7 Scenes From the Alien Movies I’ll Never Be Able to Unsee

The “Alien” movie series, established in 1979, stands as one of the most influential horror franchises for its lasting impact. Director Ridley Scott, along with his gifted team, brought to life a chilling creature concept – the xenomorph – that intertwines with themes such as birth, contamination, corporate ambition, and the unsettling mystery of a colossal, dark cosmos. Over time, “Alien” has not only terrorized audiences but also delved deeper into its thematic scope, examining the origins of life and our existence, leaving viewers to ponder whether we’re part of a divine test or merely an unintentional byproduct of advanced species’ bio-chemical experiments.

A number of emotionally charged topics are intertwined within this franchise, making it quite challenging to handle – this could be why the Alien series has left such a profound and unsettling impact on viewers (including myself). Here are some scenes from the Alien movies that will forever remain etched in my memory. I’m excluding the Alien vs. Predator films, as their grotesque maternity ward sequence in Requiem is particularly difficult to forget.

7) Alien – Shuttle Surprise

Ridley Scott’s film, Alien, broke ground in both science fiction and horror genres, establishing benchmarks such as masterfully executing a jump scare technique by concealing a creature within ordinary surroundings.

As Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) exits the Nostromo and boards the safety of an escape pod, viewers can’t help but sigh in relief after the nerve-wracking xenomorph rampage and gruesome crew deaths. The intense fear experienced by filmgoers was palpable during this terrifying ordeal. It seemed as if Ripley had safely escaped – so much so that we failed to notice the danger lurking nearby. Just when Ripley is preparing for cryogenic sleep, she glances at a ship wall, which suddenly starts moving to reveal that the xenomorph had cleverly hidden itself within the labyrinth of tubes and pipes along the shuttle’s walls.

1. The first sight of that clawed hand emerging from the darkness always makes people leap, and since then, no one has ever fully trusted a supposedly secure environment (or horror movie escape) again.

2. People always jump at the sight of a clawed hand appearing from the shadows, and after that, none of us have ever felt completely safe in what initially seemed like a secure setting (or horror movie scenario), again.

3. Every time we see that clawed hand emerge from the dark, it makes people jump, and since then, no environment has ever been fully trusted as safe again, especially those that reminded us of a horror movie escape.

4. It’s always startling to see that clawed hand come out of the shadows, and once we experienced it, none of us could trust a seemingly safe setting (or horror movie escape) again.

5. The first time we saw the clawed hand appear from the shadows, it made everyone jump, and since then, no environment has ever felt completely secure to us again, especially those resembling a horror movie escape.

6) Alien: Romulus – Feeding the Offspring

Fede Álvarez largely excelled in three-quarters of “Alien: Romulus”, which made it shocking to see him gamble everything on a final, potentially risky sequence that had the potential to derail the movie entirely. Interestingly, “The Offspring” has now become a significant emblem within the Alien series, but there was nothing amusing about a specific scene that left a lasting, unsettling impression.

In the Alien films, the process of conception and birth is often portrayed in unusual ways, but Álvarez pushed boundaries even further with the birth of The Offspring. Isabela Merced’s character, Kay, experienced a difficult birth of a human/Engineer/xenomorph hybrid, but the scene where the creature feeds on its mother is a disturbing and unsettling image that brings to mind Oedipal psychological therapy costs I never wished to incur.

5) Aliens – Terror in Motion

James Cameron’s movie, titled Aliens, masterfully revamped the series, transforming it from a solitary horror tale into an exhilarating blend of horror and action. Remarkable scenes in Aliens include those that evoke Hitchcock, where the Colonial Marines employ a tracking device to monitor sudden assaults by groups of xenomorphs.

In the movie “Aliens,” the sequence is repeated multiple times, but the scene that has stayed with me is when Ripley, the Marines, a young girl named Newt, and Burke from Weyland-Yutani take refuge in the colony on LV-426 for a final stand against the xenomorphs. Hudson monitors their movements using sensors until they’re unbelievably close, yet still hidden. When Hicks realizes what’s happening and lifts the vent to the air shaft, he reveals a horde of xenomorphs charging at them. This moment became one of horror’s most memorable scenes.

Whenever a motion sensor indicates activity, whether I’m dealing with a game or actual reality, I find myself getting the chills.

4) Alien 3 – Face to Face

As a film enthusiast, I’d like to express my perspective on “Alien 3”. Often criticized as a low point for the franchise, it deserves far more recognition for the timeless elements it introduced. David Fincher skillfully upheld Ridley Scott’s legacy by crafting a scene where Ellen Ripley appears to be in a safe position – only to reveal the immense peril she was actually facing.

In a male prison colony, Ripley found solace in only one individual: Dr. Jonathan Clemens (Charles Dance), who held more power than others because of his medical skills. Eventually, Ripley succumbed to her feelings for Clemens and shared an intimate moment with him in the infirmary. However, their bond was short-lived as Clemens was killed by a xenomorph moments later, while he was confiding in Ripley about his past. This tragic encounter left Ripley pinned against a wall, with the xenomorph’s secondary mouth lunging towards her face, leaving an indelible image in Alien franchise history.

The film Alien 3 served as a chilling reminder for its audience, emphasizing that not even the most secluded locations offered complete safety once the xenomorphs were present; they could unexpectedly emerge to threaten you at any instant.

3) Alien – First Chestbursting

For viewers attending Alien in 1979, they were unprepared for the intensity of terror Ridley Scott was about to immerse them in. While audiences may have expected a frightening creature within the movie, nobody foresaw the gruesome details behind its emergence.

At last, when the Nostromo crew witness executive officer Kane (John Hurt) recovering from a facehugger parasite attack, it’s filled with affection and jubilation, similar to a joyous family gathering. Regrettably, this cheerful atmosphere is shattered in one of cinema’s most unsettling scenes, as Kane’s chest suddenly bursts open, unleashing the terrifying first appearance of the xenomorph, a creature born from the parasite known as the “chestburster.

To this very moment, my fellow enthusiasts and I often laugh and flinch as if in pain, recalling the dramatic last meal of Kane.

2) Alien: Resurrection – Newborn Implosion

In a less formal manner, you could say: “Alien: Resurrection” is often jokingly criticized for its over-the-top approach to the series’ history, but writers Joss Whedon and directors Jean-Pieprre Jeunet weren’t kidding when they gave us one of the franchise’s most terrifying deaths.

In the film Alien: Resurrection, much like how Romulus copied in later years, the story concludes with a dramatic finale where a band of survivors believe they’ve fled a destroyed ship, unaware that they’re transporting a horrific hybrid creature as freight. This terrifying entity, dubbed “The Newborn,” is a xenomorph conceived from a Queen who had her genes fused with Ripley to create a human woman’s womb. The Newborn surprises Ripley and the others on their escape craft, decimating some of the final group members. In a tense confrontation, Ripley and android Annalee Call (played by Winona Ryder) manage to destroy the beast by creating a tiny hole in the shuttle window while orbiting Earth. The Newborn’s skin is pulled into space through this opening, causing it to explode as its internal organs are vacuumed out, leaving only a shrunken remains that are subsequently expelled from the ship entirely. This gory scene showcases the ’90s computer-generated imagery at its finest.

Alien: Resurrection showcases an impressive act of satirical subversion, causing us to empathize and grieve for the monster more deeply than any human characters. The heart-wrenching cries of the Newborn will forever echo in my memory as Ripley watched it perish.

1) Prometheus – Emergency C-Section

It’s no surprise that Ridley Scott, after over three decades, has once again managed to unnerve us profoundly with his film “Prometheus”. Regardless of opinions about its narrative and themes, it undeniably harks back to the Alien roots by subjecting Noomi Rapace’s character, Elizabeth Shaw, to one of the most grueling and visceral body-horror scenes in the series.

Towards the closing moments of Act 2 in the movie Prometheus, the cunning android David (played by Michael Fassbender) contaminates Charlie Halloway (Logan Marshall-Green), Shaw’s lover and scientist counterpart, with a deadly substance known as the “black goo” of the Engineer species. Prior to Holloway exhibiting any symptoms of his lethal transformation, he shares an intimate moment with Shaw, resulting in her unforeseen pregnancy, contrary to her infertility diagnosis. Unfortunately, Holloway succumbs to his illness, but Shaw has no respite for mourning, as the extraterrestrial embryo within her initiates a swift developmental process. In desperation, she dashes to Meredith Vickers’ (Charlize Theron) ship quarters, where she seeks refuge in a medical pod fitted with a robotic surgeon.

In the movie ‘Prometheus’, directed by Ridley Scott, there’s a particularly gruesome scene where Shaw undergoes an emergency C-section while fully conscious. This is followed by her narrow escape from a pod covered in blood, as her alien “child” threatens to end her life. This scene stands out as the most unsettling in the ‘Alien’ series, reinforcing its underlying themes about life and creation through an intense display of body-horror. The idea or memory of childbirth caused discomfort for many women, while men found it challenging to grasp the physical hardships every mother experiences. The final scene revealing the monster the “child” grows into leaves us with a greater sense of dread upon rewatching.

Alien movies are streaming on Hulu and Disney+.

2025-01-05 23:10