I first saw Alien when I was 7, or something around that age, when I came downstairs at night, after my brothers where asleep, to watch TV with my parents.
One night I go down there was a film, just starting called "ALIEN" I sit down and watch it with my parents, I was terrified when it got to the facehugger scene and the rest of the film. I had nightmares that night but the next day, I go downstairs and "ALIENS" was on the TV, I watch that, knowing how scared to death I was of the 1st film, but a I watch it. Nightmares persist. The third night, I go down and watch the TV premiere of "ALIEN 3". Why I decided to watch another one of these films, after being scared shitless of the other films, I don't know, but I loved everything about the movies, even though they scared me and gave me nightmares for weeks, to the point in which my parents had to wake me up and tell me its a dream.
They where like nothing I had ever seen, but so addicting in a way, the design, sets, actors and the alines themselves, what a fascinating thing. I never thought I would be hooked for life.
I can't remember when I first saw Predator, maybe before Alien, but it wasn't scary, just amazing, you just wanted to look at the creature itself, it was an amazing design, so threatening and the idea of it beating up Arnie and easy killing these other massive scary guys, made it such an ultimate enemy.
But to the eyes of a kid, it was a scary, bad ass monster and still is.