A small crew of a remote mining craft are on their way home and get a distress signal, they check it out and accidentally bring the most dangerous life-form in the galaxy back on board with them. Bad things ensue. The small creature quickly grows into the deadliest creature in the universe, the ultimate predator, and begins picking off the crew one by one.

Alien is one of the best horror films ever made, if you haven't watched it you shouldn't be on this website. The isolation of the crew, the feeling of helplessness that builds throughout, the aliens themselves, mix it all together and we have a classic that's hard to beat.

Also important is the progression of Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) not only in the first, but also the entire series. There hasn't been a better female lead in my opinion. Ellen Ripley is the best role model a girl could wish for.

Many would say the seque,l Aliens is better, the difference is Aliens strays into the action genre at the expense of horror so I stick by the first one as the best. I've loved the entire series, and consider them staples of the horror diet.

Few movies can compete on the level of Alien when it comes to pure suspense, throughout the movie you feel as lost as Ripley is. Myself, I felt a hopeless dread through most of it, there are times when the horror of a situation is overpowering. This is what Alien is about.

10 out of 10 of the most fearsome creatures ever imagined.

What is there left to say? A truly terrifying creature, solid pacing and stellar performances make Alien the definitive sci-fi/ horror epic of any generation.

I agree with the Horrorist entirely- if you haven't allowed yourself to experience the morbid delights of "Alien", you're probably in the wrong website.

If ever there was reason to fear what life might exist beyond our planet, this is the film that makes the case for those fears. E.T. can phone home all he wants, but this movie will have you hoping we NEVER encounter life out there.

Alien is an absolutely terrifying examination of what could happen if unsuspecting humans were confronted with something they cannot comprehend. It is a must own for any true fan of horror cinema, and one of the best films ever made.

Ten out of ten films that forcefully make the point that in space, no one can hear you scream.