leading from
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| Necronom IV face, perhaps with a membrane covering the mouth |
a) Bulbous dark eyes and head of Necronom IV
A question that floats around is whether Giger in some way could have been influenced by the bulbous slanted black bulbous eyes of the Greys when he created the Necronom IV. At the time he did the painting, extra-terrestrials were known to have bulbous heads,very minimalist noses but with very large eyes that see to stretch around the side but they were not black as they would be seeen to be years later, but in October 1975, there was the TV film in America of the UFO Incident featuring performers dressed up in masks as Betty and Barney Hill's extra-terrestrial abductors and the masks had large bulbous eyes that couldn't be seen through in the light that they were photographed in. Giger painted Necronom IV in 1976 which would give him a fair amount of time to see a magazine or newspaper article about the oddity of this TV program.
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| Performer dressed up as one of Betty and Barney Hill's extra-terrestrial abductors in The UFO Incident. Take notice of the fact that the eyes are shiny. Source: seacoastnh.com |
And now we have made the connection with the movie mask, Giger would have been expected to have read some information about the incident itself and the descriptions of the actual creatures themselves. Another thing to notice is that in the descriptions given, and Barney Hill noticed that they appeared to have a membrane over their mouths and this is what the Necronom IV creature appears to have as well, although Ridley Scott thought it might have been another row of teeth. In October 1967, David Baker did ten charcoal sketches of the abductors based on a "police sketch-artist approach" with Barney Hill who had described to him a membrane over mouth opening when it was opened slightly.
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| Two of David Baker charcoal sketches. Notice the membrane covered mouth on the left image. |
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| The same two of David Baker charcoal sketches as above but with a high contrast Notice the membrane covered mouth on the left image. |
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| Side by side comparisons |
- In October 1967, shortly after he had made his
original sketches of the Hill occupants, David Baker wrote Betty and
Barney Hill to explain why he had depicted the features of the faces
the way he did. The following are his comments, published here for the
first time, as taken from that letter.
With my knowledge of anatomy I am endeavoring to put your detailed facial descriptions into a possible anatomical arrangement following known laws of bone structure.
1. Eyes, slanted, rounding sides of face indicating peripheral vision. Anatomy for such eyes would indicate bone structure to protect such enlarged eyeballs, also would extend cheek bones around curve of front facial plane, giving a look to eyes of not so much oriental as like a cat's eyes.
2. Wide cheeked, weak chinned, Mongoloid suggestion to face. Such extended cheek bones could minimize nose, mouth and chin area of face by association or contrast.
3. Large head. If the head cavity held such enlarged eyeballs, a space for a more normal sized brain area could be gained by an enlargement of back or top of head, giving a larger than normal appearing skull area.
4. Immobility of mouth muscle control could give an impression of not registering usual emotions of sadness or joy. You noted, I recall, with great concern, the simulated effort we demonstrated of mouth immobility by pulling a tight silk stocking over face. Lips were pressed close to teeth line, neutralizing all usual lip fullness and character. In fact, the stocking trick gave Mongoloid expression to all bound features.
5. Membrane over mouth-opening when it was opened slightly with no spoken words heard only grunts. Is it possible a membrane, for protective or other reasons, restricted all normal face movements or even sheathed body of entity?
6. Nostrils prominent and heavy breathing noticed, also lack of nose cartilage. Even a tight mask could not hide but could minimize nose cartilage, but could press back tip of nose and expose nostrils. No membrane over nostrils was noted so assume breathing was all done there. Breathing could become labored if mouth aperture was sealed from outside air.
7. Whites of eyes of yellowish cast. Could be caused by tonality of mask or membrane.
8. Blinking of eyes was not apparent Small pupils were. If membrane held eyes open, an effect of smaller pupils could be noticeable, if whites of eyes were bared. Membrane could keep air and impurities out of eyes, making blinking, to relubricate orbs, unnecessary.
9. Lack of ears, only ear holes and lack of hair. Tight membrane could restrict ear cartilage and also hair, producing a rounder, balder appearing. head. To theorize presence of a tight, colorless membrane, let's assume it could be for clinical or climatic reasons. Many other conjectures could here be explored.
10. Color of "men's" faces were 1) yellowish, 2) aluminum grey. A blue lighted interior (of the vehicle), as described by you, could accentuate a complementary tone or yellowishness to faces.
11. The following missing details could complete picture: 1) Were hand - sheathed with a membrane that would have minimized finger and finger nail details? 2) What textures in the faces were obvious as masculine or feminine? (UFO Investigator , April 1972)
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