‘Alien: Romulus’ Trailer: Fede Alvarez Brings ‘Alien’ Back To Its Horror Roots

When a horror franchise needs someone to give it a fresh coat of paint, Fede Alvarez is a director that you call. After directing 2013’s Evil Dead, Alvarez is now daring to take on Alien, which is in dire need of finding its horror roots again. And based on this trailer for Alien: Romulus, that is exactly what Alvarez has done with a film that looks like it could be the scariest since Ridley Scott and James Cameron before him.

A standalone film set between Alien in 1979 and Aliens in 1986, Alien: Romulus keeps a simple premise. A group of young explorers find an abandoned space station and encounter deadly xenomorphs, face huggers, and more chest-bursting surprises.

The cast includes Cailee Spaeny, Archie Renaux, David Jonsson, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu. Alvarez directed and co-wrote the script with Rodo Sayagues, who he worked with on Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe, Don’t Breathe 2, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Here’s the synopsis: Set between the events of Alien and Aliens, the story concerns a group of young space colonists who, while scavenging a derelict space station, come face to face with the most terrifying life form in their universe.

Alien: Romulus hits theaters on August 16th.

Travis Hopson has been reviewing movies before he even knew there was such a thing. Having grown up on a combination of bad '80s movies, pro wrestling, comic books, and hip-hop, Travis is uniquely positioned to geek out on just about everything under the sun. A vampire who walks during the day and refuses to sleep, Travis is the co-creator and lead writer for Punch Drunk Critics. He is also a contributor to Good Morning Washington, WBAL Morning News, and WETA Around Town. In the five minutes a day he's not working, Travis is also a voice actor, podcaster, and Twitch gamer. Travis is a voting member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and Late Night programmer for the Lakefront Film Festival.