Alien poster

Alien

1979USALanguage: EnglishDirected by Ridley Scott★ 8.2

During its return to the earth, commercial spaceship Nostromo intercepts a distress signal from a distant planet. When a three-member team of the crew discovers a chamber containing thousands of eggs on the planet, a creature inside one of the eggs attacks an explorer. The entire crew is unaware of the impending nightmare set to descend upon them when the alien parasite planted inside its unfortunate host is birthed.

Themes and style

Tone
bleaktensehauntingcold and detached
Pacing
slow burnescalatingslow build to explosion
Story
survivalsiegeescape
Emotion
paranoiafeeling powerlesssacrificeloss of innocence
Themes
class and moneycorrupt institutionsmen and women navigating expectations
Feel
exhaustingquietly hauntingrewatchablediscussion starter
Violence
graphic

Where to watch

HBO Max(subscription)HBO Max Amazon Channel(subscription)Amazon Video(rent)Apple TV Store(rent)Google Play Movies(rent)YouTube(rent)Fandango At Home(rent)

Foreign films like Alien

These foreign films share the same emotional core, themes, and structural feel as Alien. Every one of them has confirmed English subtitles or dubbing.

Creep poster

Creep

2004Germany★ 64.5 pt match

Like Alien, this one is rooted in paranoia, feeling powerless, and loss of innocence. The world both films live in revolves around class and money and corrupt institutions. The feel is the same: bleak, tense, escalating, and slow burn.

[REC] poster

[REC]

2007Spain★ 7.23.5 pt match

Both films sit with paranoia, feeling powerless, and loss of innocence. Both circle the same ground: corrupt institutions. Both move the same way too, tense, haunting, escalating, and slow build to explosion.