SciFi/Horror Hall Of Fame (actual)

Yup! I was so impressed with it, that I'm watching the 1956 original tonight.

I haven't seen the 1956 version in many years, but as I recall, it was a pretty good version. But you can probably skip the 2007 version The Invasion. If I remember correctly, it was more disgusting horror than creepy thriller.

I was the one who suggested that you watch the 2007 version. I kind of liked it too, but yah it had the whole zombie influence thing.

Catch ya latter! off to watch my movie with fresh homemade pizza!

I knew that it was either you or Capt. Steel.

Enjoy your pizza and movie.

56 version is awesome. Enjoy Citizen.

I think the line between "creepy" and "unintentionally funny" is very close and i always found that Body Snatchers the latter. Great film though!

I watched the 1956 original version of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, it was good! entertainment but not on the professional level of the 1978 version. I learned from IMDB trivia the the 56 version had originally had lots of dry humor in it, but the studio would not allow humor in a horror film so ordered the humor scenes cut. That's probably why it's so short at only 80 minutes.

Interesting tidbit, the star of the 56 version, Kevin McCarthy has a cameo role in the 1978 movie. He's the gray haired man who runs into the windshield of Donald Sutherland's car. And one of the leading actresses in the 1978 movie, Veronica Cartwright has a cameo role in the third version, The Invasion (2007). I'm sure no one really cares about all that, but I thought it was cool.

Event Horizon is awesome. great nomination teeter! If I had participated in this HoF it would be pretty high on my list

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Alien (1979).....'In space no one can hear you scream.'

Alien is one of the great Sci Fi Horror films. When it first came out people talked about it...as it was on the cutting edge of Sci Fi Horror. Over 35 years latter this film is still being talked about.

I watched the original 1979 theatrical release, there's also a Director's Cut (2003). Most of you already know about this classic, so I'll just tell you what I personally loved about it:


The Sets: I wish I could see this on the big screen. The sets are stunning, especially when you consider this was made in 1979. The ship Nostromo looks real, it's dark, functional looking and big! I love the way it looks lived in with little personal items laying about.



Cinematography: Ridley Scott knows how to give his films atmosphere! His secret: dark subdued lighting and smoke, lots of smoky mist. This hides some of the background making the sets look like they go on forever...Low Key Lighting, is often used in film noir, here Ridley uses it to accent the subjects while keeping most of the background in a shadowy dark, which gives great depth to his compositions. Long Takes and Sweeping Tracking Shots, Ridley knows how to take his time, the camera is never rushed. He makes use of gentler camera movements with less edits and longer takes, which gives the viewer a chance to reflect on what's happening in the scene.

Music Score: The score is exquisite! It's haunting, foreboding and dark...just like the deep of space. Yet it never becomes obvious or overly dominate. The score sets the mood without getting in the way.



Characters: The crew of the Nostromo are interesting characters! I'll focus on the most important one, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver). Ripley is a take charge, tough woman. It's refreshing to see a woman take the lead and be the courageous leader for once. Ripley is also very human and at times afraid...and who wouldn't be. But she doesn't let her fear of the creature stop her from trying to survive. My favorite Ripley moment is when she spots the alien and as she puts on a space suit, she nervously says the words from "You Are My Lucky Star".


H. R. Giger: My praise goes to the other star of Alien, H.R. Giger. A Swedish surrealist artist who's art heavily influenced the movie. He was the designer of the Alien creature and his work influenced the interior of the alien ship, He worked on many other films as well. He died before his time in 2014 at the age of 74. When you watch Alien, remember the man behind the alien mask. Without Giger there would be no Alien.


I hope everyone enjoys Alien as much as I did!

That's a great write-up, CR. I'll be too tired to watch it tonight, but I'm looking forward to seeing it this week.

Personal recollections of Alien - still the best Sci-Fi / Horror film!

It was the first film I saw on VHS. I had a friend who's parents always had the latest technology - so they had the first Video Cassette Recorder I'd ever seen. I remember going with them to rent videos in the back of a jewelry store (???) There were no video rental stores yet and it just seemed like something illegal - going to an area in the back of this store to rent videos - it had a clandestine feel to it. It seemed like some secret that only (what we now call) the 1 percenters had access to because no one who wasn't on the high end of society would be in this expensive jewelry store.

Anyway, after watching the film, I had to walk home (about a mile). It was late, it was dark and my route was through shadowy passageways and back alleys. I was just a youngster so I remember being a bit on edge.

Thanks Cricket..as always I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the film. I'm guessing you've seen it before, how long has it been?

Captain, very interesting about the clandestine videos in back of the jewelery store...are you sure those were only R rated...Alien was a great first choice for first time watching a movie on a VCR. Can I ask what year that was?

I remember my parents had a VCR in 1984, the kind with a wired remote. The remote control had a crazy wire attaching it to the VCR. Late at night, in the dark, I would get up and run into the wire almost pulling the VCR off the TV!

Ha! I've never heard of a wired remote!
At the time I saw Alien, watching a movie at home at your own discretion was unheard of. If you had cable you could watch whatever movies HBO happened to be showing or watch what was on the "13" channels.
So seeing Alien in a home (and being able to pause it and such) was a complete novelty. Add to that how scary and excellent the movie was!

So, Rules, have you seen the sequel: Aliens? I don't want to spoil if not, but it's a fantastic continuation of Ripley's story but in a very different kind of movie. Still, both I & II are great, each in their own way.

Unfortunately, III (in my opinion) suffers from the third movie curse.

I've seen Aliens, yup great film! and Aliens 3...but many years ago. I think I'll watch them both again for Halloween. I haven't seen Alien: Resurrection but did see Prometheus.

Now that I look there are even more Alien franchise films in the works.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_%28franchise%29

Watch Alien 3 director's cut, it's awesomely amazingly superduper!

Slob, which do you like better directors cut or original for Alien (1979)?

Not sure, anywhere from 15 to 30 years, but I remember it fairly well.

I remember those wired remotes. Do you remember the VCRs that loaded from the top, not the front? They had a part on top that popped up, and you had to slide the tape into it and push it down into the VCR. To record using the timer, you had to push the PAUSE button first, then press both PLAY and RECORD. When the timer started, the pause button would release, and the VCR would record, but it didn't have a way to stop, so it would keep recording until it reached the end of the tape, or until someone manually stopped it.

I remember those top loading VCRs, but nope my parents VCR loaded from the front. I think they bought it in 1984.

My parents bought their first VCR around 1980, maybe even a year or two earlier, but I got my first VCR, (that was mine, not my parents), in 1982. I was always using their VCR, so when I turned 16, they gave me a choice. They would either pay for a big Sweet 16 party at some fancy expensive place, or they would buy me my own VCR, and I could have a small party at home. I chose the VCR and a pizza party. (The VCR cost over $1000 including the warranty back then.)