“Alien” is pretty much your standard haunted house flick — transported into space. And that makes it a thousand times more awesome. I mean, it’s about a monster that’s on the loose in a small, enclosed space, taking out characters one by one. And not only that, but the design of the ship’s interior evokes the feeling of a crumbling, decrepit house. Hell, it even has the requisite “cat jumping out for a boo scare” scene, for God’s sake. But all that actually works in the film’s favor. It takes an old, tired cliché and finds a way to liven it up and breathe new life into it. Not to mention that the chestbuster scene is probably one of the most iconic scenes of any film ever, rivaled only by Cary Grant’s “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn!” in “Gone with the Wind” and Darth Vader’s “I am your father” in “The Empire Strikes Back.” It was also revolutionary in casting Sigourney Weaver as the main heroine, Ripley, especially one that was just as tough as the guys, if not more so. She didn’t need a man to save her, and she’s even the one who ends up defeating the alien single-handedly. In fact, the part of Ripley was written for a man, which director Ridley Scott changed at the last minute, to great results. Also, for the record, Alien can kick The Predators ass any day. [Ed. note: Hell yeah he can!]