The latest Alien franchise film, Alien: Romulus, is being released as a limited edition VHS on Dec. 3. This is very unexpected, especially in today’s physical media market. With DVDs and CDs also struggling to create a market for themselves, this VHS focuses more on nostalgia than anything. The release celebrates the 45th anniversary of the Alien series.
Directors Ridley Scott, James Cameron, and David Fincher originally released the earlier Alien films on VHS in the 80s and 90s, evoking strong memories of the format. The limited edition VHS will feature the classic 4×3 aspect ratio, matching the format of the other VHS tapes. Movie poster artist Matt Ferguson completed the box art for the VHS packaging.
During the Alien and Alien: Romulus double feature at the Aero Theatre presented by Beyond Fest and the American Cinematheque, director Fede Álvarez gave a video introduction. In the video, Álvarez said a big studio last released a VHS in 2006 with David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence, originally released in 2005.
Following the screening, there was a Q&A featuring David Jonsson, Isabela Merced, Shane Mahan, Matt Ferguson, and Lee Gilmore. Jim Hemphill, a film historian and writer from IndieWire, moderated the discussion. Jonsson and Merced play characters Andy and Kay, respectively. Mahan was the VFX supervisor, whereas Gilmore acted as the supervising sound editor.
If you’re not really a VHS person but still a physical media lover, no worries! The Steelbook 4K and Blu-ray set and DVD are also releasing on Dec 3. Both of these will come with exclusive features like “featurettes with filmmakers Fede Alvarez and Ridley Scott, behind the scenes content, and alternate and extended scenes.”
If you just want to watch the second highest grossing Alien franchise film at home right now, it is available digitally for rent and purchase on streaming platforms such as Prime Video and AppleTV+.
