The commercial vessel Nostromo receives a distress signal from an unexplored planet. After searching for survivors, the crew heads home only to realise that a deadly bioform has joined them.

“IN space, no one can hear you scream.”

That’s the chilling tagline from Ridley Scott’s Alien, a movie which has left millions of people screaming since it was released in 1979.

It’s been voted as one of the best horror movies ever made and eventually led to three other films.

But how much do you really know about Alien? Here are some fun facts we tracked down:

Man oh man: The role of Ripley was originally written to be played by a man.

Ripley: Sigourney Weaver almost missed out on the role of Ripley to Meryl Streep. And how about this ... Weaver and Streep went to school together. Crazy huh?

Meow: To get Jones the cat to hiss, the producers surprised the feline by bringing a german shepherd on set.

Almost edible: The dead facehugger that Ash autopsies was made using fresh shellfish, four oysters and a sheep kidney. Sounds delicious doesn’t it?

Lube: The slime dripping from the Alien’s jaws is in fact KY jelly and shredded condoms were used to create the tendons. What a sexual creature.

THAT scene: Remember when Kane’s (played by John Hurt) chest is busted open by an Alien? How could you not right? The director Ridley Scott didn’t tell any of the cast that they were going to be sprayed with blood when the gruesome beast burst out because he wanted to record their genuine reactions.

Inspiration for THAT scene: According to the book Shock Value, Dan O’Bannon (Alien writer) came up with the idea for THAT scene when he woke up in the middle of the night with stomach pains, which happened regularly due to his Crohn’s disease.

Things got heated: Apparently the spacesuits that the actors wore were so hot that several of the stars passed out while rehearsing and recording scenes in them.

The 35th Anniversary edition of Alien is now available on Blu-ray, DVD & extended cut Digital HD. *Alien 35th Anniversary Limited Edition Anthology Gift Set on Blu-ray is only at JB Hi-Fi.