Dark Star: H. .R Giger’s World is a portrait of the Oscar-winning Swiss surrealist and designer whose nightmarish paintings and sculptures of “biomechanical” beings enlivened movies (Alien), album covers, and inspired tattoos and fetish art. Belinda Sallin’s definitive documentary shares the intimate last years of the artist’s life and brings viewers into Giger’s mysterious realm: from the first skull he was given by his father at the age of six, to macabre dinner parties with his close-knit team, to the grisly souvenirs from his time spent on the Alien set. The film also addresses Giger’s complex relationship to the art world, where he defied traditional categories and embraced commercial projects for musicians like Debbie Harry, Korn, Emerson, Lake and Palmer and the Dead Kennedys. Fittingly enshrined in a museum dedicated to his work, Giger’s output includes sculpture, painting, drawing, film and architecture, integrating meticulous technique with an instantly recognizable sensibility that has inspired generations of nightmares. Directed by Belinda Sallin, Switzerland, 2014, 95 mins. In Swiss German with English subtitles.

SHOWTIMES: Fri., Aug. 21 at 11 p.m. Sat., Aug. 22 at 5:45, 7:45 & 9:45 p.m. Sun., Aug. 23 at 3:45 & 5:45 p.m.