Think of the creative minds who originally brought Alien to life and you’ll probably think of Ridley Scott or Sigourney Weaver or Dan O’Bannon. One person who may not be on your radar, but who was just as critical as the other creative minds, is a man named Hans Rudolf Giger. Giger was a Swiss surrealist painter and the creator of the Xenomorph, the iconic alien from Alien. In his latest video, YouTuber kaptainkristian explores why Giger’s unique take on the extraterrestrial has been critical for the success of the film’s franchise, as well as monster culture in general.

kaptainkristian, who’s been continuously cranking out gorgeous and thoughtful video essays on everything from how Futurama nailed the science of comedy to why Jurassic Park’s visual effects still hold up to this day, tackled the Xenomorph for his latest video, praising its unique design, as well as its ability to simultaneously arouse, excite, and horrify.

The video discusses how the Xenomorph originally sprang from Giger’s mind in a book of his airbrushed paintings titled Necronomicon, and how it became an integral part of the franchise while undergoing very few creative changes from its initial design.

kaptainkristian notes that Giger’s Xenomorph is “something genuinely alien; a distorted biomechanical reflection of man.” He discusses how Giger’s vision was so unique that he was hired by Scott not only to bring the Xenomorph to life, but its spaceship and the entirety of LV-426 (the moon upon which the crew of the Nostromo first encounters the alien). Also, the Xenomorph costume was apparently built using a real human skull, which is a factoid that will doubtlessly make you look at that twisted black head in a whole new light.

Speaking of looking at things in a whole new light, did this video change the way you think about the Xenomorph? Are you hungry to explore the rest of Giger’s work like an alien hungry for space-crew flesh? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Featured Image: 20th Century Fox