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First of all, I'd like to make clear that I think the Giger's motifs are controversial and definitely bizarre. It might be argued that he just tries to gain fame by shocking and horrifying people. But he is also introducing something new into art, above mere exploitation of gore and disgusting features. This could be done on a very primitive level, but Giger adds sophistication into his studied details. Perhaps this makes them seem even more repulsive to some people.
I am aware that many people are fans of Giger just because he draws the kind of disturbing pictures any sane and proper people should shun. Me, I'm not interested in them as a means of revolt. But I am fascinated and even spellbound by the amazing vistas he conjures out of acrylic.
Giger's work conveys to me an experience of a society not too far away in time, in a world that has entered the genetic age. A biotechnological society where the symbiosis of living and dead materials give mankind, or whatever it will have changed into, unimaginable abilities. It's different, a distortion of life, where the word natural no longer has any applications. While nature has created and developed genetics and biochemistry out of chaos and chance, the intelligence of a sentient race such as ourselves shall enforce structure and planning that will eventually give results surpassing everything that nature has given birth to, finally making it redundant. What goals and pleasures such a society may strive to attain can only be imagined.
Mastering biochemistry will give us amazing progress in the future. Whether that future will look anything like Giger's nightmares in acrylic is anyone's guess. For me, his images and sculptures have nonetheless become the very concretization of these theories about the future.
What makes his pictures so disturbing and appalling to look at is that they depict things we associate with death or disease. Many motifs contain elements associating to humans turned inside-out. Us ordinary people are accustomed to being spared from having to see how living creatures look on the inside. Whenever we are confronted with such sights, they are always associated with pain, injury or even death. Rather, the outside appearances and characteristics of living creatures are things that appeal to us; soft skin, cosy fur or gem-like eyes.
It is probably a bit bizarre to be fascinated by Giger's grotesque details, but somehow they inspire a peculiar attraction. I think there is more than just the visualization of a biomechanical technology we may or may not be using at some point in the future. Giger's pictures are all visualizations spawning from his own twisted fantasy. At times it seems he is painting not with his conscious, but with his subconscious mind, no doubt affected by his fair share of bizarre obsessions. If you are interested in more on his psychology, a lot can be guessed at from his books. Personally I have only read "HR GIGER ARh+", which I found quite interesting in this respect.
H.R. Giger has influenced the horror and science fiction visuals by refining the traditional horror elements inspired from the biological inside of living creatures. But he is still the master at his own game, and any imitations seem pale and imperfect.