What Makes "Alien" Great.

Compared to James Camaron's 1986 sequel "Aliens", Ridley Scott's first installment takes a more subtle approach. Scott's use of atmosphere and build-up makes for one of the best genre mash-ups. Both Horror and Sci-Fi merged perfectly.

A commercial vessel is on its way home to earth when they pick up a distress signal from an ancient alien ship. After they investigate, they unintentionally let loose a dangerous creature onto the ship, and it begins to kill the crew one by one.

The real star of Alien is both the setting and the tension. Ridley Scott combines both aspects creating a truly thrilling picture from start to finish. While it may seem like it's just another slasher film that happens to be in space, that's when you realize why it works so well. Scott makes space exploration terrifying in this instance as the characters are isolated in space, far away from any relief. The film really earns its tagline, "In space, no one can hear you scream". The film keeps you on your seat throughout as you know something will go wrong, but you don't know when. The scene that best exemplifies this is the iconic "Chest Burster" scene, which is still a masterful sequence over 40 years later.

The film couldn't have been brought to life without the technical aspects at work, and it's still impressive today. As mentioned before, the setting is a major star here and that is thanks to the set design and production values. The ship "Nostromos" is a memorable location filled with so much detail. It's a perfect setting to watch the characters get killed off. The moon with the abandoned ship where the crew investigates the call is also effectively realized with both the terrain and the ship filled with death and dread. That room with the dead alien pilot is ingrained in my head. The score by Jerry Goldsmith also blends with the movie. The soundtrack is brilliantly atmospheric to go with the movie, it gives off a feeling of mystery and fear. When you hear that music with the opening titles, you know what you are in for.

With its terrific setting and masterful pace, Alien is a game-changer in both Science Fiction and Horror respectively. Make sure to watch this with the lights off and the volume up to get the full effect.