Resurrection’ Has the Grossest Scene in the Franchise

Alien: Resurrection is a goofy, silly, ridiculous end to the Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) saga of Alien films. However, it does have one of the grossest and most disturbing sequences in the franchise with the ten minutes that we spend with the human-Xenomorph hybrid (sometimes referred to as “The Newborn”). As strange as it may sound, there is a real case to be made that Alien: Resurrection is one of the better installments in the long-running franchise. Yes, it’s goofy, but it’s that very goofiness that makes Alien: Resurrection such a delight to watch. Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet‘s sequel is 90% pure space cheese, but the final 10% of Alien: Resurrection has some genuinely effective moments of horror that feel authentic to the franchise. One scene in particular is simultaneously gross and disturbing while also being genuinely tragic and heartbreaking. Alien: Resurrection may be widely remembered as one of the franchise’s many missteps, but this sequence is one of the best in the entire franchise.

What Is ‘Alien: Resurrection’ About?

Those who haven’t seen Alien: Resurrection might be wondering how Ellen Ripley is back after being killed off in Alien 3. Ripley really did die in that film, and the Ripley we follow in Alien: Resurrection is a clone. She’s not just any clone either, but one that has combined Ripley’s DNA with that of the dreaded Xenomorph aliens that she used to fight. Taking place several hundred years after the events of Alien 3, the Ripley clone is created by a radical think tank that is dedicated to studying the Xenomorphs. The clone being part human and part Xenomorph has given her special powers, like enhanced strength and reflexes, as well as giving her a sort of psychic link to the Xenomorph hive mind. Shortly after a crew of pirates arrives at the think tank’s ship to do business with them, the Xenomorph test subjects escape and begin to wreak the havoc they are so well-known for.

The Ripley Clone Creates a Terrifying Human-Xenomorph Hybrid in ‘Alien: Resurrection’

When the Ripley clone is first created in Alien: Resurrection, she is also pregnant with a whole new type of organism. Where the Ripley clone is more human than Xenomorph, this hybrid ends up being much more Xenomorph than human. The embryo of this new creature was extracted from the Ripley clone before she awoke, but we get to see it come to life in the film’s grand climax. As explained by the deranged and imprisoned Dr. Gediman (Brad Dourif), the embryo that originated from the Ripley clone was transferred to the Xenomorph Queen. Rather than laying the hybrid as an egg like the standard Xenomorphs, the Xenomorph Queen actually gives birth to the hybrid. It’s the first of many disgusting moments in this standout sequence, and there’s some great irony here about how unnatural the act is portrayed.

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The word “unnatural” is a perfect way to describe the putrid appearance of the hybrid Xenomorph. The flesh-covered exterior of the creature is dripping in whatever foul liquids were inside the Queen. It’s a truly horrific design and one that encapsulates the defining traits of both its parent species. While it has the curved sack-like head, the constantly moist and wet appearance, and the brute-like strength of a Xenomorph, the hybrid also features fairly normal teeth, expressive eyes, and facial features, and the non-mouthed tongue is distinctly human. The grotesqueness of the hybrid also doesn’t end with its appearance either. There’s also its sounds, which you could almost call its voice because of how strangely human it is. It’s also apparent that the creature is just as dangerous and bloodthirsty as its purebred cousins. It viciously tears apart Dr. Gediman and even the Xenomorph Queen who gave birth to it without a second thought. However, the creature has a very different attitude towards its “mother” — the Ripley clone.

The Hybrid Xenomorph Has a Heartbreaking Death Scene

“Tragic” and “heartbreaking” aren’t typically the terms used when a Xenomorph dies in the Alien movies, but the Xenomorph hybrid’s death in Alien: Resurrection might be the one exception. True to its name, the hybrid does have the violent tendencies of its extra-terrestrial ancestors, but it also has some noticeable human qualities. That’s especially true in the affection it very clearly has for the Ripley clone. Similar to a character like Gollum (Andy Serkis) from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the hybrid in Alien: Resurrection has this remarkable ability to go from a terrifying monster in one second to a sympathetic creature the very next. The hybrid shows genuine love for the Ripley clone and finds comfort in her as a mother figure. Ripley responds with that same affection, and while it’s partially motivated by fear of what the monster might do to her, she also clearly feels some level of attachment to it.

Attachment or not, the Ripley clone knows that the hybrid is a creature that should not exist and is simply too dangerous to be kept alive. When Ripley blows a hole into the space station’s porthole, the hybrid starts to be sucked into space, leading to one of the most horrific deaths in any of the Alien films. Again, the screams and sounds the hybrid makes are eerily human-sounding, with the emotions of fear, panic, and anger all coming across. Even Ripley can’t help but apologize to the creature as its flesh and bones are slowly sucked out into space. Every single bit of the hybrid’s demise is shown, from the skin being peeled off, to the red flesh and organs flowing out into space, before all that’s left is the creature’s derelict skull.

Every sequence involving the hybrid is decently creepy, but they are also pretty standard grossness for this franchise. The emotions that Alien: Resurrection makes us feel for the hybrid is really what makes the creature’s death such a particularly disturbing moment. This is an organism that is technically only a few minutes old, and its clear ability to display complex emotions (at least by Xenomorph standards) can’t help but make one wonder if the hybrid could have been taught the difference between right and wrong. Not to mention, there’s something much more disturbing in watching red puss and organs get sucked out into the deep vastness of space rather than the green acid that lies within your average Xeno. In something of a bizarre twist for an Alien film, the character in Alien: Resurrection that experiences the most genuine horror is the monster that is usually the source of it.

The Hybrid in ‘Alien: Resurrection’ Succeeds Thanks to Some Incredible Special Effects

One of the main reasons the hybrid is so effective in Alien: Resurrection is because of how impeccably crafted the special effects are. This feels like a real creature thanks to the masterful animatronics and puppetry on display. Where films like Alien: Covenant heavily relied on CGI to create its monsters, perhaps the biggest thing Alien: Resurrection gets right is its detailed special effects. The genuine emotion the creature gives through its facial expressions is the ultimate testament to that fact. With the Alien series historically excelling when it comes to practical special effects, it’s a good thing that the franchise’s next installment, Alien: Romulus, is taking advantage of that. This is hardly surprising given the film comes from the 2013’s Evil Dead filmmaker Fede Álvarez. Still, it’s great to see that the movie will fully feature a massive, elaborate practical Xenomorph to terrify a new generation of Alien fans.

Alien: Resurrection is available to stream on Hulu.

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