Predator (franchise)

The Predator franchise is a science fiction, action, and horror series from 20th Century Studios, built around a fictional alien species that hunts humans and other dangerous life-forms for sport. Screenwriters Jim and John Thomas originally came up with the concept. The first film, Predator, was released in 1987, directed by John McTiernan. It was followed by sequels and prequels, including Predator 2, Predators, The Predator, Prey, Predator: Killer of Killers, and Predator: Badlands. The series also includes comic books, novels, and video games such as Predator: Concrete Jungle and Predator: Hunting Grounds.

In the 1990s, crossover comic books under the Alien vs. Predator (AVP) imprint brought the Predators into conflict with the creatures from the Alien franchise. This led to two theatrical crossover films, Alien vs. Predator and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, along with their own tie-in novels, comics, and video games.

The franchise’s premise typically follows human characters—often soldiers or other combatants—who are hunted by a technologically advanced extraterrestrial species. In expanded universe material, these aliens are called Yautja, Hish-Qu-Ten, or Skin Thieves. While the settings vary, the stories usually share a similar structure: a group of humans on a mission or in a survival situation becomes the target of a Predator. The creatures follow a ritualized code, only attacking opponents they consider worthy prey. Later media added details about their social hierarchy, hunting culture, and internal conflicts.

Predator was John McTiernan’s first studio film as director. The studio hired Shane Black to act in the film and also to monitor McTiernan due to his lack of experience. Jean-Claude Van Damme was originally cast to play the creature, using his martial arts skills to portray an agile, ninja-like hunter. However, next to actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, and Jesse Ventura—known for their bodybuilding physiques—Van Damme did not seem imposing enough. He was replaced by Kevin Peter Hall, an actor and mime artist. A Van Damme easter egg later appeared in The Predator.

The Predator’s design came from special effects artist Stan Winston. While flying to Japan with Aliens director James Cameron, Winston sketched concept art. Cameron saw the drawings and said he had always wanted to see a creature with mandibles, so Winston added them. Schwarzenegger recommended Winston after working with him on The Terminator.

An early design for the creature had a long neck, a dog-like head, and a single eye. This was abandoned because the jungle locations made filming such a complex design too difficult. The studio initially hired Richard Edlund’s Boss Film Creature Shop for the makeup effects, but problems arose while filming in Mexico. Attempts to make a convincing monster using Van Damme in a different body suit also failed. The job then went to Winston and his studio, R/Greenberg Associates. According to former Boss Film makeup supervisor Steve Johnson, the original makeup failed because of an impractical design by McTiernan that included 12-inch extensions giving the creature backward-bent satyr legs. After six weeks of shooting in the jungles of Palenque, Mexico, production shut down for eight months while Winston created a new creature. Filming then resumed for five weeks.

The creature’s clicking sound was provided by Peter Cullen. He had resolved not to voice any more monsters after injuring his throat during ADR for King Kong, but his agent convinced him to audition. The clicking was inspired by the creature’s visual and Cullen’s memory of a dying horseshoe crab.

R/Greenberg Associates handled the film’s optical effects, including the Predator’s invisibility, thermal vision point of view, glowing blood, and electric sparks. The invisibility effect was created by filming an actor in a bright red suit (the opposite of the green jungle and blue sky) the size of the creature. The take was repeated without the actor using a 30% wider lens. When the two takes were combined optically, an outline of the alien appeared, with the background bending around its shape. Infrared film could not be used for the thermal vision because it did not register body-temperature wavelengths. The glowing blood was made from green liquid found in chem-lite sticks used by campers. The electrical sparks were rotoscoped animation, using white paper pinned to light tables with black-and-white prints of film frames, then composited by the optical crew.