Alien: Romulus director says his work on 2013’s Evil Dead and Don’t Breathe helped him bring to life the “true horror movie” he’s always wanted to make

Since Alien: Romulus has been announced, we have been teased that it will return the beloved sci-fi franchise back to its horror roots. And judging by both the first reactions and our very own Alien: Romulus review, it’s certainly ‘mission complete’.

Set in-between the events of Ridley Scott’s Alien and Aliens, the film follows a group of space scavengers as they encounter some familiar foes on what they believe to be an abandoned space station. As they delve further into the deserted outpost, more and more scares are creeping around each corner, with the film climaxing with an absolutely unhinged finale.

That’s to be expected though from director Fede Álvarez, whose previous work includes other horror films such as 2013’s Evil Dead and Don’t Breathe. In fact, it’s these movies in particular that he says helped prepare him for tackling Alien: Romulus.

As he explained in an interview with GamesRadar+ and Total Film on the red carpet at the recent UK gala event, whilst Evil Dead and Don’t Breathe are individually different beasts, he blended his approaches to these films to create the “true horror” movie he’s always wanted to make with Alien: Romulus.

Álvarez stated: “I think Alien at its best is a combination of true horror, like really violent horror and intense unbearable suspense. And I think that’s a good way to describe it. Evil Dead is really violent, really in your face and Don’t Breathe is an exercise in suspense, so after those two movies I felt ready to make one of these.”

Alien: Romulus is released in theaters worldwide on August 16. Before you watch the new film, check out our guide to how to watch the Alien movies in order as well as the movies and shows to watch before Alien: Romulus.