7 scariest moments from the Alien franchise

The Alien franchise has been known for its tension-building atmosphere, iconic creature design, and long, drawn-out portrayals of space horror. Initially a one-off film under the direction of Sir Ridley Scott in 1979, the franchise grew rapidly, with directors such as James Cameron and David Fincher bringing their unique visions to continue the tale of Ripley's deadly encounters with the Xenomorph.

The franchise then branched off to include Alien Vs. Predator and Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem, before eventually returning to its core prequels with Prometheus and Covenant. These prequels explored the genesis of the Xenomorph and introduced another facet to the franchise's lore.

This franchise introduced the sci-fi audience to space horror and features many bone-chilling scenes that will keep viewers awake all through the night.

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From chest bursts to face huggers, these are the scariest scenes from the Alien movies

1) The First Face-Hugger Scene (Alien - 1979)

Still from the 1979 movie (Image via 20th Century Fox)

It is one of the very memorable jump scares in the franchise as Kane bends down to see a weird life-form inside the egg. The tension builds in the gloomy setup of the Xenomorph nest as suddenly this creature springs to life and with eight legs it's stuck on Kane's face, the very moment turned iconic for its intensity and shock value.

Accentuating the chill of the atmosphere with suspense come the highly detailed and immersive set designs, leaving the viewers to peer down as Kane zooms close to the ominous egg opening. In drawing from one of the film’s behind-the-scenes features,

Scott himself made sure the moment felt as real as possible. In the official behind-the-scenes clips of the film, Ridley Scott can be seen crossing and wiggling his fingers in the interior of the egg, giving the sinister suggestion that something ugly and alive was waiting inside. This creative, practical approach gave the whole sequence an added layer of disturbing realism, guaranteeing its enduring memory as an iconic cinematic jump-scare forever.

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2) The Queen's Reveal (Aliens - 1987)

Still from the climax of the 2nd movie (Image via 20th Century Fox)

James Cameron’s Aliens provided a massive dose of action that brought more sci-fi horror elements into the mix, with Sopranos-style death underneath. Space marines are helicoptered into a facility overrun by Xenomorphs, putting the stakes very high as even trained soldiers die there. At the climax, Ripley and Newt find a huge Xenomorph queen guarding the egg nest.

It has moving gums that extend out of its lips, helping to create a menacing effect; Ripley then uses a flamethrower to destroy the nest and fend off the creatures. However, the queen escapes from the birthing chamber, and after her long pursuit of Ripley, the finale is an emotionally charged climax full of suspense, horror, and action. By this point, the shift from suspenseful horror to hardcore action was the building block of the franchise's maturation.

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3) Kane's Death (Alien - 1979)

Still from the 1st movie (Image via 20th Century Fox)

This scene from the original 1979 film is renowned for providing an unnerving experience to viewers, with reports of audiences fainting and other such reactions occurring in theaters. Sir John Hurt, as Kane, is apparently restored after the facehugger lets go of his face. Still, then, following a meal with the crew, he begins to feel ill, and this immediately draws a very dramatic shift in tone.

The scene moves from a respite to a medical emergency when the creature violently erupts out of Kane's chest. In the official behind-the-scenes clips, it is mentioned that the cast was aware of the general outcome of the scene during shooting, but had not yet seen the full special effects.

Their reactions, including the genuine scream of Veronica Cartwright as Lambert, add weight and chilling atmosphere to the scene.

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4) Searching The Vents (Alien - 1979)

Still from 1st movie (Image via 20th Century Fox)

Nothing is more unnerving for Alien fans than the sound of a retro-futuristic radar ping. Since the cobble-together gadget the Nostromo crew used in the film to detect the presence of the Xenomorph, some fairly effective brand of radar has become a stage for dramatic tension. Even then, no scene in the franchise has quite captured the terrors of the vents sequence with Dallas.

That loudness of the radar, coupled with the soundtrack, is haunting, and then the soaring crescendo of that ping as Dallas descends into panic is a melting pot of tension, and before the Xenomorph's face and hands pierce the view, the video cuts out, making it a found-footage-like terror way before the genre even existed.

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5) Ash Gets Destroyed (Alien - 1979)

Still from 1st movie (Image via 20th Century Fox)

Before his role as Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings, Sir Ian Holm portrayed Ash, the android member of the Nostromo crew. Ash’s synthetic identity remains hidden until Ripley confronts him after he tampers with the ship’s doors during a critical moment. Ash then violently attacks Ripley until two crew members intervene. Parker strikes Ash’s head, which detaches, revealing internal tubes and motors beneath synthetic skin.

The scene features intense physical struggle and sound effects as Ash’s damaged vocal projectors emit distorted noises. This moment emphasizes body horror and highlights the mechanical nature of the android, adding to the tension within the confined space.

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6) The Corridor Scene (Alien 3 - 1992)

Still from the third movie (Image via 20th Century Fox)

Following the success of Ridley Scott's and James Cameron's movies, Alien 3 came along with the direction of David Fincher, whose directorial credits include such movies as Se7en and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. CGI was in the nascent stage of development in this period. Alien 3 brought about a disruption by introducing faster and more agile Xenomorphs, thereby emphasizing their mobility in the prison colony setting.

With that technical bent and understanding, Fincher filmed some sequences through the Xenomorphs' eyes: one was the corridor chase where prisoners try to trap the Xenomorphs with Ripley's help. The angling of the camera is very energetic, hurtling through tight corridors, stressing the Xenomorphs' velocity and the human masters' helplessness in the process. Such schemes increased the tension and mood of the film.

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7) Shuttle Escape (Aliens - 1987)

Still from the ending of the 1st film (Image via 20th Century Fox)

One of the defining moments in Alien occurs during a scene where the atmosphere swings from calm to heavy tension. The Xenomorph had been cleverly camouflaged in the piping and systems along the shuttle walls, disappearing seamlessly into its environment. The creature’s hand suddenly emerged from the surroundings to seize Ripley, who barely evaded it and began retreating, slowly donning a spacesuit for protection.

The scene shows Ripley doing everything slowly and carefully as the Xenomorph comes out of its hiding, further building on suspense. The slow reveal heightens the threat of its approach. The sequence culminates with the Xenomorph being sucked out of the airlock and blasted away by the thrusters of the ship, saving Ripley from the encounter. This very moment demonstrates the suspenseful and tactical pattern of storytelling in the movie.

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All Alien movies and TV shows are streaming on Hulu.