Alien (1979)

The title of this movie is pretty self explanatory -- it’s about an alien. While passing a small, unknown planet, on their way back to earth, the blue collar crew of the space vessel Nostromo pick up what they thought to be a distress signal. A few crew members are sent to investigate only to find that the signal they intercepted was not a distress signal but a warning. The crew manages to escape the planet, but only to find an alien has snuck on board.

The dramatic irony in this film is in most cases, quite subtle, and is not used for a comedic effect. Instead, dramatic irony is used to add suspense to tragic scenes. One example of dramatic irony can be found just after Kane wakes up--while the crew is having one last meal together before they enter hypersleep. During this meal, the crew act optimistic and are happy that everyone is alive and well. However, the audience knows that this film is about an alien and is about to take a turn for the worse. During the meal, Kane starts to feel weak and begins to violently choke. The irony reaches its climax when the alien--which the whole crew thought was dead--kills Kane by bursting out of his stomach and running away.