25 Things You Didn't Know About Alien

16. Not A Single Promotional Or Production Image Of The Alien Was Released Before The Film's Premiere

Alien Xenomorph
20th Century Studios

In the run up to the film's release, the nature of the titular Alien and its appearance were kept strictly under wraps, withheld entirely from audiences. It doesn't show up in the original theatrical trailer and not one single photograph was allowed to be released to the public. Not even Alan Dean Foster, tasked with writing the novelisation, was shown any material.

This maintained the shock value intended for the audience, and the alien's grotesque, barely-humanoid appearance caused widespread horror. Its design at the time was unlike any previous cinematic extra-terrestrial, and remains unique and iconic to this day.

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A self-taught video editor with nearly 25 years of experience, Joe worked in freelance videography for many years before joining WhatCulture in 2018. During that time, he has expanded his work to include both writing and presenting, and has been at the forefront of several new channel launches including WhatCulture Horror and WhatCulture Star Wars, largely defining their visual identity through the design and curation of their bespoke assets. As a dedicated WhatCulture Gaming staff member, he has spearheaded numerous new content strategies and formats, and has taken the lead on various charitable projects that have raised large sums of money for charities close to his heart. Bluesky and Instagram: @jjpinwheel