Would you like a little hug? The Facehugger not only provides warmth, but also a baby Xenomorph. Image: 20th Century Studios.
Have you ever wondered what a facehugger tastes like? You know, those little parasitoids that are used in the Alien movies to implant small xenomorph embryos into their unsuspecting human hosts. Neither do we. But now that the question is on the table, we naturally want to know the answer – because the topic is quite interesting.
It is a good thing that thanks to the new alien spin-off Romulus, a whole series of actors are familiar with the taste, as they play a hug
Or rather her face. One of them is Archie Renaux, who plays the role of Tyler Harrison in the film.
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Before the film’s release, see how Alien: Romulus wants to capture the feeling of that time
In the new film, Renaux’s character leads a group of young looters who raid the eponymous abandoned research station Romulus and have an eerie encounter of the… xenomorphic kind. The station’s corridors are also home to several of the iconic facehuggers, eager to delight their human guests with hugs.
By the way: The facehuggers in Romulus are not created using CGI. These are real models, so-called animatronics, which are brought to life using practical effects. How this works, you can see in this Youtube video the effects studio Weta Workshop (including Lord of the Rings 1-3).
So how do these creatures taste?
In an interview with the American website Comicbook.com Tyler actor Archie Renaux revealed that the actors actually had the facehugger dolls lifelike
were put in the mouth. And to ensure that this works without pain or injury, the facehuggers were apparently rubbed with a lot of lubricant. Renaux describes the taste as follows:
Silicone. Jesus Christ… That’s it… It really wasn’t glamorous at all, but there was a lot of lube on it to make it look nice and gross… It was a very intense experience.
Archie Renaux
Silicone and lubricant – now you know. One of the biggest mysteries of the Alien franchise has been solved. The only question we have now is why no one asked this before.
Finally, we have another little sensory fact from space for you: What does space smell like?
There is no immediate answer to this question, as human noses do not function in space due to the vacuum. However, astronauts on board the International Space Station have reported that after spacewalks they notice a metallic smell – similar to the smell of welding – on the surface of their spacesuits as soon as the airlock is pressurized again.
