American screenwriter and sometime director Dan O’Bannon has passed away in Los Angeles. He was 63. O’Bannon’s contribution to cinema is mainly within the science fiction genre and his screenplay ‘Star Beast’ provided the basis for the landmark classic Alien (1979).

He also provided screenplays for Total Recall and Screamers; based on original works by writer Philip K. Dick. In his early career he worked alongside John Carpenter on Dark Star, even starring as Sgt. Pinback. O’Bannon worked on Star Wars as a special-effects man.

In the 1980s, he directed the fun zombie horror flick Return of the Living Dead. His second (and last) attempt in the director’s chair resulted in The Resurrected, based on H.P. Lovecraft’s The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. His other screenwriting work includes Blue Thunder, Lifeforce, Invaders From Mars and Heavy Metal.

However, he entered into film history with Alien. Written with Ronald Shusset, their screenplay Star Beast was taken by Ridley Scott and H.R. Geiger and made into a sci-fi classic. Ridley Scott always credited O’Bannon with being a major creative influence on the film.

Another forgotten classic is Dead and Buried. It is an inventive, twisted and clever horror film focusing on a policeman’s attempts to uncover a zombie plague. Heavily influenced by H.P Lovecraft, Dead and Buried is waiting to be rediscovered.