Over the years there have been several entries into the sci-fi genre touching upon the concept of extra-terrestrial life. Yet Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic, Alien remains one of the best movies ever made in the genre. A movie that puts the audience on the edge of their seats from start to end, it is a masterclass in suspense, tension, and terror.
While the fans and viewers certainly enjoyed every scene of the alien flick, having their hearts in their throats all the time, it was the cast who truly went through the worst. And one scene specifically was so terrifying that actress Veronica Cartwright ended up fainting.
The One Alien Scene That Made The Cast Petrified
Ridley Scott‘s Alien has led to several more movies, yet the first film remains iconic for its brilliant storytelling and the way it incorporated horror elements into the science-fiction genre. To create the perfect blend of horror, suspense, and thrill, Scott used a brilliant technique that some fans or actors might even find controversial.
To shoot the famous chestburster scene of the movie, the cast was left in the dark about how the scene will play out. And since prosthetics weren’t too good and reliable back in the day, Scott used actual stuff from a butcher’s shop and a fishmonger.
While revealing the tale in an interview with Empire Magazine (via The Guardian), the cast revealed how everyone on set other than them was wearing raingear, and the smell was extremely unsettling. As for the actor, John Hurt, he was lying down beneath the table with his neck visible on a fake body.
As the scene played out, all of them were petrified, and many of the cast even forgot that they were shooting a movie since none of them knew that the alien was going to burst through Hurt’s fake chest. While the scene was hard for all of them, it was particularly frightening for actress Veronica Cartwright, who fainted as soon as the scene played out.
Chestburster Scene Made Veronica Cartwright Faint
While the whole Alien movie is kind of like a walk in a haunted house, the iconic chestburster scene is the cherry on top. Since the actors weren’t informed of how the scene would take place, it was a hundred times shocking for the cast to experience it in real life compared to how creepy it was for the audience to watch it on the big screen.
And so when Veronica Cartwright witnessed the scene unfolding, she was visibly shocked and fainted as soon as the jet of fake blood hit her. While talking to the Empire Magazine, actor Yaphet Kotto stated,
“Oh man! It was real, man. We didn’t see that coming. We were freaked. The actors were all frightened. And Veronica nutted out.”
And so while the chestburster scene remains one of the most iconic moments in the entire Alien movie, it is also a testament to Ridley Scott’s genius that made it as creepy and horrendous to watch.
Alien can be streamed on Disney Plus.
