VOLUME 30 NUMBER 1 "The Magazine with a Sense of Wonder" MAY 1998

MGM moved up the release of 7 JOHN CARPENTER'S "VAMPIRE$" SPECIES II (yes, the Roman numeral Carpenter's 20th film stars James Woods as the leader of Team Crow, a title is the correct one, not the Arabic 2 crossbow-wielding band of vampire hunters. / Article by John Thonen which appears in our earlier preview articles and in this issue's cover story). 8 DEEP IMPACT As we go to press, the film is set to open Mimi Leder (THE PEACEMAKER) on directing a comet collision epic for nationwide April 10 instead of June 5 as Dreamworks. / Article by Douglas Eby planned. 10 GODZILLA New York correspondent Dan INDEPENDENCE DAY creators Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich Scapperotti provides this issue's cover premiere the remake of the monster movie. / Article by Chuck Wagner story, reporting from SPECIES ll's Page 7 warehouse set in Maryland, a chronicle 12 X-FILES: THE MOVIE of how FRIDAY THE 13TH series Producer Chris Carter brings the award-winning hit TV series to the big screen, producer Frank Mancuso has attempted with stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. / Article by Douglas Eby to turn the success of the original SPECIES into a continuing horror and 14 THE UGLY science fiction film franchise. New Zealand's director Scott Reynolds debuts with a dark post-modern Scapperotti interviews former X-FILES psycho-thriller that won prizes in Europe. / Article by Alan Jones scripter Chris Brancato on crafting the 16 MAKING "SPECIES 2" sequel's strategy with Mancuso, as well Producer Frank Mancuso brings Natasha Henstridge back in the sequel as director Peter Medak (THE to the hit about an alien beauty. / Articles by Dan Scapperotti CHANGELING), creature creator Steve Page 14 Johnson, CGI experts Digital Magic, 28 H. R. GIGER ON "SPECIES 2" star Natasha Henstridge and Oscar- The world's premier alien creator talks about his design work on the winning alien designer H. R. Giger. We new sequel. / Article by Dan Scapperotti call our cover story "Giger's SPECIES" because it is the alien design work of 34 TARZAN & THE LOST CITY the Swiss surrealist artist that makes Producer Stan Canter finishes his long journey to follow-up his epic the project most interesting in our eyes. GREYSTOKE. / Article by Scott Tracy Griffin We called our cover story on the original SPECIES "Giger's Alien," a 38 WATCHERS IV reference to the designer's The Dean Koontz-based franchise returns on home video, starring Mark Hamill. / Article by Chuck Wagner groundbreaking work on Ridley Scott's Page 34 ALIEN and his seminal influence on 40 BRAM STOKER'S "THE MUMMY" science fiction film design. It was Jeffrey Obrow builds an "old-fashioned" horror film from Stoker's novel Jewel therefore a little distressing to receive of the Seven Stars. / Article by John Thonen Giger's personal request, as we went to press, to remove his name from the 44 BRAM STOKER'S "SHADOWBUILDER" cover, a request we could not honor Writer Michael Stokes turns a little-known Stoker story about a character due to our press deadline. who can control his shadow into a horror film. / Article by John Thonen After seeing a cut of SPECIES II, 48 SlNBAD—THE SERIES Giger declined to take any credit for his Neil Williamson on supervising the effects of the syndicated series with design work for the film, claiming it was Page 38 Ray Harryhausen-style animation. / Article by Dan Scapperotti largely ignored or unused. On the sequel, Giger chose to take the credit 52 STEPHEN KINGS "NIGHT FLIER" "Original Species Design by H. R. Giger." King collaborators and director Mark Pavia flesh out the story of a vampire Since it is that very design which graces pilot. / Article by Willialm Wilson Goodson, Jr. the cover, magnificently realized by effects creator Steve Johnson's XFX for 56 TWILIGHT OF THE ICE NYMPHS the new sequel, spotlighting Giger's key Eccentric and iconoclast director Guy Maddin returns with a hallucinatory contribution to the project is not love melodrama. / Article by Alan Jones inappropriate. Too bad the production chose to ignore his other work. 5 HOLLYWOOD GOTHIC Frederick S. Clarke Page 44 58 REVIEWS 62 LETTERS

Publisher & Editor: Frederick S. Clarke. West Coast Editor: Steve Biodrowski. Bureaus: New York/ Dan Persons, Dan Scapperotti. Los Angeles/ Douglas Eby. London/ Alan Jones. Contributors: Frank Barron, Sonya Burres, William Wilson Goodson, Jr., Scott Tracy Griffin, Lokke Heiss, Randall Larson, Michael Lyons, Patricia Moir, John Thonen, Chuck Wagner, Paul Wardle. Editorial Operations Manager: Elaine Fiedler. Editorial Production: Lisa Tomczak-Walkington, David Bellm, Bob Garcia. Publisher's Assistant: Lisa Coduto. Circulation: Faith Redding. Business Manager: Celeste Casey Clarke.

PHOTO CREDITS: ©1997 All American Television (48-51); Szu Burgess (56,57); ©1997 DreamWorks LLC (5); ©1996 Fine Line (Jonathan Wenk 60T); ©Hollywood Pictures (Doug Curran 59); ©1997 MOM (Bruce Binnelin 16, 17, 19R, 20T, 21B, 22,23, 24, 25T, 25BC, 26TL, 27, 28,29T, 31TR, 31BR, 32-33; Digital Magic 18, 19T, 21T); ©19% Miramax (John P. Johnson 58T); ©1997 New Amsterdam Ent. (52-55); ©1997 Paramount (8- 9); ©Scanbox Danmark AS (4447); ©1997 Sony (Myles Aronowitz 11); ©1998 Turner Pictures (58B); ©1998 Warner Bros- (34-37; Chriss Barr 60B); ©XFX Inc. (1, 27TL, 25 BL, 23BR, 25MT, 26TR. 26ML. 26B). ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Chris Brancato, H.R. Giger. Anita Hart, Steve Johnson. COVER: Mindas

CINEFANTASTIQUE (ISSN 0145-6032) is published monthly at 7240 W. Roosevelt Rd, Forest Park, IL 60130. (708) 366-5566. E-mail: [email protected] 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. Submissions of artwork and articles are encouraged, but must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Contents copyright ©1998 by Frederick S. Clarke CINEFANTASTIQUE ® is a Registered U.S. Trademark. PRINTED IN USA DESIGNER H.R. GlGER The world's premier monster-maker on his art.

By Dan Scapperotti kinds of restrictions, but once you get the hang of it, it's quite an in- Perhaps the most famous of credible medium to work in." film monster designers today is Mancuso sent Giger a copy the venerated H. R. Giger of the script for the proposed whose creation of the ALIEN movie and a contract to the de- monsters and the Sil creature signer's agent. "Because of the from SPECIES have become need for storyboards very early icons of modern science fiction. on in the pre-production, Steve Giger is a man who takes his Johnson's XFX was already on artistic integrity seriously. Very the job before I was even ap- seriously. He is currently in- proached," said Giger. "Conse- volved in a credit battle with quently, I think many decisions 20th Century-Fox over his lack relating to certain design exe- of screen recognition on the lat- cutions had already been made est Alien film, ALIEN RESUR- before I took on the assignment RECTION. Fox apparently or even before I was ap- "forgot" the creature design proached to return. As an un- credit for the Swiss artist, much fortunate result, by the time I like Andrew Lloyd Weber's was allowed to start my own oversight in failing to give cred- Oscar-winning Swiss surrealist H. R. Giger (I) confers with XFX creature work, I had to stay within cer- effects supervisor Stave Johnson over the design maquette of Eve, repeating it to Gaston Leroux, the author Giger's original Sil design with slight modifications, sculpt by Nori Honda. tain parameters which had al- of Phantom of the Opera. ready been established. Giger was vocally less than creatures. I had a great time floating around, and which then Giger was disappointed not pleased with the CGI incarna- with him. We spent endless time becomes tentacles and we go in- to have been brought onto tion of his design of the Sil talking on the phone and he to the whole transformation of SPECIES II earlier. "Steve creature in SPECIES and was a started sending lots of sketches the creatures. He would send an Johnson, without question, is bit surprised when producer and drawings. He did some of idea and I would send it back to one of the best in fabricating ar- Frank Mancuso, Jr. contacted the designs which Steve John- him and we'd talk a lot on the ticulated and animatronic crea- him to work on the sequel. "I son then executed. I have 150 phone and eventually we came tures, but, I think, his work in was happy to receive Frank's faxes from him of drawings up with something incredible. It this case would have been better invitation to come back and which I'm keeping forever be- is a science fiction movie and served if he could have waited work on SPECIES II," said cause I think he's a genius. He that's what brings it to that until I finished my designs Giger. "He is a thorough profes- gave me designs of what the world. Those two creatures. It rather than trying to get into my sional and only concerned about creature should look like and was a very important part of it." head and guessing at what he what is in the best interest of his ideas for the transformation Putting the new creatures on thought I would like to do. film." when the two creatures are screen was a joint effort be- "In the end, I was in the po- When director Peter Medak making love to each other, the tween Steve Johnson and H.R. sition of having to work on first signed onto SPECIES II love scene. He also came up Giger—imagination linked to Steve's designs, not, strictly, on one of his first questions for with ideas for when the tenta- practicality. "It was a great my own original ones. This is producer Frank Mancuso was, cles shoot out of the little kid combination working with the not what I do best, to make is H.R. Giger involved? The di- and he gets taken up into the both of them," Medak said. someone else's designs look rector, it turns out, was a big fan ceiling of the barn and then "Steve has to put into practice 'Gigeresque,' or try to improve of the Swiss designer. goes into the chrysalises, the what Giger puts on the page. upon them. My ideal way of Their face-to-face meetings cocoon stage." They have to move and they working is always the same. I only lasted a week, but Medak The love scene between the have to function and they have start with a blank canvas. In the was bombarded by Giger with a two alien life forms, Eve and to jump and attack. It's very dif- case of a film, I really have to steady stream of design materi- Patrick, was brief but, Medak ficult to work with creatures be- start from the very beginning al. "He's got this incredible felt, pivotal to the story. "I cause once you get them togeth- and develop the character in my dark vision, particularly the wanted to make it very beautiful er nothing actually works prop- own way, based upon the needs Alien," said Medak. "He's done and idyllic," he said, "and kind erly with staff people holding of the script." all kinds of other things. It's just of lyrical. Giger kept talking the arms up and things they Giger speculated that per- that he's known for his ALIEN about the hair, which is kind of have to take out. There are all haps Mancuso wanted to estab- 28 pdf created by www.littlegiger.com SURREALIST H.R. GIGER "Since we know each other well, [Mancuso] understands my compulsion to try and improve everything, a trait of mine which is not necessarily appreciated by everyone."

Mancuso and [director] Peter cessity or an invitation requires Medak to see that a certain con- it, I am available for a quick tinuity of design is maintained cross-Atlantic visit and I did from the first film to this one. spend several days in Califor- During my work on the first nia with Medak, Mancuso and film I had set down a unique Steve Johnson and the anima- template which provided the tronics people at XFX." design aesthetic and the blue- On the first SPECIES film, prints for others to follow, just Giger had little contact with di- as I had done for the first rector Ronald Donaldson, the Justin Lazard as Patrick watches as one of his alien sons begins to form his chrysalis. Right: Giger's concept of worms that knit to form the chrysalis. ALIEN film. For better or addition of Peter Medak, whom Giger admirers, to helm the lish a design direction before sation, and that getting it new film was a major attrac- Giger was involved. "So I done on time must not be at tion for Giger. "The involve- would need to follow their the expense of getting it ment of Peter Medak as the ideas, mostly, instead of spend- done right. The best of films director of SPECIES II fig- ing a lot of energy trying to will always have an individ- ured largely in my decision change everything," said Giger. ual who argues these unpop- to accept MGM's invitation "Since we know each other ular points. In the long run, to participate in the film," well, [Mancuso] understands such people are good to confirmed the designer. my compulsion to try and im- have around for the health of "While Peter was too busy to prove everything, a trait of mine the film, though not always visit me in Zurich we spoke which is not necessarily appre- for the health of the produc- often over the telephone and ciated by everyone. Still, he had er. So even though my ideas he also met with my agent in the confidence, I think, that my have not always prevailed, New York. It pleased me involvement in his movie Frank will probably be the greatly that he is a gentleman would, somehow, challenge the first one to admit that my from the 'old school' who excellence level of the design ideas create a dynamic that, extended to me the respect of and fabrications group. at the end, make a visible a creative colleague and was "I think he appreciates my difference. And, at the end, genuinely interested in my unique qualifications for a film that is all that matters. Only worse—this is the way it usual- ideas. Since I have not yet seen designer. Not necessarily my what is visible." ly must be for me since I must any of the actual footage Oscar, many others also have Giger hadn't seen the fin- remain, for the most part, in he shot, I don't know how much one, but the fact that I come ished film when interviewed in Switzerland, to be home and of my concepts he had been from a fine arts tradition and a Zurich. "I have good reason to work on my other projects, and able to incorporate in the final strong industrial design back- hope that I was not brought into can not be on hand in Los An- film. I am confident though, ground. The maxims that I ad- the project only because of the geles for the amount of time it that he did try his best to do so here to can be a nightmare come strong marketing value of my would take to personally super- and was able to make the most true for a lesser producer, that name, but because of the sin- vise the laborious design and of what was put in front of his form follows function, not sen- cere desire on the part of Frank fabrication process. When ne- lens by Frank Mancuso and

The "fighting Patrick" quadruped as designed by Giger, using his discarded concepts for ALIEN 3 as a point of departure, front, back and side views.

29 DIRECTOR PETER MEDAK "I think [Giger] is an amazing artist.... Now that I know him I just hope that maybe one day I can do a movie that can utilize him and his kind of genius."

Steve Johnson. It was an honor relationship with the artist. "I to finally be able to meet with think he's an amazing artist," Peter in Los Angeles. I am a said Medak. "Very unique and I great admirer of his films, Par- hope this is the beginning of us ticularly the cult classic THE working together on some other RULING CLASS and ROMEO things because I think he's a to- IS BLEEDING. With Peter tal genius and original. Now Giger's design sketch of Patrick showing how tentacles sprout from his head when he begins to mate with Eve. Below: Giger's designs show how Medak at the helm as director that I know him I just hope that Eve and Patrick's tentacles swirl together to form a nest and his unique ability to infuse maybe one day I can do a dramatic tension into a scene he movie that can utilize him and Not until I read the press release is capable of elevating the level his kind of genius. I would do it did I realize I was supposed to of any script. It is also obvious totally with him instead of just have made a new design." from his past work that he can having him on the other end of Eve has a competitor in the draw out amazing performances a fax. When you do the creature new film in the form of a male from his actors. long distance a lot can change of the species. Astronaut Patrick "Almost certainly, there will with the drawing and how it Ross infected with alien DNA be surprises for me in SPECIES comes out. I can't wait to do a on a mission to Mars returns to II which will not make me very ghost story and get him to come Earth and rapidly takes on the happy, but I am sure that we and help me to create certain characteristics of another out-of will all be very surprised with things. What I know now about this-world creature. Some of the the level of acting Natasha special effects and Giger and first sketches sent to Giger after not be disappointed. Once I re- [Henstridge] will be able to Steve, one can make the most he signed onto the project were alized I had to accept the achieve in the film under the incredible things." of the transformed Patrick crea- Patrick monster written into the guidance of Peter Medak. At Giger was pleased with ture. "I didn't know why it was script, I argued very hard to try this moment, Peter is working SPECIES II's non-CGI ap- even necessary," said Giger of and improve the initial design. I on the editing with all his soul, I proach, but doesn't rule out use the design. "It seems to be de- realized that certain elements of am sure. He is a Hungarian, as of CGI in the future. "The tech- rivative of the Alien monster, my unused designs for ALIEN is my agent, and Hungarians nological capability, for sure, complete with the elongated 3 could work, also, here. At the give it everything they've got!" has gotten even better since skull, and with big eyes, and end, I think, I was able to bring Working long-distance with [SPECIES in] 1992, but I think bird like legs, with that extra re- some of these design ideas to Giger frustrated Medak who only an elite few has gained full verse-bending joint which the Patrick monster and im- longs to have a closer working mastery of it," observed Giger. seems to be the 'design de jour' prove him a little bit, which is "In the coming years this is sure in the Hollywood monster com- what, I believe, Frank had Giger's detail of Patrick's son, to change. Until then, the needs munity. I understand the temp- hoped I would do. showing how the knitting worms emerge from every natural orifice. of the script and the pockets of tation to do this since it allows "I think I was successful, the studio should decide what the creature to stand a foot taller though, in injecting another will be the best methods to use than a normal person. The man stage to the Patrick transforma- for the visual effects. I was glad inside the rubber suit can stand tion, a humanoid stage which that this time Frank agreed that on high heels of a sort. Taken we should not rely so much on together with the creature's Giger love: his concept for the hair computers, but more on anima- oversize hands and long animal- snakes for Eve and Patrick's mating. tronic creations and live tricks like claws, it can come off before the camera which Steve rather clumsy looking. Whatev- Johnson and his crew did so er enhancements it brings to the well in the first film." creature's imposing stature, it Chris Brancato's script does- also sacrifices from it's graceful n't try to revive Sil from the and deadly elegance. I was in dead. Instead he reinvents the conflict over this approach with half human, half alien creature XFX and I had many animated in the form of Eve. Giger wasn't discussions with Steve over the asked to modify the design from designs. In the end, I believe, the original. "The only correc- XFX won out and got what they tion I suggested was a minor, wanted." anatomical one," said Giger. "If The seeming defeat, howev- new molds were to be made, I er, has not phased Giger. "This hoped that her legs would be is not important," he said. lengthened since they were "What only matters is that the made too short in the first film. audience in the theatre should 30 Lennox (Michael Madsen) confronts the fighting Patrick quadruped, created by XFX from Giger's design. The filmmakers wanted this larger, more threatening monster for the finale, which Giger designed even if he felt the concept wasn't justified by the evolutionary logic of the established story. shoot it with unrestricted cre- pose, everything went accord- quite possibly even better than ativity, due to the way the shot ing to plan." the first," said Giger. "My way had to be framed. Busy with his own artistic of working results in a lot of "I have worked on enough endeavors (such as the soon-to- ideas around a design, not all of films now to realize that noth- open Giger museum), Giger which are used. Concepts which ing may quite satisfy me the picks and chooses his film pro- I did for the first may possibly way the original ALIEN film jects very carefully. "There are be used in SPECIES II, or ideas collaboration did. There, I was a few films that are offered to designed for the second film given the freedom to do every- me," he said, "and of those, may easily find their way into thing myself, from the design there are very few that I would the third. This also happened to the actual physical sculpting. like to work on. Since a film with the ALIEN films. Even in basically would be the male I made myself a prisoner on project takes a year from one's the last one I can see where the adaptation of my original de- that film and, in fact, that is life, even if you really work on Newborn originated, just look at sign for Sil. This was the what is necessary to allow for it for only a few months, at this page #60 in Giger's Alien. Even- Patrick I had envisioned for the the fulfillment of the successful point I need to be very selec- tually, most of my designs get love-making scene which takes evolutionary process known as tive. Above all, it has to be a used, one way or another. I can place when Eve and Patrick fi- creature development and de- script which engages my imagi- only hope that, when it happens, nally merge before Patrick's sign. I must have my hand on nation and also a topic which I it is under my guidance so I full-blown horror transforma- the creature from the beginning could bring new ideas to. The could supervise the interpreta- tion. I had advised from the to the end or have a top sculptor human drama in a story is as tion and the quality of the exe- start that this transparent Patrick or fabricator to work with me in important to me as the crea- cution. It seems logical to me creature be built as a full pup- the atelier in Zurich. Although tures. I have two stories of my that it would be the best guaran- pet. From what I had been told, filmmaking is, ultimately, a own which I am working on. tee for everyone." unfortunately, it has been real- compromise between many THE CROSS AND THE ized only from the waist up. creative sensibilities, it is ad- BLADE is a dramatic film idea Director Peter Medak rehearses Eve. Medak and Giger hope to Without legs and the possibility visable to start with a strong without any monsters or crea- collaborate again in the future. to show it in it's entirety, Peter hand. It is the nature of dreams tures and THE MYSTERY OF Medak must have been greatly that they are never to be fully SANGOTTARDO is, among limited in his possibilities to realized. In that sense, I sup- other things, quite humorous." Giger's latest book, pub- XFX supervisor Steve Johnson (I) shows Giger an effects torso of Patrick when lished by Taschen, is www. the artist visited the production. Giger worked mostly by fax from Zurich. HRGIGER.com, which is also the address of the film design- er's new website. Noted Giger, "I am very proud of the many internet awards which this web- site has been given and also the work of Thomas Riehn, my WebMaster, who is mostly re- sponsible for its existence. I could not have realized two years ago that it could become such an important means of communication and interaction with my fans." Giger looks forward to the SPECIES series continuing. "I think Peter Medak will make a very good picture for Frank, 31