10 Classic Movie Monsters With Unexpected Origins

4. The Xenomorph Is Basically A Walking, Murderous Penis

Even more iconic than the Predator is Alien's xenomorph, a creature whose design and physiology have fascinated and terrified audiences for 40 years.

The monster was of course created by inimitable Swiss painter H. R. Giger, who won an Oscar for his work on Alien's special effects.

The xenomorph's final design was influenced by Giger's 1976 painting Necronom IV, which depicted a decidedly phallic-looking creature, fully in line with Giger's penchant for sexually provocative imagery.

And though the xenomorph's bulbous head was made slightly less penis-like for the sake of subtlety, Giger nevertheless sneaked as much suggestive content into his designs for the movie as possible - most notably, the xenomorph being born by penetrating through characters' chests after they were effectively raped by a facehugger.

That's not to forget that the various alien chambers are accessed through entrances that look a hell of a lot like vaginas, and Giger's original design for the xenomorph egg was also supposed to look like a vagina, until he was assured it wouldn't ever get past the MPAA.

Between its violent, penetrative birth, phallic design and the often-ambiguous nature of its attacks - especially the possible-rape of Lambert (Veronica Cartwright) in the first film - it's safe to say the Alien franchise has earned its consistent spate of R ratings.