New Alien movie aims to “scar audiences for life” with graphic scenes

The upcoming Alien: Romulus promises to be a return to form for the Alien franchise, which means it hopes to be just as scary, too.

It’s easy to forget just how terrifying the original Alien was for audiences at the time. The gothic space horror redefined the horror genre with its moody atmosphere and surprisingly understated gore (outside of the iconic Chestburster scene, obviously).

But, the Alien franchise has somewhat lost its teeth over the years. Aliens was a more straightforward action flick, and follow-ups have gotten further and further from the haunting body horror that once sent children scurrying behind the couch in terror.

It sounds like that’s to change with Alien: Romulus. Set between Alien and Aliens, the film follows space colonists who come across the Xenomorphs on an abandoned space station.

In an interview with Total Film, the cast revealed that Alien: Romulus aspires to be so scary that unsuspecting kids will never forget it.

“I really do believe that there are specific sequences in this film that will scar some kids that sneak into the movie for life,” star Isabela Merced said, though she did not offer any specifics.

“You can definitely say goodbye to a 12A,” David Jonssen added. “If you’re going to try and scare people, then you scare them.”

“He’s waiting to do something strange and twisted,” star Cailee Spaeny said of director Fede Álvarez, who has cut his teeth on modern horror as the director of 2013’s Evil Dead re-imagining and 2016’s Don’t Breathe. “And you know he’s got it when you’re right on the edge of going, ‘Should we do this?'”

The original Alien was a moody thriller that terrified audiences with a scary atmosphere and fraught tension. There were moments of traditional gore, such as the Chestburster exploding out of Kane’s body, but otherwise, the film uses the threat of the Alien’s presence to terrify you.

Alien: Romulus aspires to recapture that stress-inducing tension as the originals. Early marketing has already set the tone, including a stark black teaser image that hides a Xenomorph in its shadow.

Plenty of people will be able to hear you scream when Alien: Romulus hits theaters on August 16. Until then, check out all the best movies hitting streaming this month, and you can also see which TV shows to add to your watchlist.