The latest sequel in the Predator franchise, Prey, released on Hulu recently, heralds a triumphant return of the film monster that we first got to know in 1987. Critics and fans alike have rejoiced at how great of a movie director Dan Trachtenberg made. It gave us everything audiences have wanted but mostly not received from recent Predator sequels: a well-thought-out plot with interesting characters that enhances the scariness of a villain who has been turned into a bland killer over the decades.
Not only have audiences fallen in love with Prey, but so has the cast from the original Predator. The former Governor of Minnesota and Predator actor, Jesse Ventura, chimed in on Twitter, calling Prey a “thoughtful, creative, and wonderful film.” He raved about the new man behind the Yatuja costume as well, actor Dane DiLiegro, saying, “It’s not an easy task to follow the late great Kevin Peter Hall’s performance as the Predator. My hat off to you. Fantastic job.”
Kevin Peter Hall is not a household name, but you know his work. Outside of Predator, you’ll know him most for playing the lovable Sasquatch, Harry, in the film, Harry and the Hendersons. The John Lithgow family comedy about a family who takes in a wounded Bigfoot was a big hit. It came out in 1987, the same year as The Predator, making Hall one of the biggest movie monsters (whether it be as a hero or a villain) of the 1980s.
Kevin Peter Hall wasn’t the first choice for the Predator. That distinction goes to a young, not yet known actor named Jean-Claude Van Damme. That’s right, the future star of so many popular martial arts films was looked at to be the Predator. Not only that, he was cast as the monster and even shot scenes playing the titular villain.
The original Predator’s design was much different from the one we saw on film. It was a simpler-looking monster, more like the Demogorgon from Stranger Things. Van Damme was brought in due to his physical agility, especially his ability to jump very high. On camera, it didn’t work. The design of the Predator was off, and Van Damme, deemed to be too short, was struggling to move and stay cool inside the suit. When the filmmakers decided to scrap the design in favor of something bigger and scarier, Van Damme was scrapped as well. Enter Kevin Peter Hall.
Legendary practical special effects wizard Stan Winston designed the new and improved Predator, with the intent of putting the tallest actor possible inside. At 7’2”, Kevin Peter Hall fit the requirement. Better yet, he had previous experience playing movie monsters, most notably in Prophecy and Without Warning.
If being tall was the only necessity, the filmmakers could’ve picked any tall guy and turned the Predator into another lumbering menace, like something from a 1950s monster movie. With Kevin Peter Hall in the costume, however, the film gained an actor and performer who could truly bring the alien trophy hunter to life and transform it into an epic villain whose presence would spawn so many sequels over the next 35 years.
With Harry and the Hendersons, Hall’s portrayal of Harry was both limited and freeing. Hall had to move like how a Sasquatch is thought to move, but with a visible face, he could also use any number of facial expressions to convey emotion. When you see Harry happy or sad or scared, that’s all Kevin Peter Hall underneath making this creature seem so alive. With The Predator, Hall couldn’t depend on those facial expressions. For the majority of the film, the Predator is wearing a mask, and there are a lot of practical effects involved when the mask does come off and we get a look at his horrifying face.
Just as Michael Myers in Halloween depended on the creepy movements of Nick Castle to convey emotion (or the lack thereof) where facial expressions couldn’t, Hall’s performance also relied on his body language. Here he is not limited to any expectations, like when playing Harry. The Predator is a new creation. There’s nothing to compare it to. That revelation creates a freeing experience where a monster can be made up on the fly.
The filmmakers surely thought they were sacrificing the idea of an agile monster when they fired Jean-Claude Van Damme. Most very tall men are limited in their mobility. They lost nothing with Kevin Peter Hall. His monster had the best of both worlds. With Hall’s giant frame, the filmmakers got the large, frightening presence they wanted. But Hall was no slowing moving giant. He’s not James Arness in The Thing From Another World. With his combined power and finesse, Hall didn’t struggle to move through the costume he was wearing like Van Damme did. He made it look easy. That comes from his background. It’s no surprise to learn that someone of his height played basketball, but Hall did way more than that. He performed ballet and martial arts as well.
Look at the way the Predator moves, and you won’t be surprised. His gait, the way he jumps and attacks, how fast he runs, is swift and almost graceful. Hall also studied theater as well, which was instrumental in his conveying emotion from beneath the costume. By the way Hall moves or doesn’t move, the way his head is held or how he breathes, you can tell when the Predator is feeling confident or scared, excited or worried, or in pain. No stuntman could make you feel that.
In 1987, Arnold Schwarzenegger was three years removed from his superstar-making performance in Terminator. Audiences looked at him as indestructible. He was already the king of the action movie, a slab of chiseled muscle who could not be beaten. He looked small and insignificant standing next to the Predator. You know of course that Arnold’s character will win, and the Predator will die in the end, but it required Schwarzenegger to use more than muscle to beat him. It wouldn’t have been believable to have him simply best the creature by using his strength. Imagine that, to say that having Mr. Olympia beating someone with his muscles would seem fake. That’s how much of a presence Kevin Peter Hall was.
Kevin Peter Hall would return for Predator 2. Later, the tremendous popularity of Harry and the Hendersons and his perfect casting as Harry would lead to a television series. Tragically, however, after contracting HIV from a blood transfusion, Hall would die of AIDS in 1991, during the series’ first season, at the young age of 35. It was a sad end to his life, but one that won’t be forgotten. You may not know his name or his face, but you know Kevin Peter Hall’s work. He made you laugh. He made you cry. And he made you want to run for your life.