25 Things You Didn't Know About Alien
3. The Space Jockey Model Was Vandalised At The Film's Premiere
Alien's opening weekend event was quite the sight to behold. Entering Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, moviegoers were treated to props from the film such as Alien eggs and even the full-sized Space Jockey set piece, and walked through a portion of The Nostromo's corridors to get to the cinema screen.
Sadly, on the second or third night, the Space Jockey was destroyed. Religious zealots set it ablaze, believing the horror to be the work of the devil. Worse was the fact this was the very same prop seen in the film's iconic scene. A tragic end for one of Alien's most memorable and impressive pieces of imagery.