Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto

Ridley Scott stated that in casting the role of Ripley, it ultimately came down to Sigourney Weaver and Meryl Streep. The two actresses had been schoolmates at Yale

Bolaji Badejo, A Nigerian design student, was discovered in a bar by a member of the casting team. Ridley Scott believed that Badejo, at 7 feet 2 inches 218 cm and with a slender frame, could portray the Alien and look as if his arms and legs were too long to be real, creating the illusion that there could not possibly be a human being inside the costume

The slime used on the Alien was K-Y jelly. Shredded condoms were used to create tendons of the beast's ferocious jaws

In 2008 it was ranked as the seventh-best film in the science fiction genre by the American Film Institute, and as the 33rd-greatest movie of all time by Empire magazine

In H.R. Giger's original illustrations the creature has eyes. For the movie, Giger insisted that the creature have no eyes, thus giving the bleak appearance of a cold and emotionless beast.

According to Ridley Scott, the mechanism that was used to make the alien egg open was so strong, that it could tear off a hand.

The space jockey prop was 26 feet tall and was designed and painted by H.R. Giger himself, who was disappointed he couldn't put any finishing touches on it by the time filming came about for the scene.

Also, the Space Jockey prop was burned and destroyed by a burning cigarette left on the model. Los Angeles. The unfortunate event was covered by local TV news stations that evening

The original title was "Star Beast". Entertainment Weekly voted this as the third scariest film of all time.

130 alien eggs were made for the egg chamber inside the downed spacecraft.

The alien's habit of laying eggs in the chest which later burst out was inspired by spider wasps, which are said to lay their eggs "in the abdomen of spiders."

The inside of the alien eggs as seen by Kane was composed of real organic material. Director Ridley Scott used cattle hearts and stomachs. The tail of the facehugger was sheep intestine.

The chestbursting scene was filmed in one take with four cameras.

The scene was considered the second scariest movie moment of all time on Bravo's The 100 Scariest Movie Moments.

Ridley Scott reportedly said that originally he wanted a much darker ending. He planned on having the alien bite off Ripley's head in the escape shuttle, sit in her chair, and then start speaking with her voice in a message to Earth.

....Apparently, 20th Century Fox wasn't too pleased with such a dark ending and forced the one we know today.

Conceptual artist H.R. Giger would successfully sue 20th Century Fox 18 years later over his lack of screen credit on Alien: Resurrection.