10 Precise Moments Horror Icons Stopped Being Scary

Originating as a tense, gritty little horror movie that pitted an unknowable and unkillable enemy against a practically defenseless spaceship crew: 1979's Alien was an exercise in creepy extra terrestrial horror unlike anything ever seen before.

James Cameron's Aliens took the formula and ran with it, transforming the skulking xenomorph into an army of angry bean-headed monsters: and whilst an excellent film, it can't be denied that it kills the scariness intrinsic to to the titular character.

By seeing the creature from the first movie mass produced and easily taken down by the colonial marines, we not only witness way more of the aliens than we've ever seen before, but how simple they are to kill. Take a flamethrower to the nest and you've got a xeno barbeque that's good for all the family.

The alien franchise is one rife with missteps, and Aliens is definitely not one of them - but it is the film that changed the genetic makeup of the alien into a battle-ready villain, rather than keeping its horrific roots.