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By Steve Daly
Steve Daly
Steve Daly
Steve Daly is a senior writer at EW, and also author of EW.com's Money Shot column

Alien

The pitch
Jaws meets The Exorcist in space

The ad
''In space, no one can hear you scream''

The prey
A crew of interstellar truck drivers

Cute, innocent target
Jonesy the cat

Lunch-meat supporting actor who later became famous
Yaphet Kotto (Homicide)

Ripley's panty color
come-hither white

Evidence characters never saw a Wes Craven movie
They keep splitting up to go down dark corridors alone.

Gnarliest moment
A baby alien busts through John Hurt's stomach.

Best description of the alien
''Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility.'' — Medical officer Ash

Mean names people call the alien
Tough little son of a b----; son of a b----; little bas----

Antialien gear
Electric cattle prod, rope net, flamethrowers, harpoon gun, and an air-lock hatch

Most ominous line
''Crew expendable'' — Company orders, via computer

Aliens

The pitch
Night of the Living Dead meets Sands of Iwo Jima in space

The ad
''This time it's war''

The prey
A corps of colonial marines

Cute, innocent target
Newt the 9-year-old girl

Lunch-meat supporting actor who later became famous
Bill Paxton (Twister)

Ripley's panty color
no-nonsense gray

Evidence characters never saw a Wes Craven movie
They don't check the cargo area for lurking aliens.

Gnarliest moment
Spider-legged ''face-hugger'' alien tries to French-kiss Ripley.

Best description of the alien
''A creature that gestates inside a...human host and has concentrated acid for blood.'' — Ripley

Mean names people call the alien
Some kind of parasite; mother-f---er; you b---- ; you bas----

Antialien gear
Pulse rifles, launcher grenades, exoskeletal power loader, flame-throwers, and an air-lock hatch

Most ominous line
''It'll be dark soon, and they mostly come at night.'' — Newt

Alien3

The pitch
The Dirty Dozen meets The Name of the Rose in space

The ad
''This time it's hiding in the most terrifying place of all''

The prey
A colony of convicts who've ''found God at the ass-end of space''

Cute, innocent target
Spike the dog

Lunch-meat supporting actor who later became famous
Pete Postlethwaite (Amistad, The Usual Suspects)

Ripley's panty color
depressed, deep olive drab

Evidence characters never saw a Wes Craven movie
They peer headfirst into pitch-black air shafts ringed with alien goo.

Gnarliest moment
Newt gets a squishy-sounding autopsy.

Best description of the alien
''It's like a lion. It sticks close to the zebras.''


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