Top 20 Alien Franchise Movie Moments

Top 20 Alien Franchise Movie Moments

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most memorable scenes from the “Alien” franchise. There will be major spoilers ahead.

#20: The Space Jockey
“Alien” (1979)
The first “Alien” is highly regarded for its art direction and visual effects, the mastery of which is on display in the Space Jockey sequence. Our heroes stumble across this monster while exploring the derelict ship on LV-426, and the visual is unforgettable. Showing some type of inhuman creature sitting at a massive gun, it raises all sorts of questions and elicits a foreboding mood. We don’t know what the heck this is, and we’re not sure if we want to find out. The scene was nearly cut for budgetary reasons, but director Ridley Scott insisted that it remain. We’re so glad that he did. Talk about a mood-setter.

#19: The Newborn
“Alien Resurrection” (1997)
Just one look at this thing is enough to get the gag reflex going. “Alien Resurrection” tried a bunch of different things for the franchise, some of which landed with surprising grace. One of the greatest ideas was The Newborn, a revolting human-xeno hybrid that is probably one of the grossest things we’ve ever seen. With its white, slimy skin, humanoid skull, and various facial features, The Newborn is a complete abomination. And that’s not even counting its ludicrously graphic death, which is both a visual and auditory nightmare. Really, everything about this creature is enough to turn the stomach.

#18: The Alien Scares Ripley
“Alien 3” (1992)
Even if someone hasn’t seen “Alien 3,” they almost certainly know this iconic scene. It’s one of the franchise’s defining visuals, the alien slowly approaching Ripley as she cowers in fear, a predator savoring the capture of its prey. It’s a fantastic visual effect, the prop alien dripping with slime, opening its mouth, and extending that oh-so-famous inner jaw. The tension is almost unbearable, and the building music adds to the dour mood. Lucky for Ripley, the alien senses the baby inside of her and lets her live. Two titans of the movie industry quite literally face-off, and the results are undeniably brilliant.

#17: The Headburster
“Alien Resurrection” (1997)
Purvis and Wren certainly don’t have big roles, but they have staked their place in “Alien” history thanks to a mesmerizing co-death sequence. Wren holds the group at gunpoint, hoping to abort the crash of the Auriga. And that’s when Purvis plays the hero, albeit in a rather unconventional manner. Knowing that the alien inside of him is about to burst, he grabs Wren and forces his head down to his chest. We then get a wonderfully creative shot where the camera goes down Purvis’s mouth to the baby alien sitting inside. It then makes its escape, rupturing both Purvis’s chest and Wren’s head. It’s delightfully surreal, a sequence that doesn’t take itself too seriously while still managing to be utterly horrific.

#16: The Backburster
“Alien: Covenant” (2017)
By this point in the series we had seen both a chestburster and a headburster, and now the aliens decide to take the back door. It comes at the expense of Ledward, who is infected by some mysterious spores. His condition immediately takes a turn for the worse and he is rushed back to the ship’s med bay. And that’s when Hell comes to the Covenant. Ledward goes ghostly white and starts violently convulsing, and poor Karine is powerless to stop it. The alien then makes its exit, emerging from Ledward’s back with some grotesque imagery and sound design. It’s easily one of the most graphic death scenes in a franchise full of them.

#15: The Mutated Fifield
“Prometheus” (2012)
The black goo is one of the defining elements of the “Alien” saga, and we see its devastating effects via Sean Fifield. The geologist is burned by a hammerpede and falls into the goo, which seemingly grafts itself onto his face. The visual is repulsive and horrific, but wait, it gets way worse. He later reappears outside the Prometheus, having turned into an Anathema by the goo. With a disfigured face and superhuman strength, he slaughters several crew members with his bare hands. He is clearly more monster than man, and he’s only taken down after being shot, ran over, and torched. It’s a masterfully directed sequence, depicting utter chaos in the face of the unknown.

#14: Bjorn’s Acid Death
“Alien: Romulus” (2024)
Director Fede Álvarez clearly has respect for the source material, and “Romulus” is full of throwbacks and references to the movies of old. But it also contains some things we’ve never seen before, like Bjorn’s face-melting acid bath. The young man finds a cocoon and strikes it with a stun baton, causing it to explode. And that’s when the term hot shower takes on a whole new meaning. The alien’s acid blood rains down onto Bjorn, melting numerous limbs before finally turning his heart to goo. It’s one of the most gruesome deaths in the franchise, not just owing to the visuals but the fact that Bjorn was alive through the harrowing ordeal.

#13: David’s Ozymandias Moment
“Alien: Covenant” (2017)
David hopes to create the perfect organism, and he uses an Engineer planet as his guinea pig. David arrives on Planet 4 aboard an Engineer ship, amazing the citizens below. They gawk at the ship and even wave at it, apparently welcoming its arrival. But that’s when David unleashes the black goo on the citizenry below, effectively wiping out the entire settlement and creating the neomorphs. The scene is atypical from the usual “Alien” formula, forgoing claustrophobia in favor of a large-scale extermination. The visuals are breathtaking, and the sound design terrifically conveys a sense of total pandemonium. Those collective screams still haunt our nightmares.

#12: The Underwater Chase
“Alien: Resurrection” (1997)

While the aliens are already pretty terrifying when walking, they’re somehow even scarier underwater, as this intense scene proves. During their escape, Ripley and crew discover the Mess Hall, their only route out, has been completely submerged in water, and begin their swim across. Unfortunately, aliens follow in what is perhaps the movie’s most famous and easily creepiest scene. The idea of swimming aliens is freaky enough, but being in the position of having to hold your breath while being chased by incoming monsters is a harrowing situation to imagine.

#11: Ripley’s Death
“Alien 3” (1992)
In this shocking ending to the original trilogy, Ripley goes out in a blaze of glory – overly obvious Christ symbolism and all. When Ripley discovers that she has an alien growing inside of her and that the Company wants to study it, she sacrifices herself and falls into molten metal. The music during this scene is swelling and compliments the drama perfectly. The dark cinematography is also outstanding, and the content look on Ripley’s face proves a fitting, noble end to the legendary heroine…at least until the next movie.

#10: Brett’s Death / The First Look
“Alien” (1979)
The scene that introduced the world to the grown Alien creature, Brett’s death is a true milestone in cinema history. After calling for Jonesy, the cat, Brett finds him hiding in a corner, but also discovers more than he bargained for. The swiftness and quiet deliberation of the alien is terrifying as it drops down behind Brett, and the snarling mouth is an unforgettable introduction to the monster that everyone fears. The sound effects, cinematography, and lack of detail regarding the alien all combine to create a scary scene that plays with everyone’s imaginations.

#9: Oh, There They Are
“Aliens” (1986)
No other moment in this movie blends horror and action so perfectly – except maybe the scene where the aliens are gunned down by the auto turrets. After seeing motion on the tracker, Ripley and her group await the onslaught of aliens, until Hicks opens the ceiling and discovers a swarm about to attack. The wait for the creatures is unbearably tense, and the scare of seeing the mass of aliens will make anyone shiver. The gunfight that follows is loud, explosive, and a lot of fun to watch

#8: Dallas in the Air Shaft
“Alien” (1979)
Playing on many different types of fears all at once, this scene is a classic due to its sheer intensity. After Dallas volunteers to go into the airshaft, Lambert watches him on a motion tracker, only to realize that the alien is in there with him. The airshaft itself is a tight space and pitch black, which plays on viewers’ claustrophobia and fear of the dark. The dread of knowing the alien is stalking Dallas is increased by Veronica Cartwright’s amazingly desperate performance. And of course, it’s capped off by one terrific jump scare that gets us every time.

#7: First Encounter with the Aliens
“Aliens” (1986)
This scene let the audience know that the movie wasn’t pulling any punches and that it would place an emphasis on action as well as horror. When the marines discover the alien hive, viewers are treated to a terrifically terrifying scene when aliens suddenly drop from above and pick off the crew. James Cameron made a great decision to not show the actual combat, but instead, let our imaginations take over, allowing us to fill in the blanks amid the constant yelling and the chaotic camera. And really, what’s scarier than that?.

#6: The C-Section
“Prometheus” (2012)
Ridley Scott transformed the chestburster, and in the process gave us a masterpiece of body horror filmmaking. Shaw sleeps with Holloway, who had previously been infected by the black goo. The intimate night results in a baby - just not of the human variety. Realizing that she is pregnant with…something, Shaw undergoes what could be the most ghastly c-section in movie history. The sequence is a masterclass in tension-building, with the claustrophobic setting aided by eye-popping visuals and terrific acting from Noomi Rapace. She perfectly sells the panic of the situation, and the macabre effects do the rest.

#5: Kay Births The Offspring
“Alien: Romulus” (2024)
When you get down to it, the “Alien” franchise is really just about the primal terror of childbirth! The injured Kay injects herself with the Z-01 compound, which may have seemed like a good idea in hindsight but which comes back to kill her. Literally. In a series full of gnarly birth sequences, Kay’s proves one of the grossest. It contains an ungodly amount of blood and fluid, and she gives birth to an egg from which hatches the humanoid Offspring. The horror is almost Lynchian, depicting a very human experience with surreal and nightmarish flourishes. (xref) And that’s to say nothing of The Offspring itself, which is a chilling amalgamation of human, xenomorph, and Engineer.

#4: Discovering the Alien Queen
“Aliens” (1986)
This scene is one of James Cameron’s finest, remaining exciting and visceral to this day. When Ripley decides to rescue Newt, she rides the elevator down into the Alien Queen’s lair. The audience is treated to a masterclass in suspense as she looks around in fear, alarms beeping and blaring around her. The Queen itself still looks fantastic thirty years later due to the power of practical effects, and Ripley burning the eggs is an unforgettable moment in the Alien canon. It’s got horror, action, and fantastic visual work all in one.

#3: Ash Is an Android
“Alien” (1979)
While Ian Holm portrayed the robotic Ash perfectly with his deadpan expressions and humorless personality, it’s still a surprise when Parker knocks his head off and we discover that he is an android. While his spastic freak-out is certainly an indication that something wasn’t right, the reveal is an iconic moment that no one saw coming. The scene afterwards with his talking head is fantastically created with milk and pasta, and still looks disgusting today, highlighting the true mastery of the effects team.

#2: Get Away From Her, You Bitch!
“Aliens” (1986)
One of the most quoted lines from any of the “Alien” movies, this scene ended the second film with a terrific action sequence and showed Ripley’s bravery and motherly instincts in full focus. After the alien rips Bishop in half and is about to kill Newt, Ripley walks out in a full mech suit and utters the famous line. Everything, including the context, the cinematography, the acting, and the slow reveal, comes together perfectly to form one of the most memorable scenes in action movie history.

#1: The Chestburster
“Alien” (1979)
What else could we pick besides this terrifying scene that continues to scare audiences decades later? After Kane’s facehugger is removed, we think all is well; that is, until he starts choking and an alien bursts out of his stomach. The sound effect of the alien is chilling, while the acting and visual effects are outstanding. Veronica Cartwright is even legitimately scared on screen when the fake blood shoots into her face, as she had not been warned ahead of time. It’s not only the most memorable scene of the franchise, but one of the most iconic moments in all of cinema


Did we forget any other memorable scenes? Let us know in the comments below!