What made you a fan?

[Master Chief]

On Sunday the 11th of July 1982, when I was very young, I sneakily watched Alien when it was first broadcast on UK TV. I was also there opening night for Aliens.

I had never seen anything like it. I was bought up on the 'Star Wars' movies and one of my favourite shows was 'Star Trek' – it was all very bright and full of adventure. There were heroes and baddies and cute bleeping robots.

Then darkness. The universe was suddenly a dangerous and scary place to be.

And I loved it.

Yeah, but what time?

[farsightblogger]

Yeah, but what time?
[/quote]

9:30!

Believe it or not, I found the ad for it on youtube:

[Master Chief]

haha We have the date and time that our beloved Alien became a part of your life! That's awesome! 

[farsightblogger]

And I saw Aliens on the 29th August 1986 at the 7:20pm showing on opening night. I've still got the ticket stub somewhere!

[monkeylove]

Saw Alien in the theater when it was first shown. I was a minor but I think the ticket collector was too sleepy to care.

[Corporal Hicks]

Yeah, but what time?

9:30!

Believe it or not, I found the ad for it on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npJd6FgsSvI

I absolutely love that you know it to that specific a detail. Mine was the day before my 5th birthday so I cheat with remembering the day.  I think I might have to use that video for this evening's post on the socials.

[farsightblogger]

Yeah, but what time?

9:30!

Believe it or not, I found the ad for it on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npJd6FgsSvI

I absolutely love that you know it to that specific a detail. Mine was the day before my 5th birthday so I cheat with remembering the day.  I think I might have to use that video for this evening's post on the socials.

I remembered it was a Sunday night and it was the UK premier, and I also remember being fascinated by the announcer saying '... and it know's you're afraid', but everything else was a bit vague. It wasn't until I was browsing random Alien videos on Youtube that I came across that one completely by chance and the memory dropped like an anvil.

I was only 11 years old so I had to sneak a portable television into my room - it was an old ugly plastic thing with a dial to tune it - and it was black and white, which only enhanced the shadows. I think I was partly scared of my mom catching me watching it.

[Corporal Hicks]

That's a cool memory to have of watching it! I had to tape mine off Sky Movies Classic when I was around 11/12. I'd already seen Aliens and Alien 3 but not Alien until then. I remember checking the old TV Guide so often, looking for it on.

[Master Chief]

Very cool memory!

Saw Alien in the theater when it was first shown. I was a minor but I think the ticket collector was too sleepy to care.

I was born the year it came out so I wasn't as lucky, however, my dad did take me to see Predator in the theaters when it was released in June 1987.

[farsightblogger]

That's a cool memory to have of watching it! I had to tape mine off Sky Movies Classic when I was around 11/12. I'd already seen Aliens and Alien 3 but not Alien until then. I remember checking the old TV Guide so often, looking for it on.

It's a great memory, and it really enforces why I love the film so much. I used to have the film on VHS, but I actually got through three copies of it as I played it so much it wore out the tape, or it'd get tangled up in crappy video machines. Now I've got it on DVD and Blu-ray I'm no longer as worried!

With Aliens, my favourite memory is my mate's dad, who took us to see it, choking on his snack when the facehugger slams up against the glass, and the row of lads behind us taking the piss out the film right up until the moment they find the colonists in the cooling ducts and the ensuing chaos - nothing but complete silence for the rest of the movie, with a single 'Jesus Christ!' when Bishop's chest explodes back on the Sulaco.

I also remember buying Alien 3 on VHS in 1993 and getting a two-for-one voucher to visit the Alien War experience at the Trocadero in London - that was an amazing experience. The great thing was, my VHS copy of the film wouldn't work so I had to take it back to the shop but I didn't take the voucher, so when I got the replacement I got another voucher. Then I was given another voucher by someone else who had bought it but wasn't bothered about going, so I went in there three times. It was amazing, huge shame it got flooded out.

[Corporal Hicks]

I also remember buying Alien 3 on VHS in 1993 and getting a two-for-one voucher to visit the Alien War experience at the Trocadero in London - that was an amazing experience. The great thing was, my VHS copy of the film wouldn't work so I had to take it back to the shop but I didn't take the voucher, so when I got the replacement I got another voucher. Then I was given another voucher by someone else who had bought it but wasn't bothered about going, so I went in there three times. It was amazing, huge shame it got flooded out.

I am so flipping jealous. Any time anyone says they got to go to Alien War I just hate them so much.  Three times. You bastard.  I've done the new Alien: Escape in Madam Tussaud's but it just doesn't compare to what I've heard and seen of War. Have you had a chance to do that?

[farsightblogger]

I also remember buying Alien 3 on VHS in 1993 and getting a two-for-one voucher to visit the Alien War experience at the Trocadero in London - that was an amazing experience. The great thing was, my VHS copy of the film wouldn't work so I had to take it back to the shop but I didn't take the voucher, so when I got the replacement I got another voucher. Then I was given another voucher by someone else who had bought it but wasn't bothered about going, so I went in there three times. It was amazing, huge shame it got flooded out.

I am so flipping jealous. Any time anyone says they got to go to Alien War I just hate them so much.  Three times. You bastard.  I've done the new Alien: Escape in Madam Tussaud's but it just doesn't compare to what I've heard and seen of War. Have you had a chance to do that?

I haven't, but we are going to London for my son's 11th birthday in February and we're staying two minutes walk from Tussaud's, so we might have to sneak away for a few minutes!

Alien War was great but it was the kind of thing where once was enough - the first time is thrilling and really frightening, but the second and third times you know what to expect and it loses it's edge a little, but it really is a great time. The third time we went in it was after lunch and I'd had a couple of drinks, and I took a tumble as we were running through all this gas. I took two other people down with me, it really added to the scares because there was something coming up behind us. Still, there's a lesson there; don't drink and run through a collapsing atmosphere processor.

These days I'd expect to take part instead of being ushered through, and it felt like we were being herded through at speed so you couldn't appreciate the sets, and it was bloody freezing down there, too! Still, it was really good and I'd have gone again given the chance.

[Wysps]

Saw Alien in the theater when it was first shown. I was a minor but I think the ticket collector was too sleepy to care.

I'm so fascinated with people who were in the original audience when it first came out.  And by fascinated, I mean extremely jealous 

I grew up in a scifi/horror household and, luckily, Aliens and Predator were on the list of films that were played year round (others being Critters, Killer Klowns, etc.)  Over the years I forgot about them both and it wasn't until I picked up an AVP omnibus by chance (the first one) that my interest was piqued again.  Watched and liked both AVP movies...continued with the franchise since then.   

[Gash]

Yeah, but what time?

9:30!

Believe it or not, I found the ad for it on youtube:

[/quote]


I remember that showing on TV, back when a first screening on terrestrial TV was a big thing, VHS was just starting to make an impact in 1982 but hiring films cost £7 a night and buying a tape cost about £80. I remember recording it at the time, and I've still got the tape somewhere.

[MeanMarine]

My first experience with The Alien Films was maybe 1997/98 when my oldest brother had a VHS boxset Of The Alien Trilogy with a making of Alien Resurrection. I was curious after seeing the Resurrection trailer so I watched the making of video. Ron Perlman was the presenter and I wasn't too interested in seeing the fourth film. But a clip was shown from Aliens where Ripley and Hicks were kicking in the floor grate to get to Newt before the Aliens and I thought " Is that Kyle Reese?" Being a massive Terminator fan I put the Aliens VHS in and sat back. 2 hrs later I was making my own colonial marine armor out of cereal boxes and making my own pulse rifle. If I had the correct paint and resources it would've been a great piece of fan prop work if I do say so myself. I then watched Alien 3 and of course I was disappointed with the deaths of Newt and Hicks but I still really liked the film. I then ventured to Alien and it scared the shit out of me even more so than The Exorcist, The Omen or Texas Chain Saw Massacre. I've been obsessed ever since.