Episode 215 – Where No One Can Hear You Scream: On Ridley Scott's 'Alien'

In this episode, JF and Phil discuss Ridley Scott's 1979 sci-fi/horror blockbuster Alien. Together, they wipe off the patina of familiarity that beclouds the film, restoring it to its original weirdness. What is the organism that terrorizes the Nostromo? What's its relation to technology, evolution, industry? How does it differ from the monsters of older horror classics? How does one interpret without explaining away?

Music in this episode: "Hypnagogic," from Pierre-Yves Martel's Weird Studies Vol. 3. (pierre-yvesmartel.bandcamp.com/album/weird-stu…)

Events

Shannon Taggart's Lily Dale Symposium (shannontaggart.com/events/2026) (July 23-25, 2026
shannontaggart.com/events
Transcendence in the Age of AI (weirdosphere.org/course/transcendence-in-the-a…), a Weirdosphere chat with Michael Garfield and JF Martel, hosted by Joel Gunz - June 25, 2026

Kickstarter campaign (kickstarter.com/projects/strangeattractoruk/ar…) for Artist as Astronaut: The Otherworldly Art of Ionel Talpazan from Strange Attractor Press. The campaign closes June 27!

References

Ionel Talpazan, Romanian experiencer and artist

Ridley Scott (dir.), Alien (imdb.com/title/tt0078748/%E2%81%A0)

Peter Bebergal, All Our Famous Monsters (forthcoming)

Malachi Martin, Hostage to the Devil (bookshop.org/a/18799/9780060653378%E2%81%A0)

Vilhelm Hammershøi (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilhelm_Hammersh%C3%B8i%…), Danish painter

H. R. Giger (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._R._Giger), Swiss artist

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon-Max%E2%81%A0, French entertainer

Eric Wargo, Passion of the Space Jockey (thenightshirt.com/?p=4627%E2%81%A0)

Weird Studies, Episode 213 on “Eric”

Mel Brooks (dir.), Spaceballs (imdb.com/title/tt0094012)

Howard and Emerson, “Hello, Ma Baby” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello!_Ma_Baby%E2%81%A0)

Beowulf (bookshop.org/a/18799/9780393320978%E2%81%A0)

Eugene Thacker, In the Dust of This Planet (bookshop.org/a/18799/9781846946769)

Graham Harman, Weird Reality (bookshop.org/a/18799/9781780992525)

Pierre Schaeffer (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Schaeffer%E2%81%A0), French musician

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