Ridley Scott’sAlienis a winning horror movie formula, and the countless movies that have come since that take heavy inspiration from the film have proven as such by turning out some surprisingly high-quality features.The premiere of the originalAlienchanged horror and science fiction forever, inspiring countless other movies, video games, and more with its claustrophobic retro-future set design and the devious Xenomorph monster. In the years since its release, some copycat films have managed to replicate its success better than many of the actualAliensequel films.
Various movies have taken inspiration from the originalAlienin multiple different ways. Sometimes, it’s the premise, close-quarters setting, and futuristic world that provides the bulk of the inspiration, whereas other films get more mileage out of variations on the theme oftheAlienseries' Xenomorphs. Even if they aren’t the most original,many of the movies in this category are worthy follow-ups to Ridley Scott’s original sci-fi horror masterpiece.
Life
Cast
A six-member crew is tasked with studying a sample from Mars that may be the first proof of extra-terrestrial life.
Not to be confused with the 1999Eddie Murphy-led comedyof the same name, 2017’sLifeis a dark science fiction tale clearly inspired by the originalAlien.Set in a much nearer future thanAlien,the film takes place aboard the real-world International Space Station, wherein the crew make a remarkable discovery – A living organism from Mars. Unfortunately for them, it isn’t long before the rapidly-evolving creature outgrows and outwits its human prospectors.
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Lifegets a lot of mileage out of the mistakes of its human characters, with rising tensions causing airlocks to be mishandled and escape pods to be fought over.The alien creature in question, hilariously named “Calvin”, is also quite a fascinating subject, expanding on the idea of a rapidly-evolving life cycle thatAlienmerely scratched the surface of. Even ifLifewears its influences on its sleeve, the film is worth watching as a moody and atmospheric spacefaring creature feature.
Creature
Creature (1985) follows a team of American scientists on an exploration mission to Titan, one of Saturn’s moons, where they encounter a deadly extraterrestrial creature. As the menacing lifeform begins to eliminate the crew, the team must find a way to survive against the seemingly unstoppable force. The film blends elements of horror and science fiction, delivering a gripping narrative focused on survival in an unforgiving extraterrestrial environment.
Of all the ostensibleAlienrip-offs, none are perhaps as blatantly obvious as 1985’sCreature.The film takes place on the real-life moon of Saturn Titan, after a German space vessel sends out a distress call answered by an American corporate ship. When the ship crash-lands in a mysterious research facility, its crew soon learns what happened to the signal’s original senders when they come face-to-face with the titular alien creature.
From the massive corporate intrigue at play in the background to the egg pods from which the creature emerges,Creatureis as overt of anAlienrip-off as it gets.That doesn’t mean the film is entirely worth watching, however, with some impressive practical effects that show off the work of the talented Robert and Dennis Skotak before they would go on to work onAliens. Creature’s blood and gore is also eyebrow-raising fun, at times almost outdoing its inspiration in the scares department.
Contamination
Contamination (1980) is a science fiction horror film that follows a team of investigators as they uncover an extraterrestrial threat linked to a series of mysterious deaths caused by explosive alien eggs. The film delves into themes of fear and the unknown, combining elements of suspense and terror to create a chilling narrative.
Not every director waited quite so long to capitalize on the success ofAlien,with Italian director Luigi Cozzi putting his own spin on Ridley Scott’s work only one year later. EnterContamination,a film which takes the general premise of the Xenomorph and brings it right home to planet Earth. Here,a recent mission to Mars returns with some unwanted contrabandin the form of mysterious alien eggs that burst into goo, infecting anyone they touch with a deadly toxin.
Contaminationremains the closest thing to a Xenomorph attack in modern-day society audiences can get.
Cozzi makes some interesting contributions to the standardAlienformula, with espionage spy-thriller plot beats and straight-up alien mind control altering the standard operating procedure of anAlienrip-off.
While the English dialogue could’ve used better localization at times,the creative cyclopean creature behind the mysterious eggs is an entertaining sight.Considering the fact that theAlienfranchise has yet to truly invade Earth, despiteAlien 3’s misleading trailer,Contaminationremains the closest thing to a Xenomorph attack in modern-day society audiences can get.
Split Second
An evil plagues the streets of London. Relentless, it attacks during the full moon, leaving a trail of blood and terror in its wake. Officer Harley Stone tries to overcome the limits of his own sanity to put an end to the creature.
On paper,Split Secondmay seem like a story with little to do with Ridely Scott’sAlien, other than being a science fiction horror film.Set in a neo-noir futuristic version of London heavily impacted by climate change, the film follows a pair of detectives as they take on the apparent re-emergence of a serial killer that had slain one of the men’s previous partners. One of the detective soon seems to develop a kind of psychic link with the killer, who steals the organs of his victims for apparent consumption.
Where theAlieninfluence soon comes crashing into focus is when the antagonist is revealed to be not a human serial murderer, but a Xenomorph like monster, albeit a far more humanoid one than Ridley Scott’s. Still,Split Secondis a unique noir thriller that supplements the typical alien formula with an engaging mystery with an unbelievable truth behind it. That being said, most of the enjoyment one can derive out ofSplit Secondwill be decidedly ironic,the film being an unintentionally hilarious cult classic.
Deep Rising
Deep Rising is an action horror film by writer director Stephen Sommers, and follows a mercenary crew as they prepare to lay siege to a luxury liner. Led by Captain John Finnegan, the mercenary crew boards their target, the Argonautica, only to discover that someone - or something - got there first. With their boat damaged and an unseen assailant picking them off one by one, Finnegan and his crew must fight to survive and escape from a watery grave.
Not to be confused with the Jason Momoa-narrated documentary bearing the same title,Deep Risingbrings the story ofAlienmuch closer to the modern-day world.Taking place on a naval ship rather than a spacefaring one, the film revolves around a team of mercenarieswho intend to rob a high-value luxury ocean liner, only to find a group of horrific worm-like creatures have already beaten them to the punch.
What follows is a desperate bid for survival amid a tumultuous sea of churning allegiances. In truth,Deep Risingis closer to a rip-off ofAliensthanAlien,dealing with a horde of well-armed protagonists fighting off scores of monsters rather than evading a single creature.
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However, it soon turns out the mercenary crew has been doing just that, as the twist surroundingDeep Rising’s horrific sea monsteris revealed. For how much it obviously borrows from multipleAlienmovies,Deep Risingis still a tightly-written and surprisingly funny horror-actionromp with some incredible shlock imagery.
Leviathan
On a sunken Soviet cargo ship, a team of deep-sea miners led by boss Steven Beck comes across a mutant creature that is the product of a failed genetic experiment.
Coincidentally releasing around the same time as similarly underwater-themed sci-fi horror films likeThe AbyssandDeepStar Six,Leviathanis easily the most influenced byAlienof the three.Set in the derelict hull of a sunken Soviet freighter ship, the narrative hinges on the crew of an underwater mining operation.
It isn’t long before the group is attacked by a nightmarish mutant made up of the corpses of their fallen comrades. In truth,Leviathansteals just as much from John Carpenter’sThe Thingas it does fromAlien,if not more so, judging by the body horror of the fallen crew members merging into one ferocious creature.
However, the tight quarters of their environment and subtle background narrative of callous corporate experimentation certainly qualifies it as anAlienrip-off as well. Still,Leviathanoffers some mildly entertaining popcorn fare andshockingly laborious performances from its cast that more than justify a viewing.
Galaxy of Terror
Galaxy of Terror is a 1981 sci-fi horror film directed by Bruce D. Clark. The film follows a rescue mission to a distant planet, where the crew encounters a deadly alien force that manifests their deepest fears. Galaxy of Terror features performances by Edward Albert, Erin Moran, and Ray Walston.
A textbook example of the classic science fiction B-movie,Galaxy of Terroris a low-budget version ofAlienwith an inversely proportional level of shock factor and absurdityscaling with its flimsy production value. UnlikeAlien’s dystopian nightmare of a retrofuture, which feels easily familiar to viewers,Galaxy of Terroris far more fantastical, featuring psychics, magic crystals, and a one-nation humanity ruled by a mysterious figure known as thePlanet Master.However, its plot is easily reminiscent of Ridley Scott’s masterpiece.
Galaxy of Terror is also noteworthy for being an early example of director James Cameron’s work before his rise to fame, serving on the crew as a production designer.
Once the rote premise of a ship answering a distress call gets out of the way,Galaxy of Terrorreally sets itself apart with the exploitative nature of its cheap thrills. The bizarre lore of the film’s universe and disturbing body horror wrought by its own Xenomorph stand-in set the film in a league of its own.Galaxy of Terroris also noteworthy for being an early example ofdirector James Cameron’s workbefore his rise to fame, serving on the crew as a production designer.
Forbidden World
In the distant future, a marshal arrives at a research laboratory on a remote planet where a genetic experiment has been released and begins to feed by eating the scientists.
Galaxy of Terrorwould hardly be the only low-budget B-movie to take advantage ofAlien’s superstar popularity, as proven by the next year’sForbidden World.Originally titledMutant,the film follows a research team that, in an attempt to bio engineer a cure for the galaxy-wide hunger crisis,accidentally creates the perfect killing machine.
A lone military office and his stalwart robotic companion are sent in to investigate, quickly finding thesmelves outmatched by the insidious life-form.Forbidden World’s monster is as obvious asAlienrip-offs come, essentially looking like a standard Xenomorph compressed into the shape of a spider.
That being said, the film’s creature, knownas “Subject-20”, goes on a killing spree that would make the original Xenomorph blush, eviscerating the hapless research station’s scientist with some ghoulish creativity. The film also adds a hefty dose of nudity and eroticism to the already scantily-clad formula ofAlien, giving it a decidedly unique appeal.
Underwater
After a massive earthquake damages an oceanic research company’s station, the crew must travel across the ocean floor to the safety of another base. The only catch is that the unknown waters are home to dangerous aquatic monsters. Underwater stars Kristen Stewart in the lead role alongside Vincent Cassel, Mamoudou Athie, and TJ Miller.
Of all the movies to takeAlienand submerge it deep beneath the sea rather than in the void of space,Underwaterjust might be the most competently made. Starring Kristen Stewart,the film echoes the premise ofLeviathan,centering around the crew of a deep-sea mining operation far beneath the waves. What setsUnderwaterapart, however, is its creatures. Rather than renanimated corpses, the crew of the film instead go up against chilling creatures that gradually increase in size and capability.
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Underwaterdoes some brillaint things with the murky waters of its setting, playing on the audience’s thalassophobia and claustrophobia as it slowly reveals more and more of its insidious antagonist. The surprise turn intoLovecraftian horror at the ending ofUnderwateralso separates it from the pack, making for a thoroughly well-designed horror experience. Still, the influence ofAlienis undeniable, andUnderwaterwould’ve never surfaced without the influence of the iconic sci-fi horror masterpiece.
Pitch Black
Pitch Black is the first installment in the Chronicles of Riddick franchise. Vin Diesel stars as Richard B. Riddick, a criminal with artificially enhanced eyes who helps a group of survivors fight off a race of aliens after crashing on a desert planet.
Returning to interstellar terror,Pitch Blackis a variation on the theme ofAlienthat kicked off a cult classic dark action seriescentered around its protagonist, Vin Diesel’s Riddick. Riddick is a former mercenary and pilot with surgically altered eyes that allow him to see in the dark, at the cost of making normal light difficult to withstand.
These eyes come in handy when the prisoner transport spacecraft he’s interred in crash-lands on a hostile alien planet, on which deadly creatures come out during the planet’s regular eclipses. Though its creatures and premise are wonderfully original in some regards,Pitch Blackis still hopelessly steeped inAlien’s influence.
Equal parts wholly creative and derivative ofAlien,Pitch Blackmanages to generate its own unique appeal.
Still, the film managed to spawn an entire Riddick trilogy for a good reason, as Diesel’s star-turn makes for an enjoyable vehicle with which to navigate the typical sci-fi horror plot. Equal parts wholly creative and derivative ofAlien,Pitch Blackmanages to generate its own unique appeal.
