Scary movies # 4 - Alien

Year: 1979 Director: Ridley Scott

Alien or "Jaws in space" - you decide.

The crew of a deep space mining ship on their way back to earth, pick up an sos from a nearby planet and are obliged to investigate. On the planet they discover some alien eggs, which are scary enough but they unwittingly carry a parasite back to the ship.

A suspense horror movie which moves as slowly as space itself before it reaching a speed of light crescendos. A magnificent cast led by Sigourney Weaver, Harry Dean Stanton and John Hurt, and some superb special fx make thesis film a modern masterpiece.

Even the law of diminishing returns with the never ending sequels - the worthy Aliens and Alien 3, the less worthy Alien vs Predator and the sequel too far Alien vs Predator vs Kramer Vs Kramer have not tarnished the memory of the original.

Click to read our full synopsis and review of Alien.

We place Alien at number 4 in our interactive Haunted House of Horror list of our favourite scary movies.