10 Movies Scenes That Genuinely Terrified Actors

10. The Chestburster - Alien

It’s hard to find any fault in director Ridley Scott’s epic “haunted house in space” horror, Alien. The film was such an intense thrill ride that it went on to not only rocket its director straight to the A-list but also lead to a string of sequels, prequels, and reboots.

And that’s not even to mention the countless sci fi horror rip offs, both big and small budget, which the film inspired up to today (we see you, Underwater and Alien Outbreak). So, it’s no surprise to learn the cast of Alien were as scared as their audiences when they shot the film, thanks to the director’s, er, unconventional approach to shooting,

Scott opted not to warn the actors about John Hurt’s gruesome, iconic death scene wherein the titular xenomorph bursts free from his chest in a flood of gore. Instead he assembled the actors, shot a version in which little blood and viscera was displaced, and got them comfortable with encircling the doomed crew member for the next take.

Then Scott drenched the actors in gore without warning, resulting in the genuine horror playing across their faces in the finished scene.

Not to mention some resultant therapist bills …