One Of The Scariest Scenes In The Fourth Kind Is A Hoot
(Welcome to Scariest Scene Ever, a column dedicated to the most pulse-pounding moments in horror with your tour guides, horror experts Chris Evangelista and Matt Donato. In this edition, Matt has a close encounter of "The Fourth Kind.")
With the release of Brian Duffield's "No One Will Save You" on Hulu this week, I wanted to revisit a freaky alien abduction flick that doesn't get enough attention. Olatunde Osunsanmi's faux documentary thriller "The Fourth Kind" approaches extraterrestrial horror from both an inquisitive and frightening angle by treating the story as real. Osunsanmi uses Alaskian isolation as a backdrop for otherworldly horror, preying on our fears of little green men who the government just confessed do exist (sort of, kind of, not really). I can't even say aliens tie into fears of the unknown anymore. What a world!
Osunsanmi creepily distorts realism and movie magic to make you believe what you're seeing actually happened. I mean, it didn't — but Osunsanmi and the crew do a better-than-expected job of making you believe it damn sure did. The scare I'm outlining for this column is the quietest and quote-unquote softest compared to the more traditional jump scares scattered throughout. Sound plays a huge role in terrifying the audience, which I'd argue is what makes my favorite little bite of "The Fourth Kind" so unexpectedly eerie.
The setup
"The Fourth Kind" — a title referencing J. Allen Hynek's classifications of close encounters with aliens — depicts what's said to be a true case of an October 2000 alien abduction in Nome, Alaska. Milla Jovovich starts the film by assuring audiences everything they're about to see actually happened, and she'll be playing psychologist Dr. Abigail "Abbey" Tyler. What we're about to see are supposedly re-enactments, with actual interview footage of the quote-unquote real Abbey Tyler — played by actress Charlotte Milchard — spliced in for effect. It's a bit of smoke and mirrors, but isn't that what Hollywood's all about?
The story so far
We watch as Abbey records hypnotherapy sessions with patients who report experiencing a white owl's stare as they sleep before creatures enter their homes. Abbey thinks this could be tied to her own husband's murder back in August of 2000, and that these people may have been abducted — like herself. Tape recordings with Sumerian language and local murders shroud the mystery in danger, with skeptics becoming suspicious. Abbey sees patients levitate, and they begin telling her — in Sumerian — to cease her study. People die, and objects in the sky appear, but Abbey will not stop, even if the truth means her end.
The scene
The scene in question isn't complicated. There doesn't need to be a play-by-play. The camera anchors on a snow-white owl and spins 360 degrees — without the owl breaking its gaze.
The owl features characteristics common to generic depictions of grey-skinned aliens with large noggins and sunken black eyes. The owl's face prominently displays black holes where its beady eyes would be, since we can barely see through shadows that enlarge the pitch-dark sockets. Its head is slightly askew, and there's something unnatural about its appearance alone.
As the head swivels, its body stays still. I know owls have the ability to pull this head-twirling trick like their necks don't exist, but it's the duration at 20 seconds of rotation that gets under your skin. The owl, or whatever it is, refuses to look away. Why? What does it want? As a possible undercover alien, a shapeshifter from another world, its laser-focused behavior is chilling. That's it. That's enough.
The impact (Chris' take)
I know "The Fourth Kind" doesn't have the best reputation — it's currently sitting at a pathetic 18% on Rotten Tomatoes — but I have a soft spot for this flick. Sure, you could argue that the re-enactment idea is corny, but I actually think it's a neat twist on the found-footage subgenre. On top of that, some of the visuals here really get under my skin. Aliens don't just abduct people in this movie, they possess them — and that possession comes accompanied by stretched-out faces and gaping mouths that spew strange words in a dead tongue. It's creepy stuff, and I'm kind of thrilled that Matt decided to highlight this somewhat underrated little fright flick. It's not a great movie by any means, but it has its creepy moments. Also, you can't go wrong with a movie where character actors like Will Patton and Elias Koteas play themselves playing someone else. Will Freakin' Patton and Elias Freakin' Koteas, folks!