This year marks the 40th anniversary of the release of what probably is the most essential horror and science-fiction movie of all times, Alien (1979). The movie, written by Dan O’Bannon and directed by Ridley Scott, which marked his second feature film, became an instant classic and changed forever the genre. Since the 1950s, terror came on the screens from outer space in the form of all kinds of humanoids, Martians, androids and monsters. But it never came so much from within. Sigourney Weaver and her immortal character Ellen Ripley were the only survivors and starred a saga that is still going on. Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto also brought a bunch of memorable performances playing the unlucky crew of the space merchant vessel Nostromo.
To commemorate the anniversary, entertainment media website IGN, in a partnership with 20th Century Fox and Tongal, have been releasing six official fan-made short films based on the Alien universe. The first short film was released on March 29th and it was followed by a new one every Friday. Today it was released the last one of the series.
The producers of the series of short films said about the project: ”After reviewing over 550 pitches from filmmakers, six final stories were chosen. The filmmakers were given unprecedented access to the franchise, including storytelling elements, creatures, and characters, to bring a new, terrifying experience to life for audiences. Each of the six shorts brings forth an exciting new narrative for fans while paying homage to the original film”.
ALIEN: Containment (written and directed by Chris Reading) – Four survivors find themselves stranded aboard a small escape pod in deep space. Trying to piece together the details around the outbreak that led to their ship’s destruction, they find themselves unsure to trust whether or not one of them might be infected. – Released on the 29th of May.
ALIEN: Specimen (directed by Kelsey Taylor) – It’s the night shift in a colony greenhouse, and Julie, a botanist, does her best to contain suspicious soil samples that have triggered her sensitive lab dog. Despite her best efforts the lab unexpectedly goes into full shutdown and she is trapped inside. Little does she know, an alien specimen has escaped the mysterious cargo, and a game of cat and mouse ensues as the creature searches for a host. – Released on the 5th of April.
ALIEN: Night Shift (written and directed by Aidan Breznick) – When a missing space trucker is discovered hungover and disoriented, his co-worker suggests a nightcap as a remedy. Near closing time, they are reluctantly allowed inside the colony supply depot where the trucker’s condition worsens, leaving a young supply worker alone to take matters into her own hands. – Released on the 12th of April.
ALIEN: Ore (written and directed by The Spear Sisters) – As a hard-working miner of a planet mining colony, Lorraine longs to make a better life for her daughter and grandchildren. When her shift uncovers the death of a fellow miner under mysterious circumstances, Lorraine is forced to choose between escape or defying management orders and facing her fears to fight for the safety of her family. – Released on the 19th of April.
ALIEN: Alone (written and directed by Noah Miller) – Hope, an abandoned crew member aboard the derelict chemical hauler Otranto, has spent a year trying to keep her ship and herself alive as both slowly fall apart. After discovering hidden cargo, she risks it all to power up the broken ship in search of human life. – Released on the 26th of April.
ALIEN: Harvest (directed by Benjamin Howdeshell) – The surviving crew of a damaged deep-space harvester has minutes to reach the emergency evacuation shuttle. A motion sensor is their only navigation tool leading them to safety while a creature in the shadows terrorizes the crew. However, the greatest threat might have been hiding in plain sight all along. – Released on the 26th of April.
