Alien (1979)

A tale of Memory, Star Beast and Jaws in Space

Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett developed a script called ‘Memory’ about astronauts whose journey is interrupted by a signal from a mysterious planet. Shusett suggested blending it with a tale of gremlins infiltrating a WWII bomber. The screenplay, initially titled ‘Star Beast’, evolved into Alien. Pitched as ‘Jaws in space’ to various production companies, it was eventually produced by Brandywine Productions, led by David Giler and Walter Hill, who revisited it and introduced the character of the android Ash.

Sculpting Fear: Morphing the Xenomorph

While working on a Dune adaptation, Dan O’Bannon was introduced to H. R. Giger by Alejandro Jodorowsky. impressed by Giger’s disturbing art, he pushed the production for hiring him, citing his Necronom IV as ideal for the alien design. Giger, who draw inspiration for the chestburster design from a Francis Bacon’s artwork, sculpted the big creature's body using plasticine and even Rolls-Royce cooling tubes, while Carlo Rambaldi manufactured the head, resulting in about 900 moving parts.

In the Belly of the Beasts: Fear and Disgust on the Set

To film the chestburster scene, John Hurt's head and shoulders emerged from underneath the table and were connected to a mechanical torso filled with air and fake blood. Ridley scott decided to kept the actors unaware that it would burst to raise their genuine shock, as evident in Veronica Cartwright's reaction. The facehugger was crafted from shellfish, oysters, and sheep parts and Filming it had to be quick due to the rapid spoiling of organic materials under studio lights and their disgusting smell.

Decoding Ash: the Android who knew too much

At first, Ash appears as a rational crew member loyal to the corporation, working alongside the ship's AI MU/TH/UR (a nod to HAL9000 from '2001: A Space Odyssey'). The movie includes various Easter eggs hinting at ash android nature and his true mission. In several scenes, he is seen to drink a milky white liquid, and Later, when his dismantled body is reactivated for interrogation, it is revealed to be the same fluid leaking from his android body (milk, caviar and pasta were used to represent it).