There was a time when no one had seen a facehugger, or a chestburster, or had heard the phrase ‘In Space No One Can Hear You Scream’.

Alien first appeared in 1979 and since then HR Giger’s biomechanical nightmare has never really left our screens, appearing in six motion pictures (or seven if you count Predator 2) and countless comic books and video games.

With Ridley Scott revisiting the Alien universe this month in Prometheus, we take a look at what the BBFC made of Alien when it first came to the Board.

Examiners found themselves weighing up whether to pass the film ‘AA’, which would have made the film available to those aged 14 and up or ‘X’ for 18 years and over.  In the end the film was passed ‘X’ in line with other horror films of the time such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers.  However some comparisons were drawn between Alien and Jaws and there was discussion as to whether younger viewers would be able handle Alien or whether the level of fear generated and the dark tone were too much.