Adam Savage Meets Original Alien Facehugger Prop!

[@tested]

Propstore's Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction: Los Angeles Summer 2024 propstoreauction.com/auctions/catalog/id/397

[@BabyJesus66]

Propstore is a dump.

[@MarkH0865]

Does that mean we have JOHN HURTS DNA ? "We have the power to rebuild him!"

[@aserta]

This is the same prop used in all the scenes in the medical suite. It has shrunk by a considerable amount, but several casting defects are visible and present on both. Like a small "nick" in the bottom most digitalis right above the intermediate phalanges. In the tail, on the 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5th sections (counting from the base) there's creases that are also present in both the props. They're likely there because of the folding of the prop. So this is without shadow of a doubt, the screen used prop, just smaller and less goopy - which hides a lot of detail. And the coffin nail is the casting defect in the right pouch, at the base. It's equally present on both - tho accentuated by age in the prop (now).

[@earlleary]

​@BabyJesus66 Why do you say this ? Not disputing you , I have never used them before.

[@jpdemer5]

@@earlleary Troll. Ignore.

[@Cimlite]

The knuckles on the fingers is what makes it so terrifying for me. No idea why, but that original design nailed it. Giger was a horror genius!

[@meldroc]

I noticed each of the fingers has a human-like fingernail on the end!

[@boblowes]

It's the long fingernails for me. Such a subtle element, but absolutely horrible. Love it.

[@UnboxerofWorlds]

When I was a child I saw an original facehugger from Aliens at a prop shop in Florida. I will always remember the fingernails.

[@LiamDilley]

Well, its part Human. The idea of an Alien is that it takes on the characteristics of its host. If a Human based queen grows in a human, the face huggers and aliens from that inherit the human DNA. So hands and fingernails - Human traits.

[@brolohalflemming7042]

@@LiamDilley That doesn't really work for the Alien face hugger given the Nostromo crew were the first humans to encounter the aliens. So any characteristics would presumably have been taken from the space jockeys species. But I think it's like the OP says and it's the genius of Giger to create the perfect monster. The later movies did try to add the idea of inheritence, but why try to fix something that isn't broken? So maybe the queens did take traits from other species, but discarded them because the original alien was horror perfection.

[@trolleyfan]

I saw "Alien" when it came out at the Egyptian Theater. They had set up a bunch of props and set pieces from the movie out in the front entrance so that people standing in line would have something to look at (the line went right through the Nostromo computer room, for example) and what was interesting is that all the people going *in* to the movie would walk over to look at the alien eggs they had there...and all the people coming *out* of the movie would take a wide berth *around* those eggs.

[@Asset1968]

Did they have the Space Jockey?

[@trolleyfan]

@@Asset1968 I think so...but I'm using 45 year-old memories here.

[@Fiorwestcoast]

And Christians set it all on fire because they claimed it was satanic

[@juanelevin1114]

I was there that same night and yes, they had the space jockey set up but some knucklehead held a bic lighter to it and since it was styrofoam covered in lacquer it went up like a Roman candle in a couple of minutes.

[@Asset1968]

@@juanelevin1114 standing next to it, did it seem smaller in person?

[@blackdog6969]

I knew a fair bit about the facehugger design but had no idea they actually had fingernails. Honestly that makes them 10x more horrifying

[@philmcclenaghan7056]

Really? That's the first thing anyone learns about the design. It's the first thing that comes up when you google to buy a model "do you want the 1st movie model or the 2nd with the long fingernails?".

[@mikekram2199]

Well you didn't know that much about it then. It's in Gingers original design drawings.

[@EricMaulson]

Same!!

[@markusseppala6547]

Was just about to comment the same

[@Thomas_Esson]

@@philmcclenaghan7056 No need to be judgmental about it. I'm quite sure there are things you're not aware of, and things I'm not aware of, that others would find surprising, but responding with incredulity is rarely constructive.

[@Eremon1]

That Facehugger should be scanned and x-rayed to preserve and understand the mechanical design. All too often props don't get the love they deserve. Cheers.

[@l-l]

100%. I'm worried this will just get locked away in some rich persons house and degrade over time. Never shown to the public.

[@BabyJesus66]

​@@l-lof course it will. That's what happens with all the stuff sold at propstore. They have the most overpriced stuff imaginable and a 30% buyers fee to go along with it. Only people with more money than brains buy from them.

[@BertieJasokie]

Yes. But it's probably better being taken care of by an enthusiast rather than risking losing it at a museum because of any amount of reasons. Valuable spinosaurus fossils were lost due to bombing during WW2 and ISIS destroyed ancient statues and irreplaceable artifacts. All of those would have been safer stored and locked away in a safe room where no one knows it exists.

[@cyrusq5999]

We’ll always have the film (in 4K) and the BTS footage of the props to study.

[@debbylou5729]

😂😂😂😂 why? There are design plans and materials listings, endless photos etc. 😅😅 X rays?

[@Behinddarkness86]

My favorite facehugger factoid is that originally it was going to be painted green. Dan O Bannon and Ridley Scott went to where H. R. Giger was building the props and he had just finished the facehugger prop and they realized that it looked far more disturbing with just the latex color which looked pale and fleshy so they opted not to paint it.

[@ZeroRyoko]

There was a book/comic shop near where i lived as a kid, they had a Facehugger sat on top of an Alien egg, with a sign, "Quiet, Facehugger Sleeping" :D

[@LyingTube]

That's so adorable in a horrific way

[@bitbreaker_creator]

@@LyingTube i'd prefer a pet headcrab ngl

[@toyoprev]

​@@bitbreaker_creatormake sure it's debeaked

[@Ozzianman]

​@@toyoprev completely harmless!

[@baldofraggins5948]

As iconic movie props go that Alien face hugger is God Tier.

[@quasistellar]

It's absolutely horrifying. I love it! XD

[@jamesday1295]

The facehugger, chestburster + suit would be the holy trinity 🙌

[@pineapplesand556ers]

It’s up there with the Back to the Future Delorean, the Ruby Red Slippers, and R2-D2.

[@1SaG]

Almost 50 years old ... And the weirdest bit, for me, is that both the original Alien and Aliens are still "fresh". I just re-watched the 1979-movie last night on BRD and it still doesn't feel like a hopelessly dated, typical 1970s sci-fi flick to me.

[@christopherhawkins1770]

It's the same for me with the og Star Wars trilogy. They don't look dated because of their unique and excellent production design

[@nickhutchinson9068]

It's perfect

[@JF-lt5zc]

Not that there is anything wrong with a hopelessly dated, typical 19702 sci-fi flick. :)

[@ChronicBreakdown]

You shoud definitely build a facehugger Adam.

[@LyingTube]

I think when Adam walks the convention floor, the build quality of his costumes is what generally gives him away, but maybe having his entire face obscured by a facehugger would buy him some time 😆

[@ericthecyclist]

radio controlled facehugger that can run across a floor and jump upwards!

[@cyanyde4950]

@@LyingTube he already did a facehugger cosplay and was STILL immediately recognized. but he did do a great job creating it looked almost like it came right out the film.

[@jostauff]

I always thought it would be cool to get a face hugger attachment for my CPAP mask.

[@6Sally5]

Hilariously horrific!

[@marksieber8140]

They're available!

[@jaredsynn9490]

My proudest moment in life is still when I actually made a facehugger CPAP cover and Adam Savage posted about it on his Facebook page. Life can only be downhill from there LOL

[@Merennulli]

@@jaredsynn9490 The only thing you can do to top it is make a really good chestburster gimmick and then go talk to your doctor about chest pains. 😂

[@debbylou5729]

Genius. Wear it when you answer the door on Halloween! Too much?

[@NewMessage]

The display is subtle genius.

[@ThumpertTheFascistCottontail]

what might be cool is to have it mounted on a transparent head so you can see the internal mechanism

[@Aeidotronics]

Excellent. Knuckle ligaments should've stayed on the later designs.

[@elissitdesign]

I agree!!!

[@ocelotsly5521]

I backflipped into a swimming pool as a bet to get into this film at the age of 12. My Mum had to take me due to the film rating. Thanks, Mum.

[@SIenderplier]

What a spectacular coincidence and timing, I had just finished watching the three hour documentary "The Beast Within: The Making of Alien"!

[@captainviggo4575]

This kind of props, I can't help but think "it belongs in a museum" instead of being sold to private collectors. That said, PropStore auctions are good opportunities to document these objects, and they do that very well.

[@YamiYugi95]

Hell yes. I don't see a logical reason to sell them. Definitely belongs in a Museum

[@OutsiderLabs]

@@YamiYugi95 The logical reason is money

[@SnzyBat]

My blood boiled the moment I heard that smug jackass say it was being sold at an auction. It made me even angrier considering the original creator of the prop managed to keep it with him after all these years. Whoever inherited his collection has absolutely no idea how much invaluable history this prop has, and I bet they couldn't wait to get their greedy hands on it to sell it, just like Weyland Yutani with the Alien.

[@IonOtter]

For those of you who notice the fingernails, it's a brilliant touch that makes our skin crawl? But they have a practical purpose: Fingernails provide primates with a solid grip! Having fingernails on top of our fingertips prevents the flesh from squishing outward and back around the tip of the bone. It's a structural reinforcement that focuses applied force to the print of the finger. It's also worth noting again, that fingernails are a uniquely primate feature. Lots of other critters have fingers and _claws,_ but only the primates have fingernails. So the presence of fingernails on the facehugger is conscious and deliberate act by the artists to suggest the engineered nature of the monster.

[@steelsunpi]

And elephants.

[@ct5625]

It is kind of strange that the Alien franchise circled back to Giger's intent (engineered species) and I wonder if it was purely accidental, because there clearly was never a plan to make so many movies. Alien was intended to be a stand-alone film, there wasn't a series of novels to work from or several scripts to continue the story. Giger was no doubt influenced by human/alien/machine hybrids, it's prolific throughout his work. But, they couldn't have known how the franchise would grow past Alien, so it's kind of odd that he included that detail to suggest a human or engineered connection.

[@cezar211091]

Many other animals have nail like protrusions.

[@lactobacillusprime]

Don’t comment often, been watching a long time. Alien - the face hugger, that movie tick so many of the boxes making it an absolute classic! So much appreciate all the videos on so many eclectic topics and sharing the fascination and enthusiasm. Kudos! Greetings from the Netherlands.

[@DeathStalker]

Crossing my fingers that Adam gets to look at the Alien Romulus props

[@UtterNonsenseBuilds]

"Ball Sacky" lol

[@druciferDMA]

the true technical terminology.

[@elcorado83]

Well its not meant to be funny because the designer deliberately put sexual organs into its design.

[@Befuddled_Ostrich]

@@elcorado83 It can be both intentional and humorous.

[@bubblesculptor]

It's an industry term

[@blackcatgraphics1483]

Scrotum-esque

[@justonsvoid]

Chucky with an axe and the Jason mask… just lurking in the background

[@lepterfirefall]

Apparently the chunky doll isn't an actual screen used one in that form. The outfit is but the doll parts are not. The original designer confirmed it. Not good on propstore, especially considering the estimated price of 50,000 to 100,000.

[@MBG.426]

The person above doesn’t know what they are speaking on lol.

[@educostanzo]

That's why practical effects are so amazing, this is really a piece of art as much as the film is. Almost 50 years, wow

[@curseyoujordanshow]

I love all the movies in the franchise, but the original Alien is maybe among the top 10 best films ever made.

[@ct5625]

I could never choose between the first two. They hold equal standing in my mind. They're so different from each other in style. Alien was absolutely influenced by the pacing and visuals of 2001, while Aliens was absolutely influenced by the sci-fi action era of the 80s, with Terminator being a perfect example for comparison.

[@PhilipMReeder]

*I'm literally making a 2 hour movie version of ALIEN: ISOLATION. The first 45 minutes are "in the can". This was very timely and inspirational!*

[@waithereivegonetogethelp3240]

can't believe I've never noticed that the fingers actually have nails!

[@TheCookingRat]

Imagine it’s like the hand from the Addams family but with long nails and sacks on the side. Running like a spider

[@j.w.r3730]

H.R.Giger brought something into the world so impressively stunning. The first time I saw the movie when it came out,just,wow. I thought and still do think the zenomorph,the hugger, and the pilot are the standards for the most visually arresting and yet beautiful scifi creations.

[@jlandbridell2337]

I truly enjoy these prop talks, from history, build process, and materials. Thank you for taking the time to put this one and countless others together. Thank you to tested and the prop store.

[@jklew9486]

"They made hundreds" "ok dozens" "they certainly made some" insane response XD

[@OutsiderLabs]

Dude is trying to keep the resale value on that prop inflated

[@TheCloneLord]

You know Adam is bidding on that facehugger 😂🤘

[@savage1469]

And Sean Clark 😂

[@thehorriblebright]

Isn't he more likely to build one?

[@shubinternet]

@7:27 - Adam goes to puts his hands near the original face hugger, and then realizes while he’s talking that maybe his hands are now too close to it, and pulls them back from the priceless prop.

[@UmbrellaGent]

The CinemaTyler channel just released a very detailed video about the behind-the-scenes of the facehugger. The best filmmaking documentaries on KZbin, as far as I'm concerned.

[@Rubrickety]

These two gentlemen have such wonderful rapport.

[@gamera1962]

I was 17 when it came out. It was beyond anything I could have imagined. There was nothing in film history to that point to compare it to.

[@KBABZ]

I liked the little bit where they talked about building the stand, that was neat!

[@NotMorganFreeman.]

I feel like it deserves a better display than a blank head and two pieces of wood.

[@KBABZ]

@@NotMorganFreeman. Well the point is to display the prop itself for a sale, not have a realistic replica of John Hurt's head for it to be wrapped around, which would distract from the item itself and possibly confuse buyers as to what's being sold.

[@NotMorganFreeman.]

@@KBABZ Yeah i get that. I didn't expect a mock up of John Hurt's head. I just expected it to be a little more prestigious.

[@TK-mj9rd]

Thanks for another great video Adam, you did a wonderful job moderating the Silo Panel last week! It was my favorite panel of the entire Con.

[@forton615]

5:50 Adam: They made hundreds of these face huggers! Brandon (sees item value go down by 99%): Eh, I don't know....

[@Huesos138]

The change in design from the original facehugger to the ones in Aliens is symbolic of the change in tone and quality.

[@pumpkinhold]

The first one was eminently believable, for many reasons. One was that it's finger, lung, & tail movements on Hurt's face looked 100% convincing. The second was that it's somehow familiar - like something which could have come out of the deep ocean for real. The fingers on the second edition are just not as scary.

[@Billionth_Kevin]

Love the design of the first one, looks like the fingers are almost coming out of the body and those little bits crossing over like little fingers themselves. Peak gross beauty!

[@rahim5217]

Didn't see Propstore at SDCC this year. I always enjoy visiting their booth. Hopefully, they'll be back next year.

[@hutzdani87]

The difference in the original and the Aliens version shows how much of a bossy bad ass Geiger was ! The Aliens one looks like Floor pizza on a Saturday night . .. . .

[@jemma8925]

I never knew those were full on humanoid fingers with nails. Even more terifying

[@Tigerpaw4000]

Wow...amazing props from two of my all time favorite movies. Great presentation for the Alien prop, where form and function unite...yes, free hugs...and kisses too. ;)

[@racingandmusicmylife]

The fingernails along with the knuckles, never noticed how human like they were. Awesome to see up close

[@YamiYugi95]

I think they should have the Alien-props in a Museum, not selling them, the chance that the props will survive is very small. Especially since the one wrapped around the head is almost 50 years old.

[@JolynBowler]

Alien is the most horrifying film I've ever experienced. The Face Hugger ... chilling! 💙🌻💙

[@ForsakenIdol]

Why did I open this video when I'm just about to go to bed

[@AcroRay]

That ALIEN Facehugger is absolutely incredible, and so incredibly preserved. Still so chilling to see those details. Ugh! Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this with us all!!!!

[@TacDyne]

We were all 13 and 14 when it first came out and saw it in the theater. I was obsessed for many years. :)

[@Wagoo]

It makes me nervous them gesticulating wildly so close to it. Should be in a glass case after 3D scanning. Glorious prop from one of the best films ever!

[@TheStorm357]

I was eight when my mom took me to see it in the theater. Didn't sleep well for months. What a cool opportunity to get to see those. Awesome vid.

[@CaptainBadNews]

Saw a face hugger prop for sale at a movie memorabilia shop in MGM studios in FL. It was the first time I noticed the appendages were long fingers with ding nails on the ends! It added so much more ick to the movie I watched dozens of times as a kid but never noticed that detail until I saw the actual prop. I was hooked on everything that went into making movies from then on!

[@jenkem4464]

I love how that's aged. Looks like a mummified alien creature. I never noticed the super creepy fingernails!! Those close up shots also really sell it even more with all that subsurface scattering under the top layer.

[@jamesmeredith1694]

Just watched the original alien movie not few nights ago and just noticed all of the amazing props great stuff!

[@craigamore2319]

Adam constantly touching his face with those gloves, then touching the piece is driving me nuts. The gloves are there for a reason, man. Come on, Adam!

[@Ibaneddie76]

Incredible, by far one of the most important horror sci-fi props and still in great condition!

[@AngeloneCarotto]

It's a piece of movie history. I hope it's preserved for a long time. Also, those two better watch out, just in case 😮.❤❤ this movie.

[@nobuzzlitebeer7258]

"Ballsackie" lol

[@shanenonwolfe4109]

Hopefully these get preserved for long time

[@Simbabbad]

Amazing to see that even in this state, this thing still scares me. The original film is still so ahead of the sequels.

[@SkidsMcMarks]

PropStore is great, drove down to their place near LA to drop off 2 original Pumpkin Bombs from the first Spiderman movie to be sold in this auction. They were really sweet and I saw some cool stuff hanging out in their lobby.

[@jimboscustoms]

One of the most iconic and horrifying creatures in horror history. thank you for sharing this great video as always 👍

[@bigsarge2085]

Awesome! My chest hurts. . .

[@billgaudette5524]

I convinced my mother to bring me to see Alien when it came around to our town. I had already read *Alien: The Illustrated Story* at the local comic shop and really wanted to check it out. During the show, the film kept getting stuck and melting...usually at the points of most tension. My mother was NOT happy, and could only repeat under her breath, "why did I say yes to this!?" LOL...love you Mom, I still appreciate your sacrifice :)

[@lhei_tayuun]

I can't... I can't stress this enough. Whoever might be reading this, whenever you might be reading it, If you ever get the opportunity to see Alien on the big screen, *do it.* Doesn't matter if you can recite the movie from memory, it's worth it and, for me at least, a completely difference experience which only grew my appreciation for the film. Also, jfc, the existence of those fingernails is upsetting.

[@ryanbarker5217]

the way adam flails around so close to fragile props stresses me out a little

[@PaulMcElligott]

CinemaTyler has an ongoing documentary series on making Alien. He had a segment on the design on the Face Hugger about a month ago and followed it up with a segment about the Chest Burster just a couple days ago.

[@riparianlife97701]

It looks like it's cooked perfectly. I'm hungry now.

[@Xaz-h5b]

The first face hugger prop looked way cleaner in the first Alien movie than it does today. It is interesting that the face hugger prop that was in the second movie, Aliens, still to this very year still looks just as clean as the first face hugger prop did in the first movie, Alien.

[@harnois75]

I love the fact that in the ALIEN production photos on set you can see that the 'ball sacs' are half filled with water to make them hang more convincingly.

[@RataStuey]

I saw Alien Romulus in the cinema this week and I have to say I really liked that film. It felt so immersive, so real and I LOVE how they used to many practical effects in it. Highly recommend (and this is from someone who saw the trailer and was BEYOND cynical about the new film). Totally worth seeing on the big screen my dudes

[@volttherobot]

Didn't realize the two were SO different. Have a Halcyon Aliens Facehugger model hanging on the wall of our Makerspace. Good stuff!

[@animateangus]

Nice to hear the late Roger Dicken get credited here. One of the special effects legends. Love his work on the Kevin Connor / Doug McClure fantasy movies of the 70’s.

[@chrishousley2577]

I was wondering if that was one of Henry Alvarez's creations.

[@MrCarpen7er]

Nothing, or no Alien movie beats the props from the first movie that were so organic and realistic.

[@Korina42]

Thanks for the reminder; I have some flesh-colored yarn and some crochet facehugger patterns. I'll get on it.

[@Paul_Davies77]

Lovely display stand, just wish it was clear so you could see the underside of the hugger

[@lafaitele01]

i was waiting on that chucky doll to blink 😅😅

[@petermot645]

You have to build the Facehugger soon. Thanks for sharing.

[@biskienator]

saw Alien the first week it came out in the theater. scariest movie I have ever seen. I remember reading about the movie months before in Heavy Metal magazine. man was I jazzed!

[@patrikez1]

That Prop-Broker takes the fun out of the whole thing...

[@wttwtg4165]

Great display, but maybe make it clear with a hole in the top of the head and a mirror on the back of the skull so you can look up at the mechanics without disturbing the hugger itself.

[@wootube]

This is the most twisted episode of Antiques Roadshow I’ve ever seen

[@DoctorNemmo]

I made my own facehugger a while ago with a wire armature and homemade sugru (silicon glue + corn flour). It still holds up quite fine, but I can't imagine it lasting 40-50 years like these.

[@apache3133]

A custom CPAP mask based on the facehugger could be a cool project

[@aserta]

They already exist, in various flavors. Some are put over the actual mask. Funniest (to me) were the facemask ones used during the pandemic. I personally saw one in an airport in Madrid in 2023 and had a double take. Made out of leather and the "ball sackies" were inflating every time the person breathed. The only "inaccuracy" were glass disks in the body.

[@nycloops2667]

This Facehugger from the first movie - it doesn't look like a prop - it looks like a dead preserved animal, And like it could come back to life any second! Terrifying! What a great piece of movie prob design!

[@mattybob12310]

I'm here for the Face Hugger but I'm not so secretly gushing over Rose's Overcoat in the background

[@escargotomy]

Adam, you and I are the same age. BUT, my dad took me and my younger brother to see Alien in the theater in the summer of '79. We were all sci-fi nerds and big Star Trek/Star Wars fans, but I don't think my dad could have known how f'ing scary the movie was going to be. It's been billed for a long time as a "haunted house in space" movie, and that so doesn't even come close to how scary it was. I think my brother is still freaked out from it almost 50 years later.

[@PsychoticusRex]

If you put yourself in the mindset of discovering a fossilized version of these old latex models it throws and entirely different vibe on it's state of maintenance...still terrifying.

[@bebubbabobob2144]

It’s sad that it decayed at all but I love how the original facehugger has decayed in a way that makes it look like an actual organism that was mummified and has sat there for hundreds maybe thousands of years.

[@Phil5150Bower]

Think the whole original premise of how Dallas and Brett were forming into face huggers in the deleted scenes is much darker.

[@rhettcorbett3346]

Thank you HR Giger. Horror movie prop Royalty.

[@jasondiasauthorpage615]

Just watched Cinema Tyler's video of the making of this model. Neat. Then to see the actual fishing line... The color has for sure darkened over the years. Surprised the model retains any structure at all, actually.

[@jeanmalo7173]

Having seen Alien when it came out at the Nelson thetre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada...and to see the original face hugger...I don;t have enough money cause I'd outbid everyone!....thanks and stay safe Adam!

[@williamkuhns2387]

During the face hugger necropsy squid tentacle heads and raw oyster were used to create illusion of being biological.

[@grievoustheboss]

I would love to see a "one day build" of an remonte control facehugger, like they used in Alien Romulus 🤩

[@PhattGreg]

@tested this is really cool to see, not the first time I have seen the screen used prop, where back in the late 80’s very early 90’s in Croydon, at a sci-fi shop I befriended the owner. I was given the opportunity to try on the one where you would see it breathing, where a snorkel mask fitting was placed on the underside and bladders allowed you to see the bags inflate and retract. Sadly by my next visit, they had closed, and I had no clue what happened to the prop! Which back then the owner wanted £500 for the prop, which I was going to see if I could still buy.

[@Pouch-Thinking]

It's not the one on John hurt's face. All the clues are in the video. Bob burns has the face prop with the air bladders. This one is the mechanical one that dies with the reflex movement.

[@Nikolai1939]

I'm a bit of a cosmaker, it's so cool that he made paper mask props when he was a young lad, because when I was little I used to build cardboard helmets, we were kinda alike lol

[@vast634]

There are two Alien films and a bunch of fanfiction movies.

[@loppi9710]

I didnt even know that facehuggers had nails, it really adds to the visual story telling that xenomorphs are evolved from experimentation on other species and humans