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Xenomorphs Unleashed: 6 Lesser-Known Facts of the Alien Franchise

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Alien Franchise Facts

The Alien franchise is very popular among horror and sci-fi fans alike. It has spawned several prequels, sequels, crossover movies, video games, and comic books. The first two films typically make it on the list of greatest horror films of all time and sometimes even the greatest movies of all time. While the movies after the first 2 are mixed among fans, the Alien franchise is still very popular today and still making new material including a new movie, tv series, and video game. With this in mind, we are going to dive into interesting facts you may not have known about the Alien franchise. 

The first movie was originally called Star Beast

Movie Scene from Alien (1979)

While it’s hard to believe this franchise being called anything else, at the time it was originally going to be called Star Beast. It stayed as the working title for a while, but scriptwriter Dan O’Bannon hated this title. He decided to change the title to Alien after seeing the word appear in the script several times. Both O’Bannon and other scriptwriter Ronal Shusett agreed that this title was much better and sounded much simpler. 

The actor’s reactions during the chestburster scene in Alien were real

Movie scene from Alien (1979)

The famous chestburster scene from the first Alien movie is iconic, to say the least, but what may surprise you is that the cast’s reaction is legitimate. During the filming of this scene, they were aware that an alien puppet was going to burst out of his chest, but they didn’t know about the blood spraying everywhere. When this happened, the shocked faces were real, and the freakout reaction from actress Veronica Cartwright was legit.

The knife trick scene from Aliens was actually sped up

Movie scene from Aliens (1986)

One of the most iconic scenes in Aliens is where bishop the android performs the knife trick over Hudson’s hand. It was actually performed at a slower speed while filming and was sped up in post-production. Also, this scene was not in the script and was only known about by certain actors, not including Bill Paxton so his reaction was genuine. Seems like there’s a trend of not telling actors about certain things in this film franchise. 

James Cameron wrote the script for Aliens during downtime while making The Terminator

The Terminator (1984) & Alien (1986)

You heard that right, but it’s not exactly what you think. There was a 9-month hiatus while filming The Terminator due to Arnold Schwarzenegger having a contractual obligation and having to go work on another film. During this time, Cameron wrote the screenplay and after the success of The Terminator, the studio decided to hire him as the director for the film as well. 

Alien 3 went through development hell

Movie scene from Alien 3 (1992)

It’s a miracle that this movie was even made, to say the least. It went through several scripts that were thrown out and a ton of concepts that never saw the light of day. So much so that even a comic line following one of the lost Alien 3 scripts was made. It even started filming when the script was only halfway complete.

The shooting of the film was harsh and was cut by 70 days out of nowhere which made it even more difficult to make. It was such a bad experience that even the director of the movie David Fincher disowns the film. When it came out, it was met with mixed reviews and was the first of the franchise to do so. 

Ron Perlman almost died while filming Alien: Resurrection

Movie scene from Alien: Resurrection (1997)

As crazy as it sounds, this was almost the case. When filming the underwater sequence for the movie, Perlman accidentally hit his head on a sprinkler in the water and passed out. The crew had to move quickly to get him out of the water. It was definitely a scary situation, to say the least. 

There are so many interesting facts about the Alien franchise, it’s impossible to mention them all here. Did you know any of these or do you know some that weren’t mentioned here? Let us know in the comments below. 

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Unbelievably Cool ‘Scream’ Trailer But Re-Imagined As A 50s Horror Flick

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Ever wonder what your favorite horror movies would look like if they had been made in the 50s? Thanks to We Hate Popcorn But Eat It Anyway and their use of modern technology now you can!

The YouTube channel reimagines modern movie trailers as mid-century pulp flicks using AI software.

What is really neat about these bite-sized offerings is that some of them, mostly the slashers go against what cinemas had to offer over 70 years ago. Horror movies back then involved atomic monsters, scary aliens, or some sort of physical science gone awry. This was the era of the B-movie where actresses would put their hands against their faces and let out over-dramatic screams reacting to their monstrous pursuer.

With the advent of new color systems such as DeLuxe and Technicolor, movies were vibrant and saturated in the 50s enhancing primary colors that electrified the action happening on screen, bringing a whole new dimension to films using a process called Panavision.

“Scream” reimagined as a 50s horror movie.

Arguably, Alfred Hitchcock upended the creature feature trope by making his monster a human in Psycho (1960). He used black and white film to create shadows and contrast which added suspense and drama to every setting. The final reveal in the basement would probably not have been if he had used color.

Jump to the 80s and beyond, actresses were less histrionic, and the only emphasized primary color was blood red.

What is also unique about these trailers is the narration. The We Hate Popcorn But Eat It Anyway team has captured the monotone narration of 50s movie trailer voiceovers; those over-dramatic faux news anchor cadences that emphasized buzz words with a sense of urgency.

That mechanic died out long ago, but luckily, you can see what some of your favorite modern horror movies would look like when Eisenhower was in office, developing suburbs were replacing farmland and cars were made with steel and glass.

Here are some other noteworthy trailers brought to you by We Hate Popcorn But Eat It Anyway:

“Hellraiser” reimagined as a 50s horror movie.

“It” reimagined as a 50s horror movie.
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The Top-Searched Free Horror/Action Movies on Tubi This Week

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The free streaming service Tubi is a great place to scroll when you’re unsure what to watch. They are not sponsored or affiliated with iHorror. Still, we really appreciate their library because it’s so robust and has many obscure horror movies so rare you can’t find them anywhere in the wild except, if you’re lucky, in a moist cardboard box at a yard sale. Other than Tubi, where else are you going to find Nightwish (1990), Spookies (1986), or The Power (1984)?

We take a look at the most searched horror titles on the platform this week, hopefully, to save you some time in your endeavor to find something free to watch on Tubi.

Interestingly at the top of the list is one of the most polarizing sequels ever made, the female-led Ghostbusters reboot from 2016. Perhaps viewers have seen the latest sequel Frozen Empire and are curious about this franchise anomaly. They will be happy to know it’s not as bad as some think and is genuinely funny in spots.

So take a look at the list below and tell us if you are interested in any of them this weekend.

1. Ghostbusters (2016)

Ghostbusters (2016)

An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.

2. Rampage

When a group of animals becomes vicious after a genetic experiment goes awry, a primatologist must find an antidote to avert a global catastrophe.

3. The Conjuring The Devil Made Me Do It

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren uncover an occult conspiracy as they help a defendant argue that a demon forced him to commit murder.

4. Terrifier 2

After being resurrected by a sinister entity, Art the Clown returns to Miles County, where his next victims, a teenage girl and her brother, await.

5. Don’t Breathe

A group of teens breaks into a blind man’s home, thinking they’ll get away with the perfect crime but get more than they bargained for once inside.

6. The Conjuring 2

In one of their most terrifying paranormal investigations, Lorraine and Ed Warren help a single mother of four in a house plagued by sinister spirits.

7. Child’s Play (1988)

A dying serial killer uses voodoo to transfer his soul into a Chucky doll which winds up in the hands of a boy who may be the doll’s next victim.

8. Jeepers Creepers 2

When their bus breaks down on a deserted road, a team of high school athletes discovers an opponent they cannot defeat and may not survive.

9. Jeepers Creepers

After making a horrific discovery in the basement of an old church, a pair of siblings find themselves the chosen prey of an indestructible force.

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New to Netflix (U.S.) This Month [May 2024]

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atlas movie Netflix starring Jennifer Lopez

Another month means fresh additions to Netflix. Although there aren’t many new horror titles this month, there are still some notable movies well worth your time. For instance, you can watch Karen Black try to land a 747 jet in Airport 1979, or Casper Van Dien kill giant insects in Paul Verhoeven’s bloody sci-fi opus Starship Troopers.

We are looking forward to the Jennifer Lopez sci-fi action movie Atlas. But let us know what you are going to watch. And if we have missed something, put it in the comments.

May 1:

Airport

A blizzard, a bomb, and a stowaway help create the perfect storm for the manager of a Midwestern airport and a pilot with a messy personal life.

Airport ’75

Airport ’75

When a Boeing 747 loses its pilots in a midair collision, a member of the cabin crew must take control with radio help from a flight instructor.

Airport ’77

A luxury 747 packed with VIPs and priceless art goes down in the Bermuda Triangle after being hijacked by thieves — and time for a rescue is running out.

Jumanji

Two siblings discover an enchanted board game that opens a door to a magical world — and unwittingly release a man who’s been trapped inside for years.

Hellboy

Hellboy

A half-demon paranormal investigator questions his defense of humans when a dismembered sorceress rejoins the living to wreak brutal vengeance.

Starship Troopers

When fire-spitting, brain-sucking bugs attack Earth and obliterate Buenos Aires, an infantry unit heads to the aliens’ planet for a showdown.

May 9

Bodkin

Bodkin

A ragtag crew of podcasters sets out to investigate mysterious disappearances from decades earlier in a charming Irish town with dark, dreadful secrets.

May 15

The Clovehitch Killer

The Clovehitch Killer

A teenager’s picture-perfect family is torn apart when he uncovers unnerving evidence of a serial killer close to home.

May 16

Upgrade

After a violent mugging leaves him paralyzed, a man receives a computer chip implant that allows him to control his body — and get his revenge.

Monster

Monster

After being abducted and taken to a desolate house, a girl sets out to rescue her friend and escape from their malicious kidnapper.

May 24

Atlas

Atlas

A brilliant counterterrorism analyst with a deep distrust of AI discovers it might be her only hope when a mission to capture a renegade robot goes awry.

Jurassic World: Chaos Theory

The Camp Cretaceous gang come together to unravel a mystery when they discover a global conspiracy that brings danger to dinosaurs — and to themselves.

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