Creature Design Tips from the Concept Artist of Prey (2022)

While the debate rages on about what the best Predator film is, there is no doubt that the 2022 outing of everyone’s favorite hunter from outer space was a welcome return to form. There is much to praise about Prey (2022), from Amber Midthunder’s performance as a determined Comanche huntress to the confident direction of Dan Trachtenberg. Then of course there are the nail-biting action sequences that pit the predator against its prey, the main draw of any decent film in this long-running series.

For the movie to work, the audience has to believe in the creature itself. We spoke to concept artist Michael V. Eppinette from the team at Amalgamated Dynamics Inc. about how they developed this latest incarnation of the predator. Here are a few creature design tips we picked up from this discussion.

#1 Clearly Define the Personality of the Creature

The new predator is affectionately nicknamed ‘Feral’, and every aspect of its design was motivated by this savage-like personality. According to Eppinette, this particular subspecies of the Yautja relies more on their physical attributes to fight. This resulted in a leaner build than what came before with a hint of serial-killer creepiness dialed in. It was important to establish this attitude for the creature early on since it would affect everything else in the production further down the line.

Hilariously, the feedback Eppinette kept receiving from director Dan Trachtenberg was to make the predator “more shredded”. The musculature which started in a very slender Navi-inspired look eventually morphed into a ripped physique better suited for an offensive personality.

A human game hunter will not use a machine gun for a trophy kill. Similarly, the Feral predator was developed as a character that chooses its weapons loadout to maintain a level playing field with its prey for a more rewarding kill. This explains why it doesn’t carry all the advanced gizmos we’re familiar with. After all, it would be no fun to use a plasma cannon to shoot down our young huntress who is armed with nothing more than a bow.

#2 Give the Audience Something New

The creature design needed to convey the ferocity of the alien game hunter that fans have come to expect and yet offer them something they had never seen before. This balancing act between the familiar and the new had to be done while remaining grounded as a credible threat to our young heroine.

Fans would notice that the new predator has eyes that are spaced out much wider across the face than in previous versions. This was done to accentuate the otherworldly quality of the character. Early concept drawings had the eyes even further apart, almost at the sides of the head. The team soon realized this would take away its binocular vision, an essential tool for any hunter. They would later bring the eyes slightly more to the front to reflect the look of Earth-based predators like lions and tigers.

Remember how Shane Black’s ‘Fugitive’ predator bit that dude on the arm during his escape from the lab?

Eppinette wasn’t entirely convinced the standard mandibles allowed this type of attack to be possible.

As a result, the Feral predator’s mandibles were redesigned to have more vertical movement. This was to make the creature look like it can really chomp down hard on anyone that got too close to it.

#3 Look Towards Nature for Inspiration

Other characteristics of its biology came from nature which can be a great source of inspiration for creature designers. The brow of the Feral predator was made to look more pronounced to resemble the head of a pit viper.

This piece of its anatomy contains the heat-sensing organ that allows it to see in infrared. The hands were made gecko-like, making it a better climber.

In the 1987 film, the predator was able to fight Dutch without its mask on, implying that it is fairly capable of breathing in Earth’s atmosphere for at least a little while. However, this new design doesn’t leave any lingering doubts. The mask no longer covers the mouth, indicating that the predator doesn’t need it. In fact, it actually breathes using a respiratory system called ‘spiracles’ which is found in insects. These are tiny apertures the designers placed along the crest of the Feral predator’s head.

#4 Consider the Environment the Creature Evolved In

The Feral Yautja are also said to be genetically distinct from the predators we’ve seen before. Creature design can be motivated by imagining it evolving in a different natural environment. If the OG predator came from a humid jungle, the new Feral predator was more suited to a dryerclimate. This gave way for thinner dreadlocks to retain water.

#5 Use the Existing Lore of the Franchise

Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of the Feral predator is the bone-mask it wears instead of the traditional metallic one. The mask looks very similar to a river ghost skull, which is a type of humanoid creature briefly featured in the 2010 Predators film. Eppinette admits that he did reference a river ghost while designing the mask, implying that the Feral predator may have hunted one and taken its skull as a trophy. The existing lore of a franchise can be useful in driving the design. It's also a nice callback to what came before.

#6 Tap into the Folklore of the New Setting

Another source of inspiration can be the local folklore unique to the setting. In this case, native American mythology of the ‘Wendigo’ was another reference point for the bone-mask. This made sense since the indigenous people that encountered our visitor from outer space would’ve believed it to be the evil spirit of the forest from the tales of their ancestors. At some point, the mask even included antlers which were later removed for the sake of subtlety.

A New Design for A Fresh Start

Diehard predator purists may get upset by some of these design choices which do indeed change the lore and our biological understanding of this creature. However, not one of them reduces the cool factor of this predator. It's still a badass-looking movie monster, and one that will continue to evolve as new filmmakers make their contributions to its design when needed. Let us know what you thought about the creature design of the Feral predator and watch our podcast for the full interview with Michael V. Eppinette.