In this episode of the Fictionphile Podcast, the crew analyzes why the movie Alien (1979) is a work of art. Topics include the character of Ripley, the practical special effects, and the tense horror effects employed.

Alien is a science fiction classic directed by Ridley Scott and produced by Gordon Carroll, David Giler, and Walter Hill. Its horror-sci-fi hybrid script was written by Dan O'Bannon based on a story by O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett. This, the start to the Alien franchise, stars Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, and Yaphet Kott.

The original Alien movie released to great acclaim, manifesting multiple sequels, including Aliens (1986), Alien 3 (1992), and Alien Resurrection (1997). A prequel series included Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant (2017). This is in addition to myriad novels, comics, and video games.