WP COMMUNITY WRITING CHALLENGE

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The challenge is to render Paul Anderson's 1979 sf horror clasicc Alien into a comedy yukkers film. But remain true to the source-material and try for a faithful reproduction. Either in part or in full, ie. whole story or one act. Acceptible formats include prose and screenplay. No deadline, no pressure. Just to amuse ourselves and each other.

Of course I will be participating also, since I'm the Aspie who initiated. Contest-form would make it even more interesting, but as for the prizes? Collective judging, that lessens the possibility of disputes.

How to make this very scary film into funny ha-ha?

This is somewhat off-topic, but one of the writers of the original film, Dan O'Bannon, had done a very funny film that forshadowed (some parts of) Alien. The feeding-the-alien scene in Dark Star is one of the funniest scenes I can recall. Sort of gives a new slant on the hunt-for-the-alien scenes in Alien. I saw Alien the day after it was released (at the Egyptian in Hollywood) and still regard it as the classiest/scariest film I've seen. I will devote a lot of thought to this challenge!

Anna

In the film, everyone aboard the Nostromo had speaking parts except the Alien. Even the computer AI had things to say. The creatures were clearly not meant to be sympathetic or even understandable. The Alien's motives showed through only when it began to kill and reproduce. It has no eyes, H. R. Giger remarked, so we never know what it is thinking or feeling.

What if this awful tale were not told from the perspective of the Weyland-Yutani roughnecks? No, let's have it told by the Alien himself. He is a main character in this little farce, very vocal. It's not that he has no eyes, it's that he's lost his glasses. As a result, he squints, giving the appearance of no-eyes. The Alien is still a horrible monster, but has the personality of a whiny computer geek.

The only other non-human character featured was Jones the Cat. Also, a non-speaking role of little significance. Let's make Jones into one of the principals, give him lines. What sort of character should he be, apathetic to everything or loyal to his mistress Ellen Ripley?

Someone else can pick up the creative thread here; I didn't want to write too much of it myself. Let's pass it around after each Aspie contributes, like that game you played in Creative Writing Class.

You know, as much as I don't like the Alien series, I can see the potential for the comedic version.

You ever watch the Doctor Who story The Ark in Space? Preceded Alien by about 3 years, but had many of the same themes. I can just imagine the scene where Kane gets the facehugger on him, and Noah/Lazar (his rough equivalent in Ark in Space). Warning: strong language.

Deleted for obvious reasons, sorry.

Little bit of trivia: did you know that Ridley Scott use to work for the BBC? And that, for a quirk of fate and conflicting schedules, it could have been him designing a certain infamous science fiction monster instead of Raymond Cusick?

So, I wonder how Ridley Scott would have designed the Daleks?

Alien already /is/ comedy. Monty Python couldn't beat the muppet bursting out of who-ever-it-is's chest, ruining all dramatic tension in one swift blow.

Of course, I'm too young to appreciate it's terror though.

Alien is not a comedy. You'll find it Classified as Sci Fi Horror .

Hmm, thinking about Kane and the Facehugger ...

What if the facehugger alien has little to no effect on Kane while attached to him? Instead of his face being concealed by some godawful hand-like thing ... let's have the facehugger be a big yellow Happy Face! Kane remains conscious & breathing, his voice muffled and transformed by the classic Happy Face covering his own ugly one.

And to add to the joke, Kane suffers from depression. We never get to see him smile on account of the happy face hugger. The hugger's fingers are not thin and spidery but fat and round, looking more like pool noodles or Rasta dreads. Kane was a sad person, so the creature gave him a hug. Now, instead of his usual mean-spirited diatribes, all Kane can say are nurturing, positve things. The happy face hugger converts his cussing and trash-talking into Care Bear dialogue.

The crew can't decide if they should try to remove it or just leave it on.

HA!

It won't work in the Writing Showcase!

If anything scary / dramatic in the film can be made silly / stupid ... who has an idea for another set-piece or plot-point? I just realized how many sci-fi comedies there are ...

The Nostromo was a refinery ship, supposedly collecting crude oil in the depths of space and hauling it back to Earth. Receiving that unknown distress-call was one major plot point. The de-freezing of the crew by Mother after an inordinate amount of time .... waking up with the ship's heading unknown & totally off-course ... anybody have a funny idea for sending-up the bone ship?

Things to be aware of: Spaceballs, Dark Star, Red Dwarf, Doctor Who

(no plagiarism!!)

fine, forget it.