'Alien: Covenant,' the latest installment of the series, will be released on May 19.

The path to finding new life seems exciting until discovery turns into a fight for survival. Starting back in 1979 with Alien, this film franchise follows the adventure of a space crew that unintentionally discovers deadly new life. The dark planets and deadly creatures make for scary thrillers. After all, the first movie carried the tagline, "In space, no one can hear you scream."

Ridley Scott directed the first of the Alien films. The movie's success led to three sequels: Aliens (1986), directed by James Cameron; Alien 3 (1992), from David Fincher; and Alien Resurrection (1997), helmed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Two prequels followed that Scott returned to direct: Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant (2017). There also was a spinoff franchise that incorporated the aliens from the Predator movies.

Below, watch the trailer fro all the Alien films leading up to the newest release, Alien: Covenant, which hits theaters Friday.

• Alien

  1979

  A U.S. commercial starship, Nostromo, is on its way home when an SOS signal is picked up from a distant moon. There, the crewmembers discover and explore a mysterious alien ship. A terrifying alien begins growing on one of the crewmen and attempts to kill each of the remaining members.

  Directed by Ridley Scott, the film received an Academy Award for best visual effects. The film stars Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto.

• Aliens

  1986

  The sequel to Alien (1979) follows Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) as she returns to the planet where her crew encountered the hostile alien creature. There, she is forced to come to grips with her worst nightmare. 

  The second film was written and directed by James Cameron. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including a best actress nomination for Weaver, and won in sound effects editing and visual effects. The film also stars Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, William Hope and Bill Paxton.

• Alien 3

  1992

  Sigourney Weaver returns as Ellen Ripley in the third installment of the Alien series. After escaping from the alien moon, she crashes onto a maximum-security prison. A series of strange events occur and Ripley soon realizes she is in the midst of an alien killer.

  Directed by David Fincher, the film also stars Charles Dance, Charles S. Dutton and Lance Henriksen. It was nominated for an Academy Award for best visual effects.
• Alien: Resurrection

  1997

  The fourth installment is set 200 years after Alien 3 (1992). Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is cloned, and an alien queen is surgically removed from her body. The United Systems Military hopes to breed aliens to research on the spaceship USM Auriga, using human hosts delivered to them by mercenaries. Ripley and the mercenaries need to destroy Auriga before it reaches planet Earth.

  This film was directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and also stars Winona Ryder, Ron Perlman, Dan Hedaya and Michael Wincott.

• AVP: Alien vs. Predator

  2004

  A team of archeologists and engineers are sent to Antarctica to investigate a pyramid buried deep underground. The team comes across signs of an unknown alien species. A group of Predators — which hunt the aliens — fall into the mix, and the humans are caught amid the war between the two species. 

• Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem

  2007

  Following Alien vs. Predator, the second film of the franchise involves another alien-predator war. After the two species land in a rural U.S. town, residents must band together for any chance of survival. 
• Prometheus

  2012

  Ridley Scott returns to direct the prequel to the Alien series. The film is set in 2093 and takes place in the same universe as the previous Alien movies. A group of explorers arrive at a distant moon and discover what they believe to be signs of civilization. As the team investigates, more evidence shows that they are not alone. Their excitement quickly turns into a fight for survival.

  The film was nominated for an Academy Award for best visual effects. Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba and Logan Marshall-Green starred in the film.

• Alien: Covenant

  2017

  Directed by Ridley Scott, the newest movie is a sequel to Prometheus (2012). The film follows the crew of a ship that lands on an uncharted planet. They soon discover that the land is actually a dark and dangerous world. The crew must attempt to escape a threat larger than their imagination.

  The sixth installment of the series stars Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup and Danny McBride.

  Alien: Covenant will be released May 19.