'Alien' 40th Anniversary Shorts Feature Six Short Films Full Of Xenomorph Terror

If you've been disappointed with Ridley Scott's Alien prequel films and want a return to traditional Xenomorph action, you might want to check this out. 20th Century Fox partnered with global creative community Tongal to give fan filmmakers a chance to make short films set within the world of Alien. Over 550 shorts were pitched, with six stories ultimately chosen. Fox then gave the six filmmakers total access to use any and every piece of Alien mythology possible. Watch the Alien 40th Anniversary Shorts trailer below, and learn more about the short films.

First, let me say I'm a fan of the weird direction Ridley Scott took his Alien prequels. I was mixed on Prometheus, but I loved Alien: Covenant. However, I know many fans don't share my enthusiasm. They would prefer a new Alien more more akin to the original 1979 film, or James Cameron's Aliens. If you're one of those fans, these short films look like they were made for you.

In honor of the 40th anniversary of Alien, Fox teamed with Tongal and gave six emerging filmmakers a chance to use the Alien franchise as their sandbox. The filmmakers were given "unprecedented access to the franchise, including storytelling elements, creatures, and characters." The six films will begin rolling out this week, with "exclusive fan screenings of the first four at Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle on Friday, March 15, followed by C2E2 in Chicago on Saturday, March 23rd. The final two shorts, both helmed by female filmmakers, will screen exclusively for fans at WonderCon on Saturday, March 30th, followed by a moderated panel with the directors. The shorts will be released weekly on IGN, starting on March 29. Then, beginning May 3rd, they will be available on the official @AlienAnthology social channels and AlienUniverse.com, along with exclusive behind-the-scenes content." Here is a full breakdown of every film.

ALIEN: Alone - Hope, an abandoned crew member aboard the derelict chemical hauler Otranto, has spent a year trying to keep her ship and herself alive as both slowly fall apart. After discovering hidden cargo, she risks it all to power up the broken ship in search of human life. Written and directed by Noah MillerALIEN: 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 ReadingALIEN: Harvest - The surviving crew of a damaged deep-space harvester have minutes to reach the emergency evacuation shuttle. A motion sensor is their only navigation tool leading them to safety while a creature in the shadows terrorizes the crew. However, the greatest threat might have been hiding in plain sight all along. Directed by Benjamin HowdeshellALIEN: 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 BreznickALIEN: Ore - As a hard-working miner of a planet mining colony, Lorraine longs to make a better life for her daughter and grandchildren. When her shift uncovers the death of a fellow miner under mysterious circumstances, Lorraine is forced to choose between escape or defying management orders and facing her fears to fight for the safety of her family. Written and directed by the Spear SistersALIEN: 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