When I was very young, my dad used to tell me stories about Alien - it was one of his favorites. When it first came out on video, I was probably 10-12 years old (well past when the sequel came out). Took me at -least- 3 attempts to watch it past the point where Kane is on the hospital bed with the facehugger on him. Scary stuff - those suckers are MEAN :)
I saw Alien when it first came out. At the Hollywood Egyptian Theater. Odd theater, the projection booth is low, so the center isle jogs around it. On the second turn I abruptly turned around, shoved my spread hand into the face of the stranger behind me and screamed eeeahh!!!
Turned out to be a black kid, he visibly blanched and said in a quavering voice, "Don't DO that, man!!!
He's probably still trying to find me...