Cinema Upon its release, it turned heads: this 4.4-rated SF masterpiece literally made part of the audience vomit 46 years ago Upon its release, it turned heads: this 4.4-rated SF masterpiece literally made part of the audience vomit 46 years ago By Quentin Couprie 9 December 2025 Some films make you think; this one made people throw up. How did a 1979 space nightmare go from clearing aisles to earning a 4.4 and defining the genre? In 1979, Ridley Scott’s Alien sent audiences into panic as cinema met a new kind of terror. Two years after Star Wars reignited sci-fi, this claustrophobic nightmare leaned on practical effects to make the horror feel unnervingly real. Editor Terry Rawlings has recalled viewers panicking, some bolting for the exits or feeling sick during the notorious chestburster sequence, an execution even Stanley Kubrick admired. From Sigourney Weaver’s breakthrough to Barbara Gips’s icy promise, “In space, no one can hear you scream,” its legacy still echoes, now streaming on Disney+. Upon its release, it turned heads: this 4.4-rated SF masterpiece literally made part of the audience vomit 46 years ago Extreme reactions to an unforgettable release In 1979, cinemas encountered a shock unlike anything before. Alien, Ridley Scott’s meticulously crafted nightmare, did more than captivate audiences. It overwhelmed them. With a 4.4/5 rating today, it stands as a pinnacle of science fiction, yet its graphic intensity and suffocating suspense left some viewers reeling and even vomiting in theaters. The film’s blend of claustrophobic pacing, body horror, and tactile realism made the experience uncommonly visceral. Source: https://3dvf.com/en/upon-its-release-it-turned-heads-this-4-4-rated-sf-masterpiece-literally-made-part-of-the-audience-vomit-46-years-ago/