alien'' film.]]
The success of ''Alien'' led [[20th Century Fox]] to finance three direct [[sequel]]s over the next eighteen years, each by different writers and directors. [[Sigourney Weaver]] remained the only recurring actor through all four films: the story of her character [[Ellen Ripley|Ripley]]'s encounters with the [[Alien (Alien franchise)|aliens]] became the thematic and narrative core of the series.<ref name="ebert 2003 review" /> [[James Cameron]]'s ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]'' (1986) focused more on action and involved Ripley returning to the planetoid accompanied by [[marine (military)|marines]] to confront hordes of aliens.<ref name="aliens" /> [[David Fincher]]'s ''[[Alien 3]]'' (1992) had [[nihilistic]] tones<ref name="McIntee, 41" /> and found her on a prison planet battling another Alien, ultimately sacrificing herself to prevent her employers from acquiring the creatures.<ref name="alien 3">{{cite AV media |people=[[David Fincher|Fincher, David]] (Director) |title=[[Alien 3]] |medium=[[DVD]] |publisher=[[20th Century Fox]] |location=Beverly Hills, CA |date=2003}}</ref> [[Jean-Pierre Jeunet]]'s ''[[Alien Resurrection]]'' (1997) saw Ripley resurrected through [[cloning]] to battle more aliens even further in the future.<ref name="alien resurrection">{{cite AV media |people=[[Jean-Pierre Jeunet|Jeunet, Jean-Pierre]] (Director) |title=[[Alien Resurrection]] |medium=[[DVD]] |publisher=[[20th Century Fox]] |location=Beverly Hills, CA |date=2003}}</ref>

The success of the film series resulted in the creation of a [[media franchise]] with numerous novels, comic books, video games, toys, and other media and merchandise appearing over the years. A number of these began appearing under the ''[[Alien vs. Predator]]'' [[fictional crossover|crossover]] imprint, which brought the alien creatures together with the eponymous characters of the [[Predator (franchise)|''Predator'' franchise]]. A film series followed, with ''[[Alien vs. Predator (film)|Alien vs. Predator]]'' in 2004, and ''[[Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem]]'' in 2007.<ref name="avp">{{cite AV media |people=[[Paul W. S. Anderson|Anderson, Paul W. S.]] (Director) |title=[[Alien vs. Predator (film)|Alien vs. Predator]] |medium=[[DVD]] |publisher=[[20th Century Fox]] |location=Beverly Hills, CA |date=2005}}</ref><ref name="avp:r">{{Cite AV media |people=[[Brothers Strause|Strause, Colin and Greg]] (Directors) |title=[[Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem]] |medium=[[DVD]] |publisher=[[20th Century Fox]] |location=Beverly Hills, CA |date=2008}}</ref><ref>The date in which the events of ''Alien'' are set is not revealed in the film itself, but the first draft of the script gave the year as 2087. McIntee, 23.</ref>

Sigourney Weaver has expressed interest in reuniting with Ridley Scott to revive her character for another ''Alien'' film. In the 2003 commentary track for the ''Alien'' DVD included in the ''Alien Quadrilogy'' set, she and Scott both speculated on the possibility, with Weaver stating: "There is an appetite for a fifth one, which is something I never expected...it's really hard to come up with a fifth story that's new and fresh...but I have wanted to go back into space...I think outer space adventure is a good thing for us right now, 'cause Earth is so grim...so we've been talking about it, but very generally."<ref name="commentary" /> Scott remarked that, if the series were to continue, the most logical course would be to explore the origins of the space jockey and the aliens.<ref>{{Cite AV media |people=[[Ridley Scott]] (Director) |title=Alien |medium=DVD (audio commentary track) |publisher=[[20th Century Fox]] Home Entertainment, Inc. |date=2003 |quote=It's a tough one, particularly with the success of four. I think if you close the lid it should be the end of the first chapter, and I think very simply what no one's done is simply gone back to re-visit 'what was it?' No one's ever said 'who's the space jockey?' He wasn't an Alien. What was that battleship? Is it a battleship? Is it an aircraft carrier? Is it a bio-mechanoid weapon carrier?...Why did it land? Did it crash-land, or did it settle there because it had engine trouble?...And how long ago? 'Cause those eggs would sit there.}}</ref> Weaver supported this idea, saying "I think it would be great to go back, because I'm asked that question so many times: 'Where did the alien come from?' People really want to know in a very visceral way."<ref name="commentary" /> [[David Giler]] said that he, [[Walter Hill (director)|Walter Hill]], and [[Gordon Carroll]], the producers of the first four films in the series, would not be willing to produce another unless it was about the aliens' homeworld and Weaver was on board (despite the fact that they were among the producers of ''Alien vs. Predator'' films). Weaver indicated that she would only return to the franchise if either Scott or [[James Cameron]] were to direct.<ref name="McIntee, 264">McIntee, 264.</ref> Cameron had been working on a story for a fifth ''Alien'' film which would explore the origins of the creatures, but ceased work on it when he learned that Fox was pursuing ''Alien vs. Predator'', which he felt would "kill the validity of the franchise".<ref name="vespe">{{cite web |last=Vespe |first=Eric "Quint" |title=Holy Crap! Quint Interviews James Cameron!!! |work=[[Ain't It Cool News]] |date=February 7, 2006 |url=https://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=22405 |access-date=December 20, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071212160208/http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=22405 |archive-date=December 12, 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="davidson">{{cite web |last=Davidson |first=Paul |title=AVP Killed Alien 5 |work=[[IGN]] |date=February 8, 2006 |url=http://movies.ign.com/articles/686/686746p1.html |access-date=September 6, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080927181408/http://movies.ign.com/articles/686/686746p1.html |archive-date=September 27, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In July 2009, 20th Century Fox announced that [[Jon Spaihts]] had been hired to write a prequel to ''Alien'', with Scott attached to direct.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Fleming |first=Michael |title='Alien' Prequel Takes Off |date=July 30, 2009 |url=https://variety.com/2009/film/markets-festivals/alien-prequel-takes-off-1118006722/ |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date=August 3, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090809071708/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118006722.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 |archive-date=August 9, 2009}}</ref> The script was subsequently re-worked by Scott and [[Damon Lindelof]]. Titled ''[[Prometheus (2012 film)|Prometheus]]'', it went into production in May 2011, and was released the following year. Scott said in a statement: "While ''Alien'' was indeed the jumping-off point for this project, out of the creative process evolved a new, grand mythology and universe in which this original story takes place. The keen fan will recognize strands of ''Alien''{{'s}} DNA, so to speak, but the ideas tackled in this film are unique, large and provocative."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Abrams |first=Rachel |title=Rapace boards Ridley Scott's ''Prometheus'' |url=https://variety.com/2011/film/news/rapace-boards-ridley-scott-s-prometheus-1118030307/ |url-status=live |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=January 14, 2011 |access-date=June 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110118074322/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118030307 |archive-date=January 18, 2011}}</ref>

''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' reported on February 18, 2015, that a new ''Alien'' film would be developed by [[Neill Blomkamp]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Kroll |first=Justin |title=New 'Alien' Movie Confirmed with Director Neill Blomkamp |url=https://variety.com/2015/film/news/new-alien-movie-confirmed-at-fox-with-director-neill-blomkamp-1201436551/ |url-status=live |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=February 18, 2015 |access-date=February 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219053815/http://variety.com/2015/film/news/new-alien-movie-confirmed-at-fox-with-director-neill-blomkamp-1201436551/ |archive-date=February 19, 2015}}</ref> On February 25, it was confirmed that [[Sigourney Weaver]] would have a role in the film,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ew.com/article/2015/02/24/neill-blomkamp-alien-chappie-qa/ |title=Neill Blomkamp Q&A: Director talks 'Alien' reboot and new film 'Chappie' |first=Chris |last=Lee |date=February 24, 2015|access-date=September 1, 2022 |publisher=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref> the intent being to produce a direct sequel to ''Aliens'', ignoring the events of later films, featuring the characters of Hicks and Newt.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/30/16832874/neill-blomkamp-canceled-alien-sequel-movie |title=Neill Blomkamp posted some more concept images from his canceled Alien movie |last=Liptak |first=Andrew |work=[[The Verge]] |date=December 30, 2017|access-date=November 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181122131851/https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/30/16832874/neill-blomkamp-canceled-alien-sequel-movie|archive-date=November 22, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Blomkamp's sequel was ultimately shelved by Fox in favor of ''[[Alien: Covenant]]'', a continuation of Scott's prequel, ''Prometheus''.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/alien-5-covenant-sir-ridley-scott-sigourney-weaver-neill-blomkamp-sequel-prometheus-prequel-a7712676.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170502155714/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/alien-5-covenant-sir-ridley-scott-sigourney-weaver-neill-blomkamp-sequel-prometheus-prequel-a7712676.html|archive-date=2017-05-02|url-access=limited|url-status= live| title= Alien 5 is doomed as the crew of the Nostromo|last=Stolworthy|first=Jacob|date=May 2, 2017|work=Independent|access-date=June 4, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.ign.com/articles/2017/05/09/alien-covenant-sequel-will-begin-shooting-within-14-months-says-ridley-scott|title=Alien: Covenant Sequel Will Begin Shooting "Within 14 Months", Says Ridley Scott|last=Skrebels|first=Joe|website=[[IGN]]|date=May 9, 2017|access-date=March 6, 2019}}</ref> An eventual fifth ''Alien'' film, ''[[Alien: Romulus]]'', set between the events of ''Alien'' and ''Aliens'', was released in 2024, directed by [[Fede Álvarez]]. A television series titled ''[[Alien: Earth]]'', developed by [[Noah Hawley]], released on streaming on [[Hulu]] in 2025. Several [[computer game]]s [[List of Alien, Predator, and Alien vs. Predator games|based on the film]] were released, but not until several years after its theatrical run.<ref name="McIntee, 39" />

== See also ==
* [[List of films featuring extraterrestrials]]
* [[List of monster movies]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite AV media |date=December 2, 2003 |title=The Beast Within: The Making of Alien |type=''[[Alien Quadrilogy]]'' disc 2 |publisher=[[20th Century Fox]] Home Entertainment, Inc |others=[[Dan O'Bannon|O'Bannon, Dan]] (Writer), [[Ronald Shusett]] ([[Executive producer]]/story), [[Ron Cobb]] ([[Concept art|Conceptual artist]]), Ivor Powell ([[Film producer|Associate producer]]), [[Gordon Carroll]] (Producer), [[David Giler]] (Producer), [[Alan Ladd, Jr.]] (former President of 20th Century Fox), [[Ridley Scott]] ([[Film director|Director]]), [[H. R. Giger]] (Alien designer), Mary Selway (Casting: UK), [[Sigourney Weaver]] (Actor: [[Ellen Ripley|Ripley]]), [[Veronica Cartwright]] (Actor: Lambert), [[Tom Skerritt]] (Actor: Dallas), [[Harry Dean Stanton]] (Actor: Brett), [[John Hurt]] (Actor: Kane), [[Roger Christian (filmmaker)|Roger Christian]] (Art Director), Michael Seymour (Production Designer), Derek Vanlint ([[Cinematographer]]), [[Carlo Rambaldi]] (Alien head effects), [[Terry Rawlings]] (Editor), [[Jerry Goldsmith]] ([[Composer]]), Brian Johnson (Visual Effects Supervisor), [[Martin Bower]] (Supervising model maker) |last=De Lauzirika |first=Charles}}
* {{cite book |last=McIntee |first=David |author-link=David A. McIntee |title=Beautiful Monsters: The Unofficial and Unauthorized Guide to the Alien and Predator Films |publisher=[[Telos Publishing]] |year=2005 |location=Surrey |pages=10–44, 208, 251, 258–260 |isbn=1-903889-94-4}}
* {{cite book | last = Salisbury | first = Mark | title = Alien – The Archive: The Ultimate Guide to the Classic Movies | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=pMSpoAEACAAJ | year = 2014 | isbn = 978-1-78329-104-5 | publisher = [[Titan Books]] | location = London }}
{{refend}}

== Further reading ==
{{refbegin}}
* Anderson, Craig W. "Alien". ''Science Fiction Films of the Seventies''. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1985. Print. 217–224.
* Bell-Meterau, Rebecca. "Woman: The Other Alien in ''Alien''". ''Women Worldwalkers: New Dimensions of Science Fiction and Fantasy''. Ed. Weedman, Jane B. Lubbock, Tex: Texas Tech Press, 1985. Print. 9-24.
* Elkins, Charles, ed. "Symposium on ''Alien''". (Jackie Byars, Jeff Gould, Peter Fitting, Judith Lowder Newton, Tony Safford, Clayton Lee). ''Science-Fiction Studies'' 22.3 (Nov. 1980): 278–304.
* Matheson, T.J. "Triumphant Technology and Minimal Man: ''The Technological Society'', Science Fiction Films, and Ridley Scott's ''Alien''". ''Extrapolation'' 33. 3: 215–229.
* Torry, Robert. "Awakening to the Other: Feminism and the Ego-Ideal in ''Alien''". ''Women's Studies'' 23 (1994): 343–363.
{{refend}}

== External links ==


* {{Official website}}
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes}}
* {{AFI film}}
* {{TCMDb title}}
* {{cite book |last=Eagan |first=Daniel |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=deq3xI8OmCkC&pg=PA755 |chapter=Alien |title=America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry |publisher=[[A & C Black]] |year=2010 |pages=755–756 |isbn=978-0826-42977-3}}
* Interviews with [https://texasarchive.org/2010_01488 Sigourney Weaver], [https://texasarchive.org/2010_01486 Tom Skerritt], [https://texasarchive.org/2010_01485 Ridley Scott], and [https://texasarchive.org/2010_01487 H.R. Giger] at [[Texas Archive of the Moving Image]]

{{Alien (franchise)}}
{{Ridley Scott}}
{{Dan O'Bannon}}
{{Ronald Shusett}}
{{Navboxes
|title = [[List of accolades received by the Alien film series#Alien|Awards for ''Alien'']]
|list =
{{Academy Award Best Visual Effects}}
{{Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation 1958–1980}}
{{Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film 1972–1990}}
{{Seiun Award - Best Media}}
}}


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{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Alien (film)|access_date=2026-02-23}}