Acid Blood Scene

In this scene, Kane is laying on the table in the infirmary with the Facehugger latched to his face, impregnating him unknowingly with the Chestburster. In the early parts of the scene, two of the crew members decide to detach the creature from Kane’s face. As they approach the Facehugger’s arm with the surgical device to cut it, the camera switches to a shot of a close up on the knuckle they are to cut. There seems to be slight sway in the shot, which to me resembles the gravity of the situation to the crew at the time as well as the nervousness of the doctors. Upon initially cutting the Facehugger, its blood sprays from the incision and the camera shows where the blood lands, revealing its acidic quality. The shows some of the first truly dangerous qualities of the alien, but doesn’t compare to the horror that is due up. As the entire crew follow to track the extent of the damage of the acid on the hull, the camera zooms in on this damage, magnifying its acidic qualities. Most of the shots are still shots down the hallway with slight pans up and down to show the crew members coming into each floor of the Nostromo. After inspecting the acid with a pen, the members of the crew discuss it. Parker talks about the alien’s defense mechanism and how amazing it is. He says, “You dare not kill it.” This changes the mission of the crew from killing the alien to simply surviving. This shift in mission truly makes Alien a horror film, one where the crew seems to always be avoiding the monster. After this shift, Ripley, with her maternal instinct, asks about Kane and his safety. She is quickly dismissed by Dallas as he hands Brett back the pen, signifying the lack of respect for Ripley’s opinion on the ship.