[customfont2]“Big-eyed Greys” Alien Movies[/customfont2]
[customfont1]Fourth Kind[/customfont1]
Due to my husband’s mad crush on her, I’m typically not much of a Mila Jovovich fan, but this movie is just too great to pretend otherwise. Part found-footage, part based-on-a-true-story, all terrifying. These are the kind of aliens that REALLY get me – not the violent monsters, but the small, intelligent, and able to leave us helpless humans completely unable to defend ourselves. This movie defines why Alien movies are the scariest breed of Home Invasion Horror.
[customfont1]Fire in the Sky[/customfont1]
I have a special place in my heart – or at least in my amygdala – for Fire in the Sky. In 1975, Travis Walton disappeared on the way home from his logging job in the White Mountains of Arizona. Five days later, he reappears and begins to recall details surrounding his abduction. This 1993 horror gave wide, mainstream exposure to the tales of alien abductions and experiments that have now become commonplace. My covert viewing of Fire in the Sky as a ten year old was the first time I laid my eyes on the iconic face of a ‘grey’ – with it’s miniscule mouth and enormous obsidian eyes – an image that still haunts me today.
[customfont1]Dark Skies[/customfont1]
One of the few recent alien movies to leave a mark on me was 2013’s Dark Skies. In this story, the intruders begin targeting an entire family – the Barret family – rather than an individual. Keri Russell and Josh Hutchens lead a top-notch cast that also includes Academy Award Winner J.K. Simmons. Writer/Director Scott Stewart manages to make this mainstream horror scary as he reminds us that one of the most terrifying concepts imaginable is the inability to protect yourself and your family.
[customfont1]Intruders[/customfont1]
I know, I know – a made for TV movie. Though the acting isn’t incredible, this movie came out right before Fire in the Sky and was part of the early-90s ‘alien renaissance.’ Thanks to the popularity of television shows like Unsolved Mysteries and late night radio programs like Coast to Coast, the market was primed for mainstream depictions of those big-eyed greys. Intruders follows the story of two individuals who experience repeated abductions. Pair with the aforementioned Fire in the Sky for one hell of a scary double feature..
[customfont1]Communion[/customfont1]
Who doesn’t love Christopher Walken? Add one of the most interesting true alien stories, and some terrifying imagery of greys, and you have a horror film worth watching. Horror author Whitley Strieber revealed in his autobiography of the same name that he had been abducted by aliens. This movie brings his harrowing story to life and, whether you believe him or not, it is one hell of a scary tale.
[customfont1]UFO Abduction (AKA The McPherson Tapes)[/customfont1]
According to some film historians, this 1989 VERY low budget movie is one of the very first found-footage films. I’m not going to lie – that is the most important reason to watch UFO Abduction. It is believable as found-footage because it appears to have been filmed on a home camcorder, but it is a lot of fun to watch, and a historical exercise at the very least. During a family celebration of a 5-year-old’s birthday, a light is seen outside and strange things begin happening. Watch it through to the end for some excellent alien footage.
[customfont1]Event Horizon[/customfont1]
For 1997, Event Horizon uses some very impressive visual effects. Intensely detailed spaceships and surprisingly extensive goriness are arguably a better display of cinematic skill than director Paul W.S. Anderson’s more famous franchise, Resident Evil. This is another unique sci-fi/horror blend, in which a crew is sent to investigate a ship – Event Horizon – that was sent seven years earlier to explore the edge of a black hole before it disappeared. It has now reappeared but the entire crew is dead. Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan, and Laurence Fishburne are all a blast to watch in this interesting spin on the Alien format.
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“Scary Creature” Alien Movies
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[customfont1]Alien[/customfont1]
In 1979, director Ridley Scott made famous the phrase “in space, no one can hear you scream.” More than 35 years later, Alien not only withstands the test of time, it remains one of the few genre films that has found a place on top movie lists alongside the likes of Citizen Kane and The Godfather. Few would argue that this is one of the most influential sci-fi/horror movies of all time. Though the otherworldly villains fall into the ‘creature’ rather than ‘big-eyed grey’ category, they are pretty damn creepy.
[customfont1]The Thing[/customfont1]
Though John Carpenter’s 1982 masterpiece is actually a remake of 1951’s The Thing From Another World, it is undeniably one of the cornerstones of classic horror – and it just so happens to also center around aliens (as the original title suggests). Kurt Russell’s brooding portrayal of R.J. MacReady manages to expertly walk the line between horror and action. Between some fabulous creature effects and a unique quality of this ‘Thing’ that makes it more horrifying than your average alien, The Thing is not to be missed.
[customfont1]Signs[/customfont1]
M. Night Shayamalan has been put through the ringer in recent years, but as his new television show Wayward Pines reminds us, he can craft an incredibly scary and suspenseful tale when he is on his game. Signs is my favorite of his films – partially because I love alien films, but also because the characters are fun and relatable, and the acting is about as good as you can find in this corner of cinema. Shayamalan keeps the aliens almost entirely off screen, which makes their few appearances both chilling and memorable.
[customfont1]Monsters[/customfont1]
With a tone similar to that of District 9, 2010’s Monsters introduces audiences to a futuristic world in which most of Mexico has been quarantined to contain large alien creatures Humans accidentally brought back from space. Director Gareth Edwards did all the special effects himself, and it is clear from the product why the young filmmaker was selected to make the newest incarnation of Godzilla, as well as the first of the Star Wars Anthology films. The cinematography is quite beautiful, the acting subtly moving, and the monsters are more impressive than big-budget films like War of the Worlds. Absolutely don’t miss this one – but feel free to skip the sequel, with which Edwards was not involved at all.
[customfont1]Invasion of the Body Snatchers[/customfont1]
Another remake of an original movie from the 1950s, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) is one part zombie, two parts aliens. Matthew (played by a young Donald Sutherland) begins to encounter friends and acquaintances who are suddenly acting quite different. After learning that people are being replaced by alien invaders, who are using the human bodies to overtake humanity unnoticed, the movie maintains a constant level of anxiety – who is human and who is not? A very fun watch, riddled with underlying social commentary.
[customfont1]Altered[/customfont1]
Altered is a great indie horror that flew under the radar when it came out in 2006. Eduardo Sanchez – who also brought us pieces of the V/H/S series, Exists, and, most notably, The Blair Witch Project, tackles the topic of extraterrestrials in this interesting, entertaining movie. Much like his most famous work, Sanchez manages to keep audiences in suspense by showing very little – and relying upon nerves and imagination to create a level of fear that mere special effects could never top. Check it out – perhaps as a double feature with Exists.