(Credits: Universal Studios)
Despite his comforting presence in cinema, Tom Hanks loves a good scare. Like many people, we go to the cinema to feel, whether it be the plunging lows of Mike Leigh’s work, the romantic highs of Nora Ephron’s filmography or the reassuring humour of Wes Anderson. But for some film lovers, the horror genre is the most provocative, with the jump-scares and slow escalation of dread and fear becoming as soothing to them as a Disney movie.
Whether it be the entrancing tracking shots in The Shining, the interrogation scenes in The Silence of the Lambs or the terrifying twists in Get Out, the genre is full of moments that leave us biting our thumbs and sitting on the edge of our seats, something that is both comforting and disturbing as we become familiar with the tropes of the genre and come to expect certain elements of fear. However, while it might be enjoyable to some, there is one classic horror story that Hanks could barely finish, unable to bring himself to the end of the scene.
It would be an understatement to say that Ridley Scott has fallen off in recent years, but the director was once intrigued by filmmaking in a way that was evident in his work, creating atmospheric and experimental films that played with the constraints of the medium through his expert pacing and immersive world-building. However, films like House of Gucci, Napoleon and Gladiator II have proven that he is now just an old hack, making for the sake of boosting his ego and exerting power over an industry that is dying as a result of clinging onto old talent and not making way for newcomers.
However, his 1979 film Alien might just be his best, with the director crafting a brilliantly slow-burning thriller in which the threat is gradually revealed, creating a subtle and suspenseful story that remains as one of the most terrifying space stories of all time due to the seemingly omnipotent monster and elimination of nearly all entire characters until there’s just one woman standing.
This is something that wasn’t lost on Tom Hanks, with actor being asked about the film that scared him most and saying, “Alien. The eggs open, and there is something squirming around in there. I have never allowed myself to see what happens next”.
The scene in question is completely unnerving and grotesque, with the mysterious creature slowly presenting itself to them until it engulfs the crew entirely, crawling into each person and taking over their bodies. Allegedly, the writer of the film, Dan O’Bannon, wrote the story as a metaphor for sexual assault, with the creature invading the bodies of its victims and slowly taking over entirely, which makes for a truly chilling image.
Perhaps this is why Hanks found it so disturbing, with the actor apparently being unable to finish the scene. Who knows if he ever completed watching the film, but if not, it is understandable as to why, with many viewers being completely repulsed by this creature and watching through fingers as the horrors unfold.
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