Quote from: SM on Sep 04, 2011, 11:17:46 PM
The shock value is much less in subsequent burstings because we know what's coming.
I dunno. A L I E N was famous for that scene even before it was released. It's notoriety went way ahead of it.
My feeling is that it is the way in which it is set up; it's has a sense of suspense and even if you were new to the film you would still get the feeling that all isn't as well as it first appeared when Kane recovered from his coma. The subtle heartbeat playing throughout the last supper scene adds a subliminal feeling of unease so when John Hurt starts looking scared, like he's choking, it really plays to a lot of shared responses.
There's no music, no moody lighting - its all played out as if real, and to add to that there's genuine shock amongst the other actors, not just to the actual burst but to the absolute agony that John Hurt is portraying. I'm not surprised they got so wound up in the moment.
Other chestbursting scenes happen either to characters in which no vested empathy has been established (Aliens), or are played out as a themic juxtaposition or in a serene way (Alien3). Or in A:R as an effects heavy scene played out almost for laughs. By effects heavy, I mean the camera appearing to swept down the victims throat to view the chestburster diminishes the reality of human fear in favour of a visual trick. To then go OTT with a combined chestburst/headburst is practically a juvenile parody.
