For 46 years, fans of this legendary sci-fi saga have been amazed by the power of this poster.

A strange egg image stands out against the oppressive black background. It is cracked and a fluorescent green substance seems to be spreading… Under this cracked coffin we can read the following mysterious sentence: “No one in space can hear you scream”. And right above that comes the title: Alien, Passenger 8.

The legendary poster

When viewers came across this poster in 1979, they couldn’t help but be intrigued. A far cry from the grandiosity of sci-fi posters of the time, such as Star Wars two years earlier, Alien stands out for its minimalism and efficiency.

While we still don’t know anything about the world of the film, this poster immediately arouses curiosity. Why an alien? Who is this 8th passenger? Is there a monster hiding in this mysterious egg? And what is this strange green substance that catches the eye? And most importantly, why are we being warned that no one can hear our screams in space?

Created by American designer Philip Gipps, who also created the posters for Rosemary’s Baby and Kramer vs. Kramer, the Alien poster made a lasting impression on the minds of viewers. In addition, the famous slogan, “No one in space can hear you scream”Invented by Gypsum’s wife, Barbara. She left us recently, 6 years after her husband, at the age of 79.

With its unfailing simplicity and sobriety, this poster marked the history of cinema with its symbolic and visual power. Indeed, the egg is a shape universally associated with life and birth. So it is immediately known.

However, the cute and appetizing side of eggs is completely absent here. The latter is split, illuminated by disturbing light, and placed against a blank black background. Therefore we are faced with an inversion of the symbol of life. We sense that something disgusting or unknown will be born, and it will definitely not be a friendly bird. This ambiguity (life/death, beauty/horror, natural/alien) fascinates and makes you uncomfortable, just like the film itself.

the causative force

Furthermore, the entire movie Alien is based on the idea of ​​monstrous gestation and bodily distortion (face, chest, etc.). The egg on the poster sums it all up before we even see a single image. Philip Gipps has created a visual promise of what the viewer will experience. It is both a birth and a threat, symbolized by a seemingly harmless object, the egg. It is very well thought out and very effective.

Unlike the SF movies of the time, we don’t see the faces of the actors at all, nor do we see the xenomorph that destroys the group. We just have a strong, sophisticated visual idea that doesn’t need too much explanation. This is what gives the poster its timeless and mythical side, as well as its great evocative power.

For example, Star Wars IV posters emphasized heroism and adventure in space. On the contrary, Alien suggests the silence of space, its dangers and mysteries. We can also cite 2001, a space odyssey whose space station is bathed in light, symbolizing cosmic grandeur and humanity facing infinity. Alien also thwarts this vision and instead emphasizes the anxiety of the vacuum of space and the monsters it harbors.

For reference, Alien takes us to the merchant ship Nostromo. His crew, seven men and women, return to Earth with a large cargo of ore. But during a forced layover on a desert planet, Officer Kane is attacked by an unknown life form, an arachnid, which bites off his face.

After the ship’s doctor removes the sample, the crew smiles again and dines together. Until Kane, suffering from convulsions, sees his stomach perforated by a living alien body running through the ship’s corridors…