These 1970s Horror Movies Paved the Way for ‘Alien’

'Alien' is one of the most beloved classic horror movies and no classic comes out of thin air. The film was the culmination of two horror trends from the 1970s.

Alien is one of the most beloved classic horror movies and no classic comes out of thin air. The film was the culmination of two horror trends from the 1970s. One of these trends was retro at the time but the other was very modern.

‘Alien’ was a response to horror films from the 1950s

Science fiction and horror have been soulmates since Mary Shelley published Frankenstein in 1818. While science fiction can help us understand how new technologies could change the world, horror can show us what happens when those technologies go wrong — whether they be nuclear energy, androids, or space travel. The dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II caused lots of anxiety over new innovations, paving the way for a boom in science fiction horror films during the 1950s.

Most of these films were creature features, such as Robot Monster, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and 20 Million Miles to Earth. While Ed Wood and Mystery Science Theater 3000 give the genre a bad reputation, some 1950s monster movies are pretty good and even have good special effects for the time period. While monster movies mostly fizzled out by the beginning of the 1960s, every 20 years, old trends come back into style. It was inevitable that someone would find a way to make the genre work for the 1970s. However, that task proved harder than it might seem.

The 1970s gave us a lot of science fiction creature features, most of which were terrible, such as Zaat, Octaman, and Night of the Lepus. Clearly, the industry was trying to bring back the 1950s monster movie, these films just didn’t have enough talent or money behind them. When 20th Century Fox gave Alien a real budget and the directorial chops of Ridley Scott, they were helping fill a nostalgic need for a quality answer to the monster movies of yore.

The movie was also the culmination of several slasher films

Another trend underway in the 1970s was slasher films. While the genre dates back a long way, it started to become popular again thanks to the success of films like Black Christmas, Suspiria, and John Carpenter’s Halloween. These films all focus on a group of people getting killed off one by one as tension mounts before a dramatic final showdown between the heroine and the killer(s).

While Alien’s space-bound trappings often preclude it from being considered a slasher film, it follows the genre’s formula to a tee. Whether you were a fan of old-school monster movies or hip slashers, Alien had a lot to offer you.

‘Alien’ movies still resonate

The Alien franchise is still going strong 45 years later with the release of Alien: Romulus. Box Office Mojo reports the film has earned over $108 million thus far. That’s interesting considering that the monster and slasher booms of the 1970s are far behind us. What could explain continued interest in the series?

As long as human contact with extraterrestrial life seems like a remote possibility, aliens will be scary. They fill us with both wonder and fear. Until we all have friends from another planet, films like Alien: Romulus will be around to exploit our morbid fascination with the otherworldy.