VOLUME 27 NUMBER 7 The magazine with a "Sense of Wonder." MARCH 1996

This magazine has followed the career 8 DEMOLITIONIST of H. R. Giger closely since 1979, when his Oscar-winning design work for ALIEN BAYWATCH babe Nicole Eggert stars as the future cop turned super crime- literally burst on the scene and changed fighter in a comic book-inspired low-budgeter that marks the directing debut the look of science fiction. This, our third of KNB Efx's Rob Kurtzman. / Preview by Michael Beeler cover story on the Swiss surrealist artist 10 MUPPET TREASURE ISLAND and film designer, takes a detailed look at Brian Henson on following in his late father's footsteps, returning his extraterrestrial concepts for last the Muppet players to the kind of hip, irreverent comedy that made TV's summer's hit movie SPECIES, now out on THE MUPPET SHOW a hit. / Interview by Alan Jones video. Page 8 L. A. correspondent Les Paul Robley 14 GIGER'S ALIEN: THE RIDE interviewed Giger at his home and studio Filming the motion simulator theme park attraction that puts you into the in Zurich, surrounded by the artist's work, nightmare world of Giger, based on the movie ALIENS, directed by genre which makes the building a kind of shrine master Stuart Gordon. I Article by Les Paul Robley or museum with exhibits that showcase Giger's unique biomechanoid vision, 16 H. R. GIGER—ORIGIN OF "SPECIES" including a working, ridable train that An interview with the Oscar-winning Swiss surrealist at his Zurich studio, snakes through its grounds. Giger spoke the inside story on the making of the movie, the artistic compromises and frankly about working in Hollywood and the legal battles. / Production story by Les Paul Robley the compromises made on his designs for SPECIES. In separate articles, Robley, a Page 14 23 BUILDING GIGER'S ALIEN working effects technician, details the Makeup effects designer Steve Johnson on fabricating Giger's extra- motion simulator filming of ALIENS: THE terrestrial design for SPECIES' Sil to Giger's biomechanical specs, creating RIDE and the CGI effects by Boss Film a deadly monster that's drop dead gorgeous. / Article by Les Paul Robley for SPECIES, projects on which he worked himself. Robley also spotlights the 32 "SPECIES" COMPUTER GRAPHICS superb creature fabrication by Steve Boss Film supremo and special effects Oscar-winner Richard Edlund on Johnson's XFX, Inc., which highlights this the motion capture computerized puppetry used to bring Sil's superhuman issue's cover, as well as Giger's Ghost feats startlingly to life. I Article by Les Paul Robley Train design that was all but dropped from SPECIES' final cut. In companion pieces, 39 GIGER'S GHOST TRAIN Dan Persons interviews Dennis Feldman, Page 23 The behind-the-scenes story of the nightmare sequence designed by Giger SPECIES' screenwriter and co-producer, which got short shrift in SPECIES, a preview of the imagery in store when and Dan Scapperotti profiles actress the train roars again in Giger's own pet project. / Article by Les Paul Robley Natasha Henstridge, who talks about playing Giger's creature, a role that has 42 EXQUISITE TENDERNESS catapulted her from fashion model to Director Carl Schenkel on filming 1993's gory shocker which has been motion picture star. released overseas but buried in the U.S. market, a throwback to the noirish When Giger saw the magazine's cover '60s horror of Italian master Mario Bava. / Preview by Kenneth Winikoff mockup, printed in our previous issue, with only his name listed above the title 46 ROGER CORMAN PRESENTS SPECIES, he called to ask—even The legendary "King of the Bs" on launching his new Cosmic Video genre implore—that his name be listed smaller, Page 46 label by packaging his series of cable movies currently airing on Showtime, below the title, with only those of his many a primer on how Corman does it for less. / Interview by Dan Scapperotti collaborators. "I am only the artist," he said, quite humbly. "I played but a small 54 SPACE: ABOVE AND BEYOND part in making the film." We call this issue A profile of Area 51, computer effects' next generation currently providing "Giger's Alien" instead. Though Giger's Fox's saga of interstellar warfare with stunningly realistic, STAR WARS- designs may have been realized by like outer space dogfights on a TV series budget. I Article by Paula Vitaris others, his SPECIES monster is as much his as the Picasso, built by other 5 HOLLYWOOD 12 COMING craftsmen, that graces the Loop here in GOTHIC ATTRACTIONS Chicago. Frederick S. Clarke Page 54 59 REVIEWS 62 LETTERS

Publisher & Editor: Frederick S. Clarke. Editor: Steve Biodrowski. Bureaus: New York/Dan Scapperotti, Dan Persons. Los Angeles/ Michael Beeler. London/Alan Jones. Contributors: Lawrence French, Nancy Garcia, Judith P. Harris, Les Paul Robley, Michael Sutton, John Thonen, Paula Vitaris, Kenneth Winikoff. Editorial Operations Manager: Elaine Fiedler. Editorial Production: Lisa Tomczak-Walkington. Production Associate: Ruth Kopala. Publisher's Assistant: Lisa Coduto. Circulation: Reva Patterson. Business Manager: Celeste Casey Clarke.

PHOTO CREDITS: ©1994 Atelier Formart (16L, 18BR, 18CR, 29BR); ©1995 Bad Bird (Robert Zucherman 6); ©1995 Leslie Barany (Mia Bonzanigo 20R); ©1993 Capella (Bob Akester 42-45); ©1993 Dana Frank (16R); Suzanne Englund (47BR, 50); © Fox (Aaron Rapoport 60); ©1995 H. R. Giger (17, 18TR, 20L, 21; Sascha L. Serfoezoe 19, 29L, 41; Roman Guttinger 40T); David Goldner (48BL); ©1995 Gramercy (Michael Kienitz 4T); Bruce Heinsius (51T); © Jim Henson Prod. (Stephen F Morley 10, 11); ©1995 MGM (23-26, 29I, 32-34; Melinda Sue Gordon 16C, 22, 26C, 26TR, 27, 31, 35T, 36,37; Virgil Mirano (33R, 34B); ©1993 187 Corp (Elliott Marks 46I); ©1986 20th Century Fox (15); Libby Simon (12); Paula Vitaris (54,57B); ©1992 Willy Spiller (28). ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Area 51, Leslie Barany, Boss Films, Catherine Cyran, Dennis Feldman, H.R. Giger, Jonathan Winfrey, Terry Winkless, XFX Inc. COVER: Mindas CINEFANTASTIQUE (ISSN 0145-6032) is published monthly at 7240 W. Roosevelt Rd., Forest Park, IL 60130. (708) 366-5566. Second class postage paid at Forest Park, IL 60130 & additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to CINEFANTASTIQUE, P.O. Box 270, Oak Park, IL 60303. Subscriptions: 12 Issues $48, 18 issues $69, 24 Issues $90. (Foreign & Canada: 12 Issues $55, 18 issues $80, 24 Issues $100.) Single copies: $8. Retail Distribution: In the U.S. by Eastern News Distributors, 250 W. 55th St., New York, NY 10019. (800) 221-3148. In Great Britain by Titan Distributors, P.O. Box 250, London E3 4RT. Phone: (01)980-6167. Submissions of artwork and articles are encouraged, but must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Contents copyright ©1996 by Frederick S. Clarke. CINEFANTASTIQUE ® is a Registered U.S. Trademark. PRINTED IN USA.

pdf created by www.littlegiger.com The design genius of ALIEN on his new foray into extraterrestrial anatomy.

By Les Paul Robley promised after he sees the fin- ished product on screen. In his SPECIES marks the continu- own assessment of SPECIES ing saga of H. R. Giger's battle (see page 28) Giger goes to with a major Hollywood studio great lengths to criticize the over another of his creations. computer effects provided by The world-famous Swiss surre- Boss Film Studio for the film's alist artist who changed the look climax. of science fiction with ALIEN, SPECIES is the story of a for which he won an Oscar in ruthless, genetically engineered 1979, suffered major indigna- female being called Sil, manu- tion at the hands of 20th Centu- factured from an extraterrestrial ry-Fox studios and the director formula, that has escaped from a lab and is searching for mates with which to procreate its species. The scientists who created it, head- ed by Ben Kingsley as Fitch, are charged with the formidable task of finding and destroying it, before knowledge of its ex- istence penetrates the wider population. The movie was produced by Frank Mancuso Jr. and Den- nis Feldman, from a of ALIEN3, David Fincher [see screenplay by Feldman. Mancu- Imagi-Movies Vol. 1 No. 3]. On so is the producer of Para- SPECIES, Giger found fault mount's FRIDAY THE 13TH with not only the realization of movie sequels, beginning with his designs on the screen, but PART III, as well as Ralph Bak- also with the compensation and shi's COOL WORLD. Feldman credit he received from MGM. Above: Giger's Sil design for SPECIES, realized by Steve Johnson's XFX, Inc. wrote the Eddie Murphy fantasy The movie arrived at video Left: Giger's design takes shape in polyester, metal, silicone and rubber at THE GOLDEN CHILD. The stores last December after a hit Atelier Formart in Switzerland. Right: Giger, ALIEN's design Oscar-winner. initial genesis for SPECIES Facing Page: A sculpture (187x131.5x32 cm.) designed and fabricated by theatrical run at the boxoffice Giger to honor his behind-the-scenes collaborators (I to r 1-49)—2: producer evolved from an article Feld- last summer. Frank Mancuso Jr., 4: Boss Films' Richard Edlund, 6: director Roger man saw in 1987 about the in- Donaldson, 11: Sil's Natasha Henstridge, 30: XFX supervisor Steve Johnson, surmountable odds against an Transferring Giger's ideas to 32: young Sir, Michelle Williams, 33: Giger, 34: assistant Andy Schedler, 40: movie form has, in the past, fre- James Cowan, Giger's U.S. publisher, 47: Leslie Barany, Giger's agent, and 49: extraterrestrial craft ever locat- quently left him feeling com- screenwriter Dennis Feldman, issued as a signed, limited edition silkscreen. ing and visiting Earth. 16

SIL'S DESIGN PROTOTYPE Giger designed and built a transparent, glowing Sil.

cording to his agent, Leslie By Les Paul Robley Barany, the idea of transparent Giger conceived Sil in his fa- beings has always been in Giger's early design sculpt of Sil based on model Nadine, draped with a mous "Biomechanical" style of Giger's work. But Giger had to pendant of Sil's tongue, made with shark's teeth. Below: Building Giger's Sil's design that melds flesh with ma- fight every step of the way to design prototype with glowing skeleton at Atelier Formart in Switzerland. chine. He envisioned this new be- convince the filmmakers that the ing as a unique creature—a half- idea of a transparent creature had human, half-alien being armed merit. He was initially told that it with an array of natural defenses. was going to be too expensive to He imagined her to be far different do, and that the only way to from the life form in the ALIEN achieve the effect was through series, possessed of a beauty that computer graphics. Insisting that went far deeper than the skin. it was possible, he built a rough Said Giger, "I always wanted model of Sil with his own crew to have something transparent. in Zurich and inserted holograms Before it was not possible." Ac- into its cut-away limbs to show how the transparency aspect Giger sketch of Sil's transformation would enhance the design and highlighting the glowing concept that was abandoned by the production. could be incorporated. Out of his own pocket and at a considerable expense, Giger com- missioned CFX Creature Effects at Pinewood Studios to cast for him a transparent bust of Sil. Giger had originally hoped he would be able to provide a work- working relationship with director ing model of his creature that the Donaldson that he had previously production in L.A. would be able shared with Ridley Scott on to use. However, his stiff creations ALIEN. In fact, the two rarely sold the producers on the idea of spoke. Giger felt from the start a transparency. horror specialist would be better. "I had a very good relationship The filmmakers had wanted Giger with Frank Mancuso Jr. because to fly to Hollywood, but problems he called me every night to talk with his mother's health prevented about the movie," Giger remem- him from leaving Zurich. As it bered. "We made the pre-produc- happened Melly Giger passed tion here in Switzerland." He em- away during the night with Giger ployed help from friends Cony De at her side. Fries and Andy Schedler, with Similar to the way he worked whom he had worked on the Giger on ALIEN3, Giger faxed many ink Bar at his birthplace in Chur (pro- drawings of Sil to Hollywood, later nounced "koor"). Together, they supplying some air brush paintings. created the first SPECIES heads "I was convinced we could do this and skulls, using a live Swiss thing here in Switzerland," he con- model named Nadia as a basis for fessed. "But eventually I realized Daniel Rieser works on Giger's his designs. the people here have not the expe- transparent prototype at Andy Giger never had the kind of rience or technology." • Schedler's Atelier Formart studio. 18 "I read in a scientific report From his home in Zurich, that the phenomenal distances GIGER'S SEXY SHOCKER Switzerland, Giger recalled his between stars made traveling initial contact concerning the here in a spaceship virtually im- "We wanted Sil to be scary but at the film: "I was told this time I possible," said Feldman. "So, I could do something I always hypothesized that contact more same time have a sensuality,"' said wanted—to create a monster in likely could be via information. another way—an aesthetic war- In order for 'them' to find us, producer Frank Mancuso Jr. "Giger was rior, also sensual and deadly, however, we had to give out di- the only one who could accomplish this." like the women look in my rections. Maybe we shouldn't paintings. Usually, they ask me be so freely broadcasting where to design monsters with bad- we live to life forms that might looking, ugly faces and horrible prey upon us." teeth. I wanted Sil to turn into Feldman wrote the initial the monster and still look beau- draft of the script on spec. He tiful. This opportunity was, then submitted it to Mancuso, mainly, why I was attracted to with whom he was already the SPECIES project." working on a project called Of course, beautiful to Giger CAST OF KILLERS. Later, may be a little different from Australian-born Roger Donald- how you or I perceive beauty. son stepped in to direct. No Anyone with a knowledge of stranger to thrillers, yet a hor- his incredible Necronomicon ror-genre novice, Donaldson paintings of women, such as Li previously helmed the remake and the females in his Spell se- of THE GETAWAY and NO ries, would realize this straight- WAY OUT. away. "I've always loved science Giger had specific ideas con- fiction," said Donaldson. "But there was a particular quality to this one that interested me on another level as well. It's also a terrific thriller, with plenty of good scares, lots of tension and unpredictable twists and turns as the story unfolds." The script underwent eight different drafts, written over a eight-month period, before Giger directs a video storyboard of his underutilized SPECIES Donaldson was content that Ghost Train in Zurich. Inset: Giger's skull-like train design. flaws in the story's logic had been corrected. At one point an- was the perfect choice to design opportunity for all of us to be as cerning how the creature should other writer, Larry Gross, tried the female, Sil. Donaldson creative as we wanted to be. It change in the film. Sil is first his hand at perfecting the story, showed the book to producer also presented the challenge of seen in the lab as a young girl, but the script ultimately came Mancuso and MGM president walking that fine line between played by Michelle Williams. back to its originator. Despite Michael Marcus, who were believability and pushing some- Later, after breaking free, she some budgetary constraints equally impressed. thing as far as it can go. After all, quickly matures into the strik- which completely reshaped Mancuso contacted Giger's there has never been anything ing five-foot ten-inch model Feldman's original bizarre John California publisher and repre- quite like Sil on screen before. Natasha Henstridge. Carpenteresque ending (a finale sentative, James Cowan. "I "We wanted her to be scary, Originally, Giger wanted the that required Sil's face to crawl thought this would be a worth- but at the same time have a sen- character to go through four dis- off her head, slide down her while project for Giger," said suality that isn't lost when she tinct stages of evolution. "She's shoulder and mix with an arm), Cowan, "because it allowed appears as the creature. There looking for good-looking, a great deal of his first draft re- him the opportunity to design a needed to be a constant level of healthy men to breed her race mained in the final shooting very beautiful and special crea- elegance and grace to her char- on Earth," he said. "If her script. ture, perhaps the most elegant acter, and H. R. Giger was the lover's not healthy, she sees a design since the Maria robot in only person we could think of green aura around him. When o create SPECIES' crea- Fritz Lang's METROPOLIS." who could accomplish this. she gets angry she first becomes ture, Mancuso sought out Added Marcus about Giger's "Roger and I flew to Zurich dark red, then orange-red hot. Giger's particular genius. involvement: "[We were] equal- to meet with him face-to-face. Her clothes and hair burn off Mancuso was first intro- ly delighted to have accom- English is not his first language, and on her back there are these duced to the idea of using plished the enormous coup of so we thought his reading the sharp spikes coming out. Her Giger when Donaldson visited a securing H. R. Giger. This ex- script would not be sufficient. It body weapons are like red Southern California comic book traordinary artist has been was like discussing the structure glowing steel. Then she cools to shop with his son, and saw sought for other projects, but it of a building. We outlined her transparent carbonized glass Necronomicon, a collection of was the strength of this terrific functions and worked closely and you see her inside bone Giger's early works and the script that brought him on board with him by phone and fax dur- construction: veins, body or- same one that had inspired Rid- for SPECIES." ing her creation. He was an ex- gans and discs." It is at this ley Scott on ALIEN. Donaldson Noted Mancuso, "What I traordinary man to work with, stage when her killing cycle be- knew at that moment that Giger liked about this project was the and his design is superb." gins and she loses her trans- 19 parency. "But then they cut out the color changes and the glowing aspects," he lamented. "They didn't like someone else mak- ing suggestions, saying how the script should go. I gave many ideas...In the beginning, I was not happy because I saw my suggestions were not welcome. I think the director always THE MYSTERY OF wanted to make her ugly and I wanted to keep her beautiful. I think he's a great action direc- SAN GOTTARDO tor, but for the horror scenes, he and I did not share the same vi- sion." Animated limbs wreak havoc in Giger's According to Giger, the pro- ducers finally embraced his own script for his next movie project. concept to design Sil with a transparent skin (see sidebar page 18) when they realized By Les Paul Robley they could show Sil being preg- nant with another creature The project Giger's most in- growing inside her. But Holly- terested in filming is his own wood has a problem showing a story, THE MYSTERY OF SAN GOTTARDO, which Gi- ger described as a unique love story. "It is about a man and his love for a freak of nature, Arm- beinda, which is really a sentient limb combining an arm and a leg. It is the further development of a recurring image in my work over the last 30 years." The concept stems from a 1963 creation called "The Beg- gar," Giger's very first sketch, featuring a leg and an arm hold- ing a hat. Giger has filled sever- Giger, with agent Leslie Barany (I) al sketchbooks with the stories and collaborator Andy Schedler (r) of these "reduced" beings. at the Swiss Atelier Formart Studio. The story concerns a race of biomechanoids created by a pregnant woman and her off- military organization. The spring—however alien—being premise: your arms and legs are wasted on screen. She must slaves that do your bidding, but have her baby first, and it must what if they have a mind of grow to a substantial size before their own and were set free? Ink the ratings board will let you drawings depict the disembod- kill her. Giger felt that if they ied parts attacking their creator made the lady and her baby (Giger's self-portrait) in the San look like red-hot steel, the crea- Gottardo border tunnel which tures would look significantly links Switzerland and Italy. To alien enough to where this insure that his vision remains wouldn't pose a problem. "But intact, Giger hopes to retain cre- they said we can't make her ative control as a producer on glowing," added Giger. "They the film...and not be forced to never did tell me why." rely on CGI. • Giger also wanted to incor- porate an unused idea from Giger's disembodied "reduced" 3 beings attack their creator, bathing ALIEN whereby the creature's in the San Gottardo border tunnel tongue would be composed of which links Switzerland and Italy. barbed hooks. Sil would kiss Far left: Armbeinda, the freak of nature at the heart of a unique love her lovers, forcing her tongue story, penned by Giger. Left: The into the victim's mouth and bizarre biomechanoids, created by down their throats, then yank the military, fight back. Design sketches by H. R. Giger for a long- the insides out. To help Giger in-development pet movie project. conceptualize this unusual Giger's Sil design sketches for the extraterrestrial of SPECIES, intended to have an other- worldly beauty and elegance. Giger supervised the construction of a life-sized model at Andy Schedler's Atelier Formart studio in Zurich, used as the basis of the final model. tongue idea, agent Leslie designer, that I'm late and don't Barany sent him a set of shark CLONING GIGER'S ALIEN understand the ways of Holly- jaws from New York, to which wood. The one thing I can feel, Giger acknowledged: "Leslie is "Why must SPECIES be made so much however, is when the film more than an agent, he is my comes too close to ALIEN I, II close friend and also happens to in a repeat way?" asked Giger. "We must & III, that is very bad for all of be a good art director. The ra- us. I don't work with you for zor-sharp shark teeth were a big have better ideas and should not be known only money. I work hard to help. I transformed them into as the rip-off people of other films." make SPECIES the most spe- Sil's dangerous, one-way cial it can be." tongue." Added Barany, Giger's Unfortunately, Sil's Deadly agent, "The film's lack of origi- Kiss was rejected in favor of the nality is not because Giger has old ALIEN standby, an object chosen to imitate himself. It bursting through bone. The should be clear that he has tried Chestburster from ALIEN has to surpass himself, and in many become the American icon of ways he has succeeded. Too bad rebirth in horror films, and is it is not all on the screen. It now used far too much to suit should be clear from his writ- its original creator. In SPECIES ings that he recognized every it has become the "Chest- scene and effect which bore similarity to his early works, immediately, and tried very hard to convince MGM to listen to his new ideas. "Giger worked harder and longer on SPECIES than any film before. He even got in- volved in script change sugges- tions which would have added true horror and human depth to Natasha Henstridge as Sil emerges full grown from her chrysalis on the train. Inset: Chrysalis design by Steve Johnson's XFX, Inc. the story. He even wrote an en- Giger objected to the notion of a cocoon as too similar to ALIEN. tirely new dream sequence which could have been a major birther," Giger joked, made Helgenberger) blows off Sil's He titled his design the Flame highlight of the film. Another clean by MGM so that the Pope head with a rocket launcher. As Thrower F**ker, and it is ru- first, he built a fully operational might not find it objectionable. her body hits the ground, her mored the production even train with terrorizing effects Giger also objected to the glowing baby slips out through made a T-shirt out of it. built into it, plus a claustropho- script's idea of using flame an opening in her chest and rolls In a visionary fax sent to bic train station designed throwers to kill the beast. "I was under one of the patron's cars producer Mancuso in August of specifically for the action to against the use of fire during the watching the show. The car '94, Giger insisted that any bad take place upon. He storyboard- climax because that's an old- heats up and explodes, causing press the film received would ed the action with specific cam- fashioned Middle-Age weapon, the baby's end. be a result of the derivative ele- era movements leaving only the like the way they used to burn Another version (with which ments used in the final version. need for some relatively simple witches," said Giger. "When the MPAA would've had a field Giger outlined five elements and inexpensive blue-screen they asked me how to kill Sil, I day) involved one of the sol- which he claimed "borrowed" shots, proving that CGI is not said the best way was to blow diers picking up the baby by the from ALIENs 1 through 3: the the only way to go. Reasons off her head. Nobody can live legs and bashing it against a Chestburster, the punching given for leaving it out ranged without a head." Even George wall, until all he holds is the ba- tongue, the cocoon, the use of from it doesn't advance the sto- Romero's zombies proved that. by legs in his hands. This would flame throwers, and finally, ry, no budget to do it, even occur as a surprise ending, fol- Giger himself. though, at one point, it was in- hroughout the production, lowing the main end credits. Argued Giger, "Why must corporated into subsequent Giger expressed much All along, Giger had been as- this film be made so much in a scripts and also storyboarded by concern over the way sured that the finished film repeat way? I think we must MGM." (For more on Giger's SPECIES seemed to would not follow other films too have better ideas and we should unrealized Ghost Train, see copy the elements of pre- closely. He strongly felt that not be known as the rip-off peo- page 39.) vious films, namely ALIENs I, Hollywood horror always seemed ple of other films. Not only this, Perhaps Giger's biggest dis- II and III. He sent numerous to share some final confronta- but a bad light is shed upon me satisfaction with SPECIES lies faxes to Mancuso and Donald- tion with fire. He believed a for being so redundant. You as- in the CGI work by Boss Film, son, even submitting his own fiery end in a burning oil pool sured me that we would have a which the artist felt failed to do version of how he felt the film echoed the finales of ALIEN3 film without having to copy justice to his concept of Sil. should end. Giger scripted an and TERMINATOR 2. Giger other highlights so closely. The Noted Giger, Boss Film's "com- all-out war between Sil and the noted that Sil should be resis- tongue looks too much like a puter-controlled frog-like ugli- military, filled with helicopters tant to fire, and even went so far carrot. This tongue is not for ness...had nothing to do with and explosions, climaxing in a as to fax a humorous drawing of pulling out, but is to punch my concept" (see page 28 for drive-in theater showing 20th a man with a flame thrower be- through his head just like the Giger's own full post-mortem Century-Fox's ALIEN. Laura, tween his legs, standing over a design I made for ALIEN. on the film). the molecular biologist-turned- kneeling woman crouched dog- "You can say whatever you Richard Edlund, supervisor commando (played by Marg style and bathed in the flames. want about me. That I'm a bad continued on page 27 22 BUILDING GIGER'S ALIEN Steve Johnson's XFX, Inc. built Sil to Giger's specs. By Les Paul Robley TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHI- NA and PREDATOR. There Despite the innovation of was an entire X-factor eliminat- Boss Film's motion capture ed at the beginning. work (see page 32), there were "What was brilliant about this sequences in SPECIES that re- film was, from the beginning, quired a physical model of Sil. [producer] Frank [Mancuso], [di- Steve Johnson, founder of XFX, rector] Roger [Donaldson], Inc., was brought onto the proj- Richard and everyone all sat ect to realize the life-size im- down and had very long brain- ages of the alien. Having previ- storming sessions, trying to figure ously worked with Giger's de- out exactly how to best approach signs at Boss Film on POLTER- this stuff. So my input was taken GEIST II, Johnson was familiar very seriously. I was involved in with the artist's style. the lab creature sequence almost "It was great to work with in writing the thing." Richard Edlund again; he was Johnson never worked with the real reason I got this job," writer Dennis Feldman at this Johnson admitted. "They had stage of the production. "Den- written off so much of the be- nis was definitely involved and ginning of this as a digitally cre- his ideas were listened to," con- ated character, and I'm not sure tinued Johnson, "but the brain- they had really done this for a storming as far as what our feature before. I think the rea- technology would allow wasn't XFX's animatronic Sil puppet on the sewer set for the film's climax. son Richard wanted me to do in the script at that point. When- the job so badly was because we ever you have a writer write a Johnson looked forward to through faxing, phone calls and had a good working relationship script who is not a special ef- realizing Giger's designs. His Fed Ex. We kept him very much together when I was head of the fects expert, they're not sure main challenge on the project in the loop and always listened Creature Shop at Boss on BIG what's possible to do." was to please the highly critical to what he had to say." artist. He and his crew tried to The most unique and chal- XFX supervisor Steve Johnson with the puppet Sil, only briefly glimpsed in "think like Giger," remaining the film. Johnson sought Giger's design input long distance via fax and phone. lenging characteristic of the true to his work, and constantly creature to capture on film was referenced his books throughout that its body is translucent, as their immense effects ordeal. opposed to transparent. "Our "Giger's designs are fluid, creature has a complex skin marked with raw motion on the process that allows light to pen- canvas, and they are incredibly etrate, as well as play across the erotic," Johnson pointed out. body structure," said Johnson. "When you're asked to bring "It is a unique and horrifying one of his creations to three di- being, yet a thing of beauty as mensions, it's a difficult thing to well. One of the coolest ele- achieve, because you have to ments of the creature was that take a loose, fluid approach to it's translucent and you see it. I think one reason the entire through it, so it couldn't be process turned out as well as it done in the normal way. One did is that we stayed in very thing that helped us out a lot tight communication with him was all the materials research 23 we'd done for THE ABYSS watch a whole movie of it." Un- previously for the floating REALIZING GIGER'S VISION fortunately, MGM saw fit to use aliens at the end." only a few seconds of it in the Early on, Johnson had decid- "Giger's designs are fluid, marked with film, which makes it difficult to ed that he wasn't really thrilled see what's going on. with the way puppets were nor- raw motion on the canvas, and incredibly Johnson claimed he and his mally built. "You do a sculp- shop were given only 13 weeks ture, a mold, a mask, then a erotic," said Sil puppet supervisor Steve to create the actual film puppet paint job," he said. "I feel it Johnson. "We tried to think like Giger." of Sil. The very first shot she doesn't always move naturally appeared in was made doubly or organically, or doesn't wrin- difficult because she had to kle upon itself naturally. I want- work in a jacuzzi filled with wa- ed to make something a lot ter. "Anytime a puppet works in more organic than that for this water it's always very difficult film. It was my major goal to do because it's harder to move in, that and make Giger happy." and what you build has to work To realize Sil, the ruthless, mechanically and cosmetically genetically engineered female in water," said Johnson. creature manufactured from an Johnson's most complicated outer space formula, XFX made sequence, however, was in the several full-body animatronics lab when the creature is repro- with replaceable arms, heads duced in its "pure" state. "We and torsos which could clip on used over 20 different puppets and off. The interlocking me- to create a two-minute se- chanics were designed by Eric quence. It was one shot after an- Fiedler. At first, Giger was not other, with each shot requiring a very happy with the face, saying separate strategy: gravity tricks, it was too "ape-like." Johnson different puppets, opticals...We took Giger's suggestion and were very excited about it—and made it the way the artist and very nervous. designer wanted. "You're talk- "We took a real lateral ap- ing about a creative change of At XFX, Steve Johnson (I) supervises fitting Dana Hee in the Sil body suit. proach to the cocoon and sever- about a 1/4-inch, and the un- al of the lab creature effects. We trained eye wouldn't even be Sil's head was made up of and length of the head, so you show this organism grow from a able to notice it," explained two layers—a Giger skull with didn't quite know what you were single cell throughout twenty Johnson. "Not a big deal—we a lovely face on top. Bands of looking at and it didn't look so different effects all the way into just added a clear dome over her texture were placed beneath the much like a man-in-a-suit." a 10-foot chrysalis. Chrysalis forehead." exterior skin so that shapes Johnson added three 12-foot supervisor Bill Bryan and I moved underneath like muscles phallic tubes growing off the came up with a way to actually Johnson and sculptor Mike Hosch to create expressions. Giger back of the head, as well as a create creatures without using work on realizing Giger's designs in clay on a life cast of Dana Hee. was extremely pleased with the series of eight 12-foot crab rubber molds. A real organic, final result. He sent Johnson a claws on its back. "In the water lateral approach to actually cre- fax claiming that the anima- they moved beautifully and re- ating animatronics...What it ba- tronic of Sil was the best 3-di- ally served to great purpose in sically involved was forming mensional realization of a fe- breaking up the human form, layers of polyeurathane plastic male Giger creature. Johnson because there are tentacles and that we then manipulated with proudly displays the fax on his things flying all over the place," pneumatics by applying nega- office wall. Johnson said. "It looks like a tive and positive air pressure. Sil was put on the screen in Giger painting come to life and We then painted them with col- four different ways: full-body when Giger got the 20-minute ored gels, overlapping them. So animatronics, Boss Films' CGI, [footage I sent] he said he could we ended up with something a combination of the two, and a woman in a suit. The Sil suit was At XFX Gino Acevido (I) and Norman Cabrera paint the animatronic Sil. worn by kick-boxing Olympic Gold Medalist Dana Hee for brief shots of the creature jump- ing into the water and bursting from her hotel suite. For the nightmare flashes, Johnson also used a man in the suit, filmed in 35mm underwa- ter. They reversed the film in post to give it an eerie, other- worldly quality, with strobe lights flashing behind and in front. "I wanted to really break up the human form, [similar to] what Giger did with the Alien using tubes running off the back 24 The finished Sil sculpt (I) and the final animatronic puppet (r), Giger's designs brought to life by XFX craftsmen. Right: The transparent Sil head prior to painting and final detailing, showing the interior mechanics of the puppet. that moved much more organi- making it more powerful. And there's really no other way cally than a foam rubber piece Later, when Williams hides you can get that direct kind of ever could. Like muscles mov- on the train and gorges herself movement. ing underneath, skin sliding on on chocolate bars, Johnson fash- "Then we went to another top of that and wrinkling where ioned her with fat makeup. Her method and had the worms actu- it naturally would—I'm very skin writhes as in ALTERED ally break through the skin using pleased with that. It's probably STATES, as if worms are mov- the same technique which had one of the most innovative ing beneath the flesh. Then pre-scored skin on top of the but- things we did in the film." worm-like objects begin oozing tons, so it would look like a But it wasn't just Sil and aliens out of her face. worm beginning to grow out. that XFX provided. Johnson's "I'm pleased with that and Once that had gone three or four team of 40-plus effects artisans think it's really magic," Johnson inches, then the CGI took off." A created the illusion of reality for said. "First of all, it's done very definite advantage over AL- coming out of her skin. many other shots in SPECIES. simple, but in a way that no one TERED STATES. When the older Sil (played by For the scene where Michelle will be able to figure out. It's a Johnson told a funny story Natasha Henstridge) falls out of Williams breaks through her glass combination of two very dis- about why the worms growing her cocoon in the bathroom, the cage, the crew made a life-casting tinctly different techniques—one out of Williams' face were so fat. crew filmed it upside-down so of her arm in a fist and built a du- being makeup effects and the It wasn't from the chocolate bars that Sil would appear to defy plication of it over a hydraulic other CGI. She has appliances in the plot. Giger had told him gravity. Sil simply stands up ram. The mechanical "fist" literal- on her face and underneath those by phone that they should re- through a hole cut in the set and ly smashed through a 2-1/2-inch are little buttons and we attached semble "pickles" growing out of works her way out of the piece of real glass. The little mono-filament to those buttons, her face. But, in Giger-ese, chrysalis. She reaches her arms throwaway effect would never and just out of frame, pulled the "pickles" was meant to say straight up out of frame, grab- look as real if it had been break- wire. The computer department "pimples" and so Williams end- bing a trapeze bar. The pulley away glass. It really sells the shot, took care of removing the wires. ed up instead with kosher dills yanks her up and out of frame, 25 This is spinal tap: Filming Lisa Liberati as the Bathroom Bimbo who gets removed from the competition by Sil, scouting for a human mating partner. Right: XFX makeup artist Kenny Myers (0 and Bill Corso apply the design. so that it appears she's falling The rat featured in the twist down. It sounded like some of ending was built oversized at Johnson's early PREDATOR about two-feet in length. Shot in ideas were finally being put to reverse, the puppeteers yanked good use, such as shooting in the tongue in. When viewed reverse and upside-down. correctly, the tongue appeared For the grisly cutting of Sil's to shoot out. Another rat built thumb, XFX physically cut off a real-size was pinned to a false rubber thumb. Then Boss Films rod on a quick release. They grew it back with CGI. For the filmed the scene by jamming a birthing scene, they constructed fake tongue into it, stabbing it a special puppet that would al- in a pre-scored area, then re- low its chest to split open and leased the pin at the same mo- have a mechanical baby within ment so that the victim rat only thing not in the film that I'm ment, "I had one phone call with a cocoon. Once the baby started whipped right out of frame. "It unhappy about is the animatron- him after he saw the film where I to grow, CGI again took over. took about a million trys to ac- ics aren't in it as much as I would commiserated with him," said The production would not allow tually get it in the right area," like them to be. However, on the Johnson. "I feel badly for him the baby to come out from be- Johnson laughed. The tongue other hand, Roger Donaldson is a that he didn't get his image nec- tween her legs. So, the wicked sequence with the child eating very strong director and he di- essarily shown a lot. And for the Giger submitted a humorous fax the rat was entirely computer- rected the movie he wanted to first time it was one he really showing the art of new species generated at Boss. make and you can't argue with liked, so he would've been very insemination. Even a form of CGI is slow- that. If he had wanted to see the happy to have it seen. It's proba- ly working its way into John- creature more then I'm sure she bly more of a disappointment for XFX technicians Eric Feidler (I) son's studio. "Adobe Photoshop would be there." him than me because I under- and Bob Newton construct the transparent animatronlc Sil puppet. is really a good tool for design, Was Johnson unhappy about stand the Hollywood process a plus programs particularly made not getting poster credit like little better. The reason I have no for character, like Metaphor," Giger and Edlund after all his ef- bad feelings is it was just such a Johnson admitted. "What's real- forts? And does he share the same wonderful, positive experience. I ly neat about it is you can spend feelings as Giger over how little know that we were all on the a day on the computer and print- his creation appears in the film? same team and made the movie out a photograph of a makeup The effects artist was disappoint- that was ultimately their choice to that is so photo-realistic, it looks ed about the lack of poster credit, make. But I really can't complain like you did the makeup and put but, Johnson's young and will because as much as Giger's un- it into any environment. It's a eventually be on billboards happy, I think he's unhappy be- brilliant tool to show to clients." alongside Stan Winston and Rick cause he's not as directly in- Some of Johnson's best ideas Baker. XFX followed their stint volved in the film and doesn't failed to make it into the film. on SPECIES by working on spe- quite understand as well that it's a "We planned on quite a few cial effects for EVOLVER, Jim group effort all the time. things for the lab sequence that Jarmusch's DEAD MAN, THE "It's not really fair to criticize didn't end up being shot," he MUNSTERS and STUPIDS for after the fact until we're out there said. "It involved other versions John Landis, BAD PINOCCHIO, producing and directing our own of the creature that we built with more Duracell commercials and film. I don't think we're ever go- our new technology out of this THE MUPPETS for Universal. ing to get our artistic images ex- polyeurathane fabrication. The As for Giger's disappoint- actly the way we want them." • 26 of the Boss Film computer ef- liked was Sil's second eye fects responded to Giger's criti- GIGER'S LEGAL NIGHTMARE transformation. But he never cisms. "When the movie came understood why a creature with out, he [Giger] was so happy," "When the contracts first come it's this kind of duality was never said Edlund. "He was full of ac- shown as a full-body morph, es- colades. Two months later he always an unnecessarily long time and a pecially when the effect is read- changes his mind, and he does ily available and fitting to the this historically. He did it on lot of tricks," said Giger. "And I'm not story. Perhaps it is to the direc- POLTERGEIST 2 and on ALI- used to people wanting to cheat me." tor's credit that full body shots EN3 He always hates his work were limited in length to what when other people do it because appears in the finished film, he doesn't do it. As long as he's since many of Giger's earlier the sculptor and he puts his fin- criticisms seem to agree with ishing touches on the thing, he's other SPECIES reviews. happy. It's sad that he does this, Giger sent a letter to Mancu- because a lot of people worked so stating that the film could be incredibly hard on this film. But much better if they just gave it a it's not uncharacteristic of him little more time. He suggested a to rain dislike on people who at- radical solution of delaying the tempt to interpret his work on the screen, as with Ridley Scott and David Fincher. It's the artist's need for control over his baby, I think." Countered Leslie Barany, Giger's agent, "Edlund here tars with too broad a brush. Giger loved Steve Johnson's rendition of Sil in SPECIES. Giger is a generous collaborator who has often praised the work of oth- Natasha Henstridge as Sil seeks to perpetuate the SPECIES with Whip ers, especially Ridley Scott. But Hubley. Inset: Giger's rejected story idea for Hubley's death scene. what is at issue here is the ani- mation of Sil by Boss Films, er working on another sequel if so familiar with their cut of opening for two months and re- and that is another matter." (For the opportunity presented itself? SPECIES that their sense of doing all of the computer ef- Giger's response, see Letters, After seeing a final cut of time may have been distorted. fects at the end. "Sometimes I page 62.) SPECIES last June, Giger was They trim it down until some- ask myself why I talk to you all none too thrilled by what he one watching in the theater is night long on the phone without oted Giger of his rela- saw. He loved the makeup ef- shown only a three-second shot, seeing any of my good advice in tionship with SPECIES fects supplied by Steve John- and it is sometimes not long the film," Giger sadly conclud- producers, "When the son's XFX company. Giger enough for a viewer to assimi- ed. contracts first come it's faxed Johnson a compliment late the information. However, Giger also disliked the style- always an unnecessarily that the latter has framed on the the filmmakers have this A poster used in the SPECIES long time and a lot of tricks, and wall, saying that the animatron- footage imbedded indelibly in ad campaign. He noted it looks I'm not used to people wanting ic model of Sil was the best 3- their brain and may not be like the ALIEN poster with Sil to cheat me. The legal part was dimensional realization of a fe- aware it's too brief. He felt the curled up inside the egg. About more horrible this time than on male Giger creature come to life same about the birthing scene it he wrote: "What really hurts ALIEN3. It seems to be the nor- as they appear in his paintings. and others where Johnson's me, is to be mistaken in the way mal thing in Hollywood. But in He even went so far as to com- puppet was utilized. Giger felt the audience must think, that the end, it's the result that you mission the young makeup confused by the introduction of Giger is responsible for the see which is important and not artist to build him a second Sil, the baby creature, believing it movie poster design made with how much it cost. It has to look exactly like it, but stiff. Giger killed the focus of the movie. photo and air brush!" Whoever good. If it looks bad, I would be told Johnson that if he is called Giger never wanted the son in did it went to great pains to sim- ashamed. I want it to be a good again to work on a similar film, the script in the first place, re- ulate the artist's biomechanical movie because I've already he wants him to fabricate the fusing even to design it. style. worked on two that weren't ter- monster. As for Boss Films' computer Barany even suggested rific films: POLTERGEIST 2 effects, it was Giger's feeling 3 Giger also fought very hard MGM wanted Giger's name as and ALIEN ." to get dream sequences involv- from the start that CGI was much as his designs, for they re- Giger's future contracts will ing Johnson's Sil mating with a hardly needed in the film. He ferred to the creature as H. R. now opt for gross percentage fellow creature extended, as thought it could've been done Giger's in some of their tele- points and stipulate that no well as his own train segment. with a combination of makeup phone campaigns. After dialing work shall begin until the final Giger loved the first nightmare effects and someone in a rubber the 1-800-5-SPECIES tele- agreements are signed. It will showing the creatures making suit, much like the first ALIEN. phone number, callers listen to also be insisted that the copy- love underwater. Johnson had Now that the technique is avail- the coming attractions trailer. right for all concepts and de- sent him a 20-minute tape for able, people are too quick to Then they hear: "Academy signs not incorporated into the his approval, so he had no way want to use it in situations Award-winning artist H. R. final cut of the film shall remain of knowing it would be so ab- where it's unnecessary, Giger Giger gave movie fans night- with Giger. Given his experi- breviated in the finished film. believes. mares with his creation in the ence, would Giger ever consid- He thought the editors may be The only digital effect Giger ALIEN films. Now he's created 27 Sil, the half-human, half-alien creature at the center of the sci- fi suspense thriller from MGM, SPECIES." No other names are mentioned. Not Donaldson. Giger's negotiations with MGM for proper credit and compensation for his work con- tinued until the month of the film's theatrical release last Ju- ly. To finally receive his "re- duced" fee of $50,000 for de- signing and building the film's THE DESIGNER'S Ghost Train (the artist claims to have spent $100,000 of his own money building the train), MOVIE POST-MORTEM Giger gave in to two points for which he and his agent initially fought with great zeal. Original- Giger disowns the CGI rendition of ly, Giger wanted main title credit for the concept, the de- his Sil design concept as "unaesthetic." sign and the fabrication of the train, and the credit by name of all the companies who helped By H. R. Giger know-how. There is no film him put it together in Zurich. industry in Switzerland. He finally settled for an end title Translated by Sandra Hathaway I asked producer Frank credit on the train, and for the I realized many things after Mancuso Jr. several times to inclusion of only the names of seeing SPECIES. For exam- send us someone like Steve individuals—not the compa- ple: I was hired because of my Johnson. We were made to nies—of the people involved. name, which seems to be feel guilty during an attack- The reference made these pro- closely linked to ALIEN— like visit from Mancuso, fessionals seem like mere assis- even if they say things to the Donaldson, production de- tants to H. R. Giger, causing the contrary. Working closely signer John Muto and screen- artist difficulties in his relation- with producer Frank Mancu- writer Dennis Feldmann, ships with his collaborators. so Jr., we were in agreement who wanted to move the pro- "Why would MGM do this on the design of Sil. She was duction of Sil to Hollywood. when they credit every catering to remain aesthetically beauti- Even though we hadn't even company?" asked Giger's agent ful and elegant, even after her started production, we were Les Barany. "Perhaps to ob- transformation into a lethal collectively ashamed and left Giger with his mother Melly, who passed scure the fact that there were creature. Transparent, with a away during his assignment on SPECIES. Sil to the Americans. other companies besides Boss rather massive skeleton, the Now I had to make up 1:1 shape of her body accentuated by present Sil in a way that retained plans of Sil (which would not SPECIES biology a la Giger: The saucer-shaped plates around the her transparency and beauty. have been necessary if she had artist's unused designs showing how Sil would give birth to her baby. joints. Filmed suspensefully, she The scene I especially like is been produced in Switzerland) would produce a sense of horror. the birth of Sil's son. Here Steve almost overnight, using an air- Visual effects supervisor Johnson's Sil, the beautiful mon- brush, which I hadn't done in Richard Edlund once called the ster, was used. She had class! Sil's years. What was presented to mechanized puppet of Sil, built grown-up son, however, is an me—in half size—was a clay by makeup effects expert Steve aberration from the original script model with a fish face, which Johnson, a "transparent pin-up and is unnecessary and confusing. even MGM didn't seem to like. girl." Thus, two completely dif- It seems there was a lack of confi- The second clay model, made by ferent Sils appeared in the dence that one monster, just my Steve Johnson in actual size, was movie. There was the—for me, Sil, would be enough. better, although the upper body aesthetically convincing— trans- Since I couldn't travel to the was too big and the head with its parent puppet built by Johnson States, I didn't want to leave Sil low forehead looked a bit ape- and the other, absolutely not to just anybody, so I produced like. I corrected the figure's ap- transparent, teeth-gnashing, un- my sketches in such a way that pearance, using faxes and phone, aesthetic computer-Sil, which they conveyed an impression of so that she would remain beauti- has nothing to do with my ideas. Sil, but would never have ful even after her transformation. Unfortunately, this computer- enough detail to construct her We managed this, even though controlled, frog-like ugliness ap- from. I wanted to make the mod- Donaldson always wanted to pears in the last ten minutes of el myself, as I had the Alien in make Sil more fierce-looking the film and I can only hope that Ridley Scott's movie. The pre- and more fearsome. viewers will not consider it syn- production model started in Steve Johnson was stuck be- onymous with my work. I want Andy Schedler's studio in tween two camps. Since he was to distance myself from this Sil, Switzerland wasn't bad. But the starting with the skeleton and which has nothing to do with my work morale was counterpro- skull, which had nothing to do concept. I assume there was not ductive from the beginning. We with a beauty, Donaldson let enough time or enough means to had no specialist and too little him be. Then he built the sur- 28 MISUSED MONSTER-MAKER "I realized after seeing SPECIES that I was hired for my name, which seems to be closely linked to ALIEN," said Giger, "even if they say things to the contrary."

face of the skin around them, child actress, Michelle Williams. using PVC, just as we had done A scene I didn't like was the during pre-production. The dif- beginning of the cocoon scene, ference was that he had put in which I described in detail. The joints, while we had made a stiff worms were supposed to screw puppet, since Mancuso always out from bursting pimples in said our puppet would later be Sil's skin. Instead, as it was digitized and animated using done in the film, the skin breaks CGI. But to finally bring Sil to and red-brown computer sau- life, apparently a moveable sages pull out (but very, very puppet was needed. Thus, in the quickly to hide the computer- scenes where Sil is seen briefly, ized embarrassment). we see Johnson's "computer- The scene of Sil's birth, how- free" puppet. The huge differ- ever, compensates for that. There ence between the "animatronic was a prototype for that scene: Sil" and the "computer Sil" can- the Spanish theater group "La not be overlooked in this case. Fura dels Baus" has naked Had we sent the rigid puppet women tumbling head over we had manufactured in heels out of rubber tubes. I liked Switzerland to Hollywood, it the blue "shrimp soup" Sil is al- would have become a total ways dreaming about, which is computer product—a true hor- skillfully repeated throughout ror figure. Seen from that point the film. These dream sequences of view, Steve Johnson saved show two E.T.'s attempting my Sil. Had she appeared more chest-to-back copulation. They often in the film, in all probabil- were created by Johnson, and ity, this text would not have filmed by Donaldson in Ed- been necessary. Since there was lund's tank in the Boss Film stu- not a final version of Sil until dios. Another effect particularly the movie was finished, only well done was the transforma- then could Johnson's Sil be tion of Sil's eye. • compared to the computer Sil, and show up the discrepancies. Building Giger's Sil, Marco Wust and Brigitte Von Kanel (I) cast After the Ghost Train was model Nadia at Atelier Formart. taken to LA and filmed accord- Giger's early design sculpt of Sil, Version IV, 1994, ing to the vision of director fashioned of polyester, zinc Roger Donaldson and producer wire and bones. Inset: Boss Frank Mancuso Jr. it was no Films' CGI rendition which Giger disowned as "ugly." longer my nightmare sequence for Sil. The whole scene is about eight seconds long. Sil runs in front of the locomotive, which quickly catches up with her. She wakes up bathed in sweat. Edlund did the scene in high Hollywood style, and it is, in its own way, successful. I want to thank Mancuso and Ed- lund for that scene. They did a great job with it. At least, my Ghost Train was preserved in the film in some way. The reason the movie still did so well has to do with Donald- son's fast-paced direction, the heavy promotion utilizing my name, and the two real Sils, Natasha Henstridge and the 29 SCRIPTER AND CO-PRODUCER Dennis Feldman on using horror metaphorically. Giger's designs for the mechanics behind Sil's lethal tongue. Giger wanted to avoid the use of CGI to create Sil just with the use of makeup and puppetry. By Dan Persons er, picture. For all that a superfi- on the picture." Giger's mer- train design, the only credit cial viewer might think it's a chandising contract with MGM Giger got in the SPECIES com- One should consider careful- crass, cheap, commercial pic- for the little-used Ghost Train ics was 'Sil Design, H. R. Gi- ly before telling Dennis Feld- ture, it's not. It's a very power- called for only limited use, and ger,' which implies that it was man that SPECIES is "just an- ful metaphor for our consumer only as it appeared in the film. the only element of SPECIES he other summer film." Author and society with all these zombies According to Barany, MGM vi- designed. Dark Horse feels terri- co-producer of the feature, in the shopping mall. It is a bril- olated this agreement regarding ble and promised to make it up Feldman explained his regard liant, deep motion picture that's the train almost immediately. to Giger, somehow, in the con- for "escapist entertainment" changed more about my view of "I found out about it only ac- tinuing series." with a uniquely generational ex- life than almost all of the pic- cidentally during a conversation Giger actually plans to use ample: "My father [Charles K. tures I've ever seen. On the oth- with Dark Horse Comics," said the Ghost Train in his own film Feldman, president of First er hand, AGATHA, which ap- Barany. "I happened to mention project, THE MYSTERY OF Artists] had a movie that they pears to be a serious, deep to them that I had seen the first SAN GOTTARDO. "I have were making at the company, a movie is actually very unmemo- issue of their SPECIES comic been working together with very distinguished movie called rable and not very powerfully book and noticed they substitut- Giger on this story as the editor AGATHA. It starred Dustin meaningful. ed another dream instead of the for the last six years," said Hoffman, it was photographed "There's a real dichotomy to Ghost Train and mentioned, not Barany. "We shall publish it un- by Vittorio Storarro, it had my view of how a movie can be to worry, Giger is not likely to der ARht Publications in book Vanessa Redgrave—very clas- meaningful. It can be meaning- mind since it helps preserve the form with all the text and draw- sy, distinguished picture. At the ful more with metaphors and value of the train for future pro- ings, even before it becomes a same time I was trying desper- central images that are strong jects. There was silence on the film. The only way this will ately to buy for the company a and powerful and that grab you line. I was told the Ghost Train ever become a film is if we can movie called DAWN OF THE even if they're kind of crude was moved to the last book of get a deal in which we retain DEAD by George Romero. and direct. It's that kind of a the series. I asked for a fax of it. ownership, and Giger's interests DAWN OF THE DEAD is a medium, and AGATHA, for all It was changed, as well, another in the property can be assured much more serious, much deep- its class and sophistication, was violation of the contract. Since it both financially and creatively. I rather trivial and banal." had already gone to the printer, don't see how that can be done Feldman, visiting Giger's Sil In light of that outlook, it workshop in Zurich, interested in nothing could be done about it." without Giger as the producer." directing the sequel to SPECIES. comes as no surprise that Feld- Dark Horse Comics had no Mancuso reportedly told man considers his own film—in idea that the whole concept of Giger that if he had any ideas which an alien taking the singu- the train was Giger's. They as- concerning the advertising he larly toothsome form of sumed it was a script element could feel free to send them. So Natasha Henstridge, goes man- provided to Giger by MGM, Giger offered many sketches for hunting in L.A. while she her- and that they could use and in- poster ideas. One of them was a self is being tracked down by a terpret it like any other element. box-like structure showing sev- scientific team bent on her ex- Robert Conte, an associate edi- en wormlike letters in the word termination—not just another tor for Dark Horse who has SPECIES surrounding an image two hours of empty entertain- since left the company, told of Sil. (Giger designed and cast ment. "My approach to the ma- Barany that MGM never ad- the unused typeface for SPE- terial was biologically and evo- vised Dark Horse that the copy- CIES, see opening illustration lutionary. One of the things I right on the train belonged to page 17.) Interspersed through- wanted to point out was that we Giger. Noted Barany, "For that out are death mask likenesses are the controlling or dominant reason, and also because we lost of various members of the pro- species of this planet, as we see the Main Title credit fight with duction crew who Giger felt get it, and we are the superior MGM over the inclusion of the continued on page 35 species. That's at some debate, 30 SCI-FI/HORROR HYBRID "I had this biological view that nature is about predation and mating," said scripter Dennis Feldman. "The original script was much more science fiction than horror."

overseeing the novelization, but let me say this about genre: overseeing the comic book— it always seems to me that which I wrote and am proud there's a root or really impor- of—the video game, which is tant, archetypal human experi- coming up in about a year. I ence in every genre. As I spent a lot of time with the story worked on the script I realized material. I spent a lot of time of that the horror genre has a very the script. biological root, in which teeth "Frank spent a lot of time on and claws—whether they're the set. Frank was also primari- Dracula's teeth or Freddy's ly in charge of the budget and claws—are kind of our primal the money concerns. We kind of fear of other species attacking divided things up—we did a lot us or ripping us up. It's about of casting together, we did a lot the fear of what nocturnal ani- of story stuff together, we did a mals are out there in the dark, or lot of targeting of specific needs of the unknown. That is the base and desires, we did a hell of a of the genre, and I do my best, Sil seeks to mate with a reluctant Whip Hubley. Feldman wrote the script on spec and revised It ten times In seven years to shepherd It to the screen. lot of advertising together. And when I see a genre, to rediscov- since, we've done some cele- er its base meaning, and not to because ants, for example, have ject matter. "I spent a lot of time brating together." find a genre cheap if it survives a greater biomass than we do reading and a lot of time talking Celebrations are clearly in hundreds, sometimes thou- and and they run their lives per- to scientists. I made a lot of order. Despite the generally sands, of years. I don't find sci- fectly well, and just because good friends amongst the scien- hostile attitude of critics toward ence fiction, in its way, any they're smaller we don't con- tific community. I spent a lot of the film, the public embraced more advanced or higher than sider them primary competition evenings over at UCLA at a SPECIES, and many respond- horror. The mixing of the two— or consider them as running group that studies the origins of ing to advertising that posi- especially [since SPECIES is] their world as successfully as the universe, and I became fas- tioned it as the ALIEN of '95. such a biological film, with hor- we do ours. cinated with the idea of an- Not surprisingly, there's already ror being the ultimate, biologi- "Putting that aside, what I swering these childhood, basic talk of a sequel, although Feld- cal genre—really makes sense wanted to point out was that if questions: What are we doing man stated he'd involve himself to me and works. another species that felt it was here? What are we? Why are with a second go-around only "Yes, I'd love to do a pure superior was to somehow get on there two different genders? "if I was doing the directing." science fiction. But action-ad- this planet, all our views of the Why do we propagate? Are we Beyond that, Feldman sees venture is also a medium that lower species would reverse. a species that just pursues self- no shame in the current produc- has a base meaning. If you real- We'd say, 'Hey, that's not fair, ish, individual gain or are we al- tion atmosphere, in which a sci- ly dig into a genre and rediscov- you've got to treat a species in a truistic? Are we destructive and ence fiction concept only makes er—not just cliche over—its certain fashion. A species has predatory or are we benign? it to the screen if it's mated with base meaning, I think these rights, a species is not just What is love? A lot of these elements of horror or action-ad- things have an incredible, something that tries to survive questions—really childhood venture. "I love science fiction, tremendous force." • and propagate.' I had this very questions—I [applied to] biolo- biological view that nature was gy to see if I could find the an- Young Sil is grown In Isolation as a scientific experiment with alien DNA. about predation and mating, and swers, and I found a great num- Feldman likes wedding the metaphoric power of horror with science fiction. I feel a lot of that comes across. ber of them. It was a very grati- [My original script] was more fying experience for me." specific and scientific, it was Less gratifying, possibly, much more science fiction than was the production process it- horror. There was a good deal of self, where, it was rumored, horror, but there was a great Feldman was barred from the deal of science fiction. Now, set by his co-producer, Frank there's a great deal of horror Mancuso Jr. Feldman's own de- and a good deal of science fic- scription of how production re- tion." sponsibilities were divided To create the project—start- does not contradict those ru- ed as a spec script and subjected mors: "We did a lot of things to about ten revisions over sev- together, we did a lot of things en years—Feldman took the un- separately. I spent a lot of time usual (for the film industry) step working with things like mer- of actually researching his sub- chandising. I spent a lot of time little credit after the film is and an even greater concern that completed. Two of the likeness- SPECIES' CGI BREAKTHROUGH the existence of cheaply pro- es are actual photographs of duced and mass-distributed agent Les Barany and writer "This is past anything," noted effects posters destroyed the value of Dennis Feldman, who were left the limited editions, not only for out when the face molds were supervisor Richard Edlund. "With today's Giger, but for the poster's in- struck. Giger envisioned this tended recipients. In his mind, merely as a teaser poster that technology we can do things we couldn't the restrictions imposed by Eu- didn't reveal much about the have dreamed of even two years ago." ropean law, protecting the so- plot, but acknowledged the ef- called "moral rights" of authors, forts of people behind the had been seriously violated. scenes. Giger also heard that the studio With MGM's cooperation, hoped to use the posters to pro- Giger produced the poster as a mote the release of the picture valuable signed and numbered in Europe in a similar manner. graphic by the artist, intended as Since this was in excess of a "Thank You" gift from the stu- MGM's rights in the U.S., it dio to the various department was also in excess of their rights heads, film principals and pro- mo partners. The idea to use this image as a publicly displayed poster for the film was killed in its earliest sketch stage when Giger first pre- sented it to MGM through Frank Man- cuso Jr. However, since Giger believed strongly in the artistry of the image and the Michelle Williams as young Sil begins to undergo a terrifying transformation. Right: Williams with XFX makeup artists Kenny validity of the ges- Myers (r) and Bill Corso. Inset: H. R. Giger's makeup design. ture, honoring, for once, the usually unsung be- casting sessions, provided their and the cost of photographing in Europe and, Giger felt, would hind-the-scenes personnel, own photographs to Giger, and it. MGM also paid for the cost require them to supply him with Giger suggested to produce it as Giger's collaborator Andy of shipping to Los Angeles the significant, additional compen- a limited edition silkscreen giv- Schedler was cast at Atelier For- huge crate containing the care- sation. Giger's attorney, Jerome en away as presents by the stu- mart in Switzerland. Putting fully packed silkscreens. Sussman, sent a letter to MGM dio, exactly as it was done with aside whatever creative differ- Giger had been contacted by and was told that a response to an ALIEN portfolio, by 20th ences that might have existed MGM to explore the possibility Mr. Giger would be forthcom- Century-Fox in 1978. Everyone among some of them, everyone of obtaining permission for the ing shortly. involved thought it was an ex- was united in their willingness to usage of this original artwork, MGM instead sent a reply cellent idea. participate in the creation of an limited to the two billboards. stating, in effect, that they had Although the production was art-piece which would commem- MGM suggested that this could licensed the use of the sculpted in full swing at the time, Man- orate their involvement in be of great publicity exposure to image for all promotional pur- cuso, Donaldson and Edlund SPECIES. Giger in this country. An agree- poses without limitation, world- juggled their busy schedules to MGM publicity liked the ment was reached for this very wide, in connection with make themselves available for a poster so much they requested limited display. According to SPECIES, and asserted all two-day, very uncomfortable the rights for "two" gigantic Giger that is as far as it went. rights to the image on behalf of life-cast session at the Boss Film billboard murals to herald the No additional usage rights were the studio. They claimed that a Studios. Steve Johnson's XFX, film's release in New York and requested or transferred to buyout had been made for the Inc. donated their time to the ef- Los Angeles. Much to Giger's MGM in the silkscreen, or the "world of promotional possibil- fort as the three executives sub- surprise, they also plastered image contained in the silk- ities" and that Mr. Giger would jected themselves to the pain- one-sheet versions of the poster screen for advertising purposes. not be entitled to additional stakingly slow and claustropho- all over some major U.S. cities, According to Barany, MGM monies. Finally, they also ac- bia-inducing process. At the sec- without crediting the artist and claimed all rights to the image cused Giger of being in breach ond session at XFX, molds were devaluing the seven-color Lim- on behalf of the studio. "In our of his agreement with MGM taken off Steve Johnson himself ited Edition silkscreen. opinion, MGM never secured with respect to the studio's and Giger's publisher, James all rights. In order to secure all copyright ownership in the de- Cowan. The five molds, together or months after the film's rights, Giger must have been an signs of the alien creature "Sil." with an existing one of Michelle release, Giger continued employee for hire of MGM with They claimed that Sil had been Williams, were sent off to Giger to negotiate for the pay- respect to the silkscreen (which incorporated in the sculpture with everyone's blessing. Giger ment for his work on the he was not) or there must have and silkscreens that have been already had in his possession a misused poster. MGM been a signed document trans- sold by Giger without prior au- bust of Natasha Henstridge, sup- paid the printer, Uldry & Sohn ferring all rights in the silk- thorization from MGM. They plied to him earlier for the design $21,000, directly, and another screen to MGM." closed their correspondence of Sil. Screenwriter Dennis Feld- $15,000 to Giger, which barely Giger viewed this unautho- with the statement that MGM man and Giger's agent Leslie covered his materials for the rized poster reproduction as a had paid Giger a "substantial Barany, who could not be at the 187x131.5x32 cm. sculpture, serious violation of his rights, amount of money" for a total 35 CLOSE ENCOUNTER NATASHA HENSTRIDGE The Canadian model-turned-actress on her high-impact movie debut as Sil. Henstridge as Sil, with wrong turn barroom pickup Anthony Guildera. By Dan Scapperotti it before hand and came to an kind of interesting about the making one up out of a plastic, agreement as to what we were character and was the fun part rubbery material. Then they put The premiere monster de- looking for. It was more of that to play. But in a way, it changes it on with spirit gum and then signer of the last decade is H.R. than actual every day direction." every time I see it." match the color of your skin Giger, the creator of the terrify- For Henstridge the character Since most of the creature with airbrushes and things like ing creatures in ALIEN and its of Sil seems to shift with each effects were computer generat- that. They pull my thumb be- sequels. His latest unearthly cre- successive viewing. "It's fun- ed, Henstridge was not forced hind and attach the fake thumb. ation is a case where beauty is ny," said the actress, "because to undergo extensive makeup. I cut it off. I had to cut it right the beast. In the person of the every time I watch the movie I However, she didn't escape the too! I didn't want to spend an- stunning newcomer, Natasha begin to see different things rigors of makeup altogether and other four or five hours having Henstridge, Sil, a new breed cre- about Sil. For a long time I was was a frequent visitor to Steve that put on again. ated in a laboratory by combin- saying that she's really naive Johnson makeup studio. "I had "My biggest effect," contin- ing human and alien DNA, wan- and kind of lost in this world. to cut my thumb off," said Hen- ued Henstridge, "was coming out ders the landscape with an in- Anybody can understand what stridge, referring to a scene of the cocoon, being wet and creasingly violent urge to mate. that's like. Her feeling of hav- where Sil cuts off her own cold and slimed up. That kind of Henstridge, the 20-year-old ing no parents, no family, that thumb and that of her victim's thing. That was kind of difficult." beauty who snagged the plumb sort of thing. She's naive and to make it appear that she died While escaping her pursuers role is a native of Alberta, Cana- out there in the world alone, just in a fiery car crash. "Some peo- aboard a train, the young Sil, da. Henstridge turned to model- running on instinct because ple who are playing aged people played by Michelle Williams, ing at the age of 14, and moved she's this half-alien character. or whatever and who have to go transforms. She becomes en- to Paris. She eventually wound After a while I started to realize through serious makeup would cased in a cocoon and emerges up in New York where she con- that she's not that good. She be- be laughing at me when I say as Henstridge. "They built a co- tinued her modeling career, ap- gins to feel human behavior in a that, but I did have a prosthetics coon on a stage making it look pearing in commercials for such way. Like when the woman thumb. The thumb was the like a train restroom in one of products as Old Spice and Oil of walks into the bathroom and Sil longest makeup period because the little compartments." said Olay. When Henstridge's com- gets pissed off about it. For the they kept testing for the right Henstridge. "They built the set mercial agent moved into movie first time she's starting to feel color. They make a mold, a cast upside down and tested it. They casting he set up the young ac- these human emotions. She be- of my thumb, in the position had the cocoon on the ground tress on interviews. "SPECIES comes territorial. She's very in- that it would be shot in. Then, and the toilet on the ceiling and came at the perfect time because stinctual, which I thought was they recreate my thumb by had a hole in the corner of the I was ready to move into some- box. Then they had the cocoon thing else," said Henstridge. "I Stranger in a strange land: Henstridge has a hot tub close encounter with made and slimed down a bit. auditioned and went through the Whip Hubley, operating on instinct to mate and perpetuate her SPECIES. They had wires going into it whole process, meeting the cast- which made it pulsate. I would ing director and then the direc- come in the bottom of the co- tor, and the producers and that coon. My whole body wouldn't sort of thing. They gave me a fit through the opening, so I had couple of screen tests. It was a to go in one leg at a time, sort of long process getting SPECIES." a split. It looks like I'm falling The fledgling actress found out but I was actually coming that most of her movie direction up out of it and grabbing onto a came before the cameras were trapeze bar that pulls me up. I set up. "We discussed it more pull my legs up so it looks like I than directing me on the set, ex- make that fall. It was a very cept for the little technical clever technique, I thought. It things," she said. "We discussed was very cold. They were heat- 36 ON WORKING WITH MGM "Giger feels used and betrayed," said agent Leslie Barany. "He is reminded that the only true nightmare that Hollywood is capable of producing is a legal one."

promotional buyout of the finally managed to achieve was SPECIES sculpted image and to enrage Giger." MGM was not otherwise oblig- On September 28, 1995, ated to pay more. Up to that MGM sent Giger's attorney a point, all Giger had received fax stating that they would pay was the initial $15,000 to cover a total of $20,000 for a release his expenses and a promise of of claims regarding the use of $3,000 for the billboard display. the lithograph, and set a dead- H. R. Giger's faxed response line that the offer was good only was "I do not want to work with until 6 p.m. that Friday evening. Sensed as a genetic undesirable, Gulldera gets Insistent and killed. MGM liars!" His lawyer re- The trouble was, the letter was asserted that no written or oral sent at 4 p.m. in the afternoon, Los Angeles time, forwarded by Keeping It tense, SPECIES director ing up this jelly and stuff that permission had been given, ei- Roger Donaldson rehearses Susan they put on me for the slime. ther by Giger or his representa- fax to Giger and his agent at Bartkowiak and Ben Kingsley. They were heating it up in crock tives for use of the sculpture im- 5:50 p.m., nearly 3 a.m. pots, but it was still very cold." age beyond the rights for two Switzerland time. MGM was, in minded that the only true night- The maturing Sil is still a billboards. He also indicated effect, "putting a gun to his mare Hollywood is capable of child, a fast-developing child that Giger felt strongly that the head," demanding that the artist producing is a legal one." with an ever increasing sexual studio had taken advantage of make up his mind in ten min- To add insult to injury, an in- urge. Consequently, the role him in every aspect of their re- utes—in the middle of the cident occurred at the Deauville called for extensive nudity. "I lationship. night! Film Festival which seemed didn't have a problem with the Noted Giger's agent, Les The sum of $20,000 was on- symptomatic of Giger's treat- nudity," said Henstridge. "I Barany, "MGM's letter was full ly half of what Giger had billed ment throughout his relation- knew in advance that there was of distortions and lies regarding MGM on July 23 for the two ship with MGM (20th Century- going to be nudity in it and I their every assertion and they billboard installations, the pho- Fox, Giger maintains, was nev- knew why there was going to have since backed away from it tography of the sculpture, his er the nightmare that MGM has be nudity in it. I think that if after it was refuted, point by own creative compensation for been). Giger claimed that the there wasn't any nudity in this point. They instinctively went its design and for the after-the- studio did everything in their picture it would be kind of on the attack without, I suppose, fact settlement of its unautho- power to seduce him to come to ridiculous in a way. The charac- even looking at the silkscreen, rized use as posters. As of this France for the festival premiere ter has a child-like quality which did not include the crea- writing, the poster issue is still of SPECIES. But Giger hates to about her. A naivete which sets ture Sil, only the lifecast of ac- not settled and "the bastards are travel, and even worse, to dress the character within context. tress Natasha Henstridge pro- just running up our legal bills," up and "smile like an idiot." It She starts to realize that show- vided to Giger by Steve John- said Barany. is not something he's good at. ing your body and stuff like son's XFX, Inc., with the ap- Added Giger's agent, "Giger It happened that Giger, his that is suggestive of sex and she proval of MGM and Frank feels used and betrayed. He set girlfriend Sandra Beretta (of the begins to have the urge to pro- Mancuso Jr., the producer. And out, with the best of intentions, famous Italian firearm family) create." to this date, not one silkscreen to honor SPECIES in an art and the cast from SPECIES Director Donaldson was has been sold by Giger. His piece through a joyous collabo- (consisting of Natasha Hen- very sensitive to Henstridge's one-third of the edition had not ration. Now, every time he stridge and Ben Kingsley) had situation regarding the nude yet been printed! All their letter looks at the silkscreen he is re- been invited to attend a special scenes. "Roger was so good about that," she said. "So good Giger's unused title design for SPECIES. MGM's final design retained the shape of Giger's letterforms, but the that he would close off the set to poster utilized a cocoon image that the artist felt aped the campaign for ALIEN too closely, as did the film itself. everybody. It could be a little awkward in the beginning and he wanted to get the best out of it. There is one scene where I come running out nude behind some cars at a supermarket. They had the whole block blocked off so no one would come around there. So they were really very sensitive to that." Next up for the beautiful ac- tress is Albert Pyun's ADREN- ALINE: FEEL THE RUSH. • 37 screening of Universal's WA- Kuntshaus next to these arti- TERWORLD. After the screen- GIGER'S GHOST TRAIN facts being prepared for the ex- ing (which Giger particularly hibit. enjoyed), the SPECIES group "The script had nothing about the train or Giger has a new book in was invited to a VIP black-tie preparation, to be published by dinner hosted by star Kevin a 'Ghost Train' nightmare," said Giger. ARht Publications/Les Barany Costner. As photographers and Communications: H. R. Giger video cameras were shooting, "That was entirely my idea. They had no Under Your Skin, a collection of Giger and Sandra were guided budget for it, but promised to consider it." the hundreds of tattoos that to a waiting taxi. Suddenly an have been made of Giger paint- MGM executive intervened and ings. told Giger that he was not al- As for films, Giger is am- lowed to enter the taxi, as it was bivalent, now more so than af- only for guests invited to the ter his bad experience on party. This was despite the fact ALIEN3 [see "Alienated" in that everyone else in the Imagi-Movies Spring '94]. SPECIES group had been invit- ALIEN4 is a special situation, ed, and that Giger had appeared and if it happens, it will depend together with all the other prin- largely upon who is doing it. If cipals on daily panels and con- 1 2 James Cameron is involved as ferences. Giger and his com- director, then Giger will be panion had to march red-faced happy to work on it, if asked. through the gauntlet of photog- raphers, as they were led away t is interesting how nearly on foot, clearly not of sufficient every key member of the stature to warrant a ride in a taxi SPECIES production—a or an invitation to the dance. creative bunch to be sure— Giger later told friends that he went to great lengths to had never been so humiliated in 3 4 stress, in the production notes, his life, and that he and his girl- that they did not want any com- friend had to walk back to their parisons drawn to ALIEN. hotel in the rain. Also, his name "If they were truly serious had been completely left off the about this, they would probably official show catalog of those have approached someone else involved in the making of to create their Sil," mused SPECIES. Barany. "Or at least trusted MGM later explained their 5 6 Giger more to steer the designs version of the incident to Gi- in a fresh direction. In retrospect, ger's representatives. They I would say they did everything pointed out that it had not, in to invite comparisons. In my fact, been raining opinion, the producers wanted and that the whole Giger's name attached to the confusion over the film at least as much as they taxi had merely been sought his designs." a misunderstanding. The extensive use of Giger's Furthermore, even 7 8 name in the marketing of though it was unfor- Giger's storyboard design for the Ghost SPECIES has finally convinced tunate that Giger had Train sequence, planned as a nightmare for Giger of that. In all modesty, he not been invited by the fleeing Sil. The action shows young is not perceived strictly as a be- girls waiting at a biomechanical station Mr. Costner to the bathed in moonlight and deep shadow. As hind-the-scenes person any- dinner, it was entire- the train pulls into the station, the camera more. Based on reviews and ly out of their con- first pans right into its headlight beam and word-of-mouth about the film, trol. Noted Barany, then follows it into the station as a vacuum it seems that the name H. R. "The missed dinner arm (I) descends to scoop up the girls, then Giger translates to increased pans right as the train leaves the empty invitation did not of- station. MGM completely rejected the scene. revenues at the boxoffice. Said fend Giger, since he Barany, "I am certain MGM dislikes formal events any- variations of tried-and-true im- to stand at the entrance to the agrees that Giger's name, alone, way." agery. science fiction exhibit are was worth every dime they did All of this regrettably has It is interesting to note that at Giger's most recent contribu- pay." • left a bad taste in the artist's the end of 1995 "The Great Illu- tions to the genre, the Ghost mouth over future possible sion," an exhibit commemorat- Train (now back in Zurich) and H. R. Giger may be reached work in the event this success- ing the 100 years of cinema co- a second model of the Steve through his agent Leslie Barany ful film spawns another incidental to the theatrical re- Johnson Sil maquette. It is iron- in New York City at 212-627- SPECIES. Giger said that if by lease of SPECIES in Switzer- ic that this is the same Ghost 8488/Fax: 212-463-7983. some miracle he should be land, will be opening in the Train MGM found unworthy to Special thanks to KLM Air- asked to work on a sequel, it Kuntshaus in Zurich where feature more extensively in lines, German Rail and Eurail would only interest him if he Giger lives. In the course of their film. The press conference Pass for their help in getting was asked to design totally new 1996, it will travel to Venice, which Natasha Henstridge at- L.A. writer Les Paul Robley to concepts, not just rehashed Vienna and Barcelona. Chosen tended in Zurich was held at the Giger's Planet. 38 GHOST TRAIN NIGHTMARE Constructing and filming the dream you never saw. By Les Paul Robley the awful sound of grinding ma- chinery—like a garbage dispos- Giger had long wanted to al. At the rear trail bony tiger build his "Ghost Train," an idea ribcages for various life forms dating back to his childhood, with hanging contraceptive baby borne from a fascination with Sils, similar to the artist's recur- trains. It later became a recurring ring dead babies theme seen in theme in his artwork. He tried many previous paintings. incorporating it into former "That was entirely my idea," aborted film projects, such as the said Giger. "The script had noth- Alejandro Jodorowsky version ing about the train or a 'Ghost of DUNE and Ridley Scott's Train' nightmare. Years ago, I THE TRAIN. In fact, the loco- worked on several train concepts motive skulls on the SPECIES with Ridley Scott. When I saw in train bear a resemblance to the the script of SPECIES that the 1976 painting he made for little Sil escapes on the train and Giger poses In his backyard in Zurich, holding the head of the Ghost Train. DUNE. Giger thought SPECIES has strange nightmares, I had the The designer filmed a video storyboard with his model, largely abandoned. a natural fulfillment of his idea I could work my Ghost dream, as it could allow him to Train into her dreams. They had Cony de Fries visited me and lier Formart, who built with me realize, in a working 3-dimen- not planned money for it in the saw in the garden one of my old- the other cars. The wheels and sional form, a life-long passion. budget, but they promised to er sculptures, a biomechanoid motors were made by Ball und The scene written by Giger consider it. I was so fascinated head without eyes, one I made Sohn, Modellbau, of Stein am called for the train to rumble in that I started with train ideas about 20 years ago. He suggest- Rhein, the finest model train caterpillar-like, with each sec- right away. Mancuso said, 'Be ed that we use this head but with manufacturer in the world. They tion moving independently and careful,' but I told him I will do bigger teeth. I could see this make trains in all sizes. connected by accordion bellows. this train anyway. could work much better. Cony "In the beginning, I wanted Vacuum cleaner arms extend and "The first version of the train, and I started on the locomotive the train to function like a cater- suck up younger versions of Sil which we made out of normal skull together, and it was com- pillar, with an accordion-like who try to run from it. We hear skulls, was not so good. Then pleted by Andy Schedler of Ate- structure between the cars, but

Setting up Giger's Ghost Train at its station for filming at Boss Film. Right: The brief train shot as seen in the film, chasing young Sil (Michelle Williams). that idea didn't work out well. sequence did not appear in the fi- Atelier Kasper Wolfensberger GIGER'S DREAM TRAIN nal cut, nor did it even material- Egmatingen motorized and acti- ize in test versions of the special vated the vacuum cleaners, in- "A terrific Ghost Train was built in effects. When the production stalled the lights in the train and balked at the cost. Giger's people wired it for radio control. With an- Zurich, proving that we can make not only began looking for other options. other company, Atelier Steel and They contacted several effects Dreams, I built the structure of the cuckoo clocks in Switzerland," said Giger. companies, such as Chandler train station, the waiting platform "It cost me a lot of my own money." Group and Industrial Light & and the two tunnels. Then Tanya Magic, to see if they could save Wolfensberger and I worked to- the sequence. Chandler quoted a gether on dressing the station with figure of $100,000, but this did all the detailing. Everything in the not include any blue-screen digi- station was planned and designed tal compositing. carefully for function. On the plat- The sequence eventually form there was no way to escape wound up back at Boss, and visu- from the vacuum cleaners. al effects supervisor Richard Ed- "I am very happy with the train lund elected to shoot the train as we did. If there was more time, we a high-speed miniature, sans mo- could have also made the vacuum tion-control. When Boss shot the cleaners function perfectly. I test, they filmed it without the thought Boss Films could fix it vacuum cleaner effect and with- easy in LA. With only the help of out the station. Giger had made the companies here in Zurich, a very clear storyboards of how the terrific Ghost Train was built, 30-second sequence should be proving that we can make not only filmed in one shot. But the vacu- cuckoo clocks in Switzerland. It um cleaners weren't working to cost me a lot of my own money, Giger's satisfaction when he sent but many of the rights still belong the train from Switzerland. They to me after the film." weren't dropping far enough to When Giger first proposed the the platform and were moving too Giger works on the model of the Ghost Train at Atelier Formart in Eschilkon, train scene to MGM it was rejected Switzerland. Giger shipped the finished train to Hollywood for final filming. fast and unsteady. Also, the jaws on the basis that the sequence was of the locomotive were opening going to cost $600,000 to execute it was, he instructed Giger to achieve without CGI. and closing too fast. Giger felt it in the computer. They wouldn't keep it under $100,000 and Once Giger had the train to that with all the technical know- consider it could be done any other warned him to go slow since he his satisfaction, he realized he how at Boss, all of it could be cor- way. So Giger went ahead and still had to sell MGM on the needed a station to execute the rected. He sent faxes to Edlund started building it himself. When scene. Giger sank about $80,000 sequence properly. He spent an- explaining how the timing of the MGM realized he was doing it, of his own money into building other $20,000 to construct the vacuums were based on how fast they told him to make a small the 20-foot-long, five zoll, fully station, still keeping the total cost the wheels turned. He suggested model, and Boss Film Studios, the working model, whose teeth, vac- within the range Mancuso sug- this could be slowed down by cre- company providing the computer uum hoses and tongues all func- gested. Giger was certain his ating a different circumference on effects, would digitize it into the tioned by way of rotating cams scene would be accepted and the size of the cam. computer. But Giger ended up attached to the wheels. This did become one of the highlights of Giger had hoped that work constructing the large model, and not include any salary for his the film. He believed viewers would be done on the train be- initially sent only photographs, time, which he assumed would be would come over and over again fore the test was shot. After he which didn't give any indication of forthcoming. Giger felt he had to just to see this scene, and the train received the test he realized that scale. go through these unusual steps to would ultimately pay for itself. no work at all had been done on When Mancuso finally saw a show them that his nightmare se- However naive this sounds, it, and that it had been filmed ex- videotape and realized how large quence was indeed possible to the Giger-conceived nightmare actly the way he had sent it. Obvi-

Giger's Ghost Train roars out of the tunnel (I), races down the tracks (c) and pulls into the station (r), during filming of a video storyboard in Switzerland. ture film." If the studio recoups enough money to make a sequel, as the ending with the mutated rat leads us to believe that they may want to, they will have to get back to Giger and talk new num- bers if they would like the train to make a scheduled stop. MGM will first have to reimburse Giger for the $50,000 he is still out of pocket on his expenses, plus a respectable fee for de- signing it for the original film, before Giger will be willing to talk. Giger assumes that if the fi- nal tally of profits should deem a sequel worthwhile, clearing the books on the first film should not be a problem for the producers and the studio, plus they will be in a better position to pay him an additional fee for Giger supervises the filming of the video storyboard In Switzerland. The 20- the use of the train in a sequel. foot-long, fully working model will be used in Giger's own film of THE For now, future film rights re- MYSTERY OF SAN GOTTARDO, to be published as a book later this year. main with Giger. Said Barany: "Soon our fears copyright. Giger said no, he did- Although the film is long were confirmed. The sequence as n't want to take the chance that done, Giger continues to ex- Giger had designed it was not go- it may never be seen. The most plore his fascination with ing to be in the film. Some hard important thing was that it be in trains, now as part of his fine choices had to be made, quickly. the film. He said, 'It will give it art, and is currently building a Mancuso early on told Giger over life.' He was also down a lot of different, much larger 7-1/4 ously, MGM was not interested in the phone to keep it under money and at least he could get zoll train which rolls through the sequence as he had envi- $100,000 in expenses, and of half of his investment back." his house, out into the backyard sioned it originally. course he also thought he was go- Giger took a $50,000 loss on and over a bridge above the Giger's most amazing film ef- ing to be paid, besides! But even if the train. MGM agreed to limit "swimming pool." (It is actual- fort rated only eight seconds of he misunderstood, if what was re- the ways the train could be used ly a black lagoon; no one has screen time, and no main title ally meant was $100,000 in total, it in merchandising. Giger retains swum in it for 20 years, save credit for the design of the train. changed once the train was deliv- all three-dimensional merchan- for a few creatures.) • In a behind-the-scenes promo ered. We were told $50,000. That's dising rights to the train because film, more time is devoted to the all we have...are you in or out? he was not properly reimbursed A fascination with trains: Giger on board the larger train model he making of the train than is the ac- "At first I advised him by MGM. The studio owns 2-D designed to run through his house. tual length of the scene or scenes. against it. I said to Giger, if merchandising rights, but only However fleeting its appearance, they're not going to use the exactly as the train is used in the Giger's train still manages to whole sequence, let's keep the film. They cannot, for example, make its jarring presence felt. It idea intact and save it for a fu- in comic books, show the com- tears across the screen without ture project. Since the train was- plete sequence as Giger de- explanation and, unlike the other n't in the original screenplay signed it, or expand further upon nightmare shots, it is never re- and no contract existed for it, it it. MGM owns the copyright on- ferred to again. was clear Giger maintained ly on the 8-second sequence. Giger keeps the copyright to the The train's jaws and descending vacuums were powered with wheel cams. train itself. The contract also al- lows him the right to use the train in any other future film. This un- usual concession on the studio's part was granted only because the artist was not compensated entirely for his creation. Noted Barany, "Giger had the simple idea that the train could be like any living actor, free to appear in a variety of films, sometimes for a large fee, some- times for less. Sometimes in a big role, sometimes a small one. As the train appears in SPE- CIES, I would rate it an uncred- ited cameo, perhaps as a coming attraction for a larger role in a fu- 41