Influential Sci-Fi, Horror Artist HR Giger Dies at 74
The brilliant mind behind some of the most outrageously amazing and terrifying art to ever grace films and video games has passed away. H.R. Giger died early this week due to injuries sustained during a fall in his Zurich home. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Sandra Mivelaz, administrator of the H.R. Giger Museum in Switzerland, revealed the artist's fate to the press after he passed on Monday.
Known for his fascinating style of combining organic and industrial, Giger's Academy Award-winning xenomorph design for the 'Alien' franchise has grown to become one of the most iconic creatures ever crafted in the genre. Like many great European artists in the '70s, Giger actually got his shot during the production of Alejandro Jodorowsky's failed 'Dune' adaptation, but it wasn't until 1979's 'Alien' that Giger's amazing designs exploded into pop culture.
Giger's influence can still be seen today in many forms of media, including new video games like Alien: Isolation. The oft overlooked shooter MDK clearly bears some resemblance to Giger's work, as does Shodan from System Shock 2. He also directly contributed to the old PC titles Dark Seed and Dark Seed 2, which were filled with the nightmarish biomechanical creatures and settings Giger was so fond of. There are plenty of movies and television shows that derive ideas and designs directly from Giger's masterpieces, and his legacy will live on forever in our nightmares.
Giger is survived by his wife Carmen Maria Scheifele Giger, who also runs the H.R. Giger Museum in Zurich, Switzerland.