A new entry in the Alien lore is arriving soon and fans got a small taste with a teaser-trailer for this summer’s Alien: Romulus on Wednesday.
Set to release in theaters on August 16, 2024, Alien: Romulus is directed by Fede Alvarez of the recent horror hits Don’t Breathe and Evil Dead (2016). It stars the up-and-coming Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla, Civil War), Isabella Merced (Madame Web), Archie Renaux (Upgraded, Morbius) and David Jonsson (Industry).
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Ridley Scott is on board as a producer after helping with 2012’s Prometheus and 2017’s Alien: Covenant, but this new trailer seems much more aligned with the original Alien series.
Here are some quick takeaways from the new teaser.
Back to horror
The 1979 original, Alien, was a flat-out horror movie. It ratcheted up the drama and tension, using a small cast and a centralized location to show just how quickly one of those Xenomorphs could take out an entire crew. There were unexpected twists and turns — the chest-burster! Ash! — and it was scary.
In Aliens, we saw more action as the Space Marines smacked around a whole colony of aliens and Ripley got the better of the queen. Still some scary moments, but not as horror driven.
Now, we’re back. Not only is Fede Alvarez one of the more acclaimed horror directors out there right now, the entire vibe of the trailer is horror. There’s blood (wow so much blood) and screams and dark spaces and more. It’s going to be terrifying.
Bloody sleep pod
THE SLEEP PODS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SACRED. Now, it’s full of blood. How did this happen? How did the aliens get in? I have so many questions, and I can’t wait to find out the answers.
Sirens
I can’t place if it’s the same siren from either of the original movies, but the repetitive blaring reminds me of terrified people in space trying to get into an escape pod before the ship detonates. It’s such an effective trailer mechanism.
Cailee Spaeny is a star
This isn’t an Ellen Ripley origin story, but the young actress is certainly evoking the heroine in the limited time we see her. She’s had an incredible run as of late, really kicking off with Mare of Easttown in 2021 and continuing with 2023’s Priscilla and this year’s upcoming Civil War. It will be fun to see how she does in this type of horror-action.
Running facehuggers
RUNNING FACEHUGGERS. What more do I need to say? The baby version of the Xenomorphs are utterly horrifying in every stage we’ve seen them so far, whether emerging from a slimy egg or making a home on someone’s face or stalking their prey in an enclosed space (thanks, Carter J. Burke). But on the move in what seems like herds? Excited for the new nightmares!
