Anniversary Aliens, Spam-Calling Aliens, 7-Eleven Aliens

Today is the 45th anniversary of Alien, one of the greatest — and most influential — science fiction (or is it?) movies of all time. Having lived in Seattle (and barstool surfing in various dive bars/taverns) my entire life, Alien made its debut on May 25, 1979, as the opening night of the 4th Seattle International Film Festival, presented in 70mm at midnight. It received a wide release on June 22, 1979 and was released on September 6, 1979 in the United Kingdom. In your face everywhere except Seattle.

Alien and its nine-film franchise, which includes Alien: Romulus releasing August 16, 2024, remains a ubiquitous part of pop culture, having spawned a media franchise that includes books, video games, clothing, action figures, art, models and toys. But you already knew that. So, in tribute to Alien on its anniversary, here are a few fun facts you may or may not know about the horror/sci-fi cornerstone…

• British actor John Hurt was one of the astronauts on the Nostromo who was face-jacked by a farm-fresh hatched alien facehugger on planet LV-426. It subsequently exploded out of his chest like a gory party favor. The appropriately-named Hurt went on to play Garrick Ollivander in the Harry Potter film series (2001 – 2011). He sold wizard wands. I need to return mine as it doesn’t work.

• The original working title to the Alien was 29 pages of a script titled Memory, containing what would become the opening scenes of the movie. They should’ve called it, In Space No One Can Hear You Sh*t Your Astro-Pants.

• The 1965 sci-fi Planet of the Vampires contains a scene in which the heroes discover a giant alien skeleton. This was the influence of the Nostromo crew’s discovery of the giant space jockey alien creature (aka, the Pilot) in that spooky derelict spacecraft.

• Screenwriter Dan O’Bannon drew inspiration from many previous works of science fiction and horror. He later proclaimed, “I didn’t steal Alien from anybody; I stole it from everybody!” This includes The Thing From Another World (1951), Forbidden Planet (1956), and various EC Comics horror titles carrying stories in which monsters eat their way out of people. I don’t know why, but that makes me hungry.

• Movie director Ridley Scott had wanted the alien to bite off last remaining crew member Ripley’s head and then 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. Kinda harsh, but it checks out.

• The musical score for Alien was composed by Jerry Goldsmith, whose previous soundtrack work included Planet of the The Apes (1968). The score resulted in another Goldsmith nomination for the Best Original Score Oscar and ranks at No. 18 on the American Film Institute’s Top 25 film scores. He also wrote the score for The Omen (1976). I wasn’t aware the The Omen was a musical.

• Four identical cats were used to portray Jones, the Nostromo crew’s pet. Actress Sigourney Weaver was allergic to the combination of cat hair and the glycerin placed on the actors’ skin to make them appear sweaty. Oddly, no one was allergic to the alien.

So while we all celebrate this milestone anniversary and re-watch the timelessly brilliant and super scary Alien, here are a few out now horror/sci-fi movies/documentaries that may or may not make you sweaty or become allergic to…

JURASSIC EXORCIST / Out now (VOD)

“A priest is sent back in time to perform an exorcism on an evil Satanic dinosaur.”

Best. Plot. Ever.

WE WORK FOR THE DEAD / Out now (VOD)

“Magnus has a side hustle. He drives for The Night Mail, which isn’t a bad gig, if you don’t mind being possessed. What is The Night Mail? A delivery service with a dark secret — working for the dead.”

I would like to work for the dead. So much so, I’d take minimum wage. Heck, I’ll even work on weekends. Time and a half, of course. That’s reasonable considering.

ALIENS UNCOVERED: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS / Out now (VOD)

“During the ’70s, top scientists and astronomers sent coded messages into space with the hopes of getting a response from an alien civilization. What they didn’t anticipate was a speedy reply and an uptick in sightings around the world.”

So top scientists and astronomers invented robo-calling? I KNEW it!

NIGHT OF THE SKINWALKERS / Out now (VOD)

“Four couples stranded at a remote lakeside cabin on the eve of an apparent alien invasion discover not everything is as it appears to be.”

If I were part of an alien offensive, I’d target 7-Eleven™ first to load up on invasion snacks.