The psychosexual implications of the Alien films - and the eponymous xenomorph especially - have been well documented. Character designer and arty German perv HR Giger used a lot of such creepy imagery in his art, but especially in the alien, whose twin mouths have a disturbing phallic symbolism before you even get to the facehuggers. One of the goofier ways the original Alien film relied on sex to create a sense of palpable terror, however, was with those little stretchy joints between the xenomorph's main jaws: made from shredded-up condoms.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
