Boasting an impressive set design by Swiss artist H.R. Giger and a nerve-rackingly tense script by Dan O'Bannon, Ridley Scott's claustrophobic monster movie is a horror classic. The rudimentary plot deals with the crew of a spaceship, the Nostromo, which stops on a remote planet to explore an abandoned vessel. Crewmember Kane (John Hurt) is attacked by a scorpion-like beast which facially impregnates him with a monster. After a brief gestation period, a reptilian creature bursts from Kane's chest in a gory and shocking scene, scurrying away to hide in the ship's labyrinthine corridors. The monster grows at an astonishing rate, then begins to pick off the crew members one by one in chilling, atmospheric sequences. In style, the film resembles a haunted-house picture more than traditional sci-fi (right down to the obligatory cat) and remains a frightening spookshow which has resulted in more than a few nightmares. Sequels steered away from horror to bring in the burgeoning sci-fi/action crowd, as well as strengthening the lead character of Ripley (Sigourney Weaver). Weaver is little more than a traditional slasher-movie heroine here, even doing a gratuitous underwear scene, but she is still terrific among a talented ensemble cast including Veronica Cartwright, Ian Holm, and Yaphet Kotto. Also worthy of praise is Italian special-effects artist Carlo Rambaldi, whose influential creature design has been copied in dozens of slavish rip-offs, but never bettered. After seven years and countless nights at the gym, Weaver returned in the high-octane sequel, Aliens (1986), followed by the horrid Alien 3 (1992) and the somewhat redemptive Alien Resurrection (1997).