I have made this site as a tribute to the first film that really scared the living shit out of me.  It has remained a favourite movie of mine for many years.  I have lost count how many times I have watched it, as a result I know 90% of the script off by heart.  The best way I can describe the it is a perfect blend of atmosphere, suspense, realism and horror, and when these ingredients are amalgamated, the result is a truly chilling and frightening experience. 

I first saw the movie in 1981 when I was about 14 (Yes, I know... I was too young, well, I found that out didn't I?)  For months afterwards I would see shadows of the alien in my room when it was dark, I expected to see it move past a dark windows whenever I looked at one.  Just about anything and everything reminded me of it, and reminded me that these things exist and they are watching me.

After a while I grown out of it, but the fear is still there, and remembering how I felt when I first saw it.  I think I will carry these things with me forever.  I don't hate the movie because of this, I am grateful, but I don't know why.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I believe Alien is a beautiful film, even though it scares me shitless.  I love it dearly and could never complain about a single aspect of it.  It is the perfect horror.

Something that I feel really "makes" the film is Jerry Goldsmith's score.  To me, there are only four movie theme composers that are truly masters of their work, Jerry is in this four.  I love how he has used the orchestra to make sounds that are far from ordinary.  Any cellist can play a C sharp, but to make them bang the bow on the side of the instrument and put it through an echo box is both very daring and very brilliant.  It's the perfect score for the perfect movie.

The excitement I felt when I heard there was going to be a sequel cannot be described here, at the time I was young and didn't realise that sometimes sequels can be really disappointing.  Aliens was not in any way a let down, It delivered the goods 110%.  I left the cinema buzzing, but not really scared.  Oh, it made me jump a couple of times, but didn't have the "Give me the creeps" value of the original.  Aliens became my second favourite film of all time.  I wont mention the other sequels.

James Horner composed the music for Aliens, (he is also in my "big four"), but the Aliens score is not that memorable.  He had a limited time to produce the entire score and as a result it suffered.  Having said that, what he did in the time he had to do it was nothing short of a miracle.  All credit to James for that.

A lot of hard work went into making this site, and I still replace the odd picture here and there, Alien is so perfect, I want the site to be too.  I hope you enjoy the site as much as I have enjoyed making it.  Also, I hope you like Alien as much as I do. (If that's possible)

Mark