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Ridley Scott’s sci-fi/horror opus Alien is really a haunted house movie set in outer space, where a ragtag team of “space truckers” do battle with one of the most fascinating monsters in movie history. Scott is one of the finest directors of our time, and this may be his best film — a taut thriller, designed and executed with tremendous attention to realism and detail, with psycho-sexual overtones that invite repeat viewings and varied interpretations.

Sigourney Weaver heads a perfect ensemble of actors that includes Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, ,Veronica Cartright, Harry Dean Stanton, and Yaphet Kotto.  Not one of them is overacting, even in their death scenes — it’s some of the most believable acting I’ve ever seen in a sci-fi, fantasy or horror film. Ian Holm is especially noteworthy as the crew’s resident android, a reticent character who eventually sells out the crew in favor of his hard-wired duty to capture the alien for scientific study.

The alien itself is a revelation. Its design is extraordinary, the best ‘man in a suit’ monster ever, thanks to the disturbing imagination of H.R. Giger.  But it’s not just a great design. The alien’s physiology and reproductive cycle are also interesting. It doesn’t just kill you. It impregnates you and uses you as a living host for its wicked little progeny. When the baby is ready to be born, it just rips its way out of your chest. As movie monsters go, nothing can top this shit.

Alien is a masterpiece, and in light of the new, popular trend of skipping build-up and suspense in horror movies, it will just keep getting better.

Academy Award: Best Visual Effects (HR Giger, Carlo Rambaldi, Brian Johnson, Nick Allder, Dennis Ayling)

Oscar Nomination: Best Art Direction (Michael Seymour, Leslie Dilley, Roger Christian, Ian Whittaker)