James Cameron nicked Aliens ideas from these two movies and this book

We all love the 1986 movie Aliens, right? But did you know that director James Cameron pulled inspiration from a few earlier films and even a book to create the movie’s distinctive look and feel? Let’s break it down.

First, there’s the 1954 movie Them! This classic horror flick has a storyline where atomic testing in New Mexico leads to common ants mutating into gigantic, human-eating monsters that threaten all of civilization. Sound familiar? You can definitely spot the similarities between the giant ants and the terrifying xenomorphs.

Next, we’ve got Xenogenesis, a short film from 1978 that Cameron himself made. In it, a woman and a genetically engineered man are on a mission aboard a huge, intelligent spaceship to find a new home for humanity. At one point, the man faces off with a giant robotic cleaner, and—hold up—is that an exo-suit? It sure is, and it’s a pretty clear precursor to Ripley’s iconic power loader battle in Aliens.

Finally, let’s talk about Starship Troopers—not the 1997 movie, but the original book from 1959. Written during the Cold War, the novel centers around soldiers battling alien bugs. The influence on Aliens is obvious, from the idea of soldiers on a “bug hunt” to the design of the dropships and the Colonial Marines’ armor. Cameron even had his cast read the book to help them get into the mindset of their characters and understand the military dynamics.

So, the next time you watch Aliens, you can see how these earlier films and a novel helped shape the sci-fi horror masterpiece we all love.