For the past several weeks, IGN has been releasing official Alien Universe short films in celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the groundbreaking sci-fi/horror film, “Alien.” These amazing shorts were created as part of a collaboration between 20th Century Fox, Tongal, and a handful of tremendously talented young filmmakers. While each short is captivating and showcases the skills of what will undoubted be Hollywood’s next wave of amazing artists, both in front of and behind the camera, “Alien: Harvest” is our favorite of the bunch. Helmed by Benjamin Howdeshell, the mini movie immediately immerses the viewer into the action as we discover the dire circumstances of the November’s crew.
Here’s the breakdown on the film: “The surviving crew of a damaged deep-space harvester have minutes to reach the emergency evacuation shuttle. A motion sensor is their only navigation tool leading them to safety while a creature in the shadows terrorizes the crew. However, the greatest threat might have been hiding in plain sight all along.”
The cast features Agnes Albright as Mari, Jessica Clark as Hannah, Adam Sinclair as Alec, James C. Burns as Sturgis, Michelle Falanga as Laurel Tooms, Heather Foster as the voice of the Ship’s Computer and Alexander Ward as the Xenomorph. Agnes Albright is a true head-turner in her role. In fact, it’s her final moments on screen that left us with goosebumps that we haven’t experienced from the Alien Universe since Sigourney Weaver went head-to-head with the original creature back in ’79. “Alien: Harvest” successfully captures the claustrophobic feel, suspense, and sheer terror of the original “Alien” film. That’s no easy task for anything with a runtime of less 10 minutes!
Check out “Alien: Harvest” below, along with a video profile on director Benjamin Howdeshell for some insight on the project. You can check out more of his work via his official website, www.benjaminhowdeshell.com.
