Variation on the usual poll...

[cyrus]

This is the production costs

 

But no animals must be harmed during the writing of that fic :angel:

[The Veteran]

Nope, only Gaston

[kai]

I have to say sectoid for one important reason:

 

My nightmare for a long time has been investigating a UFO crash, you step in to a barn and check for

 

hostiles. The room is clean, you're close to the wall and turn to the door only to your horror see a

 

Sectoid standing in the doorway, moonlight shining at it, casting a sinister shadow right in front of you. You want to shoot it but you freeze as you look in to its cold calculating eyes and feel it in your mind, pure panic sets in but the paralysis is the only thing that stops you from shitting yourself. Somewhere in that expanded second which seems like an eternity, it raises a plasma pistol and fires it in to your gut.

 

In slow motion you see yourself fall slowly to the ground, bleeding to death, and the little grey

 

ass-picker slowly walks away.

 

Not as creepy as The Veteran and his inpregnation story but enough to scare the living shit out of some?

[The Veteran]

As far as Sectoids go that's some nice imagery

[BreakMage]

I'm still sticking with my clawed friends  Nothing ever going to be more scary than a Chryssalid... Imagine seeing a reaper. So long as you've seen at least one of the jurassic park films you wouldn't be at all shocked (if you already knew you were dealing with aliens)

 

There's a difference between a T-Rex and a Reaper, however I do see your point. They're both freaky in their own way, however, like I said. Reapers are OHMYGOD IT'S HUGE AND HAS GIANT POINTY TEETH! scary, and Chrysallids are hypnotically scary. When watching a movie, I prefer OHMYGOD scary because if you've seen it before, it's not scary, and that's how I like my movies. It's a personal thing

 

A Chrysallid would make me freak out too much and I wouldn't like it. Or I would be entranced, feel the suspense building up, and then hope I remember to use the bathroom beforehand. So, I like Reapers more.

 

Besides, in game once, I unloaded AP shells from the heavy cannon and used Incendiary vs a reaper... Killed it from half the map away in one shot. I think that person later died to Ethereals though.

[kai]

Ethereals, wouldn't want to run to them in a dark alley (or anywhere else for that matter)

 

You can run but you can't hide, they don't need eyes to see

[cyrus]

You shouldn't run, you should fight soldier!

Fight, before it can use its mental powers.

[NKF]

If it wasn't for the sleeveless orange robes, the ethereals wouldn't be all that intimidating. Instead, they'd have another effect on us. We'd be feeling slighty horrified but at the same time feel an intense pity for the poor deformed creatures (right up to the point before they kill us). Oh, sure, they'd still be just as tough, but we'd feel a different kind of horror.

 

I mean, look at them. Cool flowing robes (no arms), with their faces hidden in shadow. They don't even need to move their arms to weild heavy plasmas. It commands some respect, it does. Or, at least a haughty 'you're all insignificant, bow before us' respect. For example, look at the TFTD Tasoth. They have a similar function as the ethereals, but I don't fear them as much as I fear tentaculats and lobstermen.

 

In later games, the designers gave working arms to the ethereals (or at least had them dangling out the sides). The most expressive ethereal would have to be the Enforcer ethereal. Waving its arms about in the usual 'milking-the-cow' arm motions that people often give during speeches and debates. I found it hard to feel much respect for this creature. It looked as if it had some rather tattered robes too. Must have spent too much of its budget on the endless clones it threw at you.

 

(at this point folks, I have absolutely no idea what I'm rambling on about or why I'm rambling. So I'll stop now.)

 

- NKF

[cyrus]

To speak the truth, there isn' t much that scares me now (I mean in the movies, not in the real life). No matter, how big the creature is, it won't scare me. It's all getting to be boring :bored: I may see the Hellraiser X and then go peacefully asleep.

 

There isn't something new to the industry. I'm getting bored. The Hollywood seems to eshaust all ideas. Where is another Hitchcock?

[M. Hoz]

Well,if George Lucas would ever come to make a Horror film...

[The Veteran]

Yeah those Ewoks just creep me out

 

There's a difference between a T-Rex and a Reaper, however I do see your point. They're both freaky in their own way, however, like I said. Reapers are OHMYGOD IT'S HUGE AND HAS GIANT POINTY TEETH! scary, and Chrysallids are hypnotically scary. When watching a movie, I prefer OHMYGOD scary because if you've seen it before, it's not scary, and that's how I like my movies. It's a personal thing

 

You mean to say that people are less likely to have seen something like a reaper in a film than they are to have seen something like a Chryssalid? You need to watch more films! Reapers ARE just dinosaurs. And to make it worse they're only small dinosaurs! If you've seen t-rex's tearing apart entire cities and watched Godzilla more than once why would a two meter tall biped scare you! Now you name me a film that's ever had anything like a Chryssalid in... The only thing even comparable is aliens... And I'd much rather see another Alien film than another JP film...

 

A Chrysallid would make me freak out too much and I wouldn't like it. Or I would be entranced, feel the suspense building up, and then hope I remember to use the bathroom beforehand. So, I like Reapers more.

 

You'd better take a look at what this thread is all about. We're trying to find out what's scarier... You're saying that the Chryssalid would freak you out more so clearly that should be your choice!

[kai]

I suppose that now I would find ethereals scarier. With sectoids you can look in to their cold calculating eyes, you can't do that with ethereals, and of course the other aliens come in to play.

 

They can see you wherever you hide, they can direct the chrysalids that scare you all so much and allow them to find you and then rip off your arms and implant an egg or two.

 

(And of course if godzilla run amok, the ethereals could control its mind and turn it to their evil intent)

[BreakMage]

Posted on Dec 21 2003, 04:36 PM

 

 

There's a difference between a T-Rex and a Reaper, however I do see your point. They're both freaky in their own way, however, like I said. Reapers are OHMYGOD IT'S HUGE AND HAS GIANT POINTY TEETH! scary, and Chrysallids are hypnotically scary. When watching a movie, I prefer OHMYGOD scary because if you've seen it before, it's not scary, and that's how I like my movies. It's a personal thing 

 

You mean to say that people are less likely to have seen something like a reaper in a film than they are to have seen something like a Chryssalid? You need to watch more films! Reapers ARE just dinosaurs. And to make it worse they're only small dinosaurs! If you've seen t-rex's tearing apart entire cities and watched Godzilla more than once why would a two meter tall biped scare you! Now you name me a film that's ever had anything like a Chryssalid in... The only thing even comparable is aliens... And I'd much rather see another Alien film than another JP film...

 

 

 

A Chrysallid would make me freak out too much and I wouldn't like it. Or I would be entranced, feel the suspense building up, and then hope I remember to use the bathroom beforehand. So, I like Reapers more. 

 

You'd better take a look at what this thread is all about. We're trying to find out what's scarier... You're saying that the Chryssalid would freak you out more so clearly that should be your choice!

 

Actually... I like the Reaper for a movie idea. That way I could get OVER it. Chrysallids are too scary for me. And really, I don't like the idea of changing my pants everytime I see a Chrysallid in a movie. :hmmm:

 

So I still go with the reaper. HA!

[The Veteran]

You people have no idea what this topic is about do you...

 

Here is the question posted by PKHead...

If a movie-goer watched the (crap) scene I wrote above, which alien do you think would most scare them where the blank is? What would make them go, "Holy s***, what the f***'s that thing?"

 

A reaper wouldn't do that as people jkeep saying. A Chryssalid would

[cyrus]

Or maybe a Reaper would also but not as much as Chrys

[Jman4117]

Can't we just have both?

[cyrus]

No, the one must leave :D

[Jman4117]

How about a hydrid?

[EclipseDog]

You see that single floater vote? Yup, I'm to blame for it.

 

Using the parameters of the question I thought about each of those creatures and compared them to their closest facsimile in released movies/cartoons.

 

Chryssalids are basically like the Alien queen in those 'Alien' movies. Scary enough from their looks but not really worth inspiring fear and confusion over until after someone has seen one burst out of a zombie.

 

Reapers are basically like the evolved form of the worm thingies in the Tremors sequels. Also scary enough from their looks I suppose, but until you've seen them in action they do look slightly ridiculous as well. I mean it's something in the shape of a 'V' with no arms... without knowledge of its abilities I'd think it would be more likely to be used as a means of transport by the aliens rather than as an actual threat... of course that changes once you see it speed along and chew a person up and spit em out in pieces.

 

Snakemen can't help but remind me of the old sci-fi series 'V' with a healthy mix of that egyptian movie added to those lizard men. They also have almost zero fear factor.

 

Cyberdisks - we all know what they are so I doubt any soldier would be saying that.

 

Sectoids get the same penalty for overuse as the Cyberdisks.

 

The Celatids and Silacoids unfortunately just look too much like a pile of gloop to take seriously... unless you actually were a fan of that old and pathetic sci-fi thriller where the world was overtaken by a mass of green slime.

 

Sectopods are basically an armorred non-living reaver. Personally I liken them the most to the Robocop movie where he was attempted to be replaced by a new robocop who went nuts and shot up half the city after he got high. Sure they can do a lot of damage, but these are soldiers here... they'll take one look at these things and simply use the same anti-tank tactics they used for terrestrial combat.

 

Mutons... I'm sorry but I just can't take seriously anything that looks like a Krell (or whatever those Marvel aliens were called) that's taken stupid lessons... especially since the Marvel version weren't all that swift to start off...

 

Ethereal... once the psi attacks started flying these would scare me alright, but when all I see coming at me is a floatng blanket I'd snicker more than I'd quiver... at least until I realized exactly how they could mess with my mind. But the poll asked for the impression I'd get upon first seeing these things, not from first seeing their powers at work. I mean seriously can't you see the scene now... ""A floating blanket..? They've gotten so desperate they're sending floating blankets at us now?! Bwahahaha" Naturally the group laughter would stop at that point as a single one of the laughers turns around from the sight and blew them all to hell... but that's not the question asked.

 

Then finally comes the thing I voted for... Floaters. Personally out of all the things mentioned above, this is the one thing that would most inspire that sentiment prior to a knowledge of abilities... which is stupid since it's actually one of the least dangerous from what I've seen. But anytime you see something that can walk in the air without any wings or visible signs of propulsion... *shudders*. Some versions of Superman and some of his foes have had this ability and it always brings confusion and terror to the civilians/stupid human criminals that first witness it from what I've seen.

 

:o

[cyrus]

How about a hydrid? 

A hybrid? Well, imagine a 3m horror with claws and that fixed grin on the face which roams the battlefield to get to his victim, paralysed by fear, and then does his dark business. Yes this can inspire terror. Chrysallopod. How's it sound?

 

Only one thing interests me - how do they fit in the human body?

[kai]

I'm assuming that when one of the chryssalids jumps on you, it bites/scratches/both you and that injects you with a toxi which kills you and causes rapid necrosis.

 

A large, grizly, frankly disgusting and somewhat risque appendige emerges from it and jams it through in to your gut. Then the embryo is infected and rapidly grows and while devouring your internal organs, the little fella grows just too large for your skin and starts to bulge (creating the zombie look) and eventually tears out, leaving a human skin on the floor.

 

By the way, what about a "Chryssareal", a scary loooking chryssalid with the mental powers of an ethereal, telepathically hunts you down and then telepathically paralyses you while it does its business, you can see it and feel it but can't move and can't scream. Now that is very scary!

[cyrus]

Something that was planned for Genesis, where Chryssalid could turn into zombies not only the humans but the aliens also! And the creature that would burst from the zombie would be the hybrid of the host creature and Chryssalid. You can read about it in Dave Ellis interview

[Jman4117]

Well......Lets have Chryssalid jab a Reaper in the gut and give us a big, extra-scary monster.

[Bomb Bloke]

Actually, a hybrid of a Civilian and a Chrysallid does not seem very scary. What, an alien that doesn't know which way to look and stands in the middle of plasma fire?

[NKF]

What would we get when a chryssalid - er, mates with a chryssalid? A chryssalid squared?

 

- NKF