Total Film Issue 353 (August 2024) Alien: Romulus

In Alien: Romulus, Priscilla star Cailee Spaney heads up a much younger cast than were used to seeing come face-to-face with the iconic xenomorph. Set some two decades after the events of Alien, Spaeny’s Rain Carradine is part of a small group of scavengers looking to leave their futile lives behind by raiding the Renaissance, an abandoned Weyland-Yutani research station. But unfortunately for Carradine and co., the nefarious Company is harbouring a deadly secret.

A pureblood survival horror movie, Romulus aims to take the series back to terrifying basics following Ridley Scott’s ambitious but divisive prequels, even returning to H.R. Giger’s original biomechanical designs for the xenomorph. In the cover story, Total Film talks to stars Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson and Isabela Merced as well as director and co-writer Fede Alvarez about the film’s practical-first production, the unique sibling relationships that drive the story and why it could be the scariest Alien movie since 1979.

Look out for more Alien: Romulus exclusives dropping soon. Elsewhere in the issue, we take an eagle to Middle-earth to report from the set of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2, speak to Zoë Kravitz, Channing Tatum and Naomi Ackie about provocative thriller Blink Twice, get tongue tied while talking horror remake Speak No Evil with James McAvoy, unearth throwback folk horror Starve Acre with fantasy TV titans Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark, and investigate the physical media boom. Plus, there’s a deep-dive career interview with M. Night Shyamalan ahead of Trap, and new looks at Paul Feig’s Jackpot, Agatha All Along, The Crow, and loads more besides...

Check out the Total Film website.