Scary trailer for THE FOURTH KIND inspires DARK SIDE to teach YOU how to defend against alien abductions (seriously)!
Like some kind of evil sequel to Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Fourth Kind takes real file footage from supposed alien abductees under hypnosis in Nome, Alaska and fictionalizes their stories for the silver screen.
Milla Jovovich plays Abby, a shrink who discovers a disturbing similarity in her patients’ nightmares. They all have visions of an owl at their window, paralysis, intense fear, yadda-yadda. The deeper she delves into this mystery, the scarier it gets. Under hypnosis, patients relive their terror as aliens abduct them and do God-knows-what to their helpless bodies. From what the trailer suggests, Abby goes from bystander to victim as the aliens begin targeting her for abduction.
I did a quick online search and came up with no easy-to-find articles about a rash of alien abductions related to the film. I did find a few message boards looking for info on Nome, Alaska abductions from people who likewise saw the trailer. They’ve come up with zip so far.
It would appear we have another Blair Witch Project situation here.
I’m actually delighted about that. They had me going for a second with the supposed “real footage” shown in tandem with the fictionalized footage of the same events. I did notice that some of the supposed real footage had some some stagy CGI effects, so I knew it wasn’t all kosher. It’ll be neat to see the hype build as it did for BWP, but of course it won’t receive a fraction of the unprecedented level of interest that BWP generated due to the fact that audiences aren’t quite as gullible as they used to be.
I recall the (mediocre) movie Fire in the Sky caused a bit of a stir as one of the most credible “real life” instances of alien abductions, told in a fictional setting. The film set the standard for how abductions are visually portrayed and paved the way for shows like The X-Files to hit phenomenal levels of success. It also caused a wave of hysteria amongst a great deal of people who thought they had likewise been abducted by aliens.
I’m not particularly moved by the idea of people believing they are abducted out of their beds by aliens for two reasons: 1. because everyone has seen versions of the case studies one way or another know the protocol well enough to fake it. 2. because “sleep paralysis,” also known as “the old hag effect” debunks 99.99999% of these cases.
In all seriousness, sleep paralysis used to happen to me on a regular basis, and if you’ve ever experienced it, it’s easy to see how someone could twist that experience into thinking something supernaturally nefarious has happened to them. The details vary but the experience is universally the same. While drifting off to sleep, a neurological hiccup in the sleep cycle causes the mind to stay lucid while the body goes into sleep mode, leaving the person temporarily paralysed. In this state, the brain tries to initiate a dream, causing vivid auditory and sometimes visual hallucinations.
It’s a bit disconcerting at first but once you get used to it, it’s not so alarming. If you can manage to relax and not panic, the experience can be quite interesting. I’ve noticed I can will myself out of it by giving my brain the command to make my body twist back and forth. After a few tries I can usually wrestle my body awake. If I try to go back to sleep directly after that, the experience often repeats. My personal hallucinations were quite predictable and detailed. It always began with a funny noise, like the sound of my fan sputtering or the door to my room being opened. Then it would sound like someone was in the room, walking around and making noises. Sometimes I would hear voices and see strange things, but I kept calm so I saw nothing terrifying. I’d wake up, sometimes with witnesses awake in the room, and everything was fine. This all usually happened if I tried to take a nap during the day.
As you can see from this old painting, the term “old hag effect” came from days of superstition when people believed that sleep paralysis was an evil spirit, sitting on their chest and trying to steal their soul/breath. One of the most common hallucinations was that of a scary, old woman or “hag.” People would talk about it, then others would have the same hallucination. Kind of like a mass hysteria of bad dreams amongst a bunch of people living within the same channels of communication. Now we have come full circle in the modern age. The “old hag” has become a “gray alien” and once again an explainable neurological phenomenon has become superstition.
That won’t keep me from enjoying or being frightened by this film. The teaser is highly unsettling and I honestly don’t want to see anymore until its release. No more spoilers for me. I want to experience it clear of expectations.
P.S. If you ever experience the “old hag effect” (or suddenly become paralysed and think you’re being abducted by aliens) do what I do: Use your mind to imagine yourself twisting/rocking from side to side in bed. Concentrate really hard and force it. After several tries you’ll find yourself jolting awake and nearly rolling right out of bed. Or can relax and enjoy it or at least try to wait it out. Eventually you’ll drift into a regular sleep cycle… as long as you don’t panic.
Just don’t let this super-scary trailer for The Fourth Kind psych you out into having one…
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