40 years ago, an iconic sci-fi thriller redefined what a sequel could be — and changed Hollywood forever

Every sequel faces the same impossible challenge. Audiences want more of what they loved the first time, but they also want something new. Lean too heavily on familiarity and the sequel feels like a remake. Change too much and it risks feeling disconnected from the original. Hollywood has spent decades trying to solve that puzzle, but few franchises have found the balance better than one that began with a monster stalking seven victims through the corridors of a spaceship, and then burst out of Hollywood’s chest to sprint off in a completely different direction.