I don’t often dabble in the alien realm, but when I do, it’s gotta be fun…or a totally unique take on aliens. These two films definitely kept me watching. Let’s find out why.
XENOPHOBIA (2019)
An indie film reminiscent of The Fourth Kind, this fun little midnight movie plays out like an anthology film as members of an alien abduction support group describe their experiences.
The special effects and monsters are mostly fantastic, with plenty of practical effects and just fleeting slips into SyFy style effects now and then, which made the hubby and me giggle. Yet even those added to the spirit of the film. now on to the stories.
First story has a kid sucked into a spaceship in the desert for some probing. This is the most traditional of the tales.
In the second story, a young woman and her husband have an alien encounter in the woods while camping. There’s an awesomely freaky, two-faced alien and a good gore moment at the end of this tale, which feels very old school 80s in tone and style.
For the third story, horror queen Brinke Stevens recounts her daughter’s disappearance while babysitting. It takes a while to get going, but this tale is a blast, with the young woman being chased around the house by a little octopus looking alien thing. It’s quite campy, and also reminiscent of that classic Trilogy of Terror tale.
The final story delivers some nasty torture porn as several women start mutilating a man they think is a rapist. When the alien shows up, it totally rox.
And finally, there’s the conclusion of the wraparound, which ties all their tales together. The film adds a unique and actually logical take on those that have experienced alien encounters, setting it apart from the usual.
ALIEN EXORCISM (2011)
If you’re really fascinated with alien theories, this is quite a unique little indie to check out. It’s deep, visually hallucinogenic, and quite complicated, with numerous elements in play.
The very first scene is like a disturbing acid trip, from the viewpoint between a woman’s legs as various aliens bicker over which one gets her. Eek. And Ick.
Then we meet a doctor who believes aliens actually fill our bodies as souls to live among us and is focusing on a troubled young woman. While he has her hypnotized, the alien takes over and won’t release her from her meditative state. It’s quite cool to see that she actually makes even a visual transformation.
So the doctor and his sidekicks take her to a priest that defected from the church, and they attempt…what else? An alien exorcism. As long as you’re not married to religion, the concepts presented here, blending the occult and extraterrestrials, are quite thought-provoking and mind-boggling. This isn’t a film for mere cheap thrill seekers.
Alien eroticism, possession, religion, spirituality, government conspiracies—it’s all here in this intriguing film. Hell, it even manages to make a rave a crucial plot point.
