Alien by Ridley Scott (1979)
I’m a bit embarrassed to admit this was my first time watching Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror classic in its entirety. Up until now, I’d only seen bits and pieces, but a screening at The Ross’s 2025 Fright Fest seemed like the perfect time to address this particular gap in my movie-watching history. Not surprisingly, it did not disappoint. Everything in Alien, from Jerry Goldsmith’s score to the incredible sets and production design to Scott’s camerawork, is designed to ratchet up the tension and sense of claustrophobic dread — and quite successfully so. As for the alien itself, it’s suitably, well, alien. Which is to say, horrific and terrifying. (H. R. Giger drew inspiration from his own nightmares for the creature’s design.) Much like Scott’s Blade Runner, Alien’s visuals still hold up and run circles around many of today’s CGI-laden special effects. The elaborate Nostromo sets feel “lived in” and authentic, a sense enhanced by the cast’s performances, which make it easy to believe that we’re really watching a crew of blue collar space workers just trying to get back home. On a related note, the film’s underlying critique of hyper-capitalism that prioritizes profit over people still hits hard in 2025, and perhaps even more so.
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