The design of the XENO. The true creator.

@Pulse; I'm not entirely sure what you're asking here? Stan Winston had zero input into the original design of the alien.

Before Giger was brought on-board, there were many attempts by different artists to create the monsters, which all looked ridiculous.

It was Dan O Bannon who had a copy of Giger's Necronomicon which he showed to Ridley, as they were struggling to create a terrifying monster.

Ridley found the images very disturbing, but beautiful. He eventually came across the painting Necronom number 4 which he instantly knew was going to be the Alien he wanted. It was Giger whome had the idea to re-design it without eyes, as he felt it would be even more terrifying.

Let's face it, without Giger, ALIEN wouldn't have been the success it was!

I'm looking for an opinion on who you think had the greatest influence on the overall design of the alien. Not just the visual aspect, all the other attributes as well eg acid for blood, life cycle etc. I realize that it was closely base on the necromom painting, but it's not the only aspect of the xeno that makes it unique. Dan O'bannon incorperated  the idea of the facehugger laying the egg in the chest and then the following chest bust. I'm not totally sure if it was his idea but it worked very well.

I guess in those regards the idea of the alien creature as a whole was not just H R Giger. I was wrong about Stan Winston having an influence in the design of the alien in the first movie, but he did work on the design in the second movie, aliens. But I'm sure that it was Ridley who guessed the removal of the eyes.

Oh, i see what you mean now.

In that case, it's a difficult question to answer. For me, there are 2 fundamental elements that make the alien so unique and terrifying:

1) Giger created the aesthetic which is original, believable and very "Alien."

2) It was Ron Shusset who gave Dan o Bannon the idea of the alien's horrifying method of reproduction.

So, for me, it would be Giger and Ron Shusset.

Ridley also played a massive part in making the alien something that scared the bejesus out of people and showing something that had never before been seen; in the way it stalks its victims from the shadows and picks them off one by one, not revealing it fully until the final act.

Indeed, Stan Winston worked on the creatures for the second film ALIENS, but he didn't have very much to do because the aesthetic of the alien had already been created. All they did to the alien, in the second film, was to remove its carapace to reveal a more detailed cranium. 

He and Cameron designed the queen, but again, alot of the aesthetic was already there from Giger's work, so there wouldn't have been much imagination required for that one. They just basically ripped off something that a great artist had already created and reworked it slightly. That's the way i see it.

There's no doubting that Dan O'Bannon, Ron Shussett and Ridley Scott were all influential. Also, lets not forget Carlo Rimbaldi who made the head mechanism!

But if I have to choose one creator, as you ask, then it has to be Giger! Without him there never would have been the ALIEN as we know it. Not only was the final creature based on his concept, but he also sculpted/built the suit, which was key to having it turn out well!

Ron Cobb and Dan O'Bannon both had whimsical attempts at designing the creature, before Giger came on board. As Necro said above, it was O'Bannon showing Giger's work to Scott that brought Giger onto the project, and no one else could have so successfully transformed his paintings into the final form.

Giger gave the Alien life! 

I'd like to weigh in and say that drugs most likely played their part as well. 

One need only glance at any of Giger's other beautiful aboninations to know that He is it's creator. It's a penis monster, for God's sake! You guys see that, right? Every part of the Alien and it's reproductive cycle is pure sex As well. (Rape-y sex, but sex nonetheless.) 

If you came across it you're pretty much f@#ked wether you like it or not.

The genius of Giger wasnt just his design of the Alien... It was his design of the whole LV426 planet surface, the Derilict Space Craft, The Jockey and the egg chamber. Without these amazing images and themes Alien would just have been another BMovie.... Giger is unique. His amazing horrific yet beautiful airbrushed designs pre date the movie Alien. Ridley was shown the work of Giger during pre production and he realised that Giger's work was totally unique and used it and him for the Movie (thank God). Every subsequent movie has degenerated the original Xenomorph (in my book) and has simply simplified its true magnificence. From James Cameron removing the Aliens beautiful semi opaque cowl to the sad veloceraptor Aliens in resurection. There is only one true Alien and it is truly that.... Alien. Beautiful and Scary as Fuck. Giger deserves more respect and money. His designs for Alien 3 were ripped off and he was used in Prometheus and I fear watered down.

Other than the Alien Queen, which I believe Giger quite like Im sure he would now be rather depressed by what has become of his amazing creation.

Giger's work is totally amazing . His contribution to the alien movies is fantastic. Combined with a excellent script, the creature's life cycle and acid for blood. All these are unique characteristics not found before in earlier films and nothing as compelling has been done since.

I would credit Giger with the greatest influence. But I think that there are other characteristic that made up the creature that were not done by Giger. Ron Shusset, Dan O'Bannon and Ridley Scott all made contributions that made the creature compelling as it was.

I definitely think Giger could be said to have the most responisbility in creating the alien we all know and lvoe, but not one person should get all the credit of course. Evryone who helped with its on screen depiction deserves credit for creating something so fantastic, mysterious, scary, and beautiful at the same time thats beauty will last ages. haha whoa I really like the Alien today 

There was a number of people who gave us the Alien we all know and love, but indeed yes it would have to be Giger who gave us the look of the creature based off his Necronom IV work, but the Aliens final design was more like Necronom V or was it VI

This artwork had the more Xeno look that he then went on to produce a number of drawings etc based off this image and Necronomicon 4. The first of these designs especially made for Alien did have eyes they was more like Typical Grey Alien Eyes.

Here is the first design for Alien

His 2nd which is just side view of the 1st

His 3rd concept work is more of the Alien look

Here is the same design from the side

However it would seem that O'Bannon may had liked his work but first tried to take some inspiration from it maybe with his own design. Or could he had drawn this before he saw Gigers work?

This looks very similar to the design of the Fresco Prometheus Creature, well a little lol

So i think Giger gave us the creatures design that was very unique nothing had looked like this before.  While Shussett  gave us the creatures reproductive cycle which has many unique elements and i feel Gigers work gave us the beauty that was the Alien but it was with Shussett's ideas of how the creature reproduced that married with Gigers design to give a truly unique Alien Monster.

Giger also has to take a lot of credit for the designs of other elements from the Derelict to its Pilot the Space Jockey and also the Eggs, Face Hugger and every other visual note we get to see in Alien that the Franchise then expanded upon.

Great work Big Dave... having said that being credited doesn't mean $..... I think Giger would be disapointed in some aspects of Prometheus.....

Who came up with the acid for blood idea?

@Pulserifle; It was Dan O Bannon and Ron Shusset.

@Pulserifle; You will find most of the answers you seek about ALIEN, in the documentary;

The Beast Within!

You've probably seen it, but i've provided a link to it just incase you haven't.

Thank you Necromom. I'll have to have a look.