Alien

I was eleven years old when I watched the movie Alien. It scared the crap out of me but in a titillating, roller-coaster kind of way. At that age I wasn’t old enough to comprehend how the movie really was the first, truly Feminist horror movie. Also lost to me was the high caliber of movie craft and screenwriting accomplished in the film. What mattered then was that it was immersive and terrifying.

Since then, I’ve seen it more than a dozen times. And upon each viewing I come to the same conclusion: Alien has no flaws. It is a masterpiece. Don’t agree with me? Turn off your phone, take a Ritalin if need-be, and sit your ass down to watch that sucker again. You’ll see.

Ellen Ripley politely requests you sit your ass down and watch Alien again.

I’m writing about Alien because its director, Ridley Scott, just finished making another movie. Prometheus is Scott’s first foray back into the genre (a hybrid of horror and science-fiction) since Alien. Prometheus is set to open in theaters on June 8th and it seems poised to be epic but before I get carried away with the details, I thought I’d post a few pictures from my husband’s book collection for fun.

In early 1980 my husband was a rabid, thirteen-year old fan of Alien. He bought this book pictured below. This movie was one of the first things we discovered to have in common – it topped both of our favorite movie lists.

For Prometheus, Scott demanded casting control and got it– Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace, Idris Elba, Michael Fassbender, and Guy Pearce will add that special kind of gravitas (or maybe the word is just “talent”) so sorely lacking in most modern horror.

Charlize Theron as "Vickers" and Idris Elba as "Janek"

Charlize Theron is set to play the character “Vickers” –a company-gal– and Idris Elba (of HBO’s “The Wire” fame) has been cast as the character “Janek.” Excited as I am about both of these actors, what’s really got my attention is the role Noomi Rapace (below) has been cast.