Interesting! Lovecraft didn’t come up during the discussion although the general “grew up on pulp fiction, SF magazines and films” is a general theme that threads along many of these films.
You discussed the importance of the timing of Alien post-Star Wars and pre-Reagan/Thatcher. I also think Alien's release during the infancy of the home video market may also be a factor of this film's popularity. It's where I saw it first in 1981 (probably one of the first films I saw on video - and I watched it multiple times). It was a revolution in how we watched movies. It made a healthy bank from the home video market which probably helped Aliens to get made. Back in this era, sequels were not always well-received - There were more sequels like Jaws 2, and fewer like The Empire Strikes Back.
Folks, this is great stuff and thought provoking. I’d have liked to hear any connections made between Giger, Scott’s direction, and Lovecraft.
Interesting! Lovecraft didn’t come up during the discussion although the general “grew up on pulp fiction, SF magazines and films” is a general theme that threads along many of these films.
You discussed the importance of the timing of Alien post-Star Wars and pre-Reagan/Thatcher. I also think Alien's release during the infancy of the home video market may also be a factor of this film's popularity. It's where I saw it first in 1981 (probably one of the first films I saw on video - and I watched it multiple times). It was a revolution in how we watched movies. It made a healthy bank from the home video market which probably helped Aliens to get made. Back in this era, sequels were not always well-received - There were more sequels like Jaws 2, and fewer like The Empire Strikes Back.
Very good point! I would like to dig into that a bit once I get to the 80s. Which will be a long time from now!