30/10/2013
#3 Alien ( 1979 )
There's just something about Sigourney Weaver in her tighty whities going face to face with an equally naked and disturbing acid bleeding beast.
Ridley Scott's space ride which is famed for it's iconic bursting scene (meet the Facehuggers), is different than other horror films of it's time for various reasons ; it's claustrophobic nature, the intelligent scares, the unique design of the alien ( meet H.R Giger) , the chemistry between the crew, their unpredictable deaths and the way this twists into forming the most unassuming protaganists of the Alien series.
Determined at all costs to avoid an image of a man in a rubber suit, Ridley Scott filmed the beast in varying close-up angles of its ghastly profile, very rarely capturing it in its entirety. Keep your eyes peeled during the ventilation scene, the combination of the thumping soundtrack and clever editing makes it one of the film's most memorable moments.
For it's time, Alien manages to capture a dark and claustrophobic tale in space, redefining the genre while becoming one of the most revered horror films of all time.
