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Alien Day may be technically over for 2024 — it’s April 26, because the planetoid in the original 1979 movie is LV-426 — but as far as we’re concerned, 2024 is Alien year… especially because there’s a new Alien movie out this August. Alien: Romulus director Fede Alvarez certainly spoiled fans of the franchise this year, with two behind-the-scenes peeks at the new movie, and a new introduction to the trailer created exclusively for C2E2 attendees.

Alvarez appeared on camera in a short introduction created for C2E2 2024 celebrations in McCormick Place on Friday, April 26 — a celebration that included original Alien stars Tom Skerritt and Veronica Cartwright appearing on stage with Popverse’s own Ashley Victoria Robinson — and now shared exclusively here on Popverse, saying that “the characters in this universe mean so much to me”… a sentiment shared by anyone who’s seen Ellen Ripley in action in the past. (Or, for that matter, Michael Fassbender’s David in both Prometheus and Alien: Covenant.)

Watch Alvarez’s introduction, and the C2E2 edit of the Alien: Romulus teaser railer:

The first teaser trailer for Alien: Romulus shows just how scary the Xenomorphs should be by following a "less is more" philosophy. There are long lingering shots of empty corridors, slowly panning toward bloodstained pods. Everything is given to us in flashes of light and obscure images. Most importantly, there isn’t a CGI Xenomorph in sight.

In fact, we don’t see much of the iconic alien at all, which is another sign that director Fede Álvarez understood the assignment handed to him. We see plenty of face-huggers and even come up close and personal with one as it is removed in a particularly visceral-looking segment, but the actual full Xenomorph doesn’t make an appearance until the last moments of the trailer and that is a brief image obscured in shadow.

The rule in horror is that the less you show your monster, the scarier it will be. That sense of dread and the fear of the unknown are far more crippling than anything that the film can show us. It is enough that the Alien: Romulus trailer shows us the devastation that these creatures can unleash.

That said, if you really want to see the aliens for yourself, Alvarez has you covered, with not one, but two behind-the-scenes reveals shared on social media for Alien Day 2024… including proof that the movie is going for practical effects over CGI:

Playing with my favorite toy on set of #AlienRomulus last summer. RC Facehugger created by the amazing team from @wetaworkshop Happy #AlienDay everybody! pic.twitter.com/XKqc5StFtR

— Fede Alvarez (@fedalvar) April 26, 2024

#AlienDay2024 pic.twitter.com/gCEwVEkGmK

— Fede Alvarez (@fedalvar) April 26, 2024

If the final product we see when Alien: Romulus comes out on August 16, 2024 is anywhere near as good as what we’ve already seen, it will be an incredibly welcome return to form for a franchise that has too often strayed from its horror roots.

Alien is chest-bursting its way back into pop culture this year, and we couldn't be more excited. Prepare for Alien: Romulus with Popverse's Alien watch order, see the face-hugging first trailer, and find out where Romulus fits into the Alien timeline from star Cailee Spaeny.