Alien poster
The Films That Shaped It

Alien

1979

My three great influences, creature-wise, are undoubtedly Frankenstein, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and Alien, as in Ridley Scott’s Alien. And they’re influences in many, many ways. Both from a design point of view, and a narrative point of view.

It's the opposite of Alien or Jaws in that regard. By making the monster appear so early, I wanted to show that the monster is not the most important element, but rather the family's struggle.

— Bong Joon-ho  ·  Electric Sheep Magazine interview

Planet of the Vampires (1965) by Mario Bava was a film I looked at. I felt the way he creates the atmosphere... was very effective. The design of the spaceship, the exploration of the abandoned ship, these elements were definitely in my mind.

— Ridley Scott  ·  Cinephilia & Beyond (quoting Ridley Scott)

Planet of the Vampires (1965) by Mario Bava was a film I looked at. I felt the way he creates the atmosphere was very effective. The design of the spaceship, the exploration of the abandoned ship, these elements were definitely in my mind.

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