<transcript>

(The crew of the Nostromo look on in horror as Kane convulses in agony at the mess room dinner table...)
1. "--his shirt!" cries Ripley, as a patch of red spreads through the fabric of Kane's shirt.
2. "Uhhh... uhhh..." groans Kane , more blood. 'RIP!'
3. 'Hi short split like the skin of a melon--peeled back on both sides--as a small skull the size of a man's fist punched outward!'
4. 'The others had cleared the table reflexively now--the creature fairly seemed to spurt from his belly.'
5. '--dragging Kane's insides across the table, it speedily made its way down the corridor.' 'SKREEEE' comes the sound from the small fleeing chestburster creature, leaving a trail of gore on the floor.

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RRRIP! The chestburster scene [29]

"His shirt split like the skin of a melon, peeled back on both sides as a small head the size of a man's fist punched outward."

Novelisation - Alan Dean Foster

At last!

It's that horrible scene. And it's Monday. How I hate Mondays. But I suppose I should be thankful that I'm not Kane?

This was probably the one I was dying to draw. If only it had turned out better though. I hadn't seen the film, or the official graphic novel, or the CRACKED magazine parody, so all I could refer to was the novelisation. But perhaps there was one other... I have an odd feeling that the Scanners movie poster that so repulsed and fascinated me might have been an influence. Didn't know what it was about but it looked exciting, what with the white eyes, bulging veins and all.

Size of a man's fist? How convenient

See the stiff upright posture - and the bulging veins? Horrible. Yuck.

scanners movie poster

Cor... 'wish I was old enough to go and see that!

The first four panels on this page are a - boringly - frame-by-frame depiction of what happens to Kane. It's really disgusting. I bet mum and dad didn't see this one.

chestburster comic panel

Ah, would you look? That is just so cute. It's amazing how mother nature makes all infant creatures so adorable. Big head, small body. Gorgeous big eyes. Well okay, not the eyes - there aren't any - but look at the wee ickle handie-wandies? It's like we're pre-programmed to just fall in love with anything so adorable.

In a comic - without the benefit of moving pictures and sound: this is how you do it. (artwork: Walt Simmonson/official graphic novel of 1979)

Weaver: Look, I worked with Roman Polanski on Death and the Maiden - he would shoot a gun off. You can act, sure, but when you're surprised, that's gold.

Shusett: Veronica Cartwright - when the blood hit her, she passed out. I heard from Yaphet Kotto's wife that after that scene he went to his room and wouldn't talk to anybody.

Kotto: Oh man! It was real, man. We didn't see that coming. We were freaked. The actors were all frightened. And Veronica nutted out.

O'Bannon: This jet of blood, about 3ft long, caught her smack in the kisser."

Empire Magazine

(It's funny; I ran the spell-checker and for 'Handie-wandies' it suggested 'neo-Darwinians'. How apt.

More vileness on Wednesday. Yaay!