How did you first get exposed to the Alien Mythos? Dissecting my obsession

joylitt

That's one of the best ways i've ever heard of to be introduced to the ALIENverse!!
Thank-you for sharing that with us, it's a really pleasant juxtaposition of  the 'softness' of telling a child a 'fairy tale' next to the stark reality of the movie. Your Aunt must have been a really talented storyteller!

It was my sophomore year of high school.  I had always been interested in film as an art form and not just mindless entertainment.  I remember being very into Donnie Darko, and my favorite film at the time was 2001: A Space Odyssey.  I had a friend who had really great taste in films.  He introduced me to a lot of classic directors and movies that changed my life.  

Eventually I mentioned that 2001 was my favorite film, and he asked if I liked horror movies.  I said yes, and he highly recommended Alien.  I was excited because I knew it had to be epic if he recommended it based on my love for 2001.  So I watched it... and of course, I was not let down at all.  It has been one of my favorite films ever since.  

As I got older, I got into the works of H.P. Lovecraft and cosmic horror in general.  Not too long after that, Prometheus came out.  After I saw Prometheus is when I got really into the Alien franchise as a whole - trying to watch/read every bit of Alien media out there and dissecting the story as much as I could, collecting toys and merchandise, getting a Xeno tattoo.  So yeah, I've pretty much been obsessed since then.  

Blackwinter-witch That's the power of spoken word, specially effective if you have a good story to tell. My aunt still loves going to the movies. Our tastes in cinema have sharply diverged long time ago though. My greatest frustration: I could never get her to watch nor appreciate "Blade Runner"!

DirtWolf That sounds like a super cool friend :-) Funny that you mention HP Lovecrtaft. Del Toro was going to direct "Into The Mouth Of Darkness" but according to him it was going to bear too many similarities with "Prometheus" so the project got shelved. 

joylitt

Well, yeah, tastes change and such, but you have that wonderful memory, and that is everything.
Who knows, maybe she will give Bladerunner another try, and perhaps see something in it she never saw before? It does happen that way also at times. :)

I agree with the power of the spoken word in storytelling, it's a skill and a Talent, as well as an Artform. You are indeed fortunate to have someone like that in your life!

DirtWolf

I can't imagine what it must have been like, going from a mind full of 2001, and then experiencing ALIEN...it must have been a really cool experience!!

@joylitt

Indeed he was a great guy.  Wise beyond his years.  He also burned a hole in my future pocket by getting me started on collecting Criterion Collection DVDs, which I've spent hundreds of dollars on over the years lol.  It's the best bad habit I've ever had though.

At the Mountains of Madness is such a classic story!  I remember hearing about the Del Toro thing as well awhile back.  Apparently they had been trying to get the film backed since around 2006, but were having difficulties due to budgetary reasons.  And Prometheus was basically the final nail in the coffin.  The original story isn't too similar to Prometheus, but apparently Del Toro's script took some liberties with the story, and some things were way too similar to Prometheus.  It's all very interesting nonetheless.  And I still think it would be cool to see a big budget Lovecraftian film adaptation.  

@BWW

Smoking some pot and viewing Alien for the first time was indeed one of the most epic film experiences I've had :)

DirtWolf Well in the meantime maybe you can watch "The Void" as an appetizer. And be on the lookout for "Annihilation", I read the book and it has the potential of becoming Sci-fi's next big thing

I remember when I first saw Alien my mom came home with the twentieth aniversary edition and my mom loved watching movies with me (I think I was five) I remember my mom watching on in terror while I looked on the way ash had upon the xenomorph, funny enough she also had bought Predator as well and we watched that as well, then a while after that we had gone to the mall where I found a VHS copy of Aliens Special Edition, and I remember I had made up this whole fantastic story to tell my mom that I thought was a breakdown of the movie when it wasn't I wish I could remember it I would post it I remember that it was awesome, that's how I was First introduced to the phenomenal work of art by Sir Ridley Scott, that is the Alien Universe

Resurgence What a precocious child indeed :-)

The first Alien Movie I saw was Alien Resurrection when I was young.. Im probably one of the few people who really liked that movie..  Then about 10 years ago I watched Alien and Aliens for the first time.  Greatest thing I'd ever seen at the time... Loved Prometheus and here I am eagerly awaiting Covenant.......   I've still never seen Alien 3 oddly enough. 

First Alien movie I saw was Aliens...only about a year and a half ago. I was a junior in high school and I remember obsessively reading the synopsis for Alien multiple times, too afraid to watch due to what my parents told me about it. One day I was just on Youtube and I saw that Aliens was uploaded in full. I mustered up some courage, watched it, and fell in love. I was someone who never had a huge interest in sci-fi (never saw Star Wars or anything related) but wow!! I had never thought of space in the way the movie portrayed it, vast and endless. Afterwards I went out and bought the anthology, flew through those, and then watched Prometheus. Very excited for Covenant to be my first Alien movie in a theater. 

I was young back then, when I saw the original Alien on VHS (I was maybe 11 y.o back then - I'm 28 now - and I have no memories who gave me the movie, however)... and, because (apparently) I was sick little bastard as a kid, I fell in love with the creature, rather than being scared by it. Its design was (and still is) something unique and immediately grab my attention, because even then I loved the good creature design. 
I'm maybe one of the few people that liked ALL of the movies, Prometheus included (I even liked Resurrection, which I watched before Alien 3 for some reason). For me, even with Alien 3 and Resurrection being not that good as the first two movies, Alien is one of the greatest (if not the greatest) sci.fi. franchises ever. 

I was probably about 8 or 9 Aliens had been out for a few years but managed to watch it and loved the film . My parents were normally ok for watching these type of films as they belived to learn how not to be scared.

Aliens has been one of my fave films . I do like all the others in the series although ressurection ending was a big let down for me. Alien 3 was ok but was missing some stuff. and Prometheus was good but was lacking something I just cant put my finger on. 

I was watching the movie Commando, then one of my uncle came and make me and my twin brother watch Aliens.

At first, i was scared by the first scene between the marines and the hive but after watching the movie for the second time, i was less scared and quite fascinated by the Xenomorph. Though i was a bit disapointed by how easy the marines were killing the Xenomorphs.

I really loved this movie and up to now i prefer it to the first one that i watched 7 to 8 years later. 

I first watched Alien on VHS about 1985 i think, i then saw Aliens on VHS in 1987

I thought they was both great movies at the time, Aliens seemed more better, but as you get older you appreciate Alien much more.

My dad told me I couldn't watch Alien in 1979 when it came out because it was rated R and they said the "F" word in the movie.

A few years later (an exhausting wait for a kid), Alien came out on cable and I finally got to sit for it.

At the first "F" word Parker blew out, my dad told me to go to bed and I couldn't finish the movie. Torture and the beginning of an obsession etched in stone after that.

I was screaming "I already heard it, I swear I'll never say it...but I've already heard it!". I had fantasies of the TV exploding into a ball of fire while my dad finished watching Alien while I could still hear it in bed.

I waited until he went to work and watched it. I then said the "F" word a lot in protest in private.

Those are some really awesome experiences. I wonder what 'Alien Covenant" is going to mean for the new generations. First reviews say that it is odd, mysterious, elegant and gory. Internet bloggers seem to be unanimous about one thing: fans are going to like it.

I saw bits of Aliens on VHS at a party back in 1987 but didn't pay much attention. Later on I rented Aliens and Alien 3 and liked them. I saw Alien after watching those. I actually didn't become a real fan until I started noticing how other movies and games like Dead Space were influenced- then I bought the Quaudrilogy and never looked back.