‘The Fourth Kind’: Not the Typical Horror Film
November 9, 2009 • By Ariel Bojeun,
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“When a UFO is sighted, it is called an encounter of the first kind. When evidence is collected, it is known as an encounter of the second kind. When contact is made with extraterrestrials, it is the third kind. The next level, ABDUCTION, is the fourth kind. This encounter has been the most difficult to document until now” (The Fourth Kind 2009).
“The Fourth Kind,” directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, relays an actual series of recording and the replication of the final kind of alien interaction. Dr. Abigail Tyler, played both by herself and by Milla Jovovich (“Resident Evil”), continues her studies of a series of strange coincidences in the small town of Nome, Alaska, after the mysterious death of her husband. The audience is presented with three perspectives: an interview with Dr. Tyler after her period of study, her actual recordings of patient sessions, and the dramatic portrayal by Jovovich.
As with many horror films, the build up and anticipation of “The Fourth Kind” outweighed its actual intensity, leaving the audience unsure of their satisfaction. Of course, the level of fear the viewers experienced was subjective to their own beliefs and tendency to feel fear. Yet what was anticipated to be an overwhelmingly-frightening and eye-opening film seemed more like a slightly disturbing Discovery Channel documentary of apparent other world intelligences.
In this perspective, the factual evidence was certainly intriguing. The film’s main claim to horror is the actual footage, recordings and interviews of patients and their psychiatrist Abigail Tyler. These segments were nothing short of provocative in their obvious display of unexplained activity. Yet, as the patients reached their enlightenment and their most startling physical convulsions took place, the recordings became distorted, leaving the audience straining to catch the picture between slide changes and fuzz.
Unique to most films based on true accounts, “The Fourth Kind” blended the reality of audio and visual tapings with the actors’ work in an unusual split-screen effect. Particularly notable was the pairing of the audio recordings with the movement of the various screens, the pictures changing as the tape was played and paused. This technique was visually intriguing as the reality became less and less decipherable from the performance, but the many screens tore the audience’s attention as they struggled to see up to six frames.
As seen in “The Sixth Sense” with the subtle appearance of the color red, it is noteworthy to observe the use of the image of an eye. Throughout, the symbol of the watching owl was used to represent further phenomena. Yet, it was not only the eye of the owl that was utilized. Both the eyes of Abigail Tyler and the lens of the camera were used to transition between live footage and performance.
As the actors and actresses were not only playing a role but rather recreating actual individuals and situations, their commitment and dedication was incredibly important. The split-screen effect left no room for error in the portrayal of both the verbal and physical characteristics. Each of the patients (Corey Johnson and Elias Koteas) became the truly estranged victims of the real footage, in many cases bringing the most jumps and screams during the movie.
Although the film may not be the traditional and expected horror film, it certainly provided intriguing insight into a continuously unexplainable phenomenon. The audience is torn between the reality of the evidence and the fiction of the performance, wondering what could possibly be the answer.
Contact Ariel Bojeun at bojeunae@jmu.edu
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just seen 4th kind with my 11 Yr. Son. We both thought it was great,I’ve been a believer in ufos for a long time this just qdds valitity to my beliefs