3. Alien - Birth
Alien is one of the best horror movies ever made as well as one of the greatest science fiction films of all time. Ridley Scott's masterpiece of subliminal fear and dread works as well as it does because of how strongly the symbolism is presented throughout. It takes a little over an hour for the film's most famous creature, the Xenomorph, to make an appearance. This was done on purpose in order to give the film a very slow and easy start. The way Alien is structured is symbolic of being in the womb then being born. It's a great way to add a subliminal layer of unrest to the narrative. The space truckers begin the movie in deep space sleep just as a baby begins in the womb. The characters are in a state of peace before being awoken by a distress call from LV-426. It's also very important to note that the Nostromo's computer is called Mother. The crew exit their sleep chambers and send two astronauts to intercept the call. This is when the facehugger attaches itself to Kane and impregnates him with the dormant Xenomorph. The birth symbolism is taken one step further in the most iconic moment of Alien when the Xenomorph is literally born out of Kane's chest. The phallic nature of the best was designed on purpose to make it as frightening as possible by playing specifically on men's fears of birth and parenthood. Towards the end of the movie Ripley is the lone survivor when she encounters the monster in her escape pod. The only difference is that here it seems more like a curious child than a vicious beast. It even screeches like a newborn baby. Once Ripley has sent it flying out into space to its death she returns to her safe, womb like state in a sleep chamber thus making the events of the movie come full circle.