Saturday 7 January
Alien
8:30pm, SBS VICELAND
MA15+
USA, 1979
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror, Thriller
Language: English
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt
What's it about?
The original Ridley Scott movie launched the career of then-19-year-old Sigourney Weaver as badass Officer Ellen Ripley, one of the best female characters in action cinema. It tells the story of the crew the Nostromo, a commercial vessel that receives a distress call from an unexplored planet in a remote region of the galaxy. What begins as a routine search mission quickly escalates into a nightmare when the team discovers an extraterrestrial life form.
Monsters
10:40pm, SBS VICELANDAvailable after broadcast at SBS On Demand
M
UK, 2010
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Sci-Fi
Language: English
Director: Gareth Edwards
Starring: Scoot McNairy, Whitney Able
What's it about?
Before he went on to direct a little-known movie called Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Gareth Edwards impressed critics and audiences in 2010 with the indie sci-fi hit Monsters. Set in 2015, six years after Earth was invaded by alien forms, the film follows a cynical American photojournalist (Scoot McNairy, Halt and Catch Fire) after he agrees to escort his employer's daughter (Whitney Able) through the infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the US border. Not your usual alien invasion fare, Monsters is a moody, emotional film that doesn't rely on expensive CGI to convey the terror and menace over its characters.
[link title="Monsters: Gareth Edwards interview" url="node/488"]
[link title="Monsters Review" url="node/5264"]
Saturday 14 January
Aliens
8:30pm, SBS VICELAND
MA15+
USA, 1986
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action
Language: English
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Bill Paxton, Paul Reiser
What's it about?James Cameron skillfully combines non-stop action, Oscar-winning special effects and a grim sense of humour in this exciting sequel. Set 57 years after the atrocious events of the first film, Aliens follows sole survivor Ellen Ripley after she awoke from her induced sleep, as she is informed that trouble is again brewing on the planet where her crew came to grief. Ripley is enlisted as an adviser to a team of tough, rugged space marines on a rescue mission to find out if there are aliens or survivors.
[link title="Aliens review: Breathlessly exciting from start to finish" url="node/61483"]
Eight Legged Freaks
11:00pm, SBS VICELANDAvailable after broadcast at SBS On Demand
M
USA, 2002
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Language: English
Director: Ellory Elkayem
Starring: Scott Terra, Kari Wuhrer, David Arquette, Scarlett Johansson
What's it about?
In this funny and affectionate nod to '50s monster movies, the residents of a rural mining town discover that a chemical spill has caused hundreds of little spiders to mutate overnight giant monsters. It's then up to mining engineer Chris McCormick (Scream star David Arquette) and Sheriff Sam Parker to mobilise the townspeople into battle against the bloodthirsty creepy crawlies.
[link title="Eight Legged Freaks Review" url="node/3306"]
Saturday 21 January
Alien 3
8:30pm, SBS VICELAND
M
UK, USA, 1992
Genre: Science Fiction, Action, Horror
Language: English
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance
What's it about?
This third instalment marks David Fincher's (Fight Club, The Social Network) directorial debut, in which Ripley, after escaping with Newt and Hicks from the alien planet, crash lands on Fiorina 161, a prison planet and host to a correctional facility to vicious, violent criminals. The prison does not allow weapons of any kind, and Ripley must team up with the convicts to defend themselves against the deadly Alien creature.
[link title="Alien 3 review: Wonderfully scary" url="node/61485"]
The Descent
10:40pm, SBS VICELANDAvailable after broadcast at SBS On Demand
MA15+
UK, 2005
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Language: English
Director: Neil Marshall
Starring: Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Jackson Mendoza, Alex Reid
What's it about?
This terrifying, claustrophobic British flick follows a group of women on an outdoor adventure in a remote part of the Appalachians to explore a cave hidden deep in the woods. Things go horribly wrong when a rock fall blocks their exit and there's no way out. The women push on, praying for another exit, but there is something else lurking far below the surface, and before long, they're pursued by a strange breed of predators. A perfect summer night watch that is sure to give you nightmares.
Saturday 28 January
Alien Resurrection
8:30pm, SBS VICELAND
MA15+
USA, 1997
Genre: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Language: English
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Ron Perlman
What's it about?
French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amelie, The City of Lost Children) lends his baroque visual style and dark humour to the Alien franchise, which sees Ripley being "resurrected" 200 years later in a scientific experiment in order to give birth to the alien creature she was carrying. The scientists begin breeding the aliens, which manage to escape on the ship, which is on course to Earth. It's up to Ripley and a band of space pirates to stop the ship before it reaches earth.
[link title="Alien Resurrection review: Surely the bloodiest, most gruesome of the lot" url="node/4206"]
Cat People
MA15+
USA, 1982
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Language: English
Director: Paul Schrader
Starring: Nastassja Kinski, Malcolm McDowell, John Heard
What's it about?
After years of separation, Irina (Nastassja Kinski, Paris Texas, Tess) and her minister brother, Paul (Malcolm McDowell, A Clockwork Orange), reunite in New Orleans in this erotic tale of the supernatural. When zoologists capture a wild panther, Irina is drawn to the cat - and the zoo curator (John Heard) is drawn to her. Soon, Irina's brother will have to reveal the family secret: that when sexually aroused, they turn into predatory jungle cats. A smart, sexy and scary movie, set to David Bowie's 'Putting Out Fire'.
