10 sci-fi and horror movies that owe their existence to 'alien'

In space, no one can hear you screaming about these "alien" style movies...  

One of the most influential sci-fi films of all time, Alien (1979), directed by Ridley Scott, was a chilling masterpiece that transformed the subgenre known as sci-fi horror. Types of. Many films have adopted the Alien formula, where a group of ordinary characters are forced into survival mode as an unseen threat wipes them out one by one. To this day, the landmark film's emphasis on horror-survival stories, malevolent alien threats and gritty, isolated scenes continue to inspire filmmakers.

Now some may accuse certain films of being parodies or blatant rip-offs, but it's important to note how each Alien-inspired film attempts a fresh take on the formula. Some movies don't even need to be located in space or have any aliens to pay homage to a sci-fi horror legend, and in the end Aliens is a really great movie to draw inspiration from!

'Underwater' (2020)

Like Aliens, the underwater finds blue-collar characters trapped in isolated environments and hunted by elusive creatures. Instead of a spaceship, the scene takes viewers to a claustrophobic drilling facility under the sea, which is shaken by massive vibrations, disrupting its systems and Forces survivors to attempt to escape when aquatic creatures stalk them.

Underwater star Kristen Stewart plays a Ripley-inspired character, not to mention wearing an incredibly designed deep-sea suit reminiscent of an alien space suit, despite the lack of a hockey pad. The workers as a whole felt cut off from the Nostromo's crew, not soldiers or heroes, but ordinary workers making a living. Given the clear narrative and production design similarities to "Alien," critics and fans alike agreed that "Boat" was a tribute to "Alien."

'Event Horizon' (1997)

Event Horizon from filmmaker Paul W.S. Anderson of the sci-fi horror subgenre revived by filmmaker Paul W.S. Anderson himself has stated on several occasions that both Alien and Alien had a huge impact on his career. Anderson would even go on to direct a franchise adjacent to Alien Wars. Predator (2004) or AVP, in the DVD commentary he professes his love for both Aliens.

Event Horizon, a tale of psychological torture that has brought back its ominous nature when a rescue team retrieves a long-lost spaceship orbiting Neptune, has gained a cult following. In a creepy haunted house, The ship is a character in itself, and its anthropomorphic design reminds Alien fans of the Nostromo, which the crew calls the Mother. The aliens showcase the birth theme, and the only ship that fits them is called the Mother, and this ship, Event Horizon, hauntingly has its own literal meaning.

'Pitch Black' (2000)

Pitch Black is an action-packed sci-fi story with lots of special effects flare and a clever premise. Crashed on a desolate planet, the surviving crew and dangerous prisoner Riddick (Vin Diesel), who can see at night, finds himself in pure darkness during a solar eclipse as evil nocturnal creatures descend from the planet appear beneath the surface. Reminiscent of a Xenomorph, a Bioraptor is a beastly alien life form powered only by hunger, a hunger that only Riddick can see from the darkness.

Pitch Black from director and screenwriter David Twohy, who also directed Diesel in the sequels The Legend of Reddick (2004) and The Legend of Reddick (2013). As a screenwriter, Twohy was involved in the chaotic production of Alien 3 (1992), providing an early draft of the story. Twohy was reportedly involved in setting up the Prison Planet setting and bringing Ripley back into the story. although Twohy didn't stay on with the project, and no doubt his experience with the Alien franchise would inspire him to create his own.

'Life' (2017)

Science fiction horror often dabbles in scientific curiosity. In Alien, Kane (John Hurt) investigates the wreckage and demands that they must go on, but his scientific curiosity leads him to be the first victim as the face-loving Alien makes the embryo in his chest cavity conceive. Likewise, Life sees the crew's curiosity sparkle as they discover an alien life form nicknamed Calvin. However, their ongoing interaction quickly turns deadly as Calvin takes a swipe at the crew.

Critics and fans alike agree that Life is similar to Alien, and while some may call it a rip-off, Life does a lot of interesting things to stay unique. While the claustrophobic setting, ensemble of characters, and space killer concept are all familiar, Calvin the Alien is very different from Alien. Calvin starts out as a cute and curious single-celled creature that evolves and becomes more menacing. While the similarities are clear, Life is able to take the Alien formula in interesting directions.

'The Grey' (2011)

On the face of it, Gray does not invoke aliens, as it is not science fiction movie, but the director has confirmed its narrative is inspired by Scott's 1979 classic. Gray follows a group of working-class oil workers whose plane crashes in the Alaskan badlands, where they are hunted by wolves. The film stars Liam Neeson as a sharpshooter hired to protect an oil facility from wolves who, after being trapped in the frigid wilderness, embark on a long journey to survive as they track their every move .

In an interview with director Joe Carnahan and Belifenet, Carnahan was asked if the Grays were inspired by aliens, to which Carnahan corrected, "No, but Ridley Scott's aliens People have," and goes on to say "the very nature of this group is tracked down and hunted by this unseen threat." Like many horror films, Suspense 101 rarely shows monsters, giving few glimpses of what these creatures look like when they hunt. The wolves of The Gray prowl at night, using the gusts of wind as cover to pounce in terrifying fashion.

'The Thing' (1982)

When thinking of sci-fi horror, both Alien and The Thing are hugely influential, and both carry on the legacy of some of the genre's best films. a thing owes its being to Alien, which has given similar films the green light because of the cultural impact it has had. Indiewire explained how The Thing "languished for a few years until the success of Alien reinvigorated it", and with John Carpenter's breakthrough success in Halloween (1978), history Soon to follow.

Having said that, the Thing shares many similarities with the Alien, most notably its isolated environment and unseen threat. The affair also follows a group of blue-collar workers who are forced to face extraordinary threats when they come into contact with a mysterious alien who can assimilate its appearance into any life form. Distrust and paranoia swirl in the closed atmosphere and a series of bloody alien attacks.

'The Tomorrow War' (2021)

The creepy creature design for Tomorrow's War was inspired by one of the most iconic creatures from the movies. The Xenomorph, an animalistic predator and survivor, was conceptualized by artist H.R. Giger and served as the starting point for the design of the white spiked creature in Tomorrow's War. The film's mission is to travel back into the future in a last-ditch effort to stop the White Spike from wiping out all life on Earth under the onslaught of sheer hunger and predatory domination.

Variety gained insight from White Spike creature designer Ken Barthelmey, who stated that director Chris McKay "referenced H.R. Giger's Alien and Hellscream as reference points". It's clear that Xenomorph was an inspirational start, another key factor was McKay's desire for White Spikes' teeth to be a "dental nightmare," as well as evil tentacles and appendages, all reminiscent of Xenomorph's iconic design.

'Prospect' (2018)

Prospect co-director Chris Caldwell credits classics like Alien for the film's gritty sci-fi setting. Caldwell sat down with Space.com and explained, "It's inspired by classic sci-fi movies like Star Wars and Aliens, which aren't in front of a green screen," continuing, "Aesthetically, a lot of it is based on classic". Sci-fi movies generally have two aesthetics, the gritty and dystopian look of films like Alien, and the clean and idealistic like you see in films like Star Trek , while Caldwell confirmed that Prospect borrowed from Alien's rough-edged, fringe approach.

Prospect stars Sophie Thatcher as Cee, a young girl and daughter of a Prospect miner who travels with her father (Jay Duplass) to a forest moon in search of rare gems. Toxic Atmosphere Cee and her father are stopped by highwayman Ezra, played by Pedro Pascal, who went on to play the titular bounty hunter in The Mandalorian. Exploring the Uncharted Frontier Cee must team up with Ezra as they encounter other unsavory characters in a weather-beaten, working-class setting inspired by gritty sci-fi stories that came before.

'Sputnik' (2020)

Sputnik director Egor Abramenko, who adapted the feature film from his own short, said of Alien's influence on him on IndieWire, saying "I watched Alien as a kid. I only saw parts of it. Obviously I It's kids, but sometimes it's on TV and I just see clips that scare me," he continued, "and I think, one day, I want to do something like that." Abramenko also broke the alien design Influence, which has the characteristics of a Komodo dragon, and consults a team of scientists and doctors to formulate a plausible alien threat.

Sputnik follows Tatyana (Okasana Akinshina), a neurophysiologist tasked with monitoring the surviving astronaut (Pyotr Fyodorov) and the creatures inside him. Rather than an alien bursting from a victim's chest, it's a slow, gentle revelation of an alien creature, Coming out of the astronaut's mouth, the aliens symbiotically use the human body as a protective suit while healing the host. This certainly echoes similar features of human-alien interactions, as these aliens need a host in order to survive or reproduce.

'Predator' (1987)

Predator is an action-packed science fiction novel culled from a story with many narrative similarities to Alien. Director John McTiernan stated in the Academy's refusal to catalog the commentary that "producer John Davies' idea of ​​developing the script was 'Rocky Meets Aliens'". Of course, action legend Arnold Schwarzenegger's bulging muscles and bullet-flying exploits inject more testosterone into the sexually violent alien premise, but it's still incredibly entertaining.

The Predator not only borrowed plot traits from Alien, but eventually tied the franchise to the Alien universe, albeit in a universe adjacent to the canon, through spinoff films and comic book releases. Still, the two main aliens, the Predator or Yautja and the Xenomorph share a cinematic universe. This was first demonstrated in Predator 2 (1990), when an alien skull could be found on the Yautja ship's loot wall. The Predator family has shown great resemblance An entry with the sci-fi horror genre, Alien-inspired that fans know and love today.