The mechanics of the chestburster from Alien

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A seminal moment for special effects, the Alien chestburster scared a lot of people and was a marvel of mechanical engineering. The video below shows how it was built, and the post’s title link will take you to a page filled with all sorts of goodies.



  • Moeskido

    I’ve never felt as frightened or trapped by a movie as I did sitting in a first-week showing of “Alien” in 1979. John Hurt’s final dinner scene actually made me wonder if I’d need to leave the theater before the movie finished.