Species Design (1996)

Species Design (1996)

Author + Illustrator: H.R. Giger | Page Count: 86

"I cast worms in silicon […] Instead, in the film, reddish brown computer-generated sausages burst out (but very quickly, to hide the computerised embarrassment)."

A large format coffee table book (approximately the size of a vinyl LP) that doesn't fit on any of my shitty Argos flat-pack shelving. Grrrr.

Inside its pages are a number of the Swiss artist's illustrations. It's primarily early stage concept sketches that rarely get released to the public, most of which are black ink on paper.

Giger's sketches have an almost obsessively hurried appearance. Seeing what he'd envisioned for the creature, that didn't make it into the film, is perhaps the only notable reason to purchase.

Species: Films (1995-2007)

Species (1995)

Dir. Roger Donaldson

The premise of Species is the kind that's simple but exciting and full of potential.

A transmission from an unknown source originating somewhere in the deep, dark corners of space contains DNA information for creating an alien/human hybrid. Scientists, unsurprisingly, carry out the process. Hands up who thinks that's going to end well...

The film itself could've been really amazing. It's a sci-fi with horror elements and a creature design by artist extraordinaire HR Giger, whose mind gave birth to the terrifying creation that provided Alien (1979) with much of its dark allure. The creature in Species is reminiscent of the xenomorph, but with the added sexy/deadly aesthetic provided by actress Natasha Henstridge.

H.R. Giger Tarot (2000)

H.R. Giger Tarot (2000)

aka: Baphomet: The Tarot of the Underworld

Author: Akron  |  Illustrator: H.R. Giger  |  Page Count: 223

It's the usual type of bundled Tarot package, which means it’s a book giving details of readings and spreads and a deck with which to use.

The individual cards are beautifully presented, large format but totally impractical for use; nor is it a full deck, it’s just the Major Arcana.

Worse, some of them have been changed. The Hanged Man is now The Hanged Woman, to better represent the painting Akron has chosen, and Temperance has become Alchemy.

It doesn't really matter because they weren't painted to commission; like I said, they were simply chosen, the paintings existed before the book was conceived and therefore lack the traditional imagery or symbolism that a serious practitioner of the art might prefer.

Jodorowsky's Dune (2013)

Jodorowsky's Dune (2013)

Dir. Frank Pavich

A documentary in which Chilean filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky talks about his ambitious film version of Frank Herbert's epic Dune novel (1965), a project that he spent two-and-a-half years of his life planning, in the most creative way possible.

A lengthy pre-production began in the mid-1970s, but, unfortunately, no footage was shot and the movie was never made. If it had been, it could've been glorious, or, at the very least, spectacularly disastrous, perhaps even more than David Lynch's version - that did get made, almost a decade later.

Jodorowsky had gathered together a sparkling reservoir of immensely creative people to help him realise his vision, including fantasy artists Chris Foss, Jean 'Moebius' Giraud, and HR Giger, the latter of whom was tasked with painting a Harkonnen stronghold - how perfect is that?!

Dark Star: H.R. Giger's World (2015)

Dark Star: H.R. Giger's World (2015)

Dir. Belinda Sallin

A documentary that invites viewers into the Swiss artist's home, a retreat hidden within a protective border of trees and shadow, packed with a lifetime of books, journals and receipts upon shelves that are under stress. I've been a Giger fan since I was a teenager, so I knew I'd find something of value even if the rest was sycophantic or flat, but the film is surprisingly good. I say 'surprisingly' because it was Dir. Belinda Sallin's first feature-length venture and that always leaves some room for doubt.

It was filmed in the year leading up to Giger's death. He looks worn out, as if the burden of the artistic genius he carried for so long has extracted a visible toll and he's resigned to merely waiting for the inevitable; even conversing with friends and loved ones seems occasionally laborious for him.