I watched Alien the other night for the first time in multiple years. It’s funny how the rough edges of a movie disappear, but an idea of its quality remains. I had forgotten the specifics of what made it so special.
The awesome oddity of a totally empowered, badass female hero in a movie made during the 70s. The wretched sounds of all those future-people getting picked off one by one by that alien, whose unseen shadow-presence still inspires a dread Hollywood has been unsuccessfully trying to replicate for years. A production and art design that invested in actual sets over pure technical gimmickry - and cheated around the overly complicated stuff with solutions that only added to an overall aesthetic creepiness.
More than anything, I was struck by the movie’s pace. Part of the reason Alien is so scary is because the movie takes its time. You get to know the characters. You begin to see yourself in them. And when the movie begins to grow more and more tense, it does so carefully. There’s a scene where a character slowly follows a stupid cat through various rooms - and we know for certain the guy is toast - but the movie teases you with that knowledge over a painful time. He pauses under water to take off his hat and clean his sweaty face. He calls out to the cat. He walks through room after room. Finally the alien strikes. Good lord.
More movies like that, please.
