The so-called Xenomorph is one of the greatest monsters in movie history. The brainchild of Swiss artist H.R. Giger, the Star Beast combines biological and mechanical elements, blending genders in a way that underscores the themes of pregnancy and violation in Alien.
But before Giger and director Ridley Scott brought the Xenomorph to life in 1979, the alien had a very different trial run. Before crafting the initial treatment and script that would become the basis of Alien, writer Dan O’Bannon worked on another sci-fi project, alongside a fellow student at the University of Southern California film school. That student was John Carpenter, and while he and O’Bannon would go on to make some of the most influential horror films of all time, their first movie Dark Star has a very different monster.
In fact, rather than a sleek black beast with a retractable mouth, Dark Star‘s group of stoned space travelers battled…...
But before Giger and director Ridley Scott brought the Xenomorph to life in 1979, the alien had a very different trial run. Before crafting the initial treatment and script that would become the basis of Alien, writer Dan O’Bannon worked on another sci-fi project, alongside a fellow student at the University of Southern California film school. That student was John Carpenter, and while he and O’Bannon would go on to make some of the most influential horror films of all time, their first movie Dark Star has a very different monster.
In fact, rather than a sleek black beast with a retractable mouth, Dark Star‘s group of stoned space travelers battled…...
- 5/13/2024
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
Graphic: Images: IMDBThe Thing (1982)
A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.
Rating: 8.2/10
Stars: Kurt Russell (MacReady), Wilford Brimley (Dr. Blair), Keith David (Childs), Richard Masur (Clark)
Halloween (1978)
Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes...
A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.
Rating: 8.2/10
Stars: Kurt Russell (MacReady), Wilford Brimley (Dr. Blair), Keith David (Childs), Richard Masur (Clark)
Halloween (1978)
Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes...
- 10/28/2023
- avclub.com
Fabulous Films have announced the UK Blu-ray release of John Carpenter’s cult sci-Fi stoner classic Dark Star, which will be available to own for the very first on Blu-ray from 19th September 2011. This new Blu-ray edition has been sourced from an original 16×9 35mm theatrical print. The film was originally shot on 16mm, and then blown up to 35mm for theatrical distribution. The new master has been subject to a new grade and extensive manual frame by frame digital restoration with enhance and restored to Dolby Digital 5.1
This Blu-ray of Dark Star contains the original theatrical version (83mins) and the Directors cut (68mins) release and is packed full of brand new extra features, including:
An all new feature length documentary entitled Let There Be Light (116mins): The Odyssey of Dark Star. Exploring the
controversial making of the John Carpenter and writer Dan O’Bannon (Alien) student film. Archival interviews...
This Blu-ray of Dark Star contains the original theatrical version (83mins) and the Directors cut (68mins) release and is packed full of brand new extra features, including:
An all new feature length documentary entitled Let There Be Light (116mins): The Odyssey of Dark Star. Exploring the
controversial making of the John Carpenter and writer Dan O’Bannon (Alien) student film. Archival interviews...
- 8/24/2011
- by Kat
- Nerdly
In Match Cuts, we examine every available version of a film, and decide once and for all which is the one, definitive cut worth watching. This week, in honor of John Carpenter's new film "The Ward," we're looking at his very first film: "Dark Star."
Editions:
-Original Movie Cut (1974): 68 minutes
-Theatrical Cut (1975): 83 minutes
The Story:
The four-man crew of the spaceship Dark Star is twenty years into their mission to locate and destroy unstable planets that pose a threat to future Earth colonies. The spacemen, led by Lt. Doolittle (Brian Narelle), dump bombs on the unstable planets then blast away at hyperspeed before they explode. Their lives between detonations are boring and tedious; the crew is so disengaged and disinterested in their jobs that they barely notice that Dark Star has been damaged in an asteroid storm, and that the malfunction could have disastrous consequences for their next bombing run.
Editions:
-Original Movie Cut (1974): 68 minutes
-Theatrical Cut (1975): 83 minutes
The Story:
The four-man crew of the spaceship Dark Star is twenty years into their mission to locate and destroy unstable planets that pose a threat to future Earth colonies. The spacemen, led by Lt. Doolittle (Brian Narelle), dump bombs on the unstable planets then blast away at hyperspeed before they explode. Their lives between detonations are boring and tedious; the crew is so disengaged and disinterested in their jobs that they barely notice that Dark Star has been damaged in an asteroid storm, and that the malfunction could have disastrous consequences for their next bombing run.
- 7/8/2011
- by Matt Singer
- ifc.com
Dark Star has a lot to answer for. Not only did it prefigure the worn, realistic space vessels and environments of Alien and Blade Runner but it served as debuts for both master filmmaker John Carpenter and screenwriter Dan O’Bannon, anticipated and gave birth to Alien, coined several sci-fi film terms like ‘hyper drive’ and ‘mother’, introduced the ‘five finger fillet’ game seen in Aliens and even inspired the name and concept of TV space sitcom Red Dwarf.
It’s premise: four burnt-out astronauts tasked with the pointless mission of destroying ‘unstable planets’, pass the time by listening to country music, glazing at the stars, playing music with water filled bottles and taking amateur target practice, is used as the basis to take intergalactic digs at the pretensions of 2001: A Space Odyssey with a hippy counter-culture mindset. From this the film evokes laughs, pathos and even suspense from within its confined claustrophobic space.
It’s premise: four burnt-out astronauts tasked with the pointless mission of destroying ‘unstable planets’, pass the time by listening to country music, glazing at the stars, playing music with water filled bottles and taking amateur target practice, is used as the basis to take intergalactic digs at the pretensions of 2001: A Space Odyssey with a hippy counter-culture mindset. From this the film evokes laughs, pathos and even suspense from within its confined claustrophobic space.
- 3/6/2011
- by Oliver Pfeiffer
- Obsessed with Film
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