Home Entertainment Alien celebrating 40th Anniversary with six new short films

Alien celebrating 40th Anniversary with six new short films

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In space, no one can hear you scream. They can hear you celebrate the 40th anniversary of one of the greatest sci fi films of all time though. Ridley Scott’s seminal 1979 classic Alien is a masterpiece of horror that gave us one of the most iconic heroines in cinema history in Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley, alongside one of the most iconic creatures of all time in the Xenomorph.

Alien was also a hugely influential film, making a big impact on generations of filmmakers to follow. Now it’s time for the latest batch of those filmmakers to return the favour as 20th Century Fox will be releasing a collection of six brand new live-action short film set in the Alien universe, made by some hot up and coming writers/directors.

The first teaser trailer and synopses for these films has now dropped online, and I’m really liking what I’m seeing here. Check them out below!

Alien: Alone — 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. Written and directed by Noah Miller.

Alien: Containment — 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. Written and directed by Chris Reading.

Alien: Harvest — The surviving crew of a damaged deep-space harvester have 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. Directed by Benjamin Howdeshell.

Alien: Night Shift — 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. Written and directed by Aidan Breznick.

Alien: Ore — 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. Written and directed by the Spear Sisters.

Alien: Specimen — 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. Written and directed by Kelsey Taylor


Chosen from over 500 submissions, these half dozen films will be debuting over the course of the next month and a half, with a new entry released every week as from 29 March on IGN’s website. On 5 May though, all of the shorts will be making their way to AlienUniverse.com and the @AlienAnthology social media channels where they will be posted alongside some exclusive behind-the-scenes footage.

If you want to get your eyeballs on these short films even quicker, then all you need to do is just make sure you’re in America over the next few weeks. Emerald City Con, C2E2, and Wonder-Con will all see some of the shorts debut exclusively for the audience in attendance during their shows. If you’re craving some more Alien goodness without needing to fly halfway around the world, you can also watch the full Alien: Isolation video game adaptation series on IGN.

Last Updated: March 15, 2019

7 Comments

  1. Admiral Chief

    March 15, 2019 at 09:33

    This pleases me

    Reply

    • Original Heretic

      March 15, 2019 at 10:03

      Sies! We don’t want to know your fetishes!

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief

        March 15, 2019 at 10:54

        Shhhh, I needs dat acid lotion

        Reply

        • Original Heretic

          March 15, 2019 at 11:01

          You’re not supposed to use acid on genital warts!!
          Um…or, uh, so I hear.

          Reply

      • Pariah

        March 15, 2019 at 12:15

        At least he’s not into cheese though… 😛

        Reply

  2. G8crasha

    March 15, 2019 at 09:40

    IGN scooped quite the goal having these shorts released through their channel. I will definitely take a look at them.

    Reply

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