By Jamie Benning
In this bonus episode of The Filmumentaries Podcast, I welcome back filmmaker Paul King, whose new short documentary Beneath London: The Story of Alien War resurrects a long-forgotten slice of sci-fi history — the immersive Alien War experience that briefly but memorably terrified Londoners in the early 1990s.
Set inside the Trocadero in Piccadilly Circus, Alien War placed visitors in a Weyland-Yutani research facility gone wrong. Guided by live-action Colonial Marines through dimly lit corridors, guests found themselves dodging Xenomorphs, reacting to live sound and light effects, and fully immersed in a terrifying narrative pulled straight from James Cameron’s Aliens. For those of us who were just too scared to go in (I was one of them), the legend of Alien War became playground myth — half truth, half horror story.Paul’s film captures the atmosphere of the attraction while tracing the unlikely story of how two ambitious fans managed to convince 20th Century Fox to back their idea. Drawing from behind-the-scenes footage, fan archives, and new interviews with former performers and creators, Beneath London is both a time capsule and a tantalising glimpse at what could be a much larger documentary project.
You can watch Paul’s short film here:
Beneath London: The Story of Alien War – YouTube
During our conversation, Paul and I also talk about the nostalgia-driven nature of his work, how this project grew from a three-minute teaser into a compelling 20-minute documentary, and his plans to potentially develop it into a feature-length film. And yes, we do talk about the prospect of Alien War returning in some form — something the fan community seems very eager to see.
Toward the end of the episode, I also share an update on Not Your Average Joe, my feature-length documentary about production designer Joe Alves. With the Jaws 50th anniversary celebrations taking place this June on Martha’s Vineyard — and key cast and crew attending — I’ve launched a GoFundMe to support this crucial final chapter of the shoot.
If you’d like to support Not Your Average Joe, you can do so here:
GoFundMe – Not Your Average Joe: The Joe Alves Documentary
More episodes coming soon. Thanks for listening and for supporting these untold behind-the-scenes stories.
Jamie
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