A Newcastle native, 39-year-old writer and director Paul WS Anderson has become a significant player in the film business since his debut with Shopping in 1994. Covering various genres on television, his subsequent movies have revealed his taste for horror and sci-fi, and comprise Mortal Kombat, Event Horizon, Soldier, Resident Evil, and now Alien Vs. Predator.

Being such a self-confessed sci-fi geek, was there ever a moment when you had to pinch yourself that you were really in charge of this movie?

It was truly amazing to see the Alien just sitting there. But at the same time it's very demystifying as well, seeing this guy in a rubber suit who's incredibly tired in-between takes because it's so wearing to give that performance. All he does between takes is sit on an apple box. The drool is continuous, he has a bucket underneath him and he drools in his bucket and the drool tube goes right up the arse of the costume where his tail detaches. It's about as demystifying as you can get, but it still gives you chills. It was fantastic.

Has making this film, with all the challenges it placed upon you, given you a renewed respect for the men who made the earlier Alien and Predator movies?

I don't think it would be possible for me to respect people like Ridley Scott or James Cameron more than I already do. They're gods of filmmaking. That was something we were very aware of when we were making this movie, especially when you're looking at franchises where very good directors have come in and have failed to follow in the footprints left by Cameron and Scott and John McTiernan.

How does your take on the genre compare to, say, those films?

AVP is not trying to be Alien or Aliens, and it's not trying to be Predator. Those are genius movies. The impact that these creatures had on audiences was immense. But 26 years on, and dozens of comicbooks later, everyone knows what the Alien looks like. You've got to do something different with it, and make a slightly different movie. So in a way we were definitely making an Alien and a Predator movie, but a different one from the one the other directors had made.

There is obviously a great attention to detail in the film, isn't there?

We wanted to put a lot of stuff in that would show the hardcore fans - people like me - that we were paying attention. Like the nodding duck from the first Alien movie tucked away in the background. We stuffed the movie with that kind of thing, so if you don't really know the franchise it doesn't make any difference to you, but if you are a fan and watch the movie for a second or third time, you start to pick up on that kind of stuff.

You're doubtless prepared for the dissection of every aspect of the film in numerous internet chatrooms then?

If you work with a subject matter beloved by a hardcore fan base, then there's going to be a huge amount of discussion of what you've got wrong or right. In some ways you can never please overly obsessive fans, it's just impossible. That doesn't mean to say they're not going to go to the movie and thoroughly enjoy it. It's just in their nature to discuss things endlessly and be endlessly critical about minute details that maybe don't have much of an effect on whether a movie is good or bad.

Do you recognise something of yourself 20 years ago in those frenzied discussions?

Forget about 18 or 20 years ago, I'm like that myself even now. You know, Daredevil's suit was all wrong! I'm as guilty of that as anybody else.

This level of scrutiny is something you experienced before, on Resident Evil. Was it tough choosing between this film and the sequel to your earlier hit?

It was. My preference would have been to direct both movies if I could have done. I very much see Resident Evil as my franchise that I kicked, screaming into life.

Have you ever met your American namesake, Paul Thomas Anderson?

No, but Event Horizon producer Larry Gordon was working with him at the same time on Boogie Nights. I've never met him but I do receive catalogues from various stores that are intended for him.