‘Alien’ Trailer: Here’s Why So Many People Still Love It – 35 Years Later!

Alien.

The classic 1979 science-fiction horror movie that many fans and critics alike agree set a brand new standard for alien horror films and science-fiction movies overall.

Directed by Ridley Scott, Alien earned awards and accolades not just for the acting, but also for the dramatic presentation and visual effects that have resonated within the minds and hearts of science-fiction fans for more than three decades.

Long before the movie was released on May 25, 1979, millions of people were already on the edge of their seats – waiting in suspense to see what would happen next just by watching the trailer.

Even though the Alien trailer was basically the length of the average teaser trailer today (two minutes), it was packed with just enough footage to captivate the attention of the average moviegoer, and compel them to buy a movie ticket as soon as the film was released.

In the Alien trailer, there is no dialogue between the characters. There is no voiceover narration that explains the backstory of the main characters, the overall plot of the movie, or even a description of what was appearing on the screen.

In stark contrast to many of the popular trailers that have been released for movies in general since its release, the Alien trailer simply focused on taking the viewer for a quick ride. It starts off very slowly with images from outer space of stars and what seems (at first) like the craters of the moon or some other planet.

However, as the title “ALIEN” lowers slowly from the top of the screen, you realize that you have been staring at an egg. Once the egg cracks, the rest of the Alien trailer is just one quick montage of action-packed footage depicting exploration, discovery, escapes, arrivals, invasions, and sheer chaos.

The Alien trailer is artistic and compelling because it provides you with a list of questions – but not a single answer.

Unlike most movie trailers that seem to give everything away within the first few minutes, the original Alien trailer left moviegoers completely confused yet intrigued.

Due to the commercial success of the Alien movie, three sequels were developed which also became box office hits – the 1986 Aliens film directed by James Cameron, the 1992 Alien 3 film directed by David Fincher, and the 1997 Alien: Resurrection film, which was written by Joss Whedon.

There has even been a new video game released recently, Alien: Isolation, which included a lot of what was featured in the original Alien trailer and movie in its overall design.

What do you think about the original Alien trailer? Is it one of the best movie trailers of all time or is it overrated?