Way back in the very early 80s, Steven Spielberg was developing a science fiction horror film called NIGHT SKIES. Based loosely on the Hopkinsville Goblin incident, where alien visitors allegedly terrified the occupants of a remote US farmhouse, it was being put together while Spielberg was still in production of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Close to a million dollars was spent on the project, including Rick Baker designing some apparently quite terrifying animatronic aliens, before it fell by the wayside – elements of it going on to be resurrected in the much more family-friendly form of “E.T.”
I’ve always been intrigued by this great lost cinematic “What if…” and finally, a film has come along that scratches that itch very nicely. And though I might get ridiculed for saying it, I can’t imagine that NIGHT SKIES – had it been made – would have outmatched Brian Duffield’s really rather terrific film. It’s extremely inventively crafted in terms of its action blocking and camerawork and does seem to have some of that genuine 80s Spielberg movie magic mojo going on. Certainly a lot more so than most other modern attempts, like JJ Abram’s ok-but-never-great SUPER 8.
Told almost entirely without dialogue, the film is about an isolated young girl, living on her own in a small-town rural community. One night, she hears noises downstairs. The front door’s open, the lights don’t work – and there’s someone in the kitchen. Or rather – something. What follows is an absolute masterclass in how to build tension and tight and intricately flowing, beautifully crafted action sequences, as this unlikely heroine fights a terror from beyond our world, while battling demons of her own.
This film is, by necessity, carried on the the shoulders of its lead, played by Kaitlyn Dever. The camera stays on her pretty the entirety of the film. She gives an incredible performance both physically and emotionally, especially when things start going a lot more crazy as the scale of the threat escalates. I loved the themes of the film too. It’s not super-deep, but there’s definitely ideas going on in there that you’ll be thinking about long after the film’s finished its breezy 93-minute runtime.
So, I really liked it. Well worth your time. I would have loved to have seen it in a cinema – shame it wasn’t one of the films shown at Frightfest this year. It would have absolutely rocked that crowd!
Anyway, it’s on Disney+ now.
