“I am afraid of my visions.” Thus spoke H.R. Giger, the artist whose paintings led to him being engaged by director Ridley Scott to design the xenomorph for the first Alien film in the late 1970s.

Film designer and cartoonist Ron Cobb died Thursday of Lewy body dementia at the age of 83. Cobb was a significant influence on the look and aesthetics of films including Alien, Star Wars and Back ...