The Alien Anthology Thread - October 26, 2010

[lolwut]

Originally Posted by raygendreau

I like this comparison of horror and terror from Wikipedia:

“The distinction between horror and terror is a standard literary and psychological concept applied especially to Gothic literature and film. Terror is usually described as the feeling of dread and anticipation that precedes the horrifying experience. By contrast, horror is the feeling of revulsion that usually occurs after something frightening is seen, heard, or otherwise experienced. It is the feeling one gets after coming to an awful realization or experiencing a deeply unpleasant occurrence. In other words, horror is more related to being shocked or scared (being horrified), while terror is more related to being anxious or fearful. Horror has also been defined as a combination of terror and revulsion” (end quote)

Graphically, you experience terror when, as you furtively walk over a grave in an overgrown, abandoned graveyard at midnight, something bony erupts from the soil and grasps your ankle like a vise. You experience horror when the creature drags you down, grabs you by the back of the head and tongue kisses you with a mouthful of live worms and maggots. You scream and choke and scream and scream…

That was the difference I experienced between Alien and Aliens. Obviously, I prefer horror to terror.

The example you provided seems to imply that horror is more about being revolting. Obviously this isn't the case as there are countless horror films that don't rely on shocking, revolting imagery to be scary. Personally, I've never seen much of a difference between the terms - horrifying/terrifying are both scary. I can see how terror would be more related to more suspenseful films. I usually describe something as horrific if it disturbs me deeply instead of merely being scary.

Originally Posted by Aragorn84

For Ridley's successor to 'Alien' to be PG-13 would be a crime. He needs to start taking a firmer stance with the studios. Did he learn nothing from the 'Kingdom of Heaven' debacle? (I realize this isn't the same thing)

+1. This PG-13 nonsense is news to me, I never even considered it to be anything less than an R.

[EvlAsh]

Originally Posted by KillDaWabbit

I am looking into buying this set from amazon.co.uk but I am unsure if it will play on my US PS3. Anyone have any insight on that?

Don't worry, it'll play.

[Talyn]

Originally Posted by Aragorn84

For Ridley's successor to 'Alien' to be PG-13 would be a crime. He needs to start taking a firmer stance with the studios. Did he learn nothing from the 'Kingdom of Heaven' debacle? (I realize this isn't the same thing)

Hmmm. I'll still see it, and most likely buy the director's cut...but I'd rather see one cut of the film, straight up the way the director intended. They hired him for a reason.

[Rambaldi47]

I never got that Dallas was being turned into an egg. I just thought he was being saved for later. The alien's gotta eat sometime, right? So I find that interesting. How would a person become an egg?

Along the lines of there being no need for a queen in Alien but there being one in Aliens, perhaps the species evolved, like how in Resurrection when the queen was producing eggs normally but then developed a uterus because it had Ripley's DNA.

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by Rambaldi47

I never got that Dallas was being turned into an egg. I just thought he was being saved for later. The alien's gotta eat sometime, right? So I find that interesting. How would a person become an egg?

Dallas wasn't. Just Brett. Dallas would be the host for the facehugger that Brett's egg would create.

[raygendreau]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Dallas wasn't. Just Brett. Dallas would be the host for the facehugger that Brett's egg would create.

Exactly. If you look at the scene in the director's cut, Dallas is intact, but restrained by the resin cocoon. Brett has nearly been completely transformed into an egg. Here is the logic behind this process. The chest burster requires food until it reaches maturity. The adult Alien does not. The adult xenomorph's life span is measured in days, perhaps 4. The xenomorph was reaching the end of its short life span, so, to complete the life cycle, one of the prey, Brett, is turned into an egg. The resulting facehugger will impregnate Dallas, thereby completing the life cycle. The process would continue until no prey remain alive.

Alien 1 Director's Cut (German) - Where the Eggs come from - YouTube

[Mark Malmstrøm]

that egg scene is actually also cut/shortened if you see the scene in the laserdisc archive


Lambert also ask inside the derilict 'what happened to the rest of the crew' - where the whole crew turned into eggs - remember this is 1979

[raygendreau]

Originally Posted by Mark Malmstrøm

that egg scene is actually also cut/shortened if you see the scene in the laserdisc archive


Lambert also ask inside the derilict 'what happened to the rest of the crew' - where the whole crew turned into eggs - remember this is 1979

Yes, the laserdisc archive on the Alien Anthology archive BD is the best source, if you have it.

From Wikipedia: Dallas and Brett who have been partially cocooned by the Alien. O'Bannon had intended the scene to indicate that Brett was becoming an Alien egg while Dallas was held nearby to be implanted by the resulting facehugger. Production Designer Michael Seymour later suggested that Dallas had "become sort of food for the alien creature", while Ivor Powell suggested that "Dallas is found in the ship as an egg, still alive." Scott remarked that "they're morphing, metamorphosing, they are changing into...being consumed, I guess, by whatever the Alien's organism is...

I'm going with O'Bannon's take on it. You could make the case that, since the xenomorph abducted Brett before he got Dallas, the additional time had allowed the metamorphosing of Brett to be further along than it was with Dallas.

As for the eggs in the hold of the ship, Ridley Scott continues to support the concept of them as biomechanical weapons. The Space Jockey may have been the only one aboard the Alien ship. Although not conclusive, the clip of the Space Jockey chair rotating up into the pilot chamber shows one lone Engineer/pilot in the Prometheus trailer.

If you have the Alien Anthology, I would recommend watching 'Cocoon of love' which can be found in the Enhancement Pods on the Making of the anthology disk. I think the comments by Skerritt and Scott put to bed the real reasons for the deletion of the scene.

[Duffy12]

.

Also regarding Brett and Dallas's final scenes.
Brett's was pretty darn gory(more so in the 2nd cut) while Parker mentioned that they found no blood from Dallas's last location, only his flamethrower.

So I guess the ALIEN stung him with his tail them carried him back to it's makeshift nest.

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[Col. Zombie]

Originally Posted by Duffy12

.

So I guess the ALIEN stung him with his tail them carried him back to it's makeshift nest.

.

Do they "sting" with their tails? What is the result of being "stung" by a xenomorph?

[StoogeFan1118]

For anyone who dosent have this set and wants it Amazon is selling the UK import for around $30-$33 dollars. I am sure people already know but just posting in case someone does not. My set was damaged by my cousin last year so I will be ordering since its the same exact set as whats in the USA just with UK ratings logos on them

[Duffy12]

Originally Posted by Col. Zombie

Do they "sting" with their tails? What is the result of being "stung" by a xenomorph?

It was from the ALIENS movie novel.

But from what I remember, Gorman got stung by one, which was part of the reason that he was out of it for a while along with his concussion.
It's purpose is so that the aliens can get the host back to the hive in one piece and impregnated without their objections.

Now, is that from Cameron's movie draft and considered canon, or did Alan Dean Foster just make that up?

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[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by Duffy12

It was from the ALIENS movie novel, but from what I remember, Gorman got stung by one which was part of the reason that he was out of it for a while along with his concussion.

Now, is that from Cameron's movie draft and considered cannon, or did Alan Dean Foster make that up?

.

I am betting Foster made it up. Read the novelization of Star Wars Episode I and you'll see what I mean.

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by Col. Zombie

Do they "sting" with their tails? What is the result of being "stung" by a xenomorph?

Ask Bishop.

[-RONIN-]

Still can't believe I don't own this set yet. Might have to keep an eye out on a sale.

[Col. Zombie]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Ask Bishop.

Well, of course, that goes without saying.

I just was curious to know if they had a little "venom" sack tucked away somewhere in there.

[Trekkie313]

Originally Posted by -RONIN-

Still can't believe I don't own this set yet. Might have to keep an eye out on a sale.

The U.K. is your friend.

[raygendreau]

Originally Posted by Col. Zombie

Well, of course, that goes without saying.

I just was curious to know if they had a little "venom" sack tucked away somewhere in there.

Xenomorph - Tail

"Originally, the Alien's tail was roughly the length of the creature with a small, almost surgical stinger-like barb on the end. From Alien³ onwards, however, the tail has grown in length and now features a knife-like blade at the tip. In Alien: Resurrection and Aliens vs. Predator, the tails have also sported a fin right before the blade. This was introduced in Alien Resurrection to help the creatures swim convincingly, and was left on in Alien vs. Predator as ADI, the company that redesigned the creatures, did not have enough time to alter the designs.

The original shooting script for Aliens features a scene in which Lieutenant Gorman is "stung" by an Alien's stinger. He was not killed, merely stunned, and the barb remained lodged in his shoulder, having torn loose from the Alien's tail, much like a bee stinger. The novelisation also includes this scene, though the movie itself does not. However, this was integrated into Aliens vs. Predator 2. According to the game, the tip of the alien's tail sports a neurotoxin that allows it to stun enemies that it manages to hit."

From a Cameron Fan website. Some side by side comparisons of the Alien's Alien and the Aliens' Alien.

http://www.dvdvision.fr/jco/AlienWarrior.htm

[Trekkie313]

I chalk up the different tails to be "evolution" since the original ALIEN/egg could have been stasis for centuries before being discovered. ALIENS takes place 57 years later and the Facehuggers that make the aliens in the 2nd film may have been from a different Queen.

The AR paddle and smoother bodies make sense since they probably lost some features and gained some by genetic alteration after multiple cloning attempts.

[AlexSing]

Originally Posted by Trekkie313

I chalk up the different tails to be "evolution" since the original ALIEN/egg could have been stasis for centuries before being discovered. ALIENS takes place 57 years later and the Facehuggers that make the aliens in the 2nd film may have been from a different Queen.

The AR paddle and smoother bodies make sense since they probably lost some features and gained some by genetic alteration after multiple cloning attempts.

That all sounds like a bi of a stretch to me. I'll go with the assumption that the various Directors and artistic talent on each film just decided on subtle alterations to suit their needs.