Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

H.R. Giger Returns To the Alien Franchise

Posted by timothy on from the how-could-this-not-give-nightmares dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Great news for Alien franchise purists, as conceptual artist H.R. Giger has been confirmed as a contributor to the prequel that Ridley Scott is set to begin shooting in February. The originator of the 'xenomorph' design, Giger was left out of James Cameron's Aliens (1986), since Cameron only needed a new 'Alien queen' design, and had come up with that himself. This article features the Swiss TV broadcast where Giger's wife broke the news, and a full gallery of Giger's conceptual work for Alien."

35 of 144 comments (clear)

  1. With all his nightmarish illustrations by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    I've been to his museum in Switzerland and the dude has really nightmarish works - all from his conscious. His subconscious must be really weird

    I wonder if in his nightmares, he has fuzzy bunnies and care bears?

    1. Re:With all his nightmarish illustrations by Sonny+Yatsen · · Score: 5, Informative

      As I recall, Giger has night terrors and the stuff he paints is the stuff he sees in his dreams.

      --
      My postings are informational and does not constitute legal advice. Act on it at your risk.
    2. Re:With all his nightmarish illustrations by Migraineman · · Score: 3, Funny

      I have night terrors ... mostly of H.R. Giger having night terrors. Mostly.

  2. Milking the cow... by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 5, Funny

    Prequels of played out franchises mostly blow chunks. Mostly.

    1. Re:Milking the cow... by Ephemeriis · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Prequels of played out franchises mostly blow chunks. Mostly.

      Indeed, they do. And after the horror that was Alien: Resurrection and the absolute mediocrity of the two AvP movies, I was not expecting much out of this prequel.

      But they've got Ridley Scott directing, and now H.R. Giger is on-board as well... A couple steps in the right direction.

      It may not turn out to be absolutely horrible.

      Maybe.

      --
      "Work is the curse of the drinking classes." -Oscar Wilde
    2. Re:Milking the cow... by Scarumanga · · Score: 5, Interesting

      After reading the link I now see the direction this film might be taking, finally there will be some answers as to what this Alien race is, and possibly where it originated from what I understand. They mention something from the first Alien movie regarding the possible genetic manipulated alien sitting in the chair-like thing and envisioning this Alien race ... so there is no "knowing what will happen", we only know what happens in Alien..but HOW did that ship crash on that planet? Where did it come from? Who created those aliens?

    3. Re:Milking the cow... by morgaen · · Score: 2

      Avatar was a brilliant sequel to Pocahontas.

    4. Re:Milking the cow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Uh, yeah we have. Two words

      Rule #34

    5. Re:Milking the cow... by blahplusplus · · Score: 3, Insightful

      "HOW did that ship crash on that planet? Where did it come from? Who created those aliens?"

      The real issue for me was that aliens 3 and 4 were such garbage. Aliens 3 would have been ok as a spin-off movie (alternate universe), but the directors had no clue where to take it after Aliens (technically 'alien 2').

      They had such an awesome universe which they royally f'd up with the third and fourth movies. So badly that the whole series just doesn't feel right anymore. I'm not holding my breath for the prequel. As far as I'm concerned the series ended for me with Aliens.

    6. Re:Milking the cow... by TheRaven64 · · Score: 2

      I enjoyed Alien Resurrection, but only by thinking of it as an independent film - it didn't work as part of the Alien series. The universe it was set in had an interesting feel, but it didn't seem like the same universe as the other films and the resurrection plot just didn't make sense (although some of the subplots were good). Alien 3 was just terrible. Some of the early script drafts were a bit better, but none were actually good.

      Alien vs. Predator was probably the low point - two creatures that are so inhuman that it's hard to empathise with either, and some humans who are so irritating that you don't care what happens to them. Eventually most of them die. No one cares. The only vaguely interesting part was at the end of Requiem (I still can't believe it got a sequel, although it was probably cheap to produce because they got to 100% reuse the plot from the first one) when the Predator's cannon was presented to Ms Yutani, showing that W-Y was bootstrapped by alien technology from the start.

      With Giger involved, at least the prequel will be visually amazing, so if it's up to the standard of the last few movies then I can just think of it as a piece of visual art and ignore the 'plot' (used in the loosest sense of the word).

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    7. Re:Milking the cow... by yahwotqa · · Score: 2

      Get your facts straight, it was a christmas special for Pocahontas, not a sequel.

    8. Re:Milking the cow... by Dachannien · · Score: 2

      I like Sigourney Weaver, really, but I think her (hopeful) absence from a prequel (aside from, perhaps, a cameo) would allow it to work. Aliens 3 and 4 both ended up stilted as a result of their attempt to build those movies around Ripley.

      Getting Ridley Scott for this one is a good move, too. It will be interesting to see if the prequel is focused more on the stark, gritty, claustrophobic terror present in the original, although a lot of that came from the lower budget and not having CG effects.

    9. Re:Milking the cow... by Intrinsic · · Score: 2

      IF they are going to do a prequel It should happen before Sigourney Weaver's character(or any other characters from the first two) was involved. There are some comics written about the alien home-world, hopefully they will focus on visiting the alien home world and not accidentally get stowaways on board on the trip back to earth. Hint, Hint.

    10. Re:Milking the cow... by naz404 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      We still haven't seen Alien sex though. Just sayin

      Which part of facehumper do you not understand?

      --
      http://www.object404.com
    11. Re:Milking the cow... by MistrBlank · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The problem is that much of the horror in Alien that made it work is overdone now. It had a lot of gore for a movie of it's time, complete with a woman running around in her panties. That was cute and new and the horror was what was off the screen.

      Movie goers are immune to the gore, immune to that half naked woman (even fully naked women at this point) and the horror of what's not seen, is now just seen as a cheap budget. You can't even be scared by something you've seen before, which is why Cameron spent so much time in the first sequel not even showing you the Alien until he was ready to throw all of it at you.

      You won't get another Alien. You won't get another Aliens. Give it up folks. We're stuck with what we've gotten of the AvP movies, Predators and Resurrection. It doesn't get new. Just enjoy the story.

    12. Re:Milking the cow... by Cochonou · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I'm a bit surprised by your opinion. I've recently watched Alien again, and I really find that this movie has aged very well. It's still frightening - slow, deliberate, and with no shitty jump scare moments. The scene in the mechanic storage rooms with water falling down is excruciating. The aliens eggs are still gross and gory. Of course, the puppet alien running on the table after bursting from his host's chest looks cheap compared to today's standards. But it's about the only scene like this.

    13. Re:Milking the cow... by Ephemeriis · · Score: 2

      I'm going to have to disagree with you on this...

      The problem is that much of the horror in Alien that made it work is overdone now.

      A lot of what made the first Alien work was the pacing.

      You spent the first hour or so with nothing going on. There's tension... It's obvious they aren't where they should be. The ship is claustrophobic. There's some disagreements between the crew. The ship is damaged during the landing and makes horrible noise. The planet itself looks like it is made out of knives, and it's noisy as hell.

      But nothing happens for the longest time.

      Most movies just jump in with both feet these days.

      It had a lot of gore for a movie of it's time

      Eh... Thinking back to other movies of the time, I don't think Alien's gore was too out of line.

      complete with a woman running around in her panties.

      Which was certainly nothing new at the time.

      Movie goers are immune to the gore, immune to that half naked woman (even fully naked women at this point) and the horror of what's not seen, is now just seen as a cheap budget. You can't even be scared by something you've seen before

      Sure you can.

      You need to get the audience involved. You need to make them care about the characters. You need to build tension. And if you do all that... You don't even need to startle them. You don't need anything to jump out and go "boo!" They'll be frightened for the characters just sitting there in a perfectly safe setting.

      hich is why Cameron spent so much time in the first sequel not even showing you the Alien until he was ready to throw all of it at you.

      I'm of the opinion that Aliens is more of an action movie than a horror movie. There's precious little tension, very few scares, lots of gunfire and one-liners.

      Having said that, however, it did work quite well. And again I'd attribute a large amount of it to the pacing of the movie.

      Again, you've got basically nothing happening for quite some time. Sure, there's the nightmare Ripley has... But that's about it. There's lots of blips on the motion tracker, false-alarms, melted floor grates, and whatever else... But nothing actually happens for the longest time.

      You won't get another Alien. You won't get another Aliens.

      I've already got one. It's very nice.

      Give it up folks.

      Give what up? My enjoyment of the series? My anticipation of a new movie?

      We're stuck with what we've gotten of the AvP movies, Predators and Resurrection.

      So they can't make any more movies ever again? This is it? They've run out?

      It doesn't get new.

      What doesn't get new? There's plenty of originality out there...

      Just enjoy the story.

      I thoroughly enjoyed both Alien and Aliens. Enjoyed the novelization of Alien3 more than the actual movie. Or is there some other story you want me to enjoy?

      --
      "Work is the curse of the drinking classes." -Oscar Wilde
    14. Re:Milking the cow... by Jeremy+Erwin · · Score: 2

      Yeah, I hated that hobbit book

      The Hobbit (1937)
      The Lord of the Rings (1954-1955)

      Perhaps you're thinking of the Silmarillion (1977).

    15. Re:Milking the cow... by GameboyRMH · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Some of H.R. Giger's own work involves alien boning:

      NSFW
      [link redacted]
      NSFW

      NSFW
      [link redacted]
      NSFW

      NMS
      [link redacted]
      NMS

      Not alien related, but OMG so horrible:

      NMS
      [link redacted]
      NMS

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
  3. Re:Not Another Star Wars-like Prequels !! by Scarumanga · · Score: 2

    From what I have been reading it seems like it is going to be very in depth. This isn't star wars...star wars is a bit more...like a love story with lots of lasers and drama in the mix. Aliens is Sci-fi horror with lots of background missing....so I'm not sure how you can even make a comparison. Alien actually has LOTS room for a prequel unlike Star Wars which already had a background storyline to it when they made A New Hope. Especially considering the prequel is set in the year 2085 (3 decades before Ellen Ripley) ... the Star wars prequels didn't quite go that far back in time, they only told us what we already knew happened with annoying characters like jar jar and gay looking droids.

  4. Re:Once again proving my theory by osgeek · · Score: 2

    You mean Dreamscape 2010?

    --
    Why are you letting these clowns ruin our country?
  5. Re:No humans, please by Stele · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Exactly.

    The really cool thing about that alien ship in Alien was just how *ALIEN* it was.

    It'll turn out that humans engineering both the space-jockey species AND the Aliens. BORING. Let me say it again: BOR-ING!

  6. Re:Which came first? by Svenne · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Alien: 1979
    Brood: 1982

    --

    Slagborr
  7. Re:Which came first? by revxul · · Score: 2

    I love the older brood stories, right up through the last one they did in the Australia period. Wolverine's healing factor fighting the brood implantation was a cool moment.

    --
    Truth, Just Us, And Hatred For All Mankind!
  8. Sci-Fi Prequel? by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 2

    I just hope someone's remembered to take out a restraining order against George Lucas - he shouldn't be allowed within 1/2 mile of this project.

    --
    #DeleteChrome
  9. Give it a chance already by l0ungeb0y · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I know that resentment rides high on Slashdot over Lucas' prequel efforts, but Ridley Scott is a Director/Producer of a whole other calibre. Franky, I'm hard pressed to name a bad film by Scott... sure, some movies such as Kingdom of Heaven and Hannibal come to mind, but they were very watchable and had many redeeming qualities beyond just action and effects. Also keep in mind that Scott is responsible for both Alien and Blade Runner, two of most memorable and defining sci-fi efforts in cinematic history, and he did them back to back. And most importantly, Scott's entire portfolio is very diverse in genre and subject matter. Unlike Lucas, he is a truly imaginative and gifted director and not one to take up a project to make a buck or milk a franchise.

    Personally, I see lots of potential for these prequels to be nothing short of fantastic. The telling of the story of the Space Jockey and the origins of the Xeno-Morph has all sorts of potential, as does the telling of the 1st encounter and discovery of the Xeno-Morph by Weyland-Yutani. These stories aren't those of a true prequel in the Star Wars sense, those were stories that closely followed an existing story arc around a small set of characters. Here, we have a whole other set of stories only loosely related to the stories we already know.

    So give Scott some slack, you know you're going to see these movies in the theatre no matter what the reviews say and you know that with Scott at the helm, there will be a decent plot and story line and that the visuals and world will be stunning and engaging.

    1. Re:Give it a chance already by dargaud · · Score: 2

      And most importantly, Scott's entire portfolio is very diverse in genre and subject matter. Unlike Lucas

      What, you don't think Star Wars and Howard the Duck are diverse enough ?!?

      --
      Non-Linux Penguins ?
    2. Re:Give it a chance already by GodfatherofSoul · · Score: 2

      Scott is just as capable of making crappy movies as George Lucas is of creating great movies. Artists are often hit and miss, *especially* in the movie industry.

      --
      I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
  10. Soundtrack by Dani+Filth · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Soundtrack by Triptykon?

  11. Darkseed by BigSes · · Score: 3, Insightful

    He also did the artwork for the PC-Amiga Darkseed titles. Lots of his freaky, Alien type artwork. Can still be easily gotten ahold of if any fans want to check it out.

  12. I think I found his most terrifying work. by AbRASiON · · Score: 4, Funny

    http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/H._R._Giger.jpg

    1. Re:I think I found his most terrifying work. by blackpaw · · Score: 2

      Bastard :)

  13. Re:I have some respect for Alien3 by Grishnakh · · Score: 2

    Ballsy, maybe, but that doesn't make it a good idea. In the end, we ended up with a shitty movie where everyone we cared about was dead, either in the beginning (all our surviving friends from "Aliens"), or at the end (Ripley), and the only people to survive are the freaks at the penal colony, and the evil corporate dudes. Once in a long while, someone might be able to put together a really dark movie like that which really works, but this wasn't it. Alien3 was a total disaster, and a complete waste of time, which ruined the franchise.

  14. Aliens and Xenobiology by ErkDemon · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The Aliens are intelligent. They've got VERY big brains, they're possibly socially telepathic, and they've gotten around the cultural problem of a lack of information-continuity between generations by developing (or adopting from another parasitised species) a form of inherited memory. That's how the Ripley-Alien hybrid clone has memories of being Ripley.

    The nasty question posed by the inherited-memory thing is: The aliens have a fetal stage (implanted by the face-huggers) during which they adapt to their new environment by adapting to and adopting elements of their host's biology ... and presumably they also retain memories from the Queen that laid their egg. During the adaptation process, does the alien fetus, which potentially has telepathic abilities, also imprint on the memories and personality of its host?

    In other words, when Little Aliens burst out of humans and become Big Aliens, do those Big Aliens then have false memories of being human? That might go some way to explaining why they're so pissed off.

    While there's stuff like that that still needs to be addressed, I think there's space for at least one more film, and if we're going to be seeing unexplored aspects of the Alien biology, it's cool that they've got Giger onboard to extend and elaborate on some of his original designs.

    --
    Eric Baird
    1. Re:Aliens and Xenobiology by Mindcontrolled · · Score: 2
      The inherited memory angle definitely is interesting, however, I don't think I can extract that from the first two (in my view canonical) films. Do you have any in-universe evidence for that? Oh, please be extra convincing, I am you friendly neighbourhood biochemist, who really needs some strong arguments when it comes to inherited/racial memory.... ;)

      Actually, if you posit that the false memories of humanity is what pisses the Big Aliens off, you are deep into Freudian therapy. I kinda envision Big Alien Mama on a couch, a white-bearded man in chair before it interviewing her about the phallic nature of the secondary jaws and the dripping slime....

      --
      Ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant.