Fun newsletter edition, Alec! I love watching classic sci-fi pulp whenever I get a chance. I'm adding these 2 to my list. One of my favorite pastimes when I don't have the time, however, is admiring the amazing poster art.
Thanks, J.Q.! I love the posters for these too! Especially love the lines about insuring patrons against being scared to death. Real P.T. Barnum stuff. Hoping to do more of these.
I haven't seen either film, but Planet of the Vampires sounds like it might have been more of an influence on another O'Bannon-scripted movie, Lifeforce (a film I can't help liking, despite it being objectively terrible).
Was unaware of these influences! Am now interested in seeking out the Mario Bava film.
Definitely think the Space Jockey was best left a mystery, at least given how Prometheus turned out.
Fantastic article, Alec! I'm big fan of (some) of the Alien franchise and I've learned a few things from this essay. Cheers!
Fun newsletter edition, Alec! I love watching classic sci-fi pulp whenever I get a chance. I'm adding these 2 to my list. One of my favorite pastimes when I don't have the time, however, is admiring the amazing poster art.
Thanks, J.Q.! I love the posters for these too! Especially love the lines about insuring patrons against being scared to death. Real P.T. Barnum stuff. Hoping to do more of these.
I haven't seen either film, but Planet of the Vampires sounds like it might have been more of an influence on another O'Bannon-scripted movie, Lifeforce (a film I can't help liking, despite it being objectively terrible).
Never seen Lifeforce, but I know it’s a bit of a cult movie these days. That’s the Tobe Hooper one, right?
That's the one. Like I said, objectively awful, but entertainingly awful.
Very thorough coverage of the influences on Alien. I really love Voyage of the Space Beagle. We covered similar territory in our podcast:
https://unknownorbits.com/0021-black-destroyer-by-a-e-van-vogt/
Started listening this morning. Great so far! Thanks, Patrick!
Van Vogt was Canadian, and he was one of the country's most successful writers in the SF genre.