8 Horror Movies With Incredible Hidden Messages You Totally Missed

8. Aliens - The Vietnam War

You'd be right to ask where exactly in the Vietnam war that a giant, skulking, penis-faced monster started wiping out troops whilst they fended them off with big flamethrowers - but hey, this one goes a little deeper than a sci-fi showdown. Fans and critics alike have pointed out how Aliens reads like an allegory for the Vietnam war, with a small, heavily equipped marine force heading into what they thought was an easy victory, only to discover an overwhelming guerrilla operation on the other side.

Naturally, the colonial marines get their asses handed to them for their over-reliance on technology in the face of a cunning foe, proving that arrogance means nothing when you're up against a new kind of enemy. James Cameron himself stated that he used the Vietnam War as a template to bring his marines to life, studying the language used by American forces and the reality of the combat to inform his directorial decisions.

Whilst the xenomorphs are their own entity, the focus is supposed to be on the marine attitude to their foe - going in hot, undermined at every turn, and desperately seeking to destroy the base when they realise they're in over their heads.