As ‘Alien’ turns 45, those screams still echo through space and time

“Alien” premiered with that memorable advertising line in June 1979. Nonetheless, science fiction fans being what they are, the Ridley Scott film’s de facto anniversary comes this weekend.

“In space, no one can hear you scream.” “Alien” premiered with that memorable advertising line in June 1979. Nonetheless, science fiction fans being what they are (see “Star Wars” and “May the Fourth”), the film’s de facto anniversary comes this weekend, in the form of an April 26 re-release as a nod to the mysterious moon featured in the original movie, known as LV-426. Few experiences are more memorable than the night (and early morning) I devoted to director Ridley Scott’s haunted house in outer space 45 years ago, in ways that underscore how movies, and moviegoing, have changed in the long and strange journey since then. I went to see “Alien” on its opening weekend with my older brother, knowing relatively little about it. Then again, all we could really rely on in that pre-Internet time were reviews in our local newspaper, the Los Angeles Times, and frankly, its critics didn’t much reflect my teenage tastes anyway. Driving to the Avco cinemas in Westwood near UCLA, we immediately noticed the long line for tickets wrapping around the theater and heading down the block. No, there were no advance sales, and no ability to choose your specific reclining seat with a click from the comfort of home. The movie itself (and it seems ridiculous to say this, but spoilers ahead) subverted expectations by having a female member of the Nostromo crew, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), emerge as the ultimate survivor, while the captain, played by Tom Skerritt, was among the early casualties.