(TCF,1979) Arguably the most important creature suit of modern day science fiction and horror films is the Alien Creature Suit, designed and created by Swiss Surrealist H.R. Giger. Giger, a famous world class artist, was chosen by the film’s director, Sir Ridley Scott, to sculpt, construct and airbrush the Alien suits, after Scott came across an airbrush painting of Giger’s depicting an Alien life-form. Giger’s creation was to become one of the most iconic creatures to ever appear on the silver screen. The film, shot nearly 30 years ago, became one of the most influential science-fiction films of all time, side by side with Blade Runner (another Ridley Scott classic), Kubrick’s 2001 and George Lucas’ Star Wars saga.

While the work of famous artists often serves as inspiration for the look of a film, rarely are they involved in the actual making of them (one exception being Salvador Dali working with Alfred Hitchcock on Spellbound). On Alien, not only did H.R. Giger design and create the creature itself, he also created the entire look of the film, which forever changed the landscape of science-fiction, and garnered him an Academy Award for his vision. Combining innovative design elements with the casting of an enormously tall and slender actor, the film is credited for featuring the first creature-suit to deviate so far from the human form that the illusion of an actual creature (as opposed to the obvious “man in a rubber suit”) was accomplished to a frightening degree –even more so than the Creature from the Black Lagoon”. The Alien Creature Suit is by far Giger’s most famous design and sculpture, which to date continues to inspire designers, story-tellers and filmmakers. The suit itself is constructed primarily of latex, reinforced with gauze. It has been mounted on a custom, pose-able mannequin in an “attack” pose and has been strengthened on the inside to assure longevity. The creature is positioned on a custom light-box display stand, which allows the flooring to be illuminated from beneath for a dramatic effect. The head, derived from the original production molds, features the fatal inner “tongue”, as well as the transparent dome, covering the eye-less skull underneath. While the suit itself was most likely used in various scenes throughout the film (Alien was produced on a very modest budget), it was certainly used in the final confrontation in which Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) shoots the Creature out of her Escape ship with a harpoon gun (also offered in this auction). The harpoon arrow is still attached to the creature’s back, identifying the suit as the one used in this very scene, the only scene, in fact, in which the creature is clearly visible. This amazing costume is one of the most significant pieces of original science-fiction production artifacts to ever be offered at public auction. Considering H.R. Giger’s standing in the art world, this museum-quality artifact may be the only creation in history that is equally valuable as the ultimate movie prop, as well as an important, three-dimensional piece of fine art.

Estimate $100,000 – $120,000