10. The Alien

The Alien series (1979-2017)

When Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett wrote their treatment for Star Beast back in the mid-’70s, they can have had little idea they were creating one of the most enduring monsters in cinema. Delivered by Ridley Scott, nurtured by James Cameron and subsequently used (and abused) by countless films, comics and games over the decades, the Alien is most effectively summed up by Ian Holm’s Ash: “The perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility... A survivor; unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality.”

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