The Ridley Scott and H.R. Giger movie that never happened
Cosmic horror has long been clambering to reach the dizzying heights of success Ridley Scott achieved with his science fiction classic Alien in 1979. Transcending genre and cinematic form, the simple sci-fi would spawn sequels, spin-offs and video games that continue to terrify sci-fi lovers to this day, with the original film coming to define a whole new form of the genre, one that focused on the slimy otherworldly horrors of the cosmos.
Describing his classic movie as “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre of science fiction”, Scott’s horror film is a genre flick which matches the intensity, filth, grit and realism of Tobe Hooper’s beloved slasher. The difference is that human limitations do not bind the villain of Scott’s tale, the towering Xenomorph is a terrifying threat whose true capabilities are unknown. There is only one way to defeat it; run.
Recognised as one of the greatest horror villains of all time, the titular alien was created with the help of the late Swiss artist H.R. Giger. Initially believed by 20th Century Fox to be ‘too ghastly’ for audiences, Giger’s designs for the alien spaceship and the monster itself are the sole reason for the film’s long-lasting legacy, with the creature’s ethereal presence, exaggerated by its strange, oily design, becoming a thing of horror legend.
The collaboration between Scott and Giger became iconic, and soon there were ruminations of a second project named Dead Reckoning, with the Alien filmmaking establishing his interest in 1988.
Excited the moment Scott announced that he was keen to come on board, the Swiss artist wrote in his book Giger’s Film Design, “For me, there is nothing greater than this. I was enthusiastic about it and immediately accepted because a remarkable movie always originates from a director like Ridley Scott”. Due to be written by screenwriter Jim Uhls who would later pen the rebellious David Fincher classic Fight Club, Dead Reckoning was set to be a mix of Alien and Blade Runner.
The story was set in a dystopic Los Angeles where a genetically-altered creature caused carnage on an underground train. As the screenwriter explained to David Hughes in his book, Tales From Development Hell, “The creature was a humanoid with a genetically-altered brain that was intended to be used as the ‘hard drive’ in an artificial intelligence project”.
Once Giger began drawing concepts for the film, the film’s title was changed to The Train, and the artist began to show the true extent of his mastery, creating haunting images of a steampunk, futuristic hell. Evidence of this can be seen in old behind-the-scenes photographs and the video embedded at the bottom of the article; unfortunately, fans of Giger were never able to see the models in all their cinematic glory after the film project came to nothing.
Scott left the project to make Thelma And Louise whilst director Roland Emmerich was brought in to help salvage the production. However, no amount of rewrites could help the film, with budgetary constraints and creative differences halting the movie from ever being made. Judging by early drafts, it’s a crying shame The Train was never completed, especially after hearing that the monstrous train would have feasted on adrenaline in the film. Hopefully, one day the idea can be resurrected.
