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'Alien: Romulus' Trailer Brings the Chest-Bursting Horror Back to Space

It's set to premiere in theaters everywhere on Aug. 16.

Headshot of Aaron Pruner
Headshot of Aaron Pruner
Aaron Pruner Writer
Aaron covers what's exciting and new in the world of home entertainment and streaming TV. Previously, he wrote about entertainment for places like Rotten Tomatoes, Inverse, TheWrap and The Hollywood Reporter. Aaron is also an actor and stay-at-home dad, which means coffee is his friend.
Aaron Pruner
2 min read

Alien: Romulus is here to bring the scares back to the iconic sci-fi franchise.

The first trailer for the upcoming trek to galactic hell dropped on Tuesday, and by the look of things, the movie will bring the film series back to its terrifying roots. Fede Àlvarez (Evil Dead, Don't Breathe), directed the feature, which by all accounts isn't connected to Noah Hawley's Alien TV series, which is set for a 2025 release. 

"While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe," the official synopsis from 20th Century Studios reads. 

According to star Cailee Spaeny, Alien: Romulus is a prequel of sorts. The events of the film take place between Ridley Scott's 1979 classic and James Cameron's highly rated sequel. "It's supposed to slot in between the first movie and the second movie," Spaeny told Variety. 

In the trailer, Spaeny and crew are seen dealing with a horde of face-huggers and a xenomorph or two. They may not know what these creatures are, but we sure do. Though it could feel old hat for viewers at this point -- there are eight movies in the canon thus far -- the clip gives a surprising new perspective on the gruesome chest-busting process of birthing a face-hugger into the universe. And, honestly, we are totally here for it.

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James Cameron's effects crew on Aliens returned to create the xenomorphs in Alien: Romulus.

 20th Century Studios

Sticking with the theme of bringing things back to basics, she went on to reveal that the monster-effects crew for Romulus was made up of the same people who worked on Cameron's game-changing blockbuster. "So getting to see the original design with the original people who have been working on these films for 45-plus years and has been so much of their life has been really incredible," she added.

The movie's overarching storyline has yet to be revealed. But the trailer gives enough of a glimpse into the new installment to stoke excitement in die-hard fans the world over who've been clamoring for a proper Alien movie for years. It's a simple enough formula: Throw a group of unsuspecting crew members into space, trap them in the confines of their ship, and set loose a load of violent creatures to wreak havoc. Voila -- a pretty solid horror foundation is laid. 

Starring alongside Spaeny are Isabela Merced, Archie Renaux, David Jonsson, Aileen Wu and Spike Fearn. 

Alien: Romulus is scheduled to premiere in theaters on Friday, Aug. 16.