In 1977, 20th Century Fox, surprised with
the unprecedented success of George Lucas’
Star Wars, was ready to greenlight any and
every space adventure film on the table.
The only finished script they had was for
a strange little horror picture from the minds
of Ronald Shusett and Dan O’Bannon.
With the help of Ridley Scott, HR Giger, Ron
Cobb, and countless others, that script would
eventually become the greatest science fiction
horror film of all time.
These are ten brilliant practical effects
from Alien.
Number 1: The Egg
In one of the film’s most unsettling moments,
Kane (played by the legendary John Hurt) shines
a flashlight into the egg.
We see the facehugger shudder slightly.
How did they get the movement to look so lifelike?
It’s because it’s really alive.
Those are the hands of none other than the
director of the film, Ridley Scott.
For that shot, he simply put on latex gloves
and stuck his hands inside the egg.
What really sells the effect is the fact that
it’s obscured by the translucent plexiglass
shell.
I wanted to start off with this because it
so perfectly illustrates something a lot of
people don't realize about special effects:
the best solution doesn't require mountains
of cash or the latest technology, just the
right amount of thought and planning.
Number 2: The Facehugger
The moment in which the facehugger latches
on to Kane's spacesuit passes so quickly and
violently that we don't even think to question
its realism.
And why should we?
It's a convincing effect, and it also has
a simple explanation.
The facehugger isn't jumping out on at all.
It's being pulled in.
The footage is reversed, then it immediately
cuts to the creature already latched on to
Kane's helmet.
Such a simple solution, yet so effective.
Number 3: The Space Jockey
Alien has a very clear division in aesthetics
that can be attributed to the hiring of two
different artists.
HR Giger's work is extremely easy to point
out, given its often provocative, always macabre
trademarks.
The pilot of the derelict ship is very Giger
in that its difficult to discern what is (or
once was) organic and what is part of the
ship.
This is partially due to the way that the
prop was constructed.
It's mostly a plaster sculpture, but there
are animal bones built in, giving those details
an uncanny level of realism.
Number 4: The Derelict Ship
The derelict ship is another great example
of Giger's design influence, made manifest
on screen with full size interior sets.
On a sci-fi movie.
That's enough to give a studio executive a
heart attack.
For the exterior, the massive model ship and
the accompanying landscape are convincing
on their own.
Give them lots of fog, the right environmental
sounds, and those beautiful interiors to cut
to, and it's near perfect.
Number 5: The Landing Party
When the team was building the exterior of
the shuttle craft, Scott realized that it
was too small to properly fake using a forced
perspective.
It was only half the size it needed to be,
so he got people half the size to be in the
shot.
The crew members in those space suits are
actually children.
The footage for this scene was filmed at 48
frames per second so that when it was slowed
down to 24, the set appeared life size and
the kids appeared adult size.
Number 6: The Dissection of the Facehugger
This is my favorite effect in the entire film.
We see how fleshy and vulnerable the creature
is, luring us into a false sense of security
for what happens next.
The way they achieved that look?
Seafood.
Ridley Scott, the absolute madman, had the
crew bring in a bucket of oysters, clams,
and mussels to place inside the shell of the
dead facehugger prop.
He arranged it to his liking and that's what
we see in the final film.
Number 7: Kane’s Chestburster
Possibly the film's most iconic moment, and
it was absolute hell to get right.
The setup had John Hurt under the table with
a prosthetic chest and lower body on top.
The chestburster mechanic would not work.
When it eventually did, it caught the cast
by surprise.
Lambert's shock is really Veronica Cartwright's
shock.
It feels so authentic because it is authentic.
Number 8: The Perfect Organism
Sculpted by HR Giger himself, the original
statue for the alien was cast into especially
durable latex and made into a full size, wearable
suit.
Between the heavy jaw mechanics in the helmet
and the sweltering heat, suit actor Bolaji
Badejo had to put up with unbearable conditions,
yet he was possibly the most mature and committed
person on that set.
His performance was legendary and the film
would not have been the same without him.
To learn more about Bolaji Badejo's story
and the production of the suit, I recommend
the previous video I did on the story of the
Alien suit actor.
Number 9: The Artificial Person
Ash assaults Ripley and would have killer
her had Lambert and Parket not found them.
When they attack Ash, it's revealed that he's
a an android sent by the company to ensure
the safe capture of the alien.
The disgusting synthetic liquid in this scene
that looks like milk?
It’s actually milk.
And the strange, vaguely organic chord sticking
out from Ash's head is really made up of small
clear marbles… and a little bit of pasta.
It's unclear what the chord's actual use is,
but it fits aesthetically in the scene.
The peculiar look of the thing makes our imaginations
fill in the gap of what it could be.
Number 10: The Nostromo
No horror movie is complete without a haunted
house.
The towering spires atop the spaceship are
not unlike those you'd find on a gothic church.
That's exactly where the inspiration comes
from.
Although it becomes more and more menacing
throughout the film, the Nostromo initially
isn't a dangerous place at all.
When we’re first introduced to it, this
spaceship is actually pretty boring.
Up until Alien, space travel in film was seen
with such fantasy.
The majestic wonder of Kubick's 2001: A Space
Odyssey.
The thrilling excitement of Lucas' Star Wars.
But here, Ron Cobb's ship is designed as this
mundane workplace with a blue collar staff,
a few suits from the company, and a current
of social class tension between them.
It's this realism that grounds the film from
the very beginning and makes all the horrifying
events feel authentic, like they could happen
to you.
Alien is my favorite horror movie of all time.
I love every terrifying moment of this film.
To me, it stands as an immortal testament
to masterful special effects filmmaking techniques.
It's a film full of incredible performances,
clever writing, gorgeous music, and brilliant
design.
It's a shining example that anything imaginable
can be realized on screen.
Thank you for watching.
Happy Alien Day, everyone.
Be sure to come back for more.
Stay tuned.
