Great Scene: “Alien”

The famous “chestburster” scene from the 1979 horror science fiction movie.

Plot summary: After a space merchant vessel receives an unknown transmission as a distress call, one of the crew is attacked by a mysterious life form and they soon realize that its life cycle has merely begun.

I still remember when I watched Alien in a theater, leaping out of my seat when I first experienced this scene. I’ve included the preceding bit of business to set the stage.

I have noted Walter Hill’s “haiku-style” of screenwriting here, here, and here. Although the movie’s official writing credits are “screenplay by Dan O’Bannon, story by Dan O’Bannon and Ron Shusett,” David Giler and Walter Hill contributed to the script and they both received a producer credit. Hill’s writing style is unmistakable and it’s in evidence here.

Just to be clear, while the above version of the scene’s writing style (scene description) may reflect something of Walter Hill’s influence, the scene’s concept and content originate from Dan O’Bannon’s initial draft of the script. That is made abundantly clear when you compare to O’Bannon’s version here:

Here is the movie version of the scene:

A great scene is a memorable one and the “chestburster” scene in Alien is definitely memorable.

For more articles in the Great Scene series, go here.