Editorials
10 Memorable ‘Alien’ References in Pop Culture
Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1: #143 (1981) – Comic Book
This issue of the long-running Uncanny X-Men series, which saw its release two years after Alien hit the big screen, sees Kitty Pryde facing down a demon that looks awfully familiar. Writer Chris Claremont was quite transparent in acknowledging his influences though, even having Kitty at one point mention how she wished she had “king-sized flamethrowers” since “they used them to fight the monster in that movie.”
The Simpsons (Various) – TV Show
You would be hard-pressed to find a single source in pop culture that references the Alien franchise more than The Simpsons–which is hardly surprising, given its 28-season (and counting) run. It was difficult to pick just one noteworthy moment, so we luckily managed to find a compilation video that highlights most (if not all) of the nods to date.
Muppet*Vision 3D (2009) – Attraction
The Muppet*Vision 3D attraction (currently housed in Disney Hollywood Studios) has long been known for its film references. Parody film posters can be found in the queue for the attraction and the most recent update in 2009 included one for a WALL•E parody starring Beaker that featured the humorous tagline “In space, no one can hear you ‘meep’!” A previous poster parodying Close Encounters of the Third Kind also similarly played on the famous–and often referenced–Alien tagline.
Scream 2 (1997) – Film
The very meta “sequels suck” scene in Wes Craven’s Scream 2 features some great banter led by horror geek Randy (Jamie Kennedy) about the existence of quality sequels, calling for a mention of James Cameon’s Aliens. What it doesn’t feature, however, is this supposed horror expert correctly identifying Ripley’s iconic Aliens finale line, instead asserting that “Stay away from her, you bitch!” is the correct line! This flub stems from an apparent error in the line Joshua Jackson delivers right before (he was meant to have delivered the incorrectly quoted line first) and was just never caught. The flagrant goof thus remains immortalized as an irksome gaffe in an otherwise stellar sequel in its own right.
In a recent interview, filmmaker Christopher Nolan explained that he’s always been interested in directing a bona fide horror movie, with the award-winning director going so far as to praise genre creators for their continued risk-taking on the big screen.
If you’ve seen Nolan’s recently released The Odyssey, you’re likely aware that a scary movie helmed by the legendary director could be a very good idea.
After all, Nolan insisted on making use of old-fashioned movie magic and in-camera practical effects when shooting his adaptation of Homer’s epic. This retro approach made Odysseus’ encounters with mythological beings such as the giant cyclops that much more terrifying. By now, fans are undoubtedly aware that the massive creature was partially brought to life by an enormous puppet enhanced with near-invisible CGI, but there were also plenty of forced perspective shots where actor Bill Irwin actually chomped on disturbingly realistic replicas of Ithican soldiers.
As you can see in the below behind-the-scenes test footage shared by the Los Angeles-based Hamer FX, Irwin was given an assortment of latex dolls filled with fake blood and breakable skeletons that he could tear apart on camera. The darkness of Polyphemus’ cave covers up most of the gore in the finished film, but the moment remains a terrifying highlight in a movie that has a lot to say about the horrors of war.
Nolan actually requested these tiny edible soldiers for the flick because his vision for the iconic cyclops encounter was partially inspired by Francisco Goya’s disturbing mural of Saturn Devouring His Son. This mysterious piece is actually one of the artist’s infamous “Black Paintings,” which were found painted directly onto the walls of his old house near Madrid before a French baron ordered that the collection be transferred to canvas and assigned names for public viewing.
Details like these are what make me think that Nolan could pull off a genuinely scary horror picture if he came across the right idea. That being said, between the Fear Gas sequences in Batman Begins and Circe using body horror magic to transform men into pigs in The Odyssey, one might argue that he’s been preparing for such a task throughout his entire career.
The Odyssey is currently playing in theaters everywhere, though it’s definitely worth seeking out an IMAX screening if you can find one near you.
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