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Ridley Scott Cut Approximately 20 Minutes of Footage From ‘Alien: Covenant’

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Ridley Scott's ALIEN: COVENANT via Twentieth Century Fox

Nearly all movies are tested in front of an audience before released to the public. There are many reasons behind this, and typically it’s a power play for studio heads to trick data into forcing filmmakers into change. Simply by steering the questions to receive the response wanted, one could ascertain that a film needs to have its opening or closing worked on, or that certain scenes aren’t working. This is a conversation for another day, though, as we’re focusing on Ridley Scott’s Alien: Covenant, which was trimmed by approximately 20 minutes after a test screening.

“I always come out at almost 2:23 first cut,” Scott told Collider. “Look at it, and go ‘I’ve got to get to two hours.'”

Scott gets into the reasoning behind the snips, which I strongly disagree with:

The only reason I take my hat off occasionally to screenings is you think you know everything, but you know you don’t. Something inordinately simple you’ve assumed everyone understands and they don’t. That’s the key thing, isn’t it? You know when it’s a bit too long. And also, if you’re a bit too long you then ask “Right speed? Too slow? Too fast?” If they go “no, too fast” you go “shit, I’ve got to slow down” – because as you edit, you can get weary and want to cut, cut, cut.

Scott’s listening to fans way too much, and it’s resulted in a confused Prometheus sequel that appears to be losing its audience in the box office. As an artist, Scott should have been going with his gut, and do what he’s passionate about. If he were to listen to critics he should have been doing so with a grain of salt. This reminds me of what happened with Rob Zombie’s Halloween; Zombie was trying to do his own thing while also appeasing the fans of the franchise, which resulted in an unwatchable franken-movie.

But I digress, with about 20 minutes of cut footage it would be nice to see some of this on the home video release, although we don’t know if there are entire scenes edited out or just some banter between characters in the middle of a sequence. The Prometheus release was loaded with goodies, so I’m hoping we see a lot of new footage, not to mention Luke Scott’s short films edited into the film (no way that happens, but it would be cool).

Watch for updated box office numbers as they arrive, as well as home video details.

Horror movie fanatic who co-founded Bloody Disgusting in 2001. Producer on Southbound, V/H/S/2/3/94, SiREN, Under the Bed, and A Horrible Way to Die. Chicago-based. Horror, pizza and basketball connoisseur. Taco Bell daily. Franchise favs: Hellraiser, Child's Play, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Scream and Friday the 13th. Horror 365 days a year.

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SCREAMBOX Investigates UFOs and Extraterrestrials: Several Documentaries Streaming Right Now!

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As someone who is obsessed with UFOS (or more recently known as UAPs) and the concept of extraterrestrials, I love a good documentary. Sightings have been on the rise since the 1940s, with the atomic bomb seemingly acting as a catalyst for new visitors. But what are these UFOs/UAPs? Is there an explanation or are they simply beyond our explanation? Why are they here? Who are they? How much do our governments know? The questions are endless and so are the documentaries that attempt to uncover the secrets behind decades of sightings and alleged confrontations.

Whether you’re a seasoned viewer or new to the rabbit hole, there’s always a handful of interesting documentaries to get your neurons firing and leave you with sleepless nights. SCREAMBOX is investigating with the addition of several docs, all streaming now on the Bloody Disgusting-powered service. Here’s the breakdown:

Aliens (2021): Beam into this unidentified streaming documentary for a glimpse into Extraterrestrial life. Aliens are hypothetical life forms that may occur outside Earth or that did not originate on Earth.

Aliens Uncovered: Origins (2021): Before Area 51, hidden deep in the desert, the military discovered a hidden gem that helped them create Project Bluebook.

Aliens Uncovered: ET or Man-Made (2022): The crash of Roswell wasn’t meant for New Mexico. In 1947, a neighboring state had 3 major sightings that were swept under the rug.

Aliens Uncovered: The Golden Record (2023): In the late 70s, the US government launched a message to our distant neighbors.

Roswell (2021): This high-flying documentary examines the July 1947 crash of a United States Army Air Forces balloon at a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. Theories claim the crash was actually that of a flying saucer, but what is the truth?

Also check out:

The British UFO Files (2004): Since the 1940’s the British Government has been investigating the Flying Saucer phenomenon. High-ranking military and government personnel, speak out for the first time, offering unique eyewitness accounts and inside information.

Alien Abductions and Paranormal Sightings (2016): Amazing Footage and stories from real people as they reveal their personal encounters of being abducted by Aliens.

And do not miss Hellier (2019): A crew of paranormal researchers find themselves in a dying coal town, where a series of strange coincidences lead them to a decades-old mystery.

These documentaries join SCREAMBOX’s growing library of unique horror content, including Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, Here for Blood, Terrifier 2, RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop, Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, The Outwaters, Living with Chucky, Project Wolf Hunting, and Pennywise: The Story of IT.

Start screaming now with SCREAMBOX on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Prime Video, Roku, YouTube TV, Samsung, Comcast, Cox, and Screambox.com.

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