If you sat someone down and showed them Ridley Scott’s ‘Alien,’ in the best possible quality, you’d be hard-pressed to find any indication that the film is fast-approaching 40-years-old. Released May 25, 1979, Scott’s sci-fi/horror film stands head and shoulders above all the subsequent sequels (though a case can be made for “Aliens”), as well as most other films of this genre, even today. So, to celebrate the impending anniversary, the folks behind the franchise are doing something special, by honoring the franchise with a series of short films.
The newest film to be released is titled “Alien: Night Shift.” The third in a series of six total films, released each week until the official Alien Day (4/26, which is symbolic of the name of the moon that the original film is set on). ‘Night Shift’ tells the story of a missing space trucker that is disoriented and seemingly hungover. His co-worker decides its best to have a nightcap and that’s when all hell breaks loose.
‘Night Shift’ is written and directed by Aidan Brezonick. The filmmaker has yet to dive into feature films, but has previously directed shorts, including a couple of music videos for Norah Jones and Strfkr.
You can watch the 9-minute short below (or over on IGN), as well as the two previous shorts.
Here are the official descriptions for the three films:
ALIEN: Night Shift – When a missing space trucker is discovered hungover and disoriented, his co-worker suggests a nightcap as a remedy. Near closing time, they are reluctantly allowed inside the colony supply depot where the trucker’s condition worsens, leaving a young supply worker alone to take matters into her own hands. Written and Directed by Aidan Brezonick
ALIEN: Containment – Four survivors find themselves stranded aboard a small escape pod in deep space. Trying to piece together the details around the outbreak that led to their ship’s destruction, they find themselves unsure to trust whether or not one of them might be infected. Written and Directed by Chris Reading
ALIEN: Specimen – It’s the night shift in a colony greenhouse, and Julie, a botanist, does her best to contain suspicious soil samples that have triggered her sensitive lab dog. Despite her best efforts the lab unexpectedly goes into full shutdown and she is trapped inside. Little does she know, an alien specimen has escaped the mysterious cargo, and a game of cat and mouse ensues as the creature searches for a host.Directed by Kelsey Taylor