The Trailer for This New Alien Documentary Is a Spooky Love Letter to the Film - Reactor

Alien first burst (out of Ridley Scott‘s chest) onto the screen in 1979, and since then, it’s remained one of, if not the most influential sci-fi horror movies of all time. If you’ve seen any claustrophobic chamber horror set in a space station or ship in the past four decades, you have Alien and its glorious noodle-skulled xenomorph to thank. Now, director Alexandre O. Phillippe (best known for his doc 78/52, about Psycho‘s shower scene) has made a new documentary breaking down just how the horror classic was made. Called Memory: The Origins of Alien, the doc’s first trailer dropped today, and from the looks of things, it’s going to be one long, nerdy love letter to the film.

Although it’s not even a minute-and-a-half long, the clip is stuffed with behind-the-scenes goodies: H.R. Giger’s gorgeously disturbing/disturbingly gorgeous concept art, the “cow innards” used in the infamous chestburster scene, crew members playing with the xenomorph’s animatronic head, crew members lovingly placing the face-hugger on a face, and more. Meanwhile, the voice-over clips promise that this isn’t just going to be a technical deep-dive, but one that examines Alien‘s philosophical, literary, and cultural significance as well.

Memory: The Origins of Alien arrives in theaters and VOD on October 4.