Alien

The Discs That Changed How Britain Watched

Position 7 of 10

Ridley Scott's sci-fi horror, whose 1999 DVD release included a director's commentary and a wealth of production material. The disc's anamorphic transfer and isolated score track demonstrated how sound design could be studied at home.

When Studios Marry: Films Born of Corporate Chaos

Position 1 of 8

Ridley Scott's claustrophobic sci-fi horror masterpiece, produced by 20th Century-Fox during a period of corporate instability.

The Art of Listening

Position 4 of 7

The Nostromo hums with life, and the alien is heard before it's seen. A masterclass in using sound to build dread and tension in space.

From External Beast to Internal Trauma

Position 3 of 5

Decades later, the threat moved from earthbound radiation to deep space. Ridley Scott’s masterpiece introduced a parasite whose reproduction violates the human body, while the overarching villain is not just the Xenomorph, but the Weyland-Yutani corporation that treats the crew a...

20 Home Video Releases Every Film Obsessive Should Own

Position 18 of 20

Alien Quadrilogy (DVD) A nine-disc juggernaut that treated a turbulent franchise with extraordinary archival respect. By including the controversial assembly cuts, alternative edits, and raw behind-the-scenes footage, it offered a rare, unfiltered look into studio filmmaking and...

The DVDs That Changed Everything

Position 5 of 13

Specifically, the Quadrilogy! A nine-disc juggernaut that gathered four distinct films, alternative cuts, and unvarnished production histories, proving that audiences were eager to explore both the triumphs and the troubled developments of classic franchises.