Is Alien a horror movie? Twitterati argues over the Ridley Scott film's genre
Alien is a 1979 sci-fi film directed by Ridley Scott. One Twitter poll asking whether the film is horror or not resulted into a heated debate among Twitterati.
- Entertainment News
- 3 min read
Is Alien a horror movie? This question has started a major debate on Twitter. Many movie lovers quickly jumped on board when another Twitter user wanted to settle debate around Ridley Scott movie’s genre. Soon, a simple poll attached to this question turned into a heated debate on Twitter.
Is Alien a horror movie? Find out below
Twitter has become a hot spot for several debates. Every now and then Twitter users find a new topic to discuss on. The recent hot topic of discussion was 1979 sci-fi film, Alien. As mentioned earlier, the film has been directed Ridley Scott. The debate around this film began with a simple tweet. One Twitter user named Elle Hunt shared a poll with other users.
Hunt’s tweet read, “Settle an argument: is Alien a horror film? Give reasons why pls”. Along with the question Hunt also gave two options, a simple “Yes” or “No”. Within no time, Twitterati began commenting and discussing the film. At the time of writing, 93.7% agreed that the Ridley Scott film belongs to the horror genre. While, 6.3% responded with a “No”.
Settle an argument: is Alien a horror film? Give reasons why pls
— Elle Hunt (@elle_hunt) April 6, 2021
One Twitter user responded to Elle Hunt’s tweet by saying that many people do not understand the difference between thriller and horror. Another Twitter user said that Alien’s plot is similar to that of a slasher film like Halloween. He added that the focus of the film is on the “tension rather than spectacle”. Elle responded to this tweet by writing that horror cannot be set in space. One Twitter user even agreed that horror films cannot be set in space and require an “earthly setting”.
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Some Twitter users even compared Alien’s plot to other horror movies. One Twitter user commented how Alien is not a horror film since its key aspect of horror is missing entirely. She pointed out how the alien had an agenda to reproduce his species through the human body. Another Twitter user asked if Alien can be considered as the film Jaws set in space.
Most people don't know the difference between thriller vs horror. pic.twitter.com/yXsFOLpw50
— Tony Wang (@hotmilkgt) April 6, 2021
It’s structure is that of a slasher horror (see: Halloween) but in space. Focus on tension rather than spectacle. Fighting back against the enemy is a desperate final act after a film of fleeing. The jump scares.
— Significant Uther (@utherlives) April 6, 2021
My argument: horror cannot be set in space
— Elle Hunt (@elle_hunt) April 6, 2021
No. Horror needs to be grounded in an earthly setting, to give you a sense that it could happen to you. Using Sci Fi as a vehicle for the story, it loses that connection. It’s just a scary futuristic film
— Terence Bartlett (@BerryTartlet) April 6, 2021
I think Alien isn’t a horror film because it lacks a key aspect of horror: gratuitous killing. The alien had an agenda - reproduce by using humans as hosts. So, even though it took the crew out one by one, it had a reason. As opposed to just serial murder.
— Esther Ciammachilli #WeMakeWAMU (@EstherCinDC) April 7, 2021
Depends, isn't Alien basically Jaws in space? Rarely-seen antagonist terrorizing a group of people. People in charge want to ignore the problem, thereby making it worse. Scrappy main character overcomes impossible odds to defeat the 'monster' and save the day. So is Jaws horror?
— nubbin00 (@nubbin00_) April 6, 2021
Alien's plot
The 1979 sci-fi film is based on a story written by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett. In the film, a crew on the commercial space tug Nostromo comes face to face with an Alien. This Alien is highly aggressive and chooses the tug’s crew as his next prey. The Ridley Scott directed film starred Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, John Hurt, Harry Dean Stanton, Yaphet Kotto, and Ian Holm.