35 Years After Ridley Scott’s Alien, Sci-Fi Horror Peaked With Parasyte

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Ridley Scott’s Alien revolutionized science fiction horror, but Parasyte: The Maxim took the genre even further 25 years later. Released in 1979, Alien was a huge success and is now considered a classic, widely praised by both critics and audiences. The film spawned numerous sequels, spinoffs, comics, books, and video games, and it heavily influenced many other sci-fi horror creations.

If you enjoy the body horror found in Alien, you might like Parasyte. It began as a manga by Hitoshi Iwaaki and later became a well-known anime series called Parasyte: The Maxim. The anime, which premiered in 2014, has just one season of 24 episodes, but it effectively explores the idea of alien parasites.

What Is Parasyte: The Maxim About?

In the anime Parasyte: The Maxim, high school student Shinichi Izumi finds his life turned upside down when an alien parasite invades his body. Usually, these creatures take control of the brain and consume people, but in Shinichi’s situation, the parasite ended up developing in his hand instead.

In the anime Parasyte: The Maxim, a parasite named Migi takes over Shinichi’s hand and arm, but Shinichi remains conscious and in control of the rest of his body. They must work together to survive. Meanwhile, other parasites are secretly taking over people’s minds and feeding on them.

At the beginning of the story, Migi is a complex character – both an opponent and an ally to Shinichi. While the Parasytes are highly intelligent, they don’t understand human feelings, and Migi is no exception. As Shinichi and Migi team up to survive, they gradually begin to understand each other. Parasyte: The Maxim delves into what it means to be human, the importance of working together, and the power of empathy, all set against a backdrop of unsettling and visually striking body horror.

Parasyte: The Maxim Delivers Sci-Fi And Horror Excellence

The original Alien film became famous for its shocking and graphic violence. Released in 1979, it created its disturbing imagery using practical effects – techniques that, while simpler than today’s CGI, will likely continue to be admired for years to come. Even knowing the characters aren’t actually being harmed, these practical effects make the film both incredibly exciting and unsettling.

As a huge fan, I think the animation in Parasyte: The Maxim is just perfect for this kind of story. It feels like they could really go wild with the body horror – way more than if they’d used CGI or practical effects. And it’s not just scary visuals, either. The show also explores some really interesting social and emotional ideas. You don’t usually see that much depth in body horror, but sci-fi is great for that – think about how popular Severance is! Parasyte manages to combine those thought-provoking sci-fi themes with truly well-done horror, and honestly, it’s brilliant.

There Are Multiple Parasyte Live-Action Adaptations

Considering how well Parasyte blends science fiction and horror, it’s understandable that it’s been reimagined in different formats. The story began as a manga, and manga often gets turned into anime. Live-action adaptations, particularly successful ones, are less common, but Parasyte was fortunate enough to receive a few.

Back in 2013, Toho, a Japanese film studio, obtained the rights to create movies based on Parasyte. They released a two-part film series in 2014 and 2015, which did reasonably well but didn’t become hugely popular. The adaptation truly captured the spirit of the original story with the release of Parasyte: The Grey, a Korean live-action TV show on Netflix in 2024.

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If you’re looking for a quick, self-contained story, the six-episode miniseries Parasyte: The Grey is a great choice. It’s a good entry point for those who aren’t familiar with anime, and it works perfectly well as a standalone series. While connected to the original Parasyte: The Maxim, The Grey expands the scope of the alien invasion, implying it happened worldwide, not just in Japan. Both stories follow characters learning to live with parasitic symbiotes – in The Maxim, it’s Shinichi in Japan, and in The Grey, it’s Su-in in South Korea.

Su-in’s experience with her parasite in Parasyte: The Grey is unique. Unlike Shinichi, where the parasite and host worked together, Su-in and her parasite take turns controlling their body. Also, the parasite invasion in Korea was much more public and violent compared to the secret invasion that happened in Japan.

The animation in the original Parasyte: The Maxim was a major strength, and Parasyte: The Grey successfully translated that same energy into a live-action format. The new series also upped the stakes by showing the parasites taking over more openly, which meant significantly more intense and graphic scenes. It makes you wonder where the sci-fi horror genre will go from here – considering how far it’s come since Alien, the possibilities seem endless.

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2025-12-20 03:49