‘Alien: Earth’ – Lead Prosthetics Artist Talks Chestbursters & Old School Practical Effects [Interview]

Alien is a foundational science fiction and horror franchise that’s left its mark on audiences for many reasons, but it’s the Xenomorphs, Chestbursters, and other extraterrestrial instigators that helped it become an evergreen classic. Alien’s monsters and how they’re brought to life is just as important as writing, directing, and casting.

There was initially some skepticism that Alien: Earth would be able to translate the franchise’s cinematic magic to television and the medium’s various limitations and restrictions. Alien: Earth has managed to surpass expectations on nearly every front, with the series’ creatures and effects being no exception.

Steven Painter has had a fascinating career that’s allowed him to flex his special effects, makeup, and prosthetics skills across a magnitude of genre and tones that includes everything from corpse effects in Saving Private Ryan to supervising the special effects mayhem in Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice. Painter has left his mark on franchises like Hellraiser, Highlander, and Hellboy, which makes Alien’s Xenomorph-filled world feel like the perfect place for his talents.

With Alien: Earth’s freshman season now in the rearview mirror, Steven Painter – Alien: Earth’s Lead Prosthetics Supervisor/Designer – opens up on his contributions to this iconic universe, why Alien and the Xenomorph have persisted for decades, and the sequence that took him a year to properly plan and execute.

BLOODY DISGUSTING: You’ve had the luxury of working on some esteemed Clive Barker titles like Hellraiser II and III and Nightbreed, as well as plenty of zombie work, but what was it like transitioning over to aliens and this totemic universe?

STEVEN PAINTER: Well, it was pretty easy, to be honest. I also have a background in war films – Saving Private Ryan, Fury – and so from that aspect, I also know how to kill people. And how to kill people well visually. 

BD: As someone who is so entrenched in prosthetics, effects, and design, what does the Alien franchise mean to you and why do you think both it and the Xenomorph have endured for so long?

SP: Well, I think the Xenomorph is an iconic design. The ’79 film that Ridley directed — what a film. I mean, it’s an incredible, incredible film. Considering it was 1979, the look of it is just unbelievable. It’s wild what he did with that film. From my point of view — I was 13 when that film came out — but images of it were everywhere and I couldn’t take in enough of it. So now, working on an Alien project is just like a dream come true. You know, it’s my dream project. 

BD: I think so many people have that memorable first story with the film and how they learned about it. I think that’s just so special. Is there a certain scene from any film in the franchise that really stands out to you and left an impression?

SP: Well, the Chestburster sequence from the first film. I think it still has the shock and awe value to it, watching it now. And I’ve watched it quite a few times because Noah [Hawley] wanted me to pay it homage in our show. So you know, I’ve dissected that scene and it just holds up so well. Even now, all those years later. 

BD: I love how you build your own world and have these original creatures, but you do call back to the Facehugger, Chestburster, and those classic creatures, while giving your own takes on them all. Was it rewarding to build on those horror and sci-fi touchstones and push them even further in some respects?

SP: Absolutely. I mean, the whole idea of it was to pay homage to the first film and the second as well, but to also expand all that for the 21st century, and for viewers now, who have seen those images so many times over. It was fun to sort of expand it and make it fresher, to a certain degree. It’s a fine line between doing something new, but also keeping the audience happy with what they expect. So we had one foot in that was sort of enjoying ourselves and playing, but the other foot was definitely in keeping the fans happy and based in Ridley’s film.

BD: You feel that, too. It’s very well-paced with how it gives these glimpses of the Xenomorph and then holds back in other ways. It’s very patient in that sense. 

SP: That’s Noah’s writing, you know. He’s just as much of an Alien fanboy as myself, as far as I’m concerned. He’s brought a whole new world of Alien to the screen.

BD: On that note, there’s such a rich history to the Xenomorph between not only the different Alien movies, but also video games, comic books, and other expanded universe material. Did you try to expose yourself to any of that and take it into consideration when designing these creatures?

SP:  The franchise, as a whole, was constantly on our mind because that’s what Noah wanted. He wanted us to sort of keep our foot in that universe — in that world. It was exciting to bring a new dimension to the franchise, especially since no one has done it as a TV show. If you add up all the hours, it’s an eight-hour movie. It’s quite a storytelling process and I think Noah — by adding these other alien creatures — has kept it fresh and interesting. 

BD: Ridley Scott has done such exciting things with the Alien franchise after his work in Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, but he’s also an executive producer on Alien: Earth. Was he able to weigh in on anything at all? Has he seen your creations?

SP: No. When we were shooting in Thailand, he didn’t really have an involvement day-to-day, but it’s such a blessing to get his approval. I can’t say what stuff of ours he’s seen, but hopefully some of the sequences that I’ve personally been involved in with the Chestburster and various other effects in the movie–in the show. I keep saying “movie” because it feels like an eight-hour movie! You know, even the visuals and set design are incredible. The visual effects stuff is just incredible. The acting is impeccable. Fantastic characters. It’s just been such a fun job to do for a fanboy like myself. 

BD: When Alien: Earth was first announced, there were some concerns regarding whether the franchise could be done justice on television. Were there any reservations over being able to match that cinematic level of quality?

SP: Walking onto those sets in Thailand just takes you back to 1979, especially the Maginot set. It’s just like, “Oh my God, we’re here!” Everyone was taking photos of each other sitting in the seats. We became children again.

BD: That’s the show! These children in adult bodies. You’re kind of going through the same thing. 

SP: Absolutely. We were in Neverland. 

BD: I love that. The Xenomorph’s body language and how they move is such a crucial element in why they’re so terrifying. You’ve got Cameron Brown as the Xenomorph’s Creature Suit Performer, who really does exceptional work here. What was the process like regarding how Cameron would move and workshopping that out?

SP: I have to give credit to Rob Inch, the stunt coordinator and second unit director. Some of those movements on wires that Cameron pulled off are wild. Being on set and watching it happen, it’s like, “Oh my God, did he just do that?” There’s so much to discover if you go back and watch some of the episodes with the Xeno. His subtle movements when he’s crawling and he’ll start in one plane, go up a wall, and be above you. So much of it is also done in camera. That was all wires and just rehearsals and rehearsals. It’s just incredible to watch it live. 

BD: And just going back to the films, I think the audience really respects and appreciates when it’s done practically with a person in a suit. You feel the difference. There’s a weight to it that’s so important. 

SP: There’s a movement there that CGI can’t reproduce. CGI has its place, of course. But to see this done for real is something else. 

BD: Alien: Earth creates such chilling setpieces with these creatures. Were there any major inspirations or influences on your mind when putting together any of these creatures and sequences? I saw a lot of The Thing, but there’s also a real Stuart Gordon and Brian Yuzna quality, too.

SP: I think I’m old school. I’m from the time of the ’80s. When I first got into the industry, it was 1987. So I grew up with that stuff. I cut my teeth on that sort of stuff early in my career. So to bring that to the 21st century — those ideas, those designs, that way of thinking — means it’s gone full-circle. I’ve finally become popular. 

I love the old school way of doing things in the ’80s and early ’90s. To recreate that sort of stuff for the screen now is just such a thrill. It’s all about entertainment and payoff. To me, that’s the most paramount thing. If it becomes boring and it’s something that we’ve seen done over and over again. I love to come up with something that’s been seen before, but not quite the way that I’m going to do it. I like giving little curve balls and designing something that is not as it seems. You’re gonna get that curve ball. 

BD: Would you like to be able to increasingly intersect and overlap with Alien and Predator movies, or if ideas from Alien: Earth were to show up in films, or are you content to be doing your own thing?

SP: It would be nice to do a movie, yeah. Who knows! I can’t speculate on where this is going to head. As a fan? Of course, I would love to see these things and their worlds mix together. I think there are backstories there that will be interesting. Where these things have come from and things like that. 

BD: Is there a particular sequence – or even just a specific creation, effect, or design – from this season that you’re especially proud of how it turned out? 

SP: As far as the effect that took the longest in my head — which was about a year to work it out — was the Chestburster sequence. When Noah approached me to go it, he mention the John Hurt Chestburster moment. It’s an iconic scene. From my point of view, it’s quite pressurizing to come up with something as good as that in a show like this. So I approached it very carefully and I watched the original sequence over and over. I broke it down and took elements from it, but then updated it for modern times. What I really wanted to do was expand on it. So we see the whole body of the creature now, and it’s in daylight. We gave ourselves a lot of work to do, but hopefully we’ve given the fans what they wanted to see. 

BD: After spending so much time thinking about it, was there a lot of trial and error in terms of bringing it to life? 

SP: Oh yeah. We did a lot of testing on the roof of our workshop in Bangkok. We did mock-ups and everything. There was a considerable amount of blood coming out and we still had to rest it over and over again. I went through a lot of shirts trying to work it out and get it perfect. 

The entire first season of Alien: Earth is now available to stream on FX and Hulu.