“Halloween Horror!!

from my original blog on 23/11/19 (originally posted 1/11/14):

I saw two of my favourite sci-fi genre films back-to-back at Vue on 31st October 2014: Ridley Scott’s “ALIEN” followed by James Cameron’s “ALIENS”… WOW, what an experience!!

I first saw ALIEN on VHS video in about 1985, some six years after the original cinema release – of all the films I have seen, it made the most lasting and influential impression on me as a lover and writer of science fiction. 

I remember being:

* captivated by the harshly industrial Nostromo/platform sets,

* awed by the balletic orbital manouvering in the landing sequence (beautifully enriched by Jerry Goldsmith’s music),

* totally drawn into an alien world as the crew walked towards the derelict, and…

* increasingly terrified as the film accelerated with tense horror after that infamous ‘chest-burster’ scene.

Few films have managed to combine so many wonderful elements: innovative scriptwriting, world-class acting, a haunting score, game-changing realism in set design, and a genuinely unique vision of horror (Giger’s monsters – apparently when Dan O’Bannon first showed Giger’s paintings to Gordon Carroll, the producer recoiled saying ‘This man is sick’).

One quote I really like is the foreshadowing of Brett’s death:
Parker: If they find what they’re lookin’ for out there, that mean we get full shares?

Ripley: Don’t worry, Parker, yeah. You’ll get whatever’s coming to you.

Brett: Look, I’m not gonna do any more work, until we get this straightened out.

Ripley: Brett, you’re guaranteed by law to get a share.

And wow, did he get a share!

When James Cameron’s ALIENS came along in 1986 I was old enough to see it in the cinema.  I remember enjoying the film as more of a sci-fi adventure yarn than a horror movie – after ALIEN that was a surprise.

The biggest shock was that The Alien was no longer invulnerable: as long as you had enough firepower you could survive contact with Ash’s “perfect organism… [whose] … structural perfection is matched only by its hostility”. Cameron had obviously taken the franchise on a completely new direction.

Whereas Scott’s ALIEN is full of memorable settings and relentless tensions, Cameron’s ALIENS runs on a full tank of memorable dialogue and one-liners. Some of my favourite quotes from the second film include:

On the Sulaco, shortly after the marines have woken from hypersleep:

Hudson: Hey Vasquez, have you ever been mistaken for a man?

Vasquez: No. Have you?

and also… with the marines preparing for the drop:

Ripley: I feel like kind of a fifth wheel around here, is there anything I can do?

Apone: I dunno, is there anything you can do?

and of course… in the APC after the marines barely escape from the Aliens’ surprise attack:

Vasquez: Okay. We have several canisters of CM-20. I say we go back in there and nerve gas the whole fuckin’ nest.

Hicks: It’s worth the try, but we don’t know if that’s gonna affect them.

Hudson: Let’s just bug out and call it even, man! What are we even talking about this for?

Ripley: I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.

Hudson: Fuckin’ A!

The second movie was fun and memorable, and spawned some computer games I have enjoyed playing, but its lasting impact was very much less for me (I actually prefer David Fincher’s ALIEN 3 to ALIENS).

I’d always wondered what the Big Screen experience of ALIEN was like. I’d heard and read the legendary tales of people vomitting in the cinemas when it was released and I felt intimidated to try it for myself. I’m so glad I got brave enough to try it (with some friends for back-up) – it was AWESOME and the experience will stay with me forever!!