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Director of ‘Alien: Romulus’ says the phones that hint at the film’s horror are a reference to ‘Alien: Isolation’
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Director of ‘Alien: Romulus’ says the phones that hint at the film’s horror are a reference to ‘Alien: Isolation’

Alien: Isolation, from developer Creative Assembly, is of course a stone-cold horror classic, so it seems only right that the film series it’s based on finally gets around to giving it some recognition. And that’s exactly what Fede Álvarez, the director of the new film Alien: Romulus, has done by sneaking in a whole range of Isolation-inspired phones.

As fans of the sci-fi horror masterpiece already know, phones play a key role in Alien: Isolation, serving as save points scattered throughout the nerve-wracking adventure of dodging Xenomorphs. “In the game,” Álvarez told Total Film (via VGC), “every time you knew there was a phone there, you thought, ‘Shit, I’m about to get into a bad situation.'”

And in that spirit, Álvarez, who tips his hat to Alien: Isolation, has decided to pepper his new film with emergency phones everywhere, sneaking them into the frame like an omen of impending horrors. “It’s the same here,” he continued. “You’ll see that they’re strategically placed throughout the film. When you see the phone, it’s like bracing for impact… The film is set up so that every time something bad is about to happen, you’re going to see a phone.”

So brace yourself: If you see a phone in the background, Randy Pitchford might jump out and announce “Aliens: Colonial Marines 2.”

Ian Higton and Aoife Wilson take on the Xenomorph. Watch on YouTube

And it seems that Álvarez – who also directed Evil Dead Reboot (2013) and Don’t Breathe (2016) – is not only a man with exceptional taste when it comes to games; early rumors suggest he’s also created a fine piece of horror himself with Alien: Romulus. We’ll know whether the film actually stops the franchise’s decades-long downward spiral when it hits theaters this Friday, August 16.

And if, for some inexplicable—and now almost unforgivable—reason, you haven’t yet experienced Alien: Isolation’s masterful piece of sci-fi horror, now is as good a time as any: the game is currently 80% off on GOG, Steam, Epic, PlayStation, and Xbox.

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