The frightening look of the alien creature from Predator is part of the reason that the movie franchise has become so successful; some unexpected advice from director James Cameron actually helped form the monster's legendary design.
The Predator franchise is now seen as one of the most recognizable hybrids between the horror, sci-fi, and action genres, but when the first film was in production during the 1980s, it was seen as a much riskier gamble. The Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle was low-budget as far as many sci-fi movies are concerned, and Predator tried to get by with a less is more mentality to help heighten the paranoid tendencies of the characters who are under attack. This approach even carried over to the film’s monster, but after a certain point it was clear that something had to be done or nobody would be frightened by this threat.
Predator originally operated with a very different costume design for its titular monster, but after the look proved to not be frightening or agile enough, production reached out for a fresh take. Predator’s production reached out to many of the top special effects and make-up artists of that era, and their efforts paid off since the design that they settled on has since become incredibly recognizable. Stan Winston was the one who won the bid and came up with the Predator’s final look, but another influential name in science fiction also played an important part in why the Yautja looks the way that it does.
Stan Winston is one of the most influential names in science fiction, and he’s had a hand in the designs behind some of the best monsters in the business. Winston's designs range everywhere from the Xenomorph in Aliens, to the unstoppable T-1000 from Terminator, and even Tony Stark’s Iron Man suit from the first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Stan Winston was still in the process of coming up with his revised take on Predator’s Yautja and was sketching out his thoughts on the creature. During this, he was heading off to an event with James Cameron to discuss their film, Aliens, and Cameron couldn’t help but notice Winston’s work-in progress drawing. Cameron casually told Winston (via Stan Winston School) that he’s always wanted to see an alien with mandibles. Such a creature was, in Cameron's opinion, a type of alien that hadn't really been explored before in film. Winston incorporated Cameron’s suggestion and one of the most iconic aspects of the Predator’s look was designed.
Winston and Cameron have created such memorable visuals on their projects together, but this unofficial collaboration on Predator is a fun connection that often goes overlooked. Winston’s entire redesign of the Yautja is a step in the right direction, and is full of unique features like the alien’s dreadlock-esque quills. However, it’s the mandibles that get a lot of focus. They feel like a natural extension for a creature that’s so focused on hunting. It allows them to secure their prey in a way that keeps their hands free and able to do more damage. Perhaps if Cameron hadn’t been able to get Winston to add mandibles to the Yautja in Predator then they would have become a prominent feature on Avatar instead.
