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36 Behind-the-Scenes Facts About the Two GOOD ‘Alien’ Movies

Sorry, ‘Alien 3’

36 Behind-the-Scenes Facts About the Two GOOD ‘Alien’ Movies

October 09, 2023

No disrespect to legendary director David Fincher, but even he’d agree that his feature film debut, Alien 3, wasn't up to par with the original Alien or James Cameron's sequel Aliens. It’s not as if he’s alone either, the entire rest of the series — from Alien: Resurrection to Alien vs. Predator to Ridley Scott’s own controversial prequel series — hasn’t come anywhere close to capturing the magic of a simple haunted house movie in space. Or a big, guns-a-blazin’ action movie, also in space.

And so, here are some of the wildest behind-the-scenes facts about the making of the Alien movies that most audiences would agree are the “good ones”…

36

An unfortunate haircut

Aliens (1986) Colette Hiller, who played Corporal Ferro, was not happy about having to cut her hair. They told me, 'It's okay, look at Jenette!' and I just bawled...I was going to get married shortly afterwards so I made them buy me a long, blonde wig! I don't know what came over me! I never actually wore it. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Filming 'Aliens'

35

Stop motion Alien Queen

Aliens (1986) The Alien Queen was originally going to be stop motion. Due to time constraints, they had to build the biggest marionette in motion picture history using rod puppets, hydraulics, radio controls, and wires. Miniatures of the queen and Ripley in the Power Loader were also used during the big final battle scene. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Filming 'Aliens'

34

William Hope got flak

Aliens (1986) Actor William Hope got a lot of flak for playing Lieutenant Gorman. A friend of mine did two tours in Vietnam, and he was furious. Не saw the movie and said, 'You call yourself a fuckin' Marine?!' But my passion is acting. I couldn't care less about that American obsession with looking good. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Filming 'Aliens'

33

The original Dwayne Hicks

Aliens (1986) James Remar was initially cast as Corporal Dwayne Hicks. At the time, Remar said he had to leave the film due to family matters, but in later years he revealed that he was actually struggling with a drug addiction. Не was fired from the movie after being busted for possession. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Filming 'Aliens'

32

The unscareable Carrie Henn

Aliens (1986) James Cameron tried to scare Newt actress Carrie Henn on set, but couldn't. Henn said that she always knew when it was a fake effect or a rubber chicken or whatever he tried to use to give her a fright, but it was only when she actually saw the movie that she legitimately felt scared. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Filming 'Aliens'

31

Did he choose wisely?

Aliens (1986) Ricco Ross, who played Private Frost, had to choose between Aliens and Full Metal Jacket. Initially, Ross was going to do Full Metal Jacket, but the schedule would overlap Aliens with a week, and Kubrick was notorious for going over schedule. James Cameron let Ross read the script for Aliens (something Kubrick didn't allow for Full Metal Jacket-the actors only got their pages), and it sealed the deal. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Filming 'Aliens'

30

Digger wasps as inspiration

Aliens (1986) James Cameron used the science of the digger wasp to create the Alien Queen. During reproduction, the digger wasp lays its eggs in a paralyzed host that gets eaten alive after the eggs hatch. CRACKED COM — Source: 20 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Filming 'Aliens'

29

The Terminator vs Alien

Aliens (1986) The Terminator script was responsible for James Cameron coming on board. While searching for a writer to do the sequel, development executive Larry Wilson came across Cameron's script, and couldn't put it down. It was electrifying. I put the script on David's (Giler) desk and said, 'This is the guy. GRACKED.COM- — Source: 20 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Filming 'Aliens'

28

The Alien Queen's Voice

Aliens (1986) James Cameron did the voice of the Alien Queen. Cameron - who loves to be involved in every aspect of filmmaking- recorded most of the sounds in the movie in his living room at home. The breathing, hissing, and shrieking of the queen was all him. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Filming 'Aliens'

27

They had to fight for Weaver

Aliens (1986) James Cameron and his then-wife and collaborator Gale Anne Hurd fought to have Sigourney Weaver star in the sequel. Fox studio was reluctant to insist on Weaver returning for the sequel because it could've caused her agent to inflate the asking price. Cameron and Hurd quit, and only came on board again after Fox agreed to cast Weaver. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Filming 'Aliens'

26

Gale Anne Hurd had to deal with some crap

Aliens (1986) The studio didn't believe that Gale Anne Hurd was a real producer. Even though she had worked as a producer (and had also produced The Terminator), Hurd had to ask her industry connections to call Fox and vouch for her. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Filming 'Aliens'

25

The Alien Queen: Origins

Aliens (1986) The Alien Queen was based on one of James Cameron's paintings. The director says he took inspiration from H.R. Giger's work. I took the biomechanoid concept, which was very phallic in the creature created for Alien, and turned it around and tried to make it female. So, I gave her very long, elegant tapering legs and almost a kind of high-heel look, and then she turned into this creature that was hideous and yet somehow beautiful. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Filming 'Aliens'

24

Wierzbowski is still out there somewhere

Aliens (1986) Actor Trevor Steedman turned up for work a day after donating bone marrow to help fight his brother's leukemia. The actor and stuntman's character, Private Wierzbowski, has an entire cult following. Many, including Steedman himself, believed that Wierzbowski wasn't killed and is actually still alive in the Alien universe. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Filming 'Aliens'

23

Aliens mutiny

Aliens (1986) There was almost a mutiny on set. Cameron's assistant director, Derek Cracknell, seemed to think he could do a better directing job than Cameron (who many weren't taking seriously at the time). Cameron would ask him to do a shot, Cracknell would undermine him and do it differently, and it'd end up wrong. When Cameron and Hurd eventually fired Cracknell, he urged the crew to protest. Cameron wanted to move the production out of England, but Hurd convinced him to talk to the crew and get things back on track. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Filming 'Aliens'

22

Space is like Antartica

Aliens (1986) Artist and designer Rob Cobb wanted the colony to resemble the scientific bases in Antarctica. Cobb explained that the open and exposed spread of Hadley's Hope didn't really make sense given the weather on the exomoon, but they decided to choose aesthetics over detailed accuracy. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Filming 'Aliens'

21

Oops.

Aliens (1986) Before James Remar was fired, he accidentally blew a hole in the set of Little Shop of Horrors. The Frank Oz production was filming on a stage adjacent to the Aliens set, and while practicing with a shotgun, Remar caused a bit of damage. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Filming 'Aliens'

20

Bishop vs Alien

Aliens (1986) Bishop was almost scarier than the Alien. Actor Lance Henriksen, who played Bishop, explained: I thought maybe when Bishop got alerted to something, two pupils would appear in his eyes, and I had some contact lenses made up. When Jim saw the dailies he said, 'Jesus, we can't use that. You're more frightening than the Alien!' CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Filming 'Aliens'

19

Cameron wasn't into tea time

Aliens (1986) James Cameron didn't care for his English crew's tea trolley tradition. Twice daily, an old lady would bring the crew their union-mandated tea on set. Cameron saw it as losing time, and would simply grab a camera and go film something on his own, much to the annoyance of the crew. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Filming 'Aliens'

18

The original Sulaco ship

Aliens (1986) The Sulaco ship was originally shaped like a sphere with antennas. ever AKEC The problem was that it had to move past the camera, and the huge sphere wouldn't have worked with the film's aspect ratio, so designer Syd Mead ended up making it a flatter, slab-like shape. GRACKED.COM — Source: 20 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Filming 'Aliens'

17

Al Matthews training

Aliens (1986) AI Matthews, who played Sergeant Apone, helped train the Colony Marines on set. Matthews was a real Vietnam vet with 13 combat awards, making him in charge of training the British and American actors who formed the Marines. The main thing I had to teach those guys was never point a weapon at somebody, and never walk around with your finger on the trigger. We use blanks, but they can do some damage. CRACKED COM — Source: 20 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Filming 'Aliens'

16

Photographs of aliens

Dutch customs officials gave H.R. Giger grief because they thought his artwork for Alien was actual photographs. Where on Earth did they think I could have photographed my subjects? In hell, perhaps? CRACKED.COM — Source: 16 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About 'Alien'

15

H.R. Giger almost didn't get the gig

Ridley Scott had to fight the studio to use the work of surrealist painter H.R. Giger in Alien. Giger, who designed all the aliens in the movie, almost didn't make the cut because the studio thought his work was too obscene. Scott got into a fight with the studio: I said, are you kidding me? Obscene is good! We're doing an R rated movie. I want to make you uncomfortable, apart from the fact that it's scarier than shit. GRACKED COM — Source: 16 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About 'Alien'

14

Yuck

The inside of Ash was made of pasta, caviar, milk, and marbles. It didn't help that lan Holm, who played Ash in Alien, hated milk. GRACKED.COM — Source: 16 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About 'Alien'

13

Harry Dean Stanton vs Alien

Ridley Scott and the producers of Alien had some disagreements about the scene where Harry Dean Stanton's character Brett gets taken out by the Xenomorph. The producers didn't understand why chains would be dangling or why water would be pouring on the ship, but Scott wanted the adidas effects for movement in the scene, and foughtforit. CRACKED.COM — Source: 16 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About 'Alien'

12

How to make a cat hiss

A German Shepherd got Jones the Cat to hiss on the Alien set. Director Ridley Scott flashed a German Shepherd in the cat's sight to get those hissing reactions. CRACKED.COM — Source: 16 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About 'Alien'

11

Getting the rights were a nightmare

Sigorney Weaver came up with the idea to sing You Are My Lucky Star. Ridley Scott said it was a nightmare getting the rights to use the song in the movie. CRACKED.COM — Source: 16 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About 'Alien'

10

Smoky sets

Every set in Alien was filled with a thin layer of smoke to create atmosphere. The smoke was evenly distributed SO as not to be overly obvious. Scott did it because he wanted to capture the mood of H.R. Giger's artwork for the film. CRACKED.COM — Source: 16 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About 'Alien'

9

Facehugger Anatomy

The Facehugger dissection scene in Alien was made with a plastic mold of the creature filled with raw oysters. The tail of the Facehugger was an intestine with air pumped through it. CRACKED.COM — Source: 16 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About 'Alien'

8

Facehuggers Were Almost Green

The Facehugger was originally going to be painted green. When Dan O'Bannon saw the natural-colored tone of the thing on set, he insisted they leave it unpainted. CRACKED.COM — Source: 16 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About 'Alien'

7

What a place to work

Alien actors were often fainting on set. The fake spacesuits got SO hot on set, and the fact that they filmed in summer didn't help either. Actors were passing out so regularly that they got a nurse with an oxygen tank to be on standby. The crew eventually adjusted the costumes. CRACKED.COM — Source: 16 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About 'Alien'

6

Ripley & Xenomorph Shipping

There was almost a sexual scene in Alien between Ripley and the Xenomorph. In the scene - that wasn't filmed because they ran out of time-the alien would've examined Ripley's body in a quasi-sex scene and compare it to its own body. CRACKED.COM — Source: 16 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About 'Alien'

5

Alien's Influences

When Ridley Scott pitched to direct Alien, he referenced a lot of cult classics. Не wanted it to be the most straight-forward, unpretentious, riveting thriller like Psycho or Rosemary's Baby or even the most brilliant B-level like Night of the Living Dead or Texas Chainsaw Massacre, butl want it to look, and I'm going to do this, like 2001. CRACKED.COM — Source: 16 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About 'Alien'

4

The Nostromo's Set

The Nostromo was a self-contained set. The Alien actors couldn't get out of the ship except to walk all the way through it, adding to the feeling of them being trapped and making it more realistic. GRACKED.COM — Source: 16 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About 'Alien'

3

Roger Daltrey's Lighting

Roger Daltrey from The Who helped with the lightning. The singer and his crew were experimenting with laser beams pretty close to the studio where Alien was filmed, SO Ridley Scott borrowed their equipment to create the electric blue lighting in the resting place of the facehuggers. CRACKED.COM — Source: 16 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About 'Alien'

2

Alien

Ridley Scott was fifth in line to direct Alien. Scott was about to start working on Tristan and Isolde, but after seeing George Lucas's Star Wars, he felt he needed to do something different. Then the script of Alienlanded on his table. CRACKED.COM — Source: 16 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About 'Alien'

1

The Real Alien Poison

John Hurt and Veronica Cartwright thought they were being poisoned when their Alien spacesuits malfunctioned. While filming the exterior shots of the planetoid, the tubes on their suits broke, causing an aerosol leak into their helmets. CRACKED.COM — Source: 16 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About 'Alien'

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