20 Things You Didn't Know About Aliens
11. Facehuggers Were Inspired By Flying Piranhas
Piranha II: The Spawning will not go down as a a cinematic masterpiece, although it has become something of a cult classic in recent years.
It is most notable for being James Cameron's directorial debut. It showcased his ability to make a tight budget go a long way, something reflected in his next film The Terminator, the film which would ultimately get Cameron the Aliens gig.
The mechanisms used to make the piranhas in Piranha II fly were reused for the facehuggers in Aliens, in the part where they're flapping around in the test tubes. And it worked - these facehuggers moved in an uncanny way, solidifying them as perhaps the scariest of all the Alien/Xenomorph breeds.