Best pic of an Alien

[Local Trouble]

Neat pics.  I wish they explained how the alien was suspending itself in midair without the use of its hands, feet or tail though.

[Corporal Hicks]

Magnets. It always comes down to magnets.

[SiL]

Pretty sure you can see it holding his head with its hands. Originally it was to crush his skull with its hands (like in Blade Runner) but they changed it for the finished film.

I see that a lot, but nothing to support it other than early cuts of the scene not having the effects shots included. Which isn't surprising since it's a, y'know, effect shot. Close-ups like that are typically filmed separately at completely different dates, often after principal photography, so rough cuts wouldn't include them. I've never seen anyone say that the Alien was meant to crush his head (on top of that, the Illustrated Story has the headbite, and that's based on earlier versions of the film.)

[Elmazalman]

Pretty sure you can see it holding his head with its hands. Originally it was to crush his skull with its hands (like in Blade Runner) but they changed it for the finished film.

I see that a lot, but nothing to support it other than early cuts of the scene not having the effects shots included. Which isn't surprising since it's a, y'know, effect shot. Close-ups like that are typically filmed separately at completely different dates, often after principal photography, so rough cuts wouldn't include them. I've never seen anyone say that the Alien was meant to crush his head (on top of that, the Illustrated Story has the headbite, and that's based on earlier versions of the film.)

SPACE WARS COLLECTOR'S EDITION March 1980.
ALIEN:WHAT WAS CUT
A detailed article on the scenes cut from ALIEN by Mark Mathews:
'Not all the changes came about just in the script.The final cut of the film dropped several terrifying scenes.Walt Simonson who saw the rough cut of the movie before he drew the illustrated story for "HEAVY METAL BOOKS" told us in an interview about several blood-curdling scenes that were axed.When Brett first stumbled into the adult alien,he was shocked at it's size.The adult alien has a mesmerising effect on it's prey,like a snake hypnotising it's meal.The alien slowly moved towards the paralysed Brett.It's long tail slithered between Brett's legs and up behind the human.On the end of the tail was a spike,which it drove into Brett's back.At the same time it's talons reached out and grabbed Brett's head,squeezing it open with its strength.The tongue expanded from it's mouth and then slammed into Brett's face.(Just telling the story is enough to give one the creeps;it may have been a scene that was just too horrifying to watch.But what fun!)"

[Vertigo]

You can see blood running down the alien's hands and spurting from Brett's mouth in the cut footage; if I remember rightly you can see his face during that shot and it's distinctly unheadbitten. That doesn't necessarily preclude it happening afterwards (as Elmaz indicates), but there is definitely crushing going on.

[SiL]

They couldn't exactly pop Harry Dan Stanton's head on set. They had the blood effect and added the close-up later.

[Elmazalman]

They couldn't exactly pop Harry Dan Stanton's head on set. They had the blood effect and added the close-up later.

The head crush was done on set with the Alien.HDS had tubes fed through his hair and underneath his cap for the effect.

[SiL]

EDIT

Fully read the description up above. It was originally edited as head crush then bite, not just bite. Got'cha.

[xeno_alpha_07]

SPACE WARS COLLECTOR'S EDITION March 1980.
ALIEN:WHAT WAS CUT
A detailed article on the scenes cut from ALIEN by Mark Mathews:
'Not all the changes came about just in the script.The final cut of the film dropped several terrifying scenes.Walt Simonson who saw the rough cut of the movie before he drew the illustrated story for "HEAVY METAL BOOKS" told us in an interview about several blood-curdling scenes that were axed.When Brett first stumbled into the adult alien,he was shocked at it's size.The adult alien has a mesmerising effect on it's prey,like a snake hypnotising it's meal.The alien slowly moved towards the paralysed Brett.It's long tail slithered between Brett's legs and up behind the human.On the end of the tail was a spike,which it drove into Brett's back.At the same time it's talons reached out and grabbed Brett's head,squeezing it open with its strength.The tongue expanded from it's mouth and then slammed into Brett's face.(Just telling the story is enough to give one the creeps;it may have been a scene that was just too horrifying to watch.But what fun!)"

Cool, bought this magazine not to long ago on eBay.  Not had the chance to read it yet though so will have to check it out soon as. Brett's graphic death scene has always fascinated me and I to was hoping to see it in the 2003 directors cut and was very disappointed it wasn't.

They couldn't exactly pop Harry Dan Stanton's head on set. They had the blood effect and added the close-up later.

Here's a quote from Nick Allder from the Alien Special Effects book:

"Ridley brought me onto the stage and said: 'I want Brett to get it now, but I just don't want the creature to dart out and menace him to start with.  I'd rather have it reach out and sort of caress his head -- almost kind of inquisitive at first.  Then you see it squeeze up, and blood starts running down Brett's face, and  it cracks his head open.'  So we ended up doing it almost on the spur of the moment.  We ran blood tubes up into Harry Dean Stanton's cap and through his hair.  Then, when the alien started squeezing, we started pumping, and the blood ran out and down his face."

Originally the Alien was just going to swoop down and quickly snatch Brett up but Ridley had other ideas.  As scary as the scene is as cut I feel the original scene makes it more terrifying.

[SiL]

Thank you muchly.

[Bughunter S. Thomson]

I had this full door sized poster on my bedroom door when I was about 12 and I used to lose so much sleep looking at it to check it hadn't come closer.

I only found out there was an alternate shot version when I bought the Alien Archives book:



I think I prefer the one I had. The other looks like it has dropped it's keys.

[Kaltes]

I really like the first image, never seen it before.

[Perfect-Organism]

Dark Horse was selling those posters when their Aliens comics came out.  You could order them from the back of the Mark A. Nelson / Mark Verheiden comics.

[Vermillion]

I had those posters. Bought them in 1990 from Granada Studios in Manchester.

[426Buddy]