Ever the cynic when it comes to the films of the '70s and '80s I eyed Alien (1979) with great distain. However having made the ultimate relationship faux pas of saying 'you decide', this is what we spent our Saturday afternoon watching.
I was told 'this is what horror should be like all the time, trust me you're going to love it!' Yes dear, that's what you told me about wasabe...
Still, in my quest to broaden my horizons I obliged and I have to say it wasn't half bad. I've never been one for a horror movie, notably due to my incredibly weak stomach when it comes to blood and gore but I could see what he meant by how a real horror should be - absolutely shit scary!
The difference between this and the likes of Saw (2004) and Hostel (2005) is that the horror isn't in the endless gorefest but rather the use of narrative, music and unbearable tension. We only see the alien a few times throughout the film and yet as an audience you are constantly aware of its presence, hovering over the spaceship's crew as their numbers continue to dwindle. The only time we actually saw the alien kill anyone was when it exploded out of John Hurt's stomach (I say 'we saw', more everybody else saw, I just listened from behind the cushion!) and that was enough to imply the fate of the rest of its victims.
What I suppose I will have to admit is that this film has made me question my attitude towards the older film. Although the SFX were questionable - the falling alien at the end looked suspiciously like a man in a Godzilla costume - this was a horror film which I enjoyed and would say was justified in the guts and gore that it showed.
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