Alien: Romulus: The Franchise Returns to Its Terrifying Roots

After years of prequels exploring the origins of the xenomorphs, Alien: Romulus strips the franchise back to its essence: people in a confined space with the perfect organism. Director Fede Álvarez, who proved his horror credentials with Evil Dead and Don't Breathe, understands that the best Alien content is fundamentally a haunted house movie in space.

Set between Alien and Aliens, the film follows a group of young colonists who break into a derelict space station hoping to find cryopods for their escape from indentured servitude. What they find instead is a Weyland-Yutani research facility containing exactly what you'd expect—and fear.

Cailee Spaeny's Rain is a worthy addition to the franchise's tradition of formidable protagonists, and David Jonsson's synthetic Andy provides both humor and genuine pathos. The young cast brings energy without grating, and their deaths—when they come—carry weight.

Álvarez stages several genuinely terrifying sequences. A zero-gravity escape through a corridor full of acid blood is a standout, and the film's third act goes to unexpected and deeply uncomfortable places that expand the xenomorph life cycle in disturbing ways.

Some nostalgia bait—including a controversial digital resurrection—may distract purists, but Romulus largely earns its place in the franchise through sheer craft and genuine scares.